EPA Environmental Justice Move Has Companies Bracing for Impact

The Environmental Protection Agency’s launch of a new national environmental justice arm has left industry attorneys waiting to see how far the agency will go—and how fast.

The new office is set to influence actions across the agency, including clean air and water permitting, targeted enforcement, and environmental regulations. The extent to which the move, aimed at helping disadvantaged communities, affects core EPA missions will play out over the coming months.

“The regulated community craves certainty,” said Francis Lyons, a former EPA regional administrator and US Department of Justice environmental enforcement attorney.

The new Office of Environmental Justice and External ...