7. Enhance horizontal coordination between federal agencies and vertical collaboration between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments
Create a collaborative interagency group responsible for coordinating Justice40’s implementation.
Coordination between the various federal actors involved in implementing Justice40 programs is necessary to fully understand the challenges in specific communities and determine how best to deploy federal resources to address them. However, each federal agency is tasked with separately identifying “disadvantaged” communities (see recommendation 1: Improve identification methodology), designing funding programs, creating application and reporting requirements, and defining and measuring benefits for programs under their purview (see recommendation 5: Refine implementation guidance), which risks inconsistencies in program design, implementation, and outcomes, and creates challenges and unnecessary burdens for communities in finding funding opportunities, braiding funding sources, and tracking and reporting requirements for each program.
Building on successful models from the past, such as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the administration should designate two or three federal agencies to lead an interagency working group that could facilitate and support collaboration and coordination on Justice40’s implementation, including on current and upcoming funding opportunities, application timelines and requirements—and how these can be consolidated or reformed to reduce burdens—and inclusive and accessible funding structures. The EPA, DOT, and EDA are likely most well-positioned to lead this effort, with guidance and support from the CEQ and OMB. We recognize that the administration already has several policy councils and task forces in place that could step in, but leadership from federal agencies is needed to embed and institutionalize Justice40’s principles and practices, ensuring that they outlive the current administration.
Establish forums to facilitate intentional collaboration with and between state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
Coordination between federal agencies, while critical, is insufficient to achieve Justice40’s cross-cutting goals. Justice40 cannot succeed without the support—and, importantly, leadership—of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, since a significant portion of Justice40 funding is likely to be pass-through funding distributed by states, and many projects are likely to be implemented at the local level. The federal government should establish forums through which state, local, tribal, and territorial governments can collaborate with federal agencies and each other. One way to do this could be to create working groups led by federal agency regional offices, where state and local leaders could come together to share lessons on issues relevant to each of Justice40’s pillars of climate, equity, and the economy. The federal government should also find ways to incentivize regional and inter-state coordination for projects that cross jurisdictional boundaries, such as electricity transmission lines, which are critical to the clean energy transition but notoriously difficult to receive approval for.