,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cfhj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #aa1      
#bjbj,ms4 ,duckworth 7for herself1 ,mr4 
,booker1 and ,mr4 ,carper7 introduced   
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,environment and ,public ,works  ,a     
,,bill  ,to require the ,administrator  
of the ,environmental ,protection       
,agency to continue to carry out certain
 programs relating to environmental     
justice1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7   
communities of color1 low-income        
communities1 ,tribal and indigenous     
communities1 fossil fuel-dependent      
communities1 and other vulnerable       
populations1 such as persons with       
disabilities1 children1 and the elderly1
 are disproportionately burdened by     
environmental hazards that include      
exposure to polluted air1 waterways1 and
 landscapes2  7#b7 environmental justice
 disparities are also exhibited through 

a lack of equitable access to           
information and data on potential       
exposure to environmental hazards2  7#c7
 communities experiencing environmental 
injustice have been subjected to        
systemic racial1 social1 and economic   
injustices and face a disproportionate  
burden of adverse human health or       
environmental effects1 a higher risk of 
intentional1 unconscious1 or structural 
discrimination1 and disproportionate    
energy burdens2  7#d7 those             
disproportionate burdens are being      
exasperated by the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2
  7#e7 the ,environmental ,protection   
,agency has announced a nonenforcement  
policy under all environmental laws     
during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic for     
monitoring and recordkeeping            
requirements2  7#f7 that policy is      
likely to increase the pollution burden 
in environmental justice communities and
 decrease access to monitoring data and 
information2 and  7#g7 citizen science  
will be essential for environmental     

justice communities to protect          
themselves during the ,,covid-#ai       
pandemic4  #b4 ,environmental justice   
grant programs  7a7 ,environmental      
justice grants ,the ,administrator of   
the ,environmental ,protection ,agency  
shall continue to carry out-- 7#a7 the  
,environmental ,justice ,small ,grants  
,program and the ,environmental ,justice
 ,collaborative ,problem-,solving       
,cooperative ,agreement ,program1 as    
those programs are in existence on the  
date of enactment of this ,act2 and     
7#b7 the ,community ,action for a       
,renewed ,environment grant programs ,i 
and ,,ii1 as those programs were in     
existence on ,january #a1 #bjab4  7b7   
,authorization for grants in response to
 ,,covid-#ai emergency  7#a7            
,distribution ,not later than #cj days  
after amounts are made available        
pursuant to subsection 7c71 the         
,administrator of the ,environmental    
,protection ,agency shall award grants  
under each of the programs described in 

subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,priority for     
funds ,in awarding grants under the     
programs described in subsection 7a7    
pursuant to this section1 the           
,administrator shall prioritize projects
 that will-- 7,a7 monitor pollution in  
or near environmental justice           
communities2 or  7,b7 investigate or    
address the disproportionate impacts of 
the ,,covid-#ai pandemic in             
environmental justice communities4  7c7 
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
is authorized to be appropriated to     
carry out the programs described in     
subsection 7a7 #ej1jjj1jjj for fiscal   
year #bjbj4