Holding State Agencies Accountable: The Creation of an Environmental Justice Scorecard for Maryland State Agencies

Abstract

Environmental justice (EJ) examines the cumulative and disproportionate burden of hazards on vulnerable populations, including low-income communities of color. EJ scorecards provide constituents with a tool to assess their agencies' stances on environmental issues. Through the development of a 2019–2021 Maryland Agency Scorecard, we tracked agency actions to advance EJ, by focusing attention on five key areas: (1) community engagement; (2) commitment to protect the environment both from past policies and protections for the future; (3) prioritization of those impacted by environmental racism; (4) existing resources toward building environmental literacy; and (5) proactive EJ work. N = 9 agencies were scored on a scale of 0–5, based on the methodology from previous EJ Scorecards such as the California Environmental Justice Alliance and the League of Conservation Voters. The agencies with the strongest performance toward EJ were the Department of the Environment (4.25 points) and the Department of Natural Resources (3.86 points). The weakest performing agencies were the Department of Agriculture (0.8 points) and the Energy Administration (0.83 points). Most agencies demonstrated an upward trend during the scoring period, suggesting that the role scorecards can play in holding agencies accountable. Overall, this scorecard highlighted areas where each of the nine Maryland state agencies can improve their efforts on EJ issues. Collectively, each agency should integrate President Biden's Executive Orders on Justice40 and Racial Equity, respectively, to the state level. Future directions will include biennial applications of the scorecard to track progress over time.