Sec. 2. Definitions
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/bill/117/hr/6548/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
In this Act: The term community intervenor means an effective, qualified, and compensated representative, or group of representatives, that participates in public service commission and permitting authority proceedings on behalf of ratepayers in, and residents of, impacted environmental justice communities and other impacted communities to— propose independent analyses of, including alternatives to, fossil fuel-fired power plants and other polluting projects seeking approvals, permits, or renewals; decrease electricity costs; reduce environmental burdens; improve public health; or otherwise advocate to benefit such communities.
The term critical facility means any facility critical to public health infrastructure, including health care, water and wastewater systems, and emergency services. The term cumulative impacts means any exposure to a public health, environmental, or climate risk, or other effect occurring in a specific geographical area, including from an emission, discharge, or release— including— environmental pollution released— routinely, accidentally, or otherwise; and from any source, whether single or multiple; and as assessed based on the combined past, present, and reasonably foreseeable emissions and discharges affecting the geographical area; and evaluated taking into account sensitive populations and other factors that may heighten vulnerability to environmental pollution and associated health risks, including socioeconomic characteristics.
The term environmental justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, culture, national origin, linguistic isolation, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies to ensure that each person enjoys— the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards; and equal access to any Federal agency action on environmental justice issues in order to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, work, and recreate.
The term environmental justice community means a community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and Indigenous communities, that bears burdens of negative public health effects, environmental pollution, and the impacts of climate change, and possesses certain socioeconomic criteria, which may be identified based on geographic, public health, environmental hazard, and socioeconomic criteria, including, but not limited to— areas burdened by cumulative environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative public health effects; areas with concentrations of people— experiencing high unemployment rates, high rent burdens, low homeownership rates, or low levels of educational attainment; or who have historically experienced discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, or place of origin; or vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
The term fossil fuel-fired power plant means— a powerplant or electric generating unit that combusts fossil fuel or a fossil fuel byproduct or derivative for the production of electricity in part or in full; and any boiler or generator that combusts fossil fuel and is— in a census tract or adjacent to a census tract with one or more power plants or electric generating units that combust fossil fuel; or in a census tract or adjacent to census tracts with stationary and mobile sources of air pollution that have combined annual emissions of more than— 10 tons per year of any single hazardous air pollutant; 25 tons per year for any combination of hazardous air pollutants; 100 tons per year of any single air pollutant; or the lower major source threshold in non-attainment areas for the air pollutant in non-attainment.
The term impacted means the condition of being affected by one or more fossil fuel-fired power plants. The term permitting authority has the meaning given such term in section 501 of the Clean Air Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7661 ). The term susceptible subpopulation means a group of individuals within the general population who, due to either greater susceptibility or greater exposure, may be at greater risk than the general population of adverse health effects from exposure to air pollution, such as infants, children, pregnant women, workers, or the elderly.
The term Tribal and Indigenous community means a population of people who are members of— a federally recognized Indian Tribe; a State-recognized Indian Tribe; an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community or organization; or any other community of Indigenous people located in a State.
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