Adding to the growing number of U.S. states making strides towards environmental justice reforms, North Carolina took a significant regulatory step last month. The state’s Governor, Roy Cooper, endorsed Executive Order No. 292, effectively resetting the position of the Secretary of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board (EJ Board).
This latest move reestablishes the EJ Board as the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council (EJA Council), an initiative originally put in place by Michael Regan, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to his national role, Regan served as North Carolina’s DEQ Secretary (JD Supra) .
Executive Order No. 292 signals the state’s embrace of the growing trend towards implementing environmental justice policy to ensure equity in environmental decision-making. It also strengthens Regan’s ongoing commitment to the cause; his push for environment policies that protect marginalized communities from disproportionate environmental harm has been significant.
This development isn’t isolated; it’s part of broader U.S. engagement with environmental justice. More and more states are following a pattern of solidifying environmental justice principles in policy and regulation, recognizing the importance of the role governmental bodies play in ensuring environmental equity.
The reestablishment of the EJA Council under Executive Order No. 292 in North Carolina is yet another endorsement of this principle and represents an encouraging leap towards a nationwide commitment to environmental justice.