Environmental Justice Trackers Help Local Governments Follow Federal Policy Changes

November 18, 2025

Brookings and other institutions are helping local governments and residents track federal policy and regulations that effect environmental justice nationwide as roll backs and court cases continue amongst local efforts to implement equitable strategies.

A number of education based and research agencies, including the Brookings Institution, have been tracking the effects of regulations, policies, and other federal actions that affect communities’ exposure to environmental pollution. This includes public health protections for workers, pollution standards for air and water, and environmental enforcement priorities. One of these resources also tracks actions that affect the ability of impacted communities to participate in decisions that affect them, including changes in how agencies are structured and staffed, and current opportunities for public comment.

The Brookings Center tool – Regulation and Markets Regulatory Tracker – provides background information and status updates on a curated selection of significant regulatory and de-regulatory changes, and users can toggle specifically for environmental policy, curate a selection of new, delayed, and repealed rules, notable guidance and policy revocations, executive actions, and important court battles across key policy areas.

Ultimately, the tool is intended to help policymakers assess potential environmental burdens and microtarget areas to focus resources. With environmental protection grants now rolled back or eliminated, and US Supreme Court rulings narrowing the scope of environmental impact reviews, local governments looking to protect land and communities from adverse environmental effects need more tools and resources at their disposal.

This comes at a time when pressure from the federal administration could be having an impact on how state’s continue their environmental justice strategies without compromising federal funding or becoming a target in political battles. This same question arose in Maryland and was recently covered in Maryland Matters.

Despite the political landscape, in Maryland Governor Moore recently signed an executive order, previously covered on Conduit Street, establishing a more unified approach to promoting environmental justice in Maryland. Critically, the executive order requires state agencies to use the Maryland Department of the Environment’s MDEnviroScreen mapping tool to engage impacted communities and develop tailored solutions to address environmental injustice. This tool is used by counties statewide and can help drive productive strategies for local governments and residents.

An upcoming 2025 MACo Winter Conference panel session, “Environmental Justice Screening – Building Equity Into Communities,” will discuss all of this and more with state and local experts deploying resources locally to promote fair and just practices on behalf of residents. MACo’s Winter Conference, “Local Leadership, Lasting Impact: Shaping What’s Next,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, MD, on December 10-12, 2025.