The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the immediate termination of an environmental justice settlement agreement related to Lowndes County, Alabama. This decision is aligned with President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order 14151, titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which prohibits federal agencies from pursuing programs tied to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), including those involving environmental justice.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division commented on the termination, stating, "The DOJ will no longer push ‘environmental justice’ as viewed through a distorting, DEI lens." Dhillon emphasized that “President Trump made it clear: Americans deserve a government committed to serving every individual with dignity and respect, and to expending taxpayer resources in accordance with the national interest, not arbitrary criteria.”
The DOJ is working to close similar cases swiftly, in accordance with the Attorney General's directive. This action marks a continued effort by the administration to remove what it describes as illegal DEI preferences and environmental justice efforts from both governmental and private sectors.