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President Joe Biden will announce Friday an executive order that includes a series of measures focused on environmental justice.

Among the steps Biden will announce is the creation of a new Office of Environmental Justice in the White House. The office will coordinate all environmental justice efforts across the federal government.

The order makes “environmental justice the mission of every single executive agency,” a White House official said.

It directs agencies to address gaps in science and data to better understand and prevent the impacts of pollution on people’s health. Additionally, it requires agencies to notify communities if a toxic substance is released from a federal facility.

Biden will discuss the executive order during a speech in the White House Rose Garden on Friday afternoon, the eve of Earth Day.

Also Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris is delivering a speech at the University of Miami about the administration’s efforts to combat climate change and build community resilience against extreme weather.

The White House says the order aims to “confront longstanding environmental injustices and inequities.”

“For far too long, communities across our country have faced persistent environmental injustice through toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and other disproportionate environmental harms often due to a legacy of racial discrimination including redlining,” a White House fact sheet said. “These communities with environmental justice concerns face even greater burdens due to climate change.”

The order also directs the Office of Management and Budget, the Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Digital Service to publish the first-ever Environmental Justice Scorecard, a government-wide assessment of federal agencies’ efforts on environmental justice. The first scorecard will serve as a baseline, and subsequent ones will help gauge the impact of the administration’s actions.

The Biden administration also is launching the White House Campaign for Environmental Justice. The campaign aims to better connect people with federal agency resources related to environmental issues, with an emphasis placed on “marginalized and overburdened communities.”

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is releasing a draft of its national strategy for preventing plastic pollution and mitigating its impacts on affected communities.

And three federal agencies – the Commerce Department, the National Science Foundation and NASA – announced which of their programs would be included in the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative. Justice40 sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments reach disadvantaged communities.

During his speech, Biden will also draw contrasts between his administration’s environmental justice and climate agenda and the “dangerous vision” of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and others in his party.

Last month, House Republicans, along with four Democrats, passed a bill that would undo virtually all of Biden’s agenda to address climate change, including by increasing domestic production of oil, natural gas and coal.

“Speaker McCarthy and his extreme caucus’ proposals, including H.R. 1, would be a climate and health disaster that President Biden won’t allow on his watch,” the White House officials said.

Spectrum News has reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment. McCarthy has previously defended the legislation by saying it would lower costs for American families, end reliance on other countries for energy sources and lower global emissions because U.S.-produced natural gas is cleaner than imports.