White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Signals Important Change

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration today announced its 26-member White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council to advise the president’s Council on Environmental Quality on ways to address environmental injustice.

Following is reaction from Melissa Lin Perrella, Senior Director of Environmental Justice at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“For too long, polluters have had direct lines into the federal government, while the communities they impact are often left out. This announcement signals important and positive change, helping to ensure that the voices of impacted communities are heard and heeded. Bringing diverse voices and vision to the table where decisions are made is the first essential step toward confronting environmental injustice with action.

“The Council represents the knowledge and judgment of lived experience from communities on the front lines of environmental hazard and harm. There is an utterly amazing pool of experience amongst the folks being tapped. We are particularly excited to see some of our trusted partners and NRDC trustee Catherine Flowers included in this august team.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.