In January 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which formalized his commitment “to make environmental justice a part of the mission of every agency.” In addition to accelerating the clean energy transition, the sweeping directive included the 30×30 plan, which aims to conserve 30% of America’s land and water by 2030, and the Justice40 Initiative, whose goal is to ensure that 40% of the relevant environmental investments flow directly to disadvantaged communities. One advocate later referred to this second goal as “proof to all (environmental justice) leaders and every vulnerable community that Joe Biden is a leader who keeps his word.”
It’s now been three years since Biden issued his executive order. In February, a coalition called America the Beautiful for All — which represents more than 250 organizations, including the Native American Rights Fund, Justice Outside and Outdoor Afro — released a policy agenda that breaks down where it’s seen progress toward fulfilling the twin visions of 30×30 and Justice40. Though it can be hard to reach consensus among so many groups, the coalition sees its diverse representation as a political strength. Its new agenda is a clear testament to the groups’ willingness to support one another on policies ranging from public lands to urban greenspace, from agriculture to the co-management of wildlife.
Mark Magaña, a founding member of the coalition and founding CEO of the nonprofit GreenLatinos, is a veteran conservationist who has spent nearly two decades representing the interests of Latin Americans in climate action and conservation. Magaña saw the tide shift under the Biden administration, when millions of dollars were made available for environmental projects that would not only benefit Latino communities, but also enable them to become a part of restoration efforts across the country.
High Country News sat down with Magaña to talk about America the Beautiful for All, the president’s role in serving its vision, and what things might look like if he wins a second term.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
HCN: What does conservation that upholds the value of environmental justice look like?
Mark Magaña: Conservation that will protect us in a global sense, in a climate crisis sense, but also that will deliver those benefits directly to community groups in need and that have the least access to nature.
HCN: Three years into the Biden administration, what have been the biggest wins for the conservation movement that engage environmental justice?
MM: The early executive orders were huge wins. Justice40 was a huge win. We’ve had a lot of success in 30×30 designating national monuments, from Castor Range to the Avi Kwa Ame, Emmett Till (and potentially) the Chumash Sanctuary. The money that came out of the (2022 Inflation Reduction Act) is a historic amount. But whether it will be distributed effectively — so it’s not just the trickle-down benefits, but investments in the communities that need it most — that’s still to be seen. (Reporter’s Note: The IRA unlocked $370 billion in federal investments for clean energy and domestic supply chains, including $3 billion in environmental justice grants for community-based organizations.)
HCN: Can you give me an example of where that money could make a meaningful difference?
MM: One example is GreenLatinos being able to redistribute its funds. I increasingly see investments being made by the community, for the community. When GreenLatinos successfully applied for its first grant and delivered re-grants to communities in California, Illinois and New Mexico, I saw that the people closest to the problem can make an increasing amount of decisions around solutions, and to help their communities have access to green space and trees. We really have been pushing for our community to not just benefit, but to be the ones delivering on this huge investment, which will be a huge wealth transfer.
HCN: You also mentioned Biden’s work conserving land as national monuments. How would you describe their tangible benefits for communities of color?
MM: When I was growing up, I didn’t see references to the Latino community in (national monuments) — and that’s growing up in California. Being able to note that your community is part of this amazing landscape — it connects people to the land, connects people to their history.
The importance of designating national monuments goes beyond broad numbers of saving this square footage or percentage. It goes into saving and recognizing our history.
HCN: If we were to zoom out, how would you grade the Biden administration overall on its environmental justice commitment?
MM: I would grade them high on their work being able to push through with funding. I would grade them low when it comes to their policy decisions to support oil and gas infrastructure at the existential moment that we’re in.
I’m very concerned about the administration’s support for oil and gas infrastructure that will decimate our climate goals and decimate the communities that surround that infrastructure, from (liquified natural gas) terminals to the Willow Project, to the border wall construction in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge to the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
When you develop infrastructure at that size, that’s a 20-, 30-year commitment to maintaining oil and gas in its most destructive forms. I don’t see how that kind of commitment can possibly align with our Paris (Climate Accord) goals and our environmental justice goals as they’ve been stated.
The administration is like a student that shows so much promise in one area, but then in another area might be weak. We’ve got some work to do.
HCN: What would you like to see from Biden before November?
MM: I would love for him to reverse his decisions on the Willow oil project and pipelines, to continue to work on national monuments and make sure that these grants get out. We could have a new president in 10 months, and that could really change the landscape 100%.
HCN: If he does win re-election, what are you most looking forward to in his second term?
MM: I’m most looking forward to him listening to his grandchildren, looking at the weather report, the dynamics that are happening with climate migration, looking at our national security and taking all this into account.
There is an appetite and a need for him to be a historic leader, one who made audacious moves to declare a climate emergency — to be known as the president who solved the climate crisis.
HCN: Can you tell me a bit about the formation of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition during the years of this administration? Why now?
MM: The environmental community saw their failures of the past. Lack of a broad support base was one of the big things that brought down their initial efforts to pass the Waxman-Markey (cap-and-trade) climate bill.
At that point, 15 years ago, not enough of the big green groups had done the work to diversify their membership base and include people of color within their advocacy and strategic arms.
HCN: It sounds like one of the biggest advantages to bringing in all the different diverse groups is to garner broad support.
MM: All politicians and all appointed officials want to know: Well, who do you have behind you? What’s your power? What do you have behind you? They also want to know the opposite: Who’s going to oppose this? Who’s going to give me a headache? Who’s going to jump down my throat if I do this?
So the larger the base of the organizations that are behind an effort, the more support they feel, but also the safer they feel. The negative isn’t around the corner. And that’s huge, especially for appointed officials and electees.
HCN: Has there always been this solidarity that is represented in the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, between Black Americans, Latino Americans, Indigenous Americans and other groups?
MM: To find the level of agreement that you see in our policy agenda, it’s pretty extraordinary to be able to say, “We came together, and these are the issues we agree upon.”
HCN: How does it feel to have put that together?
MM: It’s an honor to be part of the staff that did the hard work to get it across the finish line. I can’t personally take credit, but I can say how proud I am to work with them.
