Notice2024-21121
Request for Comments on the Strategic Plan to Advance Environmental Justice
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 18, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce Department
Abstract
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the Department of Commerce Environmental Justice Committee seeks public comment to inform its Strategic Plan to Advance Environmental Justice (Strategy). Commerce is seeking input from the public, especially people and communities with environmental justice concerns who are potentially affected by Commerce activities including planning, regulatory actions, implementation, permitting, compliance, and enforcement related to human health or the environment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76446-76448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21121]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Request for Comments on the Strategic Plan to Advance
Environmental Justice
AGENCY: Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the Department of
Commerce Environmental Justice Committee seeks public comment to inform
its Strategic Plan to Advance Environmental Justice (Strategy).
Commerce is seeking input from the public, especially people and
communities with environmental justice concerns who are potentially
affected by Commerce activities including planning, regulatory actions,
implementation, permitting, compliance, and enforcement related to
human health or the environment.
DATES: Written comments are requested on or before October 18, 2024 and
must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time (ET) on that
date. Written submissions received after that date may not be
considered. Commerce will not reply individually to responders but will
consider all comments submitted by the deadline.
ADDRESSES:
Instructions: You may submit comments for 30 days, identified by
DOC-2024-0009 by the following methods:
Online (Strongly Preferred) Submit all electronic public comments
via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
and enter DOC-2024-0009 in the Search.
Email: Comments submitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f98a8e988d9590979eb99d969ad79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a5d6d2c4d1c9cccbc2e5c1cac68bc2cad3">[email protected]</span></a> should be
machine-readable and should not be copy-protected.
Requirements for Submissions
To be assured of consideration, submit any written comments by the
October 18, 2024 deadline. All submissions must be in English. Commerce
strongly encourages submissions via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. The docket number
is DOC-2024-0009.
To submit via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, use Docket Number DOC-2024-0009 in
the `search for' field on the home page and click `search'. The site
will provide a search results page listing all documents associated
with this docket. Find a reference to this notice by selecting `notice'
under `document type' in the `refine documents results' section on the
left side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment'.
Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by filling in a `type
comment' field, or by attaching a document using the `upload file'
field. Commerce prefers that you provide submissions in an attached
document named according to the following protocol, as appropriate:
Commenter Name or Organization and ``Commerce Environmental Justice
Strategy''. If you provide submissions in an attached document, please
type `see attached comments' in the `comment' field on the online
submission form.
Please include the name, email address, and telephone number of an
individual Commerce can contact if there are issues or questions with
the submission. You will receive a tracking number upon completion of
the submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is
confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the
confirmation for your records.
[[Page 76447]]
Business Confidential Information Submissions
Please do not submit any confidential information; such information
may be posted and become part of the public record.
Public Viewing of Review Submissions
Commerce will post written submissions in the docket for public
inspection. You can view comments on Regulations.gov by entering Docket
Number DOC-2024-0009 in the search field on the home page.
Commerce is not able to provide technical assistance for
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. For further information on using <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>,
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on
`How to Use Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. You can
contact the <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> help desk at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4d6c1c3d1c8c5d0cdcbcad7ccc1c8d4c0c1d7cfe4c3d7c58ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88faedeffde4e9fce1e7e6fbe0ede4f8ecedfbe3c8effbe9a6efe7fe">[email protected]</span></a> or
1-866-498-2945 for help with technical questions on submitting comments
on <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>.
If you are unable to submit through <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> after seeking
assistance from the help desk, please contact Sarah Watling at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#becdc9dfcad2d7d0d9fedad1dd90d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1b686c7a6f7772757c5b7f7478357c746d">[email protected]</span></a> before transmitting your application and in advance of
the deadline to arrange for an alternative method of transmission.
Commerce will not accept hand-delivered submissions. Commerce may not
consider submissions that you do not make in accordance with these
instructions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Watling, Resilience, Climate
Adaptation, and Environmental Justice Program Manager, telephone 202-
875-9023; or emails at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6516120411090c0b0225010a064b020a13"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ec9f9b8d988085828bac88838fc28b839a">[email protected]</span></a>
Please direct media inquiries to Department of Commerce, Office of
the Secretary Main Office of Public Affairs, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c9b9bcaba5a0aaa8afafa8a0bbba89ada6aae7aea6bf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92e2e7f0fefbf1f3f4f4f3fbe0e1d2f6fdf1bcf5fde4">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Executive Order (E.O.) 14096 on Revitalizing Our Nation's
Commitment to Environmental Justice for All advances the Federal
government's efforts to deliver real, measurable progress on
environmental justice.\1\ E.O.14096, issued on April 21, 2023, charges
Federal agencies to exercise leadership and immediately strengthen
their efforts to address environmental injustice. The order makes clear
that the pursuit of environmental justice is a duty of all executive
branch agencies and that agencies should be taking actions now to
incorporate this charge into their missions.\2\ Agency strategic
planning under the order will play a key role in fulfilling E.O.14096's
mandate of revitalizing the commitment of all Federal agencies to
advance environmental justice.
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\1\ E.O.14096, Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to
Environmental Justice for All, 88 FR 25251 (April 21, 2023), <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/26/2023-08955/revitalizing-our-nationscommitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/26/2023-08955/revitalizing-our-nationscommitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all</a>.
