Sustain Charlotte urges local investment as EPA dismantles environmental justice initiatives (WSOC-TV)
In an effort to eliminate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility initiatives from the federal government, new EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin closed the agencies environmental justice offices and placed 171 federal workers on administrative leave.
Zeldin argues environmental justice unfairly factors race and background into federal funding decisions, but supporters of environmental initiatives say it’s about ensuring money goes where it’s needed most.
Shannon Binns, the executive director of Sustain Charlotte, points to Charlotte’s Historic West End Green District as an example.
“It’s looking at what are the discrepancies,” he said. “What is needed in one community or for one individual may not the be the same as what’s needed for another individual.”