A 50-State Survey of State Policies to Help Ensure Federal Investments Benefit “Disadvantaged Communities” Under Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

With historic federal funds coming from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Creating Healthy Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (the CHIPS Act), remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and more, the federal government has authorized over $2 trillion in investments in climate, infrastructure, clean energy, and water to be released over the next 5-10 years. Biden’s Justice40 Initiative (Justice40) requires that at least 40% of the benefits from these federal investments go to disadvantaged communities (DACs) that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution, a term that is defined differently at federal and state levels and even between different federal programs.  Biden’s Justice40 Initiative also requires meaningful community engagement between state and local decision-makers and communities in making federal funding decisions.  It will take careful coordination between communities and all levels of government to meet Justice40 targets to make sure this historic level of funding goes where it’s needed most.