The seventh installment of the Powering Forward webinar series, hosted by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Business Network was held in partnership with the Grove Climate Group on June 9, 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET.

Environmental justice (EJ) has become a driving theme in the energy and climate discourse at the local, state, and federal levels. The Biden Administration has made it a key consideration under the American Jobs Plan and it issued Executive Order 14008 in January that includes the Justice40 Initiative, the Environmental Justice Interagency Council, and the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

From a clean energy perspective, there is a growing discussion regarding how to best understand, acknowledge, and address the wide-ranging societal dimensions of the clean energy transition — with EJ issues in mind.

Webinar Recording Available Here

In this webinar, panelists discussed questions such as:

• What is environmental justice?
• What does it mean to consult with EJ communities?
• How is the Biden Administration addressing EJ policy and what will the impacts be related to clean energy deployment?
• How do states approach EJ and are they coordinating their EJ policies with federal policy?
• What are the potential implications for getting it right and getting it wrong?

Speakers:

• Brenda Mallory, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality
• Paula Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy
• Clinton Britt, President, Grove Climate Group
• Michael DiRamio, Assistant Director, Energy Affordability and Equity, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
• Julius M. Redd, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond

About Powering Forward

Powering Forward is a webinar series from the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Business Network that examines developments across the clean energy economy in the U.S. This series acknowledges unique impacts facing clean energy industries during the COVID-19 crisis, along with the vital role of our sectors in a post COVID-19 era. Each episode is produced collaboratively with partners working to advance clean energy, demonstrating that together, we can power forward through this crisis to emerge as a stronger, more resilient America.

Powering Forward is made possible with support from Natixis Investment Managers, pioneer of the first ESG-driven 401(k) target date mutual funds.