On June 20, 2024, youth plaintiffs and the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) reached a historic settlement agreement in Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation that requires HDOT to enact various initiatives to significantly decarbonize the transportation sector. A key part of the agreement is that HDOT is obligated to achieve zero emissions in ground, sea, and inter-island air transportation by 2045. The agreement comes as the Hawaiian government recognizes the scientific consensus surrounding the threat of anthropogenic climate change.
On May 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a request for public comments on its draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan (Plan). As required by Executive Order 14096, the DOJ’s Plan will specify the DOJ’s goals, metrics, and priority actions that it will undertake to address environmental justice (EJ). The DOJ must publicly release the finalized Plan by October 2024. To meet the objectives of Executive Order 14096, the DOJ has outlined four goals and currently requests public feedback.
This summer, construction of the Line 3 pipeline generated a lot of controversy, with several protests demanding a stop to construction. Enbridge, a large energy infrastructure company, is planning to construct a 340-mile pipeline called Line 3. The pipeline construction is planned to replace an outdated, existing pipeline that stretches from Alberta, Canada to the Wisconsin coast on Lake Michigan.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” In its recent fiscal year 2020-2021 report, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) identified environmental justice as one of the eight top management challenges the EPA has struggled with and needs to improve on. According to the report, the OIG and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have consistently found that the EPA is not measuring up to its definition of environmental justice. The report specifically stated, “EPA needs to enhance its consideration of environmental justice across programs and regions and provide leadership in this area for the federal government.”
Indian Country has been especially impacted by COVID-19 due to Native Americans’ ongoing vulnerability to health issues stemming from poor environmental conditions on reservations. The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Native American Resource Committee held a webinar on May 28th, 2020 to discuss the current issues affecting Native American reservations due to COVID-19.
