HHS announces new environmental justice office

• The HHS announcement comes shortly after the Justice Department launched a similar Office of Environmental Justice.

Details: The new HHS office will form and implement a department-wide strategy on environmental justice and health and lead initiatives that integrate environmental justice into the agency's mission to improve health outcomes for high-risk communities.

What they're saying: "The blunt truth is that many communities across our nation — particularly low-income communities and communities of color — continue to bear the brunt of pollution from industrial development, poor land use decisions, transportation, and trade corridors," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

• "Meeting the needs of these communities requires our focused attention."

The big picture: A September poll found that people of color are much less likely than white Americans to experience good air quality or tap water.

• They're also less likely to have enough trees or green space in their communities and remain more likely to face noise pollution and litter.
• People of color, especially Black Americans, are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards — and more likely to die of environmental causes.
• As a result, the increasing number of extreme weather incidents has spurred calls for better public health mapping to identify and assist people who are the most at-risk from environmental disasters.

Go deeper: Race and the environment in America