Environmental Justice to Play Role in Grant Programs, Regan Says

Environmental justice considerations will play a bigger part in EPA decisions on grants and loans, including those for city water infrastructure projects, Administrator Michael Regan said Thursday.

EPA senior executives are examining “how our program performance adequately addresses equity and inclusion in all the decisions that we make,” Regan said at his first in-person public event as administrator. He announced a $156 million Environmental Protection Agency loan to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority.

The EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council has called on the agency to prioritize water infrastructure issues in communities harmed most by environmental neglect. ...