Dems Push Legislation to Expand DOJ's Authority to Fight For 'Environmental Justice'

Dems Push Legislation to Expand DOJ's Authority to Fight For 'Environmental Justice'


House and Senate Democrats are pushing new legislation that would greatly expand the authority of the Justice Department’s environmental office, because…’racism.’

The legislation contains a provision that would enhance the authority of the Office of Environmental Justice by adding “a new section focused on tackling environmental crimes,” Fox News reported.

Currently, the Biden regime 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 of environmental laws, regulations and policies.”

Currently the DOJ’s environmental office seeks to “protect overburdened and underserved communities from the harm caused by environmental crimes.” But, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) said her bill is necessary to provide the DOJ with more legal to go after American businesses and companies to hold them accountable to “low-income communities and communities of color burdened by pollution.”

Barragán said of her legislation: “A whole of government approach to environmental justice must include enforcement by the Department of Justice that prioritizes the right of all communities to clean air and clean water.”

Fox News adds:

According to a summary of the bill, DOJ’s new, expanded environmental justice office would be tasked with initiating legal action to enforce environmental laws that “impact environmental justice and civil rights,” and enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to investigate “civil rights complaints related to environmental justice.”

Additionally, the DOJ’s new Environmental Justice Section would specifically coordinate with other federal agencies and state and local governments on environmental justice matters. That section would also distribute $50 million grants each year to groups that help state and local officials “hold polluters accountable.”

There isn’t any evidence that Barragán has offered thus far to indicate that polluters aren’t being held “accountable.” What’s more, the job of handling environmental crimes largely falls to the Environmental Protection Agency and in fact, according to Fox News, the EPA also has an ‘environmental justice’ office that is currently distributing American taxpayer dollars “to groups fighting for environmental justice” — whatever that means.

Nevertheless, Barragán’s legislation was introduced with 20 co-sponsors and mirrors legislation introduced in the Senate by her California colleague, Sen. Alex Padilla.

“Every federal agency has a responsibility to provide justice to communities who have been overburdened by exposure to toxic pollution,” Padilla said.

In May, the Department of Health and Human Services also stood up an Office of Environmental Justice, which is part of the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (whatever ‘health equity’ means). In addition, the Agriculture Department handles “environmental justice” via its Environmental Management Division.

Why so many new environmental justice offices throughout the federal bureaucracy? Thank Joe Biden’s handlers.

Fox News added: “Those department-level efforts are driven by President Biden, who has pushed to involve several federal agencies in the effort to ensure that ‘the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of environmental justice communities are heard in the White House and reflected in the priorities, policies, investments, and decision-making of the Federal Government.'”


Poll

Join the Newsletter