; statement of policy (a) Findings Congress finds that— (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