Facing Resistance, EPA Treads Carefully In Addressing Cumulative Impacts

Facing stiff resistance from states and industry groups, EPA is expected to proceed cautiously as it works to advance its high-profile effort to account for cumulative impacts in permitting for facilities located in overburdened communities, a key part of the Biden administration’s environmental justice (EJ) agenda. A case in point is a high-profile guidance being developed by EPA’s new Office of Environmental Justice & External Civil Rights (OEJECR), likely in consultation with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ),...