New HEAL Act dashboards show state agencies’ progress in environmental justice
OFM has just launched a series of dashboards designed to track and display the progress of specific state agencies in implementing the HEAL (Healthy Environment for All) Act, Washington's landmark environmental justice law:
Two dashboards are currently available:
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Strategic planning dashboard: Tracking how agencies covered by the HEAL Act are incorporating environment justice into their strategic plans. This will be updated annually, by September of each year.
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Environmental justice assessment dashboard: Tracking the types of actions that have prompted covered agencies to assess environmental justice impacts, and the status of those assessments. This will be updated weekly.
What’s next?
A third dashboard focused on budgets and funding will be available in October — once fiscal data for fiscal year 2024 is available — and updated annually. This will track the funding of projects that could result in environmental benefits or cause environmental harm, and how much of the funding benefits overburdened communities.
OFM is currently exploring options for translating these dashboards into languages other than English. We also expect to be able to display a map of capital and transportation projects that require environmental justice assessments in the future.
Why are we doing this and why is it important?
These dashboards are created as part of the reporting requirements in the HEAL Act. By making detailed data available to the public, communities are empowered to hold state agencies accountable for their commitments to environmental justice.
These dashboards serve as a resource for ensuring that investments are made where they are most needed, and identify where gaps are. Ultimately, it helps to ensure that the benefits of environmental policies are shared equitably, promoting healthier and more sustainable communities for all Washingtonians.
Stay up to date on HEAL Act dashboard updates by subscribing here.