EI 36 CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR EQUITABLE AND JUST IMPLEMENTATION OF JUSTICE40

EXECUTIVE ORDER

TITLE:   CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR EQUITABLE AND JUST IMPLEMENTATION OF JUSTICE40

WHEREAS President Biden, in a historical signing made a commitment, setting as a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of Justice40 qualifying federal investments across all agencies flow to disadvantaged communities. Communities that are marginalized, underprivileged, underserved, and overburdened by legacy pollution, disinvestment and economic inequity;

WHEREAS that commitment is contained in Executive Order 14008, signed on January 27, 2021.

The categories of Justice40 investments include: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of clean water and wastewater infrastructure. This would be done through 17 Federal Agencies and over 445 Justice40 covered programs 1 with over $60 billion of unique federal funding for environmental justice;

WHEREAS in Executive Order 14008, the President directed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (0MB), the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the National Climate Advisor, and White House Interagency Advisory Council in consultation with the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) to jointly pursue the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of such investments flow to disadvantaged communities 2 . The Justice40 Initiative is a critical part of the Administration's whole-of-government approach to advancing environmental justice.

WHEREAS relevant City of Albuquerque departments will work with and invest in an interdepartmental collaboration with grassroots community leadership on the CABQ Justice40 Oversight Coordinating Committee (OCC). The primary goal of the OCC is to prepare and implement a five-year CABQ Justice40 Equitable and Just Administration Plan. This process will include support for two years of technical assistance for local community efforts and other support appropriate for Justice40 proposal submissions and monitoring results. The plan is to ensure successful implementation of Justice40 in our city that prioritizes federal investments for community-driven solutions addressing environmental and economic injustices in and with marginalized, overburdened and underserved communities;

WHEREAS Albuquerque's diversity is a major asset in addressing environmental injustice, yet systemic inequities and disparities hold us back. Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico with a population of over 560,000, consists of an essential complex cultural makeup from urban, agricultural and indigenous lifeways. Albuquerque neighbors the tribal nations of Pueblo of lsleta, Santa Ana Pueblo, To'hajiilee Navajo Chapter, Laguna Pueblo and Sandia Pueblo. Albuquerque is home to over 15,000 Dine peoples and urban natives of other tribes as well as many immigrant and refugee communities.

WHEREAS I, Mayor Tim Keller, believe that it is necessary to join departments and community together by fonning a Justice40 OCC to act immediately on the coordination of city agencies with community, state and federal counterparts to forward equitable community-driven proposals to be submitted to appropriate agencies for funding;

WHEREAS Albuquerque must invest in multigenerational community leadership that prioritizes the existing and emerging environmental and social crises. To achieve these goals, we must mobilize all of our assets-----communities, all levels of government, science and research, and businesses and industries-toward the development of just, equitable, and sustainable long-term holistic solutions with racial, environmental and economic justice as core goals and match the scale of the urgent challenges we face;

WHEREAS The Justice40 OCC will work with neighborhoods and grassroots coalitions to prioritize Justice40 investments to build healthy and sustainable communities through innovative community-driven solutions with government. This includes investments in local food systems, local and community choice energy, home ownership, water quality, wastewater infrastructure, fare-free renewable-based transitt pollution remediation, and employment and workforce development issues in the most burdened communities in our city;

WHEREAS President Biden's $1 trillion Infrastructure Legislation which passed November 6, 2021, is directed to invest $55 billion to expand access to clean drinking water for households, businesses, schools, and centers across the country. The investment covers rural towns to struggling cities, and addresses water and sewage infrastructure and eliminate lead service pipes, including in tribal nations and disadvantaged communities that need it the most;

WHEREAS the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver $65 billion to ensure that every American has high-speed internet access through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure and deployment;

WHEREAS $39 billion of new investment is available to invest in equitable transit, including the fare-free transit program and meeting other transit program needs for the next five years as part of the surface transportation reauthorization. In total the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $89.9 billion in guaranteed funding for public transit over the next five years and over 39 Justice40 funded programs in Department of Transportation;

