Environmental justice and the Biden Administration’s Justice40 initiative will be the topic of the Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management’s free April 5 webinar.

“Justice40: Bringing Energy Transition Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities” will be the subject of a free, hour-long webinar at 11 a.m. April 5. It is the third, and last installment, of the Energy Lecture Series for this spring from the CEPM.

The speaker will be Sonrisa Lucero, Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Justice40 Initiative was established by executive order as part of President Biden’s climate and clean energy efforts to address decades of underinvestment in disadvantaged communities.

While development projects have historically caused harm to low-income and minority communities, the initiative will bring resources to disadvantaged communities by using environmental justice principles.

The Justice40 initiative directs that 40 percent of overall benefits of federal investments in clean energy and transit, energy efficiency, workforce development, and remediation of legacy pollution are directed to communities defined as disadvantaged.

The DOE has developed a definition for determining such communities, using a formula that includes environmental and climate hazards, fossil fuel dependence, socioeconomic data, and other considerations. 

As clean energy investments funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law begin to materialize, it is important for businesses, local and regional governments, community organizations, and other stakeholders to understand what the Justice40 initiative could bring to disadvantaged communities in the region under environmental justice principles.

Lucero will provide an overview of the Justice40 program and energy justice efforts, how funding will be leveraged to disadvantaged areas, and the community benefits plan. She will also discuss the importance of community engagement in the process and how stakeholders can have input in clean energy decisions early in project discussions.

Sonrisa Lucero is Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy. She was most recently the Equitable Buildings Decarbonization Manager at RMI, where she led the efforts to integrate equity into carbon-free buildings policy and advocacy. She received her degree in Environmental Systems Engineering from Stanford University.

The webinar is free and open to the public. Click Here to register. 

The seminar is approved for Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Contact the Washington County Bar Association at wcba@washcobar.org  for information.

Visit the Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management webpage for more information on this and other programs.

NewsClip:

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Acting DEP Secretary Disappoints By Spouting Enviro Justice Nonsense

Related Article:

--​​House Budget Hearing: Acting DEP Secretary Outlines His Views On Environmental Justice, Announces Fernando Treviño As Special Deputy For Environmental Justice  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week - Climate:

-- PA Capital-Star: Environmentalists, Advocates Urge Shapiro To Stay The Course On RGGI Carbon Pollution Reduction Plan

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Carbon Pollution Reduction Plan Serves Economy, Environment [RGGI]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: DEP Acting Secretary Negrin’s Flawed View Of ‘Climate Change’

-- MCall Guest Essay: Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change - They Should Be

Related Articles This Week:

-- Bipartisan House, Senate Members Introduce Legislation Establishing Real Community Solar Program To Help Address Home/Business Energy Spikes Caused By Volatile Natural Gas Prices  [PaEN]

-- WESA: Putting Equity In Energy: Solar United Neighbors, Partners Celebrate Solar Program For Low-Income Homeowners In Allegheny County

-- Guest Essay: A Conservative Argument For Clean Energy -- Follow The Market, Fossil Fuels Are No Bargain - By Dave Jenkins,  Conservatives For Responsible Stewardship    [PaEN]

-- Washington & Jefferson College Hosts April 5 Webinar On Justice40 - Bringing Energy Transition Benefits To Disadvantaged Communities  [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts April 26 Webinar: No Miracles Needed - How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate, Clean Our Air  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Hosts May 22-23 Climate Solutions Symposium  [PaEN]

-- 22 Groups Express Concerns With Pennsylvania’s Carbon Storage Plans, Capacity To Regulate Injection Wells  [PaEN]

-- PJM This Week Sends Penalty Assessments Of Up To $2 Billion To Electric Generators That Failed To Perform During December’s Winter Storm Elliot; Natural Gas Power Plants Had 63% Of Outages  [PaEN]

[Posted: March 29, 2023]

4/3/2023