\2\ The White House, Fact Sheet: President Biden Signs Executive
Order to Revitalize Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice
for All (April 21, 2023), <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statementsreleases/2023/04/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-to-revitalize-our-nations-commitment-toenvironmental-justice-for-all/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statementsreleases/2023/04/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-to-revitalize-our-nations-commitment-toenvironmental-justice-for-all/</a>.
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E.O.14096 directs all Federal agencies in the executive branch to
develop Environmental Justice Strategic Plans (Strategic Plans) that
are tied to specific performance and accountability measures outlined
in section 4 of E.O. 14096. As such, Strategic Plans are vital to
pursuing a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice.
Commerce recognizes the importance of an inclusive review and feedback
process to inform this Strategy. The Department of Commerce's Strategy
seeks to catalyze a new era of transparency, consistency, and
accountability for environmental justice.
Other topics in E.O. 14096 are being addressed separately by
Commerce and other agencies. This request for information pertains
solely to collecting feedback on the proposed strategic goals. The
public is encouraged to provide input in response to the questions
listed to help the Commerce understand the potential environmental
justice impact of its Strategy.
E.O. 14096 section 4(b) directs Federal agencies to set forth the
agency's vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address and
advance environmental justice. The Strategic Plan shall identify and
address opportunities through regulations, policies, permits, or other
means to improve accountability and compliance with any statute the
agency administers that affects the health and environment of
communities with environmental justice concerns. Among those actions,
section 4(a) directs Commerce to create a Strategic Plan no later than
18 months after the date of the E.O. and every 4 years thereafter. The
Strategic Plan shall be submitted to the Chair of the White House
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and made available to the public
online.
To assist in these endeavors, Commerce requests information from
the public on the goals and objectives provided below.
Goal 1: Center just treatment and meaningful involvement of
communities with environmental justice concerns in decision-making.
a. Broaden the participation of communities with environmental
justice concerns in decision-making processes to better reflect
community priorities.
b. Improve collaboration and two-way communication between the
Department of Commerce, state, Tribal, insular areas, local
governments, and communities with environmental justice concerns to
expand access to information on planning, regulations, and enforcement
related to human health, access to resources and the environment.
c. Base decision-making on equitably collected and inclusive data
that ensures representation of pertinent information from communities
potentially affected by agency level actions.
Goal 2: Use targeted investments, programs and research to advance
environmental justice and support communities impacted by the climate
crisis.
a. Ensure overall benefits of certain federal investments reach
disadvantaged communities that are marginalized and overburdened by
pollution and underinvestment through the Justice40 Initiative, CHIPS,
and additional environmental justice programs.
b. Promote inclusive research approaches and methods to integrate
diverse perspectives and data sources in environmental justice efforts.
c. Carry out environmental reviews under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) in a manner that advances environmental justice,
including considering disproportionate and adverse effects of proposed
actions on communities with environmental justice concerns.
Goal 3: Harness data to identify, address, and mitigate
environmental disparities, ensuring equitable access to resources and
opportunities for underserved communities.
a. Analyze gaps and inadequacies in data and research related to
the climate crisis and environmental justice.
b. Develop procedures for equitable data access, transparency and
accountability to expand opportunities for communities with
environmental justice concerns
c. Create a centralized environmental justice reporting repository
to monitor environmental justice implementation and make it publicly
available.
Goal 4: Institutionalize Environmental Justice in Programs,
Policies, Procedures and Activities.
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a. Identify and address environmental justice concerns in agency
programs, policies, procedures and activities.
b. Incorporate environmental justice principles into employee
training programs to ensure that all staff understand their role in
promoting environmental justice and are equipped with the necessary
tools and knowledge.
c. Expand and promote department-wide capacity for environmental
justice through training employees, incorporating it into relevant work
plans, and hiring staff with environmental justice expertise.
Request for Written Comments
This notice is intended to improve Commerce's understanding of
public views on how the Department should advance environmental
justice. This notice is a general solicitation for public comments and
further sets forth specific topics for discussion and comment. Commerce
seeks broad input from all interested stakeholders, including people
and communities with environmental justice concerns as well as the
public. Commenters are encouraged to address the following and may
comment with general views or provide specific information about a
specific topic. Responses may be formatted as the commenter prefers.
Comments will be reviewed by Commerce staff and as appropriate,
Commerce contractors, and may be used to inform the agency's work on
advancing environmental justice.
Topics
To help guide input, Commerce would appreciate feedback on the
following five questions:
1. Do the draft environmental justice strategic goals address
general interests and concerns about the advancement of environmental
justice by Commerce? Why or why not?
2. What actions should Commerce undertake to advance environmental
justice?
3. What performance measures or metrics should Commerce establish
to monitor progress towards advancing environmental justice?
4. What are examples of successful collaborations between Federal
agencies and Tribal, territorial, local, and State governments or
communities with environmental justice concerns?
5. How can Commerce better engage and collaborate effectively with
Tribes, both federally and non-federally recognized, Native Hawaiian
organizations, and Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous migrant
communities?
Dated: September 12, 2024.
Sarah E. Watling,
Resilience, Climate Adaptation, and Environmental Justice Program
Office, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2024-21121 Filed 9-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
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