New action by Biden will help frontline communities

(Drug Policy Alliance) – The climate crisis is not coming; it is here now. We see it all around our communities on a daily basis. And we know it hits frontline and Black and Brown communities first and worst. It is impacting our economy and nearly every aspect of our daily lives. And while Congress has passed and the president has signed into law historic climate crisis legislation, a new action by the Biden administration – that many may not have noticed – can have a powerful and meaningful impact on frontline communities. And examples like what we saw this year in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, are just a preview of what is to come. The majority of the residents of the island – most of whom are indigenous members of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe – were forced to relocate due to rising water levels. Meanwhile, Louisiana is one of the biggest per capita carbon polluters in the country. On top of that, a recent EPA study found Black people are 41% to 59% more likely to die as a result of poor air quality and that Black children 17 and younger are 34% to 40% more likely to be...