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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6815 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6815
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
develop a geospatial mapping tool to identify disproportionately
burdened communities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 17, 2025
Ms. Rivas (for herself, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Carson, Mr.
Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Fields, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Goldman of
New York, Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms.
Plaskett, and Mr. Soto) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to
the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
develop a geospatial mapping tool to identify disproportionately
burdened communities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Environmental Justice Screening Tool
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. GEOSPATIAL MAPPING TOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO
IDENTIFY DISPROPORTIONATELY BURDENED COMMUNITIES.
(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall develop and publish on a publicly available
website of the Environmental Protection Agency a geospatial mapping
tool to identify disproportionately burdened communities, to be known
as the ``Environmental Justice Screening Tool''.
(b) Determination of Disproportionate Burden Thresholds.--
(1) Thresholds.--In developing the tool under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall, for each category of factors
described in paragraph (2)--
(A) determine a threshold for a census tract to be
considered disproportionately burdened with respect to
that category; and
(B) ensure the tool identifies as
disproportionately burdened with respect to that
category any community within a census tract that meets
such threshold.
(2) Categories of factors.--The categories of factors
described in this paragraph are the following:
(A) Environmental factors, including the following:
(i) Air quality.
(ii) Access to safe drinking water.
(iii) Proximity to any environmental hazard
or potential environmental hazard, including--
(I) a site that is listed on the
National Priorities List developed by
the President in accordance with
section 105(a)(8)(B) of the
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(42 U.S.C. 9605(a)(8)(B));
(II) a brownfield site;
(III) a well, pipeline, refinery,
or other facility relating to the
production, refining, or downstream
processing of oil or gas; or
(IV) a municipal solid waste
landfill unit.
(B) Climate change factors, including the
following:
(i) Frequency of natural disasters,
including wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tornadoes, landslides, and flooding.
(ii) Frequency of extreme drought.
(C) Human health factors, including the following:
(i) Rate of asthma or chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease.
(ii) Rate of diabetes.
(iii) Rate of obesity.
(iv) Rate of preterm or low birth weight
births.
(v) Rate of maternal mortality.
(D) Economic factors, including the following:
(i) Poverty rate.
(ii) Unemployment rate.
(iii) Access to affordable housing.
(iv) Access to hospitals and other health
care facilities.
(E) Social factors, including the following:
(i) Racial or ethnic demographics.
(ii) Educational attainment.
(iii) Population density.
(iv) Age distribution.
(v) Gender distribution.
(F) Any other category of factors the Administrator
may prescribe.
(3) Solicitation of feedback and data.--The Administrator
shall solicit feedback and data regarding the thresholds under
paragraph (1) and the categories of factors described in
paragraph (2) from institutions of higher education, nonprofit
organizations, community-based organizations, and State, local,
and tribal government officials, as determined appropriate by
the Administrator.
(c) Annual Review and Report.--Not later than one year after the
date on which the Administrator publishes the tool under subsection
(a), and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall--
(1) review the data informing the tool and, as the
Administrator determines appropriate, update the tool; and
(2) submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the implementation of this section that contains, at
a minimum--
(A) a description of any updates made to the tool;
and
(B) an identification of any census tract that, as
a result of any such update, became identified as
disproportionately burdened under the tool or ceased to
be so identified.
(d) Adoption Across Federal Government.--Beginning not later than
one year after the date on which the Administrator publishes the tool
under subsection (a), the head of each Federal department or agency
shall, to the extent and in the manner determined appropriate by such
head, adopt such tool for use in identifying disproportionately
burdened communities and prioritizing funding or other resources of the
department or agency to the benefit of communities so identified.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Appropriations and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Appropriations and the
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the
Senate.
(2) Brownfield site.--The term ``brownfield site'' has the
meaning given that term in section 101 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(42 U.S.C. 9601).
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(4) State.--The term ``State'' includes each territory or
possession of the United States.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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