Remarks for the White House Summit on Evironmental Justice, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan
Washington, DC
Thank you, Dr. Peggy Sheppard, for that introduction—you’ve become a great friend to me and a true partner in EPA’s environmental justice work.
I’m so thankful for your unwavering advocacy.
It’s so great to be here today.
It’s not lost on me that so many of the folks in this room have spent years…in some cases decades...fighting for a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable America.
And not only do I want to thank you, but I also want to remind you that our country...and our world, are better off because of your persistence, and steady fight...
I learned that first hand, as together, we embarked on a Journey to Justice tour in 2021...travelling to the Black Belt in the Deep South … but also to rural West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and even as far as Tribal communities in Alaska...
Going on the ground … I wanted to give these communities a voice … listen to their lived experiences and the environmental challenges they face every day … and work together as partners to come up with solutions that actually work for them.
And fortunately, we have a President, and a Vice President, who also believe in that vision...
President Biden is now the first sitting president to talk about environmental justice in not one, but two State of the Unions.
And we have a Vice President in Kamala Harris who has been committed to environmental justice for her entire career.
As San Francisco District Attorney, she created the city’s first environmental justice unit...
As Attorney General of California, she held corporate polluters accountable...making sure no one was above the law...
As senator, she championed environmental justice...authoring bold climate legislation that would become central to the historic Inflation Reduction Act...
And now, as Vice President, she has remained a climate and environment justice champion...integral to this administration’s most important climate and environmental justice accomplishments...
President Biden and Vice President Harris set the tone for my agency when...together...they put forth the most ambitious environmental justice and climate agenda in U.S. history.
The President and Vice President had high expectations for EPA – tasking this agency with restoring America’s environmental justice and climate leadership both at home and abroad — and doing so while prioritizing the health and safety of our nation’s most vulnerable communities.
And as I stand before you today, I can say with confidence and humility that WE ARE DELIVERING on their mandate.
And we have no intention of slowing down.
Because there’s too much at stake.
Through all of our work, we’ve put the health and protection of people and communities first.
Just look at the past year...
In response to the conditions we saw in Cancer Alley during our first Journey to Justice tour .. we issued a HON rule that will slash cancer-causing pollution and reduce elevated cancer risks from chemical plants by 96%.
We proposed new improvements to our lead and copper rule...a major advancement in protecting children and adults from lead in drinking water...and accelerating our progress to replace 100% of lead pipes in this country.
We issued final vehicle standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles, as well as heavy-duty vehicles – which will avoid more than 8 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions combined...meaning cleaner air and less pollution for low-income and disadvantaged communities that are often located near major highways.
In April, EPA announced a suite of four final rules to reduce pollution from coal and natural gas power plants.
We know that more than 70% of the nation’s coal and gas power plants are located in communities of color or low-income communities, making their health impacts and outcomes disproportionately worse.
That is simply unacceptable.
By finalizing these standards, EPA is cutting pollution and creating healthier communities, while still ensuring reliable electricity for all Americans.
We also recently finalized a rule to reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants...because we know that sharp cuts in methane emissions are among the most critical actions the U.S. can take in the short term to slow the rate of climate change.
Ultimately, the rule will avoid an estimated 58 million tons of methane over the next 15 years.
And folks, let me remind you, through all of our work and programs, we are prioritizing environmental justice.
For years, communities and environmental justice leaders have advocated for a support system to help build community capacity from the ground up.
So, for the first time ever EPA created a robust network of support to uplift and provide critical technical assistance to underserved and overburdened communities.
EPA’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers will work with over 160 partners, who will receive at least $10 million dollars each.
These centers provide technical assistance, training, and capacity-building support for organizations, stakeholders, and community partners with environmental justice concerns.
And last year, EPA announced $600 million dollars in funding for grantmakers across the country, who will distribute critical federal resources to communities that need them most.
Grantmakers will design comprehensive application and submission processes...award environmental justice subgrants... implement a tracking and reporting system...and provide resources and support to communities nationwide.
And through all of our environmental justice work, we are letting communities, who know their unique challenges best, lead the way.
Last year we announced approximately $2 billion dollars of funding available to communities through EPA’s Community Change Grants — the single largest investment in environmental justice in history.
These Community Change Grants will support local projects that deploy clean energy … reduce pollution … strengthen climate resilience … and build capacity to help underserved communities tackle their unique and persistent environmental justice challenges.
I’m excited to say that very soon, we will announce the first tranche of that funding that will pour into communities across this country.
These selected applications are the first to come under the Community Change Grants Program’s innovative rolling application process.
Those not selected will have an opportunity to resubmit their application pending a debrief from EPA.
Applications for the program are open through November 21, 2024...and we will continue to review applications as they come in!
Together, this administration is protecting public health...advancing environmental justice...combating climate change... and putting more resources than ever into the health and safety of communities across this country.
Folks, I’m proud of our work and I recognize that this important progress could not be possible without the voices and advocacy from everyone in the room today.
So, I challenge you to keep raising your voices and keep holding us accountable.
We hear you, we are listening, and together we are building a more equitable and just world, while also protecting our planet for future generations.
Folks, our work is not done until every child can safely drink water from the faucet, inhale a full breath of clean, fresh air, and play outdoors, without risk of environmental hazard or harm...our work continues...and I’m looking forward to getting there, with you.
Thank you.
Now it’s my pleasure to turn things back over to Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome.