DOVER – In celebration of Earth Day, Rep. Larry Lambert is highlighting the recently released recommendations from a legislative task charged with identifying and advancing environmental justice efforts within the state.
The Delaware Justice 40 Oversight Committee was created following former-President Biden’s issuance of Executive Order 14008, which established the federal Justice 40 Initiative.
The Justice 40 Initiative was a whole-of-government effort designed to ensure that at least 40 percent of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy were directed to disadvantaged communities. The initiative aimed to address long-standing environmental and economic inequities and advance environmental justice nationwide. To support those goals, the federal government authorized over $2 trillion in investments stemming from major legislation and programs, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the CHIPS and Science Act, and remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Following the White House’s Justice 40 Interim Implementation Guidance, Delaware became the first state to create a Justice 40 Oversight Committee through the passage of HCR 40, sponsored by Rep. Larry Lambert and Sen. Marie Pinkney.
The committee’s four primary responsibilities included:
- Identifying disadvantaged and marginalized communities throughout Delaware that
experience environmental justice impacts.
- Identifying infrastructure deficiencies within those communities.
- Assisting community members in developing plans to apply for assistance and secure
funding for critical infrastructure projects.
- Undertaking any additional actions necessary to carry out the purpose of the committee.
In addition, the committee also served as a coordinating body to assess community needs, promote equitable resource distribution, and support statewide environmental justice initiatives.
“While our task force has concluded, our work is not over. Now we must ensure that these recommendations are put into action, and that we carry through with the commitments we made to our underserved communities who deserve justice,” said Rep. Larry Lambert, Chair of the Justice 40 Oversight Committee.
“This report was drafted after conducting 5 years of targeted research, hearing numerous personal testimonies from Delawareans, and working closely with community leaders and agency partners. Justice 40 has always been about ensuring that no one gets left behind, and I firmly believe that these recommendations reflect that.”
The Delaware Justice 40 Oversight Committee held a total of 14 meetings between September 2021 and October 2024, including 8 general committee meetings and 6 community listening sessions. On March 5, 2026, the committee met for a final time, and formally voted to move forward with the final recommendations for implementing environmental justice investment benefits in Delaware.
“Delaware has made immense strides in environmental justice over the last few years, but it’s important to prioritize our continued progress in this area,” said Senator Stephanie Hansen, Vice-Chair of the Justice 40 Oversight Committee.
“I was proud to co-chair the Justice Forty Oversight Committee alongside Rep. Larry Lambert to continue our work to make Delaware a leader in this space. This report recognizes the work that we have done while giving us a robust set of recommendations that can make Delaware a leader on environmental justice issues.”
Final recommendations:
General
- Continuing to work with DelDOT, DNREC, DSHA, DTI, WILMAPCO, University of Delaware, and Pennoni, who developed the statewide Equity Focus Areas, to accurately identify disadvantaged and underserved communities of Delaware with environmental justice impact.
- Urge the General Assembly to introduce and pass legislation establishing an Office of Sustainability to work across agencies and local governments to help coordinate and implement environmental, equity, economic, energy and health initiatives.
- Urge the Delaware General Assembly to pass legislation establishing an Interagency Coordination Office to foster better partnerships between state agencies so that when one agency addresses an issue in a household, all other issues are addressed.
Infrastructure
- Improve the various infrastructure deficiencies in overburdened communities.
- Assist members of the community in developing a plan to apply for assistance to secure funding for the much-needed infrastructure projects.
- Encourage the General Assembly to create legislation mandating proactive pest extermination prior to disruptive construction or demolition of abandoned properties located near residential dwellings.
Environmental Justice
- Collaborate with the appropriate state agencies to adopt and apply DelDOT’s Equity Focus Analysis Tool and DNREC’s Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF) Mapping Tool to identify disadvantaged and marginalized communities across Delaware, guiding program and investment decisions.
- Building on the current DNREC and DTI efforts (e.g., EQuIS and public dashboards), clearly articulate the specific strategies and features that will be used to ensure air, water, and soil quality data is accessible, digestible, and transparent for impacted communities.
- Provide equitable funding for two Community Assistance Provider positions for the DNREC EJ Office: one for New Castle County and one covering both Kent and Sussex Counties. If the EJO program expands, additional staffing may be required, including an Administrative Assistant II or III to support program operations.
Water
- Encourage the Delaware General Assembly to support continued state funding for programs that provide water filtration systems to private well owners, with priority given to disadvantaged communities.
- Urge the Delaware General Assembly to expand the Delaware Division of Public Health’s financial assistance program for homeowners who receive their drinking water from private wells.
- Digitize the Division of Water’s data to comply with § 6014(d) Regulatory and compliance information, facility performance and public information. This will require additional funding to support the process of adding materials and data to online repositories.
Health
- Collaborate with DHSS and DNREC to introduce legislation that creates a relocation plan and funding for communities affected by pollution where remediation efforts, through DNREC’s Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA), are not an option or there will be persistent issues even with remediation efforts.
In addition to the final recommendations, the report also includes an overview of the environmental concerns raised by Delawareans in all 3 counties during the Justice 40 Oversight Committee’s 6 community listening sessions, which took place between 2021 and 2024.
It also highlights some of the accomplishments of the Justice 40 Committee over the past 5 years, including the creation of DelDOT’s Delaware Equity Focus Analysis Tool and the establishment of DNREC’s Environmental Justice and Energy Equity Working Group.
Click here to view the final report.
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