The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity has added a fourth division to its suite of offices that address problems of equity, inclusion and opportunity in minority, low-income and under-served communities, DOE announced recently.
The newly formed Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis was launched at the start of 2022, DOE announced Jan. 3. The new office is tasked with "policy framework to permanently reduce energy burden and increase access to low-cost clean energy capital in disadvantaged households," DOE states. It joins the offices of Minority Programs, Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to include "energy justice" in DOE's equity programs for historically disadvantaged communities.
DOE defines "energy justice" as “the goal of achieving equity in both the social and economic participation in the energy system, while also remediating social, economic, and health burdens on those disproportionately harmed by the energy system.” DOE also states energy justice more simply, equating it with applying the fundamentals of civil rights to the areas of energy and climate.
"We cannot talk about saving the Earth without talking about its people, especially those who have borne the brunt of the climate crisis, such as low-income communities and communities of color," DOE states in the announcement. "We cannot advance technical solutions to the climate crisis without centering disadvantaged communities in the narrative and talking about equity and justice."
The Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis will pursue energy justice by seeking feedback from vulnerable communities, boosting energy-justice research, developing action plans on equitable hiring and employee retention, ensuring compliance with race and gender-based discrimination policies, and increasing technical assistance to Minority Serving Institutions.
"Most of all, we will continue to advance the civil rights of communities that have been purposefully disadvantaged by centuries of government-sanctioned policies," DOE states in the announcement. "Just as these policies were created intentionally, our efforts to undo their harm must also be intentional."
