On Jan. 12, AGC responded to an Office of Science and Technology request for feedback on how they should develop a coordinated Federal strategy to identify and address gaps in science, data, and research related to environmental justice (EJ). Along with its coalition partners, AGC emphasized core concepts that underpin many of the association’s prior recommendations to federal agencies related to data collection and use: take steps to improve data quality, flexibility, and transparency, as well as provide for meaningful outreach with industry.
Executive Order 14096 directs the agencies to: develop a plan to analyze gaps in data collection and research; identify opportunities to collaborate with stakeholders to accelerate the development of data and address any identified gaps; recommend sources of data and protections for the use of that data; and factor demographic and community needs into the process.
As environmental justice is likely to play a part in future rulemaking and policymaking decisions, AGC and its coalition partners expressed the importance of integrity of any associated research and data collected -- particularly to ensure data quality, relevancy, and balanced consideration as well as the protection of confidential business information.
For more information, contact Melinda Tomaino at melinda.tomaino@agc.org.