When the former Director for Environmental Justice and White House Interagency Council on Environmental Justice in the Executive Office of President Biden, Ryan Hathaway, compares his work in environmental justice to steering aircraft carriers, he’s not being dramatic — he’s being accurate. In this role, Hathaway spent years coordinating a massive, interagency push to address pollution disparities and improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities. But with the Trump Administration’s renewed attacks on climate and equity programs, that progress is now under threat.
Now leading environment and climate justice efforts at Lawyers for Good Government, Hathaway is helping fight back. “They’re holding up money that’s going to save people’s lives,” he says, referring to federal grants the EPA is trying to claw back — many of which were designed to reduce future suffering in frontline communities. Despite the backlash, Hathaway remains undeterred: “They’re never going to wipe out environmental justice,” he insists. “Even if they scrub the websites, it’ll be thrown in their face every public-comment session they ever have.”
The road ahead may be long, but Hathaway — and a growing chorus of legal advocates — are determined to ensure that environmental justice doesn’t become a casualty of political gamesmanship.