By Michael Fisch
the supreme court of the united states
President Biden’s administration has set aside billions for environmental initiatives. From the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed earlier this year to the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August, the administration has devoted both money and attention to climate change and other environmental priorities. The Inflation Reduction Act, which some senior Republicans have called for repealing, lays out the most substantial federal investment in fighting climate change in history—about $375 billion over a decade.
Less noticed, but no less important, is the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to provide 40% of the overall benefits of federal investments relating to climate change, clean energy, pollution remediation, wastewater infrastructure, and other areas to disadvantaged communities. As senior counsel to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Professor Sharmila Murthy is supporting this historic push for environmental justice.
Last year, the White House directed all federal agencies to identify and begin transforming programs that are covered under the Justice40 Initiative. The task of delivering the benefits of hundreds of federal programs to disadvantaged communities is a huge commitment, says Murthy, requiring fundamental and sweeping reforms to the very way the federal government operates.
Murthy offers just a few examples of new approaches related to Justice40: the Environmental Protection Agency, she says, is making extraordinary investments to cut pollution from diesel school buses; the Department of Energy is investing billions of dollars to deliver clean, affordable energy; and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is working to provide solar power to multifamily housing. Biden created Justice40 when he signed Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad during his first week in office.
“I’m working to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to help communities who have long been overburdened by pollution and underserved by infrastructure and other basic services,” she says. An expert in drinking water policy, climate change, and environmental justice, Murthy has held the role since September 2021.
She is also working closely with the White House team that is building the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), a geospatial mapping application that identifies disadvantaged communities. “Given that Suffolk Law prides itself on its top-ranked legal technology program, I have been thrilled to be part of the team of policymakers and developers that is building this important mapping tool,” Murthy said.
The tool allows users to search by location (such as by address, ZIP code, or by clicking on the map) to learn whether a community has been designated as disadvantaged, a determination based on a host of environmental, climate, and socio-economic factors. Federal agencies will use the tool to help identify communities that could benefit from programs included in the Justice40 Initiative.
Upon her return to Suffolk Law in the spring, Murthy looks forward to sharing what she has learned from her time in government with the Suffolk Law community. She also hopes to help students navigate the possibilities of internships with the federal government. “I am eager to share my enthusiasm for public service and to train the next generation of Suffolk lawyers,” she says. “Our student leaders are critical thinkers and strong problem solvers who can help tackle the many pressing problems that we face.”
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
winter 2023
