Introducing former EPA Administrator Carol Browner! As the EPA Administrator during President Bill Clinton’s signing of first of its kind Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice as well as the director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy during Obama’s first term, Carol Browner has seen firsthand the strides made and the shortcomings of federal environmental policy in the distribution of environmental harms and benefits.
In this episode, Ms. Browner hones in on the importance of considering cumulative impacts in environmental policy and ensuring environmental justice communities not only have a spot at the table but are front and center both in conversations about the pollution in their neighborhoods as well as regarding the looming impacts of the climate crisis. Hers is an outlook that instills hope and emphasizes the responsibility we all have, regardless of our proximity to the White House, in holding our institutions accountable and using our voices and our votes to push toward equitable, sustainable futures.
You can also listen to all of our episodes on Spotify.
Episode Resources
Check out our events page for a deeper dive into some of the issues discussed in this episode!
• About Carol Browner (At the EPA)
• A summary of Clinton’s EO 12898: Environmental Justice in 1994
• A summary of Biden’s EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis and Justice40
• A summary of Biden’s EO 14096: Revitalizing the Nation’s Commitment to EJ