White House Environmental Equity Screening Tool Faulted on Data

A White House tool to help agencies and departments identify communities long suffering from pollution and other inequities shows promise but also gaps in fully understanding the communities, according to advocates.

Environmental justice and public health advocates have been testing a beta version of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool since its release last month by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The tool assesses census tracts using eight metrics including legacy pollution and access to renewable energy and clean transportation.

Drawing on similar tools used for years by EPA and a handful of states, the goal is ...