In June, the Department of Energy (DOE) released draft goals for its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan (EJSP) and requested feedback through public comments. Executive Order 14,096 directs each federal agency to create an environmental justice strategic plan that “sets forth the agency’s vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address and advance environmental justice.” Our comments suggested that DOE should include objectives under their proposed goals to develop and issue agency-wide guidance on how to consider and analyze environmental justice concerns in their regulatory and policy actions.
DOE is currently engaged in myriad regulatory, permitting, licensing, and policy activities in the energy field that affect environmental justice communities. Without clear and consistent direction to staff in the form of agency-wide guidance, it will be difficult for DOE to develop the agency culture, analytical tools, and harmonized approaches that it will need to meet its stated goals in the strategic plan.