Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday rescinded Biden-era memos that he said called on state agencies to factor a “social justice and environmental agenda” into infrastructure project decisions.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.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has scrapped long-standing environmental justice policies and instructed agencies to eliminate related jobs while touting a reversal of diversity, equity and inclusion policy. The DOT’s statement also aligns with Trump Environmental Protection Agency pick Lee Zeldin’s pledge to end the use of “environmental justice.”
Duffy said the policies conflicted with congressional intent and the federal Administrative Procedure Act and have no basis in statute or role in his department’s programs going forward.
Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman and reality television personality, didn’t have transportation sector experience before being tapped for Trump’s cabinet.
“It feels like we’re moving backward in our efforts to ensure that all communities benefit equitably from infrastructure investments,” Roishetta Ozane, who founded the mutual aid and environmental justice organization the Vessel Project of Louisiana, said of Duffy’s edict.
She noted that Duffy’s dismissal of greenhouse gas emissions and equity initiatives is particularly concerning.
“The language used not only reflects a regression in policy but also a broader disregard for the voices advocating for a more just and sustainable future,” Ozane added. “It’s disheartening to see a lack of commitment to meaningful change, especially when it comes to ensuring that infrastructure projects serve the needs of all people, not just a select few.”
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [email protected]. Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment.
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