Reuters, Washington :
President-elect Joe Biden is vetting three environmental justice leaders to head up the White House agency that will take the lead in coordinating efforts to safeguard communities disproportionately affected by pollution, according to sources familiar with the process.
The shortlist for head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) signals a focus by the incoming Biden administration on environmental policies that aim to ensure improved clean air and water for poor and minority communities that have historically taken the brunt of industrial pollution.
The Biden transition team is considering Mustafa Santiago Ali, Cecilia Martinez and Brenda Mallory to lead the CEQ, according to three sources familiar with the process. The position requires Senate confirmation.
A spokesman for the transition team declined to comment on possible appointments.Ali is vice president for environmental justice at the National Wildlife Federation and a former senior adviser for environmental justice at the Environmental Protection Agency.
He did not confirm whether he was being vetted, but told Reuters the incoming administration should make sure federal agencies consider how industrial permitting affects surrounding communities.
“We will need to do a full environmental justice analysis across all agencies, which would make sure we are addressing the gaps and not causing additional impacts on communities that are unseen and unheard,” he said.
