Maryland Governor Wes Moore, joined by Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain, signed an Executive Order (EO) last week promoting environmental justice (EJ) across state agencies. The ‘Valuing Opportunity, Inclusion, & Community Equity’ order requires agencies to designate an EJ officer, publish an EJ strategic plan, and expand opportunities for historically underrepresented farmers. A new Interagency EJ & Equity Advisory Council will support local governments and maximize funding opportunities, in coordination with the existing Commission on EJ & Sustainable Communities.
The order also mandates that state agencies use the MDEnviroScreen mapping tool to inform community engagement procedures, resource allocation, and other decision-making. This tool, developed by the Maryland Department of the Environment, provides demographic, environmental, and health information through interactive maps, generating an EJ Score by census tract.
See here for more information. [Elkins]
