EPA Releases Draft Strategic Plan to Address Climate Change and Advance Environmental Justice and Equity
WASHINGTON – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that its Draft Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan has been published in the Federal Register and is available for public comment through November 12, 2021. The Strategic Plan communicates and provides a roadmap to achieve EPA’s and the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities over the next four years.
For the first time, EPA’s plan includes a strategic goal focused solely on addressing climate change, as well as an unprecedented strategic goal to advance environmental justice and civil rights. At the foundation of the plan is a renewed commitment to the three principles articulated by EPA’s first Administrator, William Ruckelshaus — follow the science, follow the law, and be transparent, while adding an additional fourth principle: advance justice and equity.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the Strategic Plan that EPA is putting forth today, rooted in the principles that have guided our mission since day one, and only enhanced by a new focus on justice and equity,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is at the center of the Biden-Harris administration’s agenda on climate change and environmental justice, and so it’s critical that our strategic direction reflect those priorities and values.”
The Strategic Plan outlines seven goals and four cross-agency strategies. The strategies articulate essential ways of working to accomplish EPA’s mission outcomes — instilling scientific integrity in decision making; considering children’s environmental health protection; advancing organizational excellence and workforce equity; and strengthening partnerships, including early, meaningful involvement with Tribes and states and on-the-ground engagement with communities.
The plan also includes a suite of measures that will help the agency monitor progress and ensure accountability for achieving its priorities to protect human health and the environment. The plan builds on work already begun under President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.
The final plan will be issued in February along with EPA’s FY 2023 Budget.
More information on EPA’s Strategic Plans can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan