Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday rescinded Biden-era memos that he said called on state agencies to factor a “social justice and environmental agenda” into infrastructure project decisions.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration issued two memos — in 2021 and 2023 — about using bipartisan infrastructure law funding and including “disadvantaged and under-represented groups in the planning, project selection, and design process” for updates to the nation’s roads, highways, bridges, transportation hubs and other key infrastructure. The memos said to make these updates while also keeping in mind environmental impacts and a changing climate.
Duffy’s office said in a statement that the memos “added meritless and costly burdens related to greenhouse gas emissions and equity initiatives.”
“The previous administration flouted Congress in an attempt to push a radical social and environmental agenda on the American people,” Duffy added. “This was an act of federal overreach. It stops now.”
The federal government’s inclusion of addressing environmental health problems specifically in Black, Latino, Indigenous and lower-income neighborhoods goes back to the Clinton era. Biden expanded upon these policies with targeted investments through the bipartisan funding and Inflation Reduction Act, and programs such as the Justice40 initiative, which required that 40% of the benefits from certain environmental programs go to such hard-hit neighborhoods.
Experts say these communities feel disproportionate impacts from nearby highways, Superfund sites and petrochemical plants, and are also often the most vulnerable to the climate change made worse by decades of pollution. These harmful emissions can cause cancer, affect heart and lung health, and contribute to shorter lifespans.
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