FEBRUARY 2023

WHITE HOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL

(WHEJAC) WORKGROUPS

The WHEJAC Workgroups were established to develop draft recommendations to assist the
WHEJAC in providing independent advice and recommendations to the Chair of the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) and to the White House Interagency Council on Environmental
Justice (Interagency Council) on how to increase the Federal Government's efforts to address
current and historic environmental injustice. https://www. whitehouse.gov/briefing-
room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tacklinq-the-climate-crisis-at-home-
and-abroad/

1. WHEJAC CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE SCREENING TOOL
WORKGROUP

Established: March 2021
Executive Order 14008 Sec. 222 (a)

https://www. whitehouse. aov/briefing-room/presidential-

actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackl ing-the-climate-crisis-at-home-a rid-
abroad/

CHARGE: Provide advice and recommendations to the WHEJAC to inform future
versions of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and ensure that the
tool continues to accurately identify disadvantaged communities. The recommendations
and advice should focus on identifying:

I.	Relevant datasets that are publicly available, nationally consistent, and available
at the census tract level, which could be considered for incorporation into the
tool;

II.	potential improvements to the methodology, including to better reflect
cumulative burdens in the tool;

III.	potential approaches for improving linguistic outreach;

IV.	Potential ways to enhance the usability of the tool; and

V.	any other possible strategies that would support updates and further
implementation.

MEMBERS: Jade Begay - Jerome Foster II - Juan Parras - LaTricea Adams -
Michele Roberts - Nicky Sheats, PhD - Rachel Morello-Frosch, PhD - Tom Cormons -
Viola Waghiyi

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FEBRUARY 2023

2.	WHEJAC SCORECARD WORKGROUP

Established: September 2021
Executive Order 14008 Sec. 220 (d)

https://www. whitehouse. gov/briefing-room/presidentigl-

actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackl ing-the-climate-crisis-at-home-a rid-
abroad/

CHARGE: Provide advice and recommendations to the Interagency Council on
performance metrics that will help evaluate and assess progress on the agency's
progress in addressing current and historic environmental injustice.

MEMBERS: Robert Bullard, PhD - Maria Lopez-Nunez - Richard Moore -

Rachel Morello-Frosch, PhD - Peggy Shepard - Michele Roberts - Kyle Whyte, PhD -

Beverly Wright, PhD - LaTricea Adams

3.	WHEJAC INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND TRIBAL NATIONS WORKGROUP

Established: January 2022

CHARGE: Provide recommendations for improving federal policy regarding
environmental justice for Tribal communities and Indigenous peoples including as it
relates to addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health,
environmental, climate-related, and other cumulative impacts, as well as the
accompanying economic challenges of such impacts, and underinvestment in housing,
transportation, water and wastewater, infrastructure, and health care. The working
group's recommendations will adopt the precautionary principle to first do no harm.

MEMBERS: Susana Almanza - Jade Begay - Carletta Tilousi - Kyle Whyte

4. WHEJAC CLIMATE PLANNING PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, RECOVERY AND
IMAPCTS WORKGROUP

Established: January 2022

Biden-Harris Administration Commitments to enhance climate change resilience and
disaster management https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-
releases/2021/05/24/fact-sheet-biden-administration-invests-l-billion-to-protect-
communities-fgmilies-gnd-businesses-before-disgster-strikes/

CHARGE: Provide advice and recommendations to the Environmental Justice
Interagency Council and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality on a whole-
of-government approach to environmental justice, including climate change mitigation,
resilience, and disaster management.

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FEBRUARY 2023

MEMBERS: Jade Begay - Maria Belen Power - Maria Lopez-Nunez - Richard Moore -
Juan Parras - Michele Roberts - Ruth Santiago - Nicky Sheats, PhD - Miya Yoshitani -
Viola Waghiyi - Kyle Whyte, PhD - Hli Xyooj

5. WHEJAC CARBON MANAGEMENT WORKGROUP

Established: December 2022
CHARGE: Under Development

MEMBERS: LaTricea Adams - Catherine Coleman Flowers - Angelo Logan -
Jerome Foster II - Rachel Morello-Frosch - Kyle Whyte, PhD - Juan Parras -
Nicky Sheats, PhD - Peggy Shepard - Beverly Wright

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