EPA Plan for Top Environmental Equity Job Faces Long Road Ahead

The Environmental Protection Agency’s quest to elevate its top environmental justice post to one that needs Senate confirmation may drag into next year—if it happens at all—despite being a top priority for the Biden administration.

Congress still needs to authorize the position at a time when it has numerous competing priorities. In addition to getting through the Senate, the new appointee would need to assuage the concerns of labor unions, which would have some say in shaping any reorganization of the EPA’s existing environmental justice employees. That process alone typically takes at least several months, according to a union official. ...