Miscellaneous
As the incoming Biden Administration makes plans for its environmental agenda over the next four years, we interview a national leader in the environmental justice movement about how the White House can prioritize protecting minority and lower-income communities that have long been neglected. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, a Vice President the National Wildlife Federation, worked for 24 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency until March of 2017, when he resigned because the Trump Administration wanted to eliminate EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, which Dr. Ali helped to create. He started working on social justice issues at the age of 16, joining EPA’s efforts as a student. Dr. Ali talks about the need to tackle COVID-19 as a justice issue and broadly expand the scope of federal efforts to reduce air pollution and improve water quality not only in urban neighborhoods, but also rural areas across the U.S. According to news reports, Dr. Ali is among those being considered for a high-level environmental role in the Biden Administration, perhaps directing the White House Council on Environmental Quality.