Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act of 2025

A new Justice Department office on pollution in low-income and Tribal areas, plus up to $50M a year for local enforcement

More about this bill

A new Justice Department office would focus on pollution cases that may hit low-income, Tribal, and Native communities harder than others. The Office of Environmental Justice would sit in the department's environment unit. It would track these cases across the department. A neighborhood counts as low-income if at least 30% of its people have low household incomes. The office would write a plan for this work and update it every 5 years. It would hold calls or meetings with community groups on a set schedule. It would also teach people how to file complaints with federal agencies. A panel of senior department leaders would meet at least 4 times a year. Within 180 days, the panel would write guidance for department staff. The bill would also set up a grant program within 180 days of becoming law. Congress could spend up to $50 million a year on it in fiscal years 2026 through 2035. State, local, and Tribal governments could each win one grant of $50,000 to $1 million. The money could train staff or hire people to look into and prosecute pollution cases. It could also help communities take part in decisions about their health and safety. For the grants, minority communities count too. Grants would cover up to 80% of a project's cost, unless the Attorney General waives that limit.