; statement of policy (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Communities of color, low-income communities, Tribal and Indigenous communities, fossil fuel-dependent communities, and other vulnerable populations, such as persons with disabilities, children, and the elderly, are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards that include exposure to polluted air, waterways, and landscapes. (2) Environmental justice disparities are also exhibited through a lack of equitable access to green spaces, public recreation opportunities, and information and data on potential exposure to environmental hazards. (3) Communities experiencing environmental injustice have been subjected to systemic racial, social, and economic injustices and face a disproportionate burden of adverse human health or environmental effects, a higher risk of intentional, unconscious, and structural discrimination, and disproportionate energy burdens. (4) Environmental justice communities have been made more vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to a combination of factors, particularly the legacy of segregation and historically racist zoning codes, and often have the least resources to respond, making it a necessity for environmental justice communities to be meaningfully engaged as partners and stakeholders in government decision making as the United States builds its climate resilience. (5) Potential environmental and climate threats to environmental justice communities merit a higher level of engagement, review, and consent to ensure that communities are not forced to bear disproportionate environmental and health impacts. (6) The burden of proof that a proposed action will not harm communities, including through cumulative exposure effects, should fall on polluting industries and on the Federal Government in its regulatory role, not the communities themselves. (7) Executive Order 12898 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 note