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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to view a briefing series that examines environmental justice perspectives on the Clean Power Plan.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing discussing how environmental justice (EJ) is addressed through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Power Plan, the nation’s first-ever rules limiting carbon pollution from power plants (which are the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States). The Clean Power Plan will not only cut millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but also hundreds of thousands of tons of particulate pollution that becomes soot and smog. Cutting these emissions will help prevent thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks, asthma attacks, and missed work days. Minority and low-income communities, which are more likely to be located in areas burdened with pollution, will particularly benefit from these emission reductions.
In accordance with Executive Order 12898, EPA is required to make environmental justice a part of its mission. After active involvement and feedback from the EJ community, the final Clean Power Plan provides tools to reduce the burden placed on minority, low-income, and indigenous communities from pollution and ensure that these communities are not disproportionately affected by the rule. Our panel explored how incorporating environmental justice concerns into the Clean Power Plan's implementation can help vulnerable communities.
The Clean Power Plan requires states to meaningfully engage with low-income and minority communities, identify communities currently suffering from air pollution and climate change, and evaluate how compliance plans will affect these communities. The rule also rewards states for implementing energy efficiency projects in low-income communities through the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP).
Despite these requirements, there are concerns that some vulnerable communities will not see benefits from the Clean Power Plan. Some EJ organizations are worried that air pollution hotspots may result from the increased use of coal or natural gas plants prior to the implementation of the rule; there are also concerns that the use of cap-and-trade programs to comply with the CPP will allow polluting facilities near communities to stay open. To ensure the Clean Power Plan is helping vulnerable communities, the EPA will assess its implementation to check that air quality "in all areas" has improved, and that there are no deleterious localized impacts.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about energy efficient, “green” affordable housing and how it is improving health and safety in distressed communities while providing economic and environmental benefits to states. This was the second in a series of EESI briefings examining environmental justice as it relates to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Clean Power Plan (CPP), the nation's first-ever regulation limiting carbon pollution from power plants. This briefing showed how sustainable affordable housing can save money for low-income families and strengthen community resilience while serving as a CPP compliance strategy.
Speakers showcased sustainable affordable housing developments in Pittsburgh, PA, as well as a retrofit in Washington, DC, and discussed the national movement to “green” affordable housing. Pittsburgh-based affordable housing developer ACTION-Housing has partnered with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) to introduce “passive building” standards into its projects and reduce energy usage by 80-90 percent over conventional construction. The briefing also featured the passive building retrofit of Weinberg Commons, a multifamily housing complex for low-income families in Southeast DC. The nation's capital uses Enterprise Community Partners’ Green Communities Criteria as the baseline green building standard for its public and publicly-financed projects.
States are being encouraged by EPA's Clean Power Plan to reduce energy demand as a way to cut carbon pollution. Though the Plan's implementation has been temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court, at least 22 states have voluntarily decided to press ahead. The CPP rewards states that implement energy efficiency projects in low-income communities through the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP). Building sustainable, resilient and affordable housing and retrofitting existing housing to be more energy efficient, safe and healthful can therefore be key strategies for Clean Power Plan compliance—while also making communities more resilient to extreme weather, economic downturns and other hardships.
How Sustainable Public Buildings Can Enhance Their Communities
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about a “solar secure” recreation center in Brooklyn and a “high performance” school in Kentucky that are benefiting their communities as well as those who use the buildings. This briefing showed how sustainable public buildings can collectively reduce emissions and clear the air, especially in disadvantaged communities where energy utilities are often sited. Case studies featured buildings—both in urban and in rural areas—that are improving public health and driving economic growth, while protecting and serving their communities and neighborhoods even during emergencies.
This briefing featured a retrofit project in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City and a net-zero energy high school in rural Kentucky, as well as projects incorporating sustainability principles in Prince George's County, Maryland. After being devastated by Hurricane Sandy and left without power for days, the historic Red Hook Recreation Center was transformed into a community space and safe refuge with the installation of a solar power and battery system. For vocational students near Lexington, Kentucky, the Locust Trace AgriScience Center embodies the principles of sustainability. With daylit classrooms and low-impact land development, the buildings and campus provide hands-on learning of new skills for today’s jobs with minimal energy/water use and low carbon emissions. The Redevelopment Authority (RDA) of Prince George's County, MD, is developing mixed-income/mixed-use projects and affordable housing in urban communities near transit centers using sustainability principles that promote walkability, green design, and energy and water efficiency.
In the United States, coal is being supplanted by cheap domestic natural gas, rising renewable power generation, and a growing energy efficiency sector. The decline of the U.S. coal industry has had significant negative impacts on the communities and industries traditionally supported by coal. However, if managed properly, coal's sunset also opens up new economic and social opportunities for regions to grow diverse economic sectors with renewable energy, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, and technology as drivers of economic redevelopment.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a webinar that explored how traditionally coal-reliant communities can transition, diversify and strengthen their economies as the United States moves toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. We discussed the funding opportunities and work being done at the local, regional and federal levels to help these communities grow vibrant local economies. This webinar highlighted the range of actions being taken by various coal-reliant regions to diversify and develop new jobs and sources of revenue.
According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, while the Clean Power Plan is expected to create a net increase in jobs from energy efficiency and renewables, these jobs will not neatly replace coal job losses. Therefore, additional programs—such as job training and community engagement—will be needed to scale up the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in coal country.
On March 17, 2016, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced $65.8 million in funding for economically depressed coal-reliant communities. Any community that has coal-related industries can apply for the funding, which will be administered by the Obama Administration's Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative. Funds will go towards projects and partnerships that diversify local jobs and economies and towards increasing capacity and technical assistance for economic growth. At the local level, the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) is working with regional development organizations to foster discussions on solutions and options for coal-reliant communities. The Conservation Fund, with its Natural Capital Investment Fund Energy Initiative, is also promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy work and services in rural Appalachia.
The Appalachian Regional Commission released a report in March 2016 that examines the relationship between the coal industry and Appalachia in more detail: Appalachian Coal Industry, Power Generation, and Supply Chain.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing presenting the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJSCREEN, a mapping and environmental justice screening tool that EPA developed to help fulfill its responsibility to protect public health and the environment. The tool, freely available to the public online, enables users to compare environmental and demographic information in locations across the country. EPA uses EJSCREEN to find communities that may qualify for extra consideration, engagement and analysis as the agency develops its enforcement, compliance and permitting strategies. Stakeholders outside of EPA may also find EJSCREEN helpful for community awareness projects, education, research, and many other uses. EJSCREEN can show users where minority and low-income areas are located, the demographics in these communities, and the environmental issues they face. The briefing's speaker showed how can you use EJSCREEN to learn more about environmental justice issues in your city, town, or Congressional district.
For more information, contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected] or (202) 662-1880.
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