Policy Strategies

‘**’ indicates bipartisan support

Identify and Center Environmental Justice Communities

• VT S.148 (2022): established an environmental justice policy for the state; required state agencies to incorporate environmental justice into their work, rules, and procedures; established the Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the Interagency Environmental Justice Committee to advise the State on environmental justice issues.
• ME L.D. 2018 (2022): established definitions for “environmental justice” and “front line communities;” set methods to incorporate the weighing of equity decisions in deliberations at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and the Public Utilities Commission.
• WA SB 5141 (2021) – required an environmental justice assessment of proposed and historic environment bills; created an EJ Council that supports integrating EJ into state government; sets a goal for agencies to allocate 35% of their budgets to serving the communities most impacted by environmental degradation.
• NY S.6599 (2019) – required that disadvantaged communities must receive no less than 35% of overall benefits from the state’s climate programs; created the Climate Justice Working Group.

Build an Inclusive Economy

• **CT SB 999 (2021) – set guidelines and requirements for renewable energy projects to incorporate community benefit agreements, apprenticeship programs, prevailing wage, and project labor agreements.
• MD SB 516 (2019) – appropriated $7 million in clean energy funding specifically for small, minority, women-owned, and veteran-owned clean energy businesses; offers grants to clean energy employers that sponsor registered apprenticesand utilize Project Labor Agreements (PLAs).

Prioritize Community-Driven Solutions

• **WA H.B.1753 (2022): required early, meaningful, and individual consultation with any affected federally recognized tribe on all Climate Commitment Act funding decisions and funding programs that may impact tribal resources.
• **WV H.B.4479 (2022): established the Coalfield Communities Grant Facilitation Commission, which provides support to small towns for grant writing and matching grant funds, particularly focusing on retraining coal miners.

Require Local Pollution Reductions 

• MD H.B.1200 (2022) -: required a person applying for a certain permit from the Department of the Environment to include in the application the EJ Score from the Maryland EJ tool for the census tract where the applicant is seeking the permit.
• WA SB 5126 (2021) – required improved air quality in communities disproportionately overburdened by pollution and directed a minimum of 35% of carbon pricing revenues to such communities.
• NJ A.2212/S.232 (2020) – required DEP to evaluate environmental and public health stressor of certain facilities on overburdened communities when reviewing certain permit applications.

Facilitate a Just Transition

• NH S.B.152 (2023): Establishes a marine trades career workforce development fund; establishes an offshore wind industry workforce training center committee.
• **NY S.9422 (2022) – promoted the development of thermal energy networks and provided jobs to transitioning utility workers who are at risk of losing their employment.
• **IL SB2132/HB3624 (2021) – invested up to $40 million per year to replace lost property taxes, and support job training; created a “bill of rights” for displaced workers.
• CO HB 19-1314 (2019) – created a Just Transition Office in the Department of Labor and Employment. The final just transition action plan as submitted to the legislature is available here.