Maryland Governor Wes Moore took an important stance for environmental justice last week by signing an executive order focused on securing and leveraging state data to support environmental justice.
Recent efforts by the Trump administration have made federal census data for environmental justice unreliable and, at times, completely unavailable. This has made it difficult to understand the impacts of regulatory actions on overburdened communities. Recognizing this critical data gap, Moore announced Maryland’s Environmental Justice Screening Tool, a map that displays data on pollution burdens and health metrics across Maryland.
Thanks to this step from the Moore administration, the screening tool is now running independently from federal data and will be available despite any changes at the federal level. This effort will preserve the ability of Maryland agencies to account for inequities in decision-making. Notably, the executive order also requires state agencies to appoint an environmental justice officer and develop a strategic plan to promote environmental justice.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden issued the following statement:
“Communities that are most vulnerable to pollution and threats from climate change need state leadership now more than ever. This executive order is a clear signal that the Moore Administration is prioritizing environmental justice and ensuring critical data remains available to state decision-makers.
“But this is just the start. We must now ensure this information is used by state agencies to dismantle historical inequities and protect vulnerable communities from threats like flooding, excessive heat, and toxic contaminants, especially as extreme weather rapidly becomes our new normal.”
Maryland Communications & Media Relations Manager, CBF
vdimarzio@cbf.org
443-482-2023
