EPA Lawyer Vows Use Of ‘Affirmative Authority’ To Enforce Civil Rights Law

October 15, 2021
A top EPA lawyer says the agency will for the first time utilize its “affirmative authority” to enforce its obligations to ensure that recipients of EPA funds comply with nondiscrimination requirements in the Civil Rights Act, reflecting the Biden administration’s focus on integrating environmental justice (EJ) into all government decisions. Melissa Hoffer, EPA’s principal deputy general counsel, told an Oct. 14 American Bar Association (ABA) event that the agency’s use of affirmative authority to enforce the law in the past...


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