US Shutdown Would Put Environmental Justice Communities at Risk

Overburdened communities would suffer the most if and when a government shutdown halts EPA services, the agency’s head told congressional lawmakers on Wednesday.

Without staff available to reach out to residents and help local groups compete for grant funding, the legacy of disproportionate harms inflicted on environmental justice communities will continue, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan told the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

“Communities will be left behind if the government shuts down, but those communities that are already disproportionately impacted will be further left behind,” Regan said.

More broadly, the EPA won’t be able to keep an ...