Federal Policy
Home Energy Rebates and the IRA: Recommendations for Equity and Environmental Justice
After the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was enacted in August 2022, our analysis found that many supporters’ claims about how it would advance environmental and climate justice were overstated. Because Congress was only able to pass the IRA through the use of a special procedure called “reconciliation,” many provisions intended to address environmental justice were underspecified in…
Justice40 – Strategies and Successes
In this webinar, we learned the strategies and successes of receiving Justice40 funding. This event featured presentations from EJ organizations who have been successful in receiving and using funding to implement impactful projects for their communities. Featuring Alexis Washburn, Regional Director of Emerald Cities Collaborative. She provided information on the practical steps they’ve taken to…
FEMA’s Equity Action Plan and Authority to Deliver
FEMA’s Equity Action Plan and Authority to Deliver – Insights for environmental and justice advocates. In this webinar, we were joined by Hannah Perls, Staff Attorney at Harvard’s Environmental & Energy Law & Cristina Muñoz De La Torre, Director of Programs Research at Just Solutions Collective to discuss FEMA’s impact and responsibility within environmental and…
Energy Tax Credits and the IRA: Recommendations for Equitable Outcomes
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August, marked the biggest climate action ever passed by Congress, with tax incentives accounting for the majority of the bill’s spending commitments. Totaling an estimated $270 billion in tax expenditures over the next decade, the energy tax credits are expected to drive the transition away from fossil fuels via…
Let’s Talk Mapping – Federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
Presented by Just Solutions Collective & Front and Centered, this webinar provided an overview on the Federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool beta. This tool will be used to help federal agencies identify “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution” to decide where federal funding for climate projects is spent. We…
ANALYSIS OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), lauded as the biggest climate change legislation in the history of the United States, passed the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2022 and was signed into law by President Biden on August 16. Just Solutions completed a detailed analysis of the environmental justice provisions in the IRA including beneficial investments,…
Just Solutions Collective Analysis of FEMA Equity Plan
Primary Author: Cristina Muñoz De La Torre In this brief, we cover what is in FEMA’s Equity Plan, whether the plan will achieve equity for frontline communities, and we identify recommendations for advocates. Since the publication of Equity Action Plans from multiple federal agencies in April 2022 in response to Biden’s Executive Order 13985, many…
IRA: Our Analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act
Historic climate investments, big giveaways to industry, environmental justice priorities short-changed. Primary Author: Sylvia Chi, Senior Strategist The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2022 and was signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden on August 16. The law has been lauded as the biggest climate change legislation in the…
New Federal Actions to Lower Electricity Bills for Working Families: Key things to know
This summer, the Biden-Harris Administration announced six new actions to lower electricity bills for working families, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The administration aims to accomplish this by lowering electricity costs and create clean energy jobs, including: At Just Solutions Collective, we believe that addressing energy burden reduction is an important part of the clean…
West Virginia v. EPA: What the Supreme Court Ruling Means for Environmental Justice
On June 30, the last day of its 2022 term, the United States Supreme Court released its much-anticipated decision in West Virginia v. EPA, the high-profile federal climate change case. West Virginia was the finale of an extraordinary term marked by momentous decisions overturning longstanding precedents and state laws on tribal sovereignty, abortion, and the…
