White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) has been established pursuant to Executive Order 14008, titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The White House council will not only bring greater visibility to EJ issues across the federal government but will provide EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) with an excellent partner for providing horizon-expanding EJ advice and recommendations to our government’s leadership. As EPA supports the formation of the White House council, we are continuing to support the consistent management of NEJAC, including with our annual membership recruitment process and convening public meetings.
Overview of the WHEJAC
Through President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (signed January 27, 2021), the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) is being established to advise the Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the newly established White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (IAC) to increase the Federal Government’s efforts to address environmental injustice. The WHEJAC’s efforts will include a broad range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, community engagement, and economic issues related to environmental justice.
This council will advise on how to increase the Federal Government’s efforts to address current and historic environmental injustice through strengthening environmental justice monitoring and enforcement. The duties of the WHEJAC are to provide advice and recommendations to the IAC and the Chair of CEQ on a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice, including, but not limited, to environmental justice in the following areas:
- Climate change mitigation, resilience, and disaster management
- Toxics, pesticides, and pollution reduction in overburdened communities
- Equitable conservation and public lands use
- Tribal and Indigenous issues
- Clean energy transition
- Sustainable infrastructure, including clean water, transportation, and the built environment
- NEPA, enforcement and civil rights
- Increasing the Federal Government’s efforts to address current and historic environmental injustice
WHEJAC Membership and Workgroups
The WHEJAC members have been appointed by the President.
Members were selected from across a wide range of backgrounds and have knowledge about or experience in environmental justice, climate change, disaster preparedness, racial inequity, among other areas of expertise.
WHEJAC Member Biographies (pdf)
WHEJAC Meetings
All scheduled meetings will be published in the Federal Register and sent out by the EPA-EJ Listserv and the EPA EJ Twitter account.
Upcoming Meetings
Information on the next WHEJAC Public Meeting will be posted here as information becomes available.
The WHEJAC is interested in receiving public comments relevant to WHEJAC topics.
You can submit your written comments in the following ways:
- Entering comments at http://www.regulations.gov when a docket opens.
- Using the webform at https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/forms/white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council-whejac-public-comment
- Sending comments via email to whejac@epa.gov, for comments with additional materials.
Who Should Attend the Public Meetings: This meeting is open to all members of the public.
Cost: Free
Questions: Please contact Victoria Robinson at whejac@epa.gov or by phone 202-564-6349.
Subscribe to the EPA-EJ Listserv to receive the details as soon as they are released!
Previous WHEJAC Meetings
View a message from Vice President Kamala Harris on the WHEJAC
WHEJAC Recommendations
You also may Search all Recommendations.
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| May 2021 | WHEJAC Final Recommendations Cover Letter May 21, 2021 |
| May 2021 | WHEJAC Final Recommendations: Justice40, Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and Executive Order 12898 Revisions |
| March 2022 | WHEJAC Phase One Scorecard Recommendations Report (pdf) |
| March 2022 | WHEJAC Letter to CEQ: Request for Resources for WHEJAC, Request for Timelines, Request for Key Agency Contacts to Attend Public Comment Period During Public Meetings and Increase in CEQ Budget (pdf) |
| May 2022 | CEQ Response to the WHEJAC May 2021 Final Recommendations (pdf) |
| May 2022 |
CEQ Responses to the March 2022 WHEJAC Letter to CEQ: |