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Justice Forty Oversight Committee

Thursday, March 5, 2026·1h 9m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Justice 40 Oversight Committee voted unanimously to approve its final findings and recommendations report — a document covering environmental justice concerns from community listening sessions across Delaware's three counties, the state's history of climate response, and recommendations on infrastructure, water, health, and environmental justice. The vote concluded the committee's work, with members acknowledging that implementation will fall to state actors given the federal rescission of the Justice 40 initiative.

Key Actions

·Approval of November 24th Meeting MinutesNo Vote

+ 2 more actions

Controversies

Sussex County report language linking CAFO permits to the Mount Air lawsuit

Sidney Grossnickel of the Delaware Farm Bureau argued that page seven of the report was 'unintentionally linking CAFO permits to the Mount Air lawsuit' and that 'this lawsuit was not about CAFO permit holders or operations. It was about that poultry processing facility.' Secretary Clifton agreed that 'the CAFO permits are not directly linked to the Mount Air foods permit for wastewater operations. They're two separate operations.' Chair Lambert initially questioned whether the section actually referenced the permit directly, saying 'It seems like she's inferring it. She's reading into it,' but then accepted Co-Chair Senator Hansen's proposed fix of changing 'for example' to 'additionally' in the second sentence, which was incorporated into the motion to approve.

+ 1 more controversy

Notable Quotes

“, intentional engagement. I think you for your leadership with ACT across the state. Thank you. All right, thank you everyone. This has been really helpful. During this segment of our meeting, I've highlighted a number of individuals, but I do want to let everyone know that you are all very Valuable. You have all contributed and you have all made a great difference. Thank you, everyone. Let's proceed to public comment and then we will finish up with any final comments from the committee.”

Joe Walls, public comment — Joe Walls was urging the committee to recommend that DENREC change its regulations to allow community advocates to file initial environmental complaints on behalf of residents who lack legal representation.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Motion to approve the Justice 40 Oversight Committee Final Findings and Recommendations Report with changes as discussedPassed
Yes (11)Chair Lambert, Co-Chair Hansen, Representative Heffernan, Senator Pinkney, Deputy Secretary Cobb (DENREC), Ms. Turner Harris (Department of Labor, in place of Secretary Moultrie), Mr. Modeus (DSHA), Dr. Quail (DHSS), Secretary Clifton (Department of Agriculture), Secretary Hastings, Ms. Michelle Roberts (Environmental Justice Health Alliance)
Absent (1)Senator Lawson
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TranscriptPreview
Excellent. Thank you, son. Hello, everyone on Zoom. Can you hear me now? Excellent. Sorry I made an announcement earlier, but we apologize. We wanted to warmly welcome you. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for being on time. We very much appreciate it. We're waiting for a few more members to join us to reach quorum. Thank you for your patience. We'll be right with you. Questions of me? Of the team? Yeah. All right. Thanks again for your patience, everyone. Justice40 oversight committee meeting. This is our 10th meeting, and we appreciate you joining us. Members, please be aware that there are microphones at your desk that will pick up conversations easily. These mics are connected to the live stream so that the public may watch the proceedings. The justice for the Oversight Committee meeting is now called to order. The public can participate virtually by registering through the meeting link posted on the General Assembly's website. Instructions for providing public comment are available on the website under this committee meeting's notice and will also be shared during the public comment portion of the hearing. Written comments may be submitted to nina.rapacelliedelaware.gov and any comments received within…
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