Policy Brief: Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and Justice40

The Justice 40 Initiative (J40), a whole-of-government initiative presented by President Biden, made it a goal as part of Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad that forty percent of overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are underserved, marginalized, and overburdened by pollution. An essential component of the Justice 40 Initiative is the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). Developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the tool incorporates recommendations from the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), environmental justice leaders, agency staff, researchers, and other stakeholders to be as insightful as possible.