On July 31, Senior Policy Analyst Catalina Gonzalez submitted public comments on the U.S. Department of Energy’s environmental justice strategic plan. The comments generally support the draft strategic goals and applaud DOE’s initial steps to incorporate environmental justice (EJ) into its processes, including establishing the new Office of Energy Justice and Equity. However, the comments also urge DOE to take further steps and actions to develop comprehensive agency-wide guidelines that align with executive orders that call for a “whole-of-government approach to environmental justice” and adhere more fully to Executive Order 14096, which directs DOE to “[Prevent] pollution…and clean up legacy pollution that is harming human health and the environment,” among other issues.
