Power Plan Boosts Justice Protections, Leaves Communities Vulnerable to States

摘要

The Environmental Protection Agency significantly boosted its focus on equitable treatment for vulnerable communities in the final Clean Power Plan released Aug. 3, requiring that states meaningfully engage with those communities on state-specific plans. The final rule, intended to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector, includes what may be some of the strongest environmental justice engagement requirements incorporated into a specific program, one climate change attorney said. However, the enforceability of those provisions-whether the EPA will be able to deny a state's emissions reductions proposal based on inadequate justice engagement-is unclear, according to attorneys' comments.