WHEREAS $65 billion will be invested in clean energy which will include building thousands of miles of new resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable and clean energy while lowering cost. The bill includes funding for innovative programs to support the development and demonstration, and deployment of cutting-edge clean energy technologies to accelerate our nation's transition away from fossil fuel dependence, including 146 Justice40 funded programs from the Department of Energy;

WHEREAS the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill will create community-impacted resilience and provide an investment of over $50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization;

WHEREAS the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation will deliver $21 billion, the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution by cleaning up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaiming abandoned mines, and capping orphaned oil and gas wells. These projects will remediate environmental harm and address legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and advance long overdue environmental justice by addressing infrastructure inequity, disinvestment, structural racism and legacy multigenerational adverse impacts;

WHEREAS through the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, The Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan, federal agencies are making historic levels of investment to advance environmental justice which will confront decades of underinvestment in disadvantaged communities and bring critical resources to communities that have been overburdened by discriminatory practices, legacy pollution, economic redlining, and environmental hazards; and

WHEREAS the City of Albuquerque seeks to ensure Justice40 investments to rehabilitate water and wastewater infrastructure, local food systems, expanded routes for fare-free renewable-based transit, affordable housing, home ownership, quality education, workforce development, increase local and community-owned renewable penetration; and

WHEREAS climate change and other historical injustices have impacted the health and quality of life for Albuquerque residents especially those in underserved communities of color and lowincome communities. This executive order puts in place an oversight infrastructure committee to further address the inequitable social, economic, and environmental conditions of Albuquerque calling on the input of our stakeholders in cooperation with city, state and federal governments towork closely and consistently together to secure funding for these initiatives; and

WHEREAS this executive order supports the 17 federal agencies listed under Justice 40 by creating an OCC appointed by the mayor that will coordinate with local and state agencies to assist in preparing applications that will assure maximum benefits to Albuquerque residents.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mayor Tim Keller, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Charter and laws of the City of Albuquerque, order and direct as follows:

The establishment of the Justice40 Oversight Coordinating Committee (OCC) will consist of Department heads of each relevant city agency or their designee that are required to collaborate with state and federal agency counterparts including all relevant agencies involved in distributing qualifying Justice 40 federal funding.

I, Mayor Tim Keller, will also appoint seven community stakeholders to the Justice 40 OCC and work with our city department leads and federal partners who are forwarding the Justice40 Initiative, including guidance from those serving on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, Council of Environmental Quality and Office of Management and Budget.

I, Mayor Tim Keller, will also appoint a City Representative as ex-officio Co-Chair of the Justice40 OCC to serve alongside a community environmental justice stakeholder as Co-Chair; The first meeting of the OCC will occur no later than one month after the signing of this Executive Order. Hereafter the OCC will meet monthly and as required to carry out the CABQ Justice40 Equitable and Just Implementation Plan.

In accordance with this Executive Order, the Justice40 OCC will guide the city in implementing Justice40 initiatives and creating equitable access to federal funding intended for our most vulnerable and disproportionately impacted communities.

Each city agency will work with an OCC coordinator to track projects that are being submitted to the federal agency that corresponds with their agency, ensure equity and participation of communities with greatest disproportionate impact and report progress regularly.

This Executive Order establishes a term by which the OCC will engage in the work of delivering community/government cooperative proposals to be submitted to the city covering the various federal agencies identified under Justice40 for funding, in accordance with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation. American Rescue Plan Act, The Inflation Reduction Act, or any other federal funding sources that are/may become available during this process. The City of Albuquerque commits to a goal of 40% of targeted J40 related federal dollars coming to the city to be allocated to projects identified as legacy needs. These projects must be led by and with indigenous, POC, low-income and immigrant community residents and/or those with clear direct benefits for the most impacted and disadvantaged communities.

Inquires regarding this Executive Order should be directed to the Office of Equity and Inclusion at [phone].

 

______________________________ Timothy M. Keller Mayor   _____________________________ Effective Date

 

EI NO: 36 (pdf)

 

Notes

1	1 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Justice40-Covered-Programs-List_vl.1_07-15-2022.pdf
2	2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/M-21-28.pdf