“I am honored to serve on this historic advisory council. While much more work is needed to achieve our environmental and climate justice goals, this appointment recognizes the work by the City to identify and address disproportionate environmental hazards in our communities, in partnership with our residents,” said Carlos Evans, director of OEQS.  

The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council is a Federal committee charged with providing independent advice and recommendations on how to address current and historic environmental injustice to the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (IAC) and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The establishment of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council marks the first time that a Presidential advisory body has been tasked with providing recommendations on environmental justice.  In announcing Director Evans, the White House recognized his work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked for 20 years, and the City of Dallas, where he’s been the Director of OEQS since January 2022.    

“Dallas is demonstrating our commitment to environmental justice on a daily basis,” said Director Evans.  Dallas is advancing a number of plans to address environmental justice. In 2020, the City unanimously adopted its Comprehensive Environmental Climate Action Plan (CECAP), which includes 97 actions that were evaluated to advance equity and 11 specific environmental justice actions.  In 2022, the City adopted its Racial Equity Plan, which prioritizes environmental justice and includes environmental justice big audacious goals.  

"I am thrilled that Carlos' experience and commitment to environmental justice is being recognized at this level. I know he will represent Dallas and our community well," said Dallas Councilmember Kathy Steward, Chair of the City Council Parks, Environment and Trails Committee.

The City is advancing a number of efforts to address environmental and climate justice, including: integrating environmental justice into Forward Dallas, which is a citywide plan that establishes guidelines for how public and private land should be used and what the city should look like; implementing the Dallas Community Air Management Program, which is the City’s community-level air sensor program that prioritizes providing air monitoring data to communities with environmental justice concerns; implementing a Brownfield Revitalization Program, advancing the assessment and cleanup of contaminated properties in areas like South Dallas; implementing a batch plant zoning code amendment that requires a Specific Use Permit for any new concrete and asphalt batch plant; adopting and implementing a Comprehensive Urban Agriculture Plan to address food inequities; implementing a Green Job Skills Program to help transition our residents to the new green economy; managing Whole Home Dallas, which provides residents with information on products and programs to make homes more energy efficient; conducting an urban heat island study to better identify communities most impacted by the urban heat island effect; and cleaning-up historically contaminated sites like the Former Blue Star site, which disproportionately impacted communities in the Floral Farms community.  OEQS is currently working on an environmental justice mapping tool to help better identify the environmental concerns of communities disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards.  Director Evans has also recently created and filled a new Environmental Justice Coordinator position, who will focus on better integrating environmental justice into City programs.  

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