December 17, 2025
Ms. Rivas (for herself, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Barragán, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Fields, Mr. García of Illinois, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Hernández, 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
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a geospatial mapping tool to identify disproportionately burdened communities, and for other purposes.
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.