Its hard to explain how ridiculously comical and useless DEI/Enviro Justice has been in the federal government. Not just the land acknowledgements and "I'm a white woman in a blue shirt," but the added air of a lack of serious discourse or real issues. EPA has often held hearings or listening sessions where you can speak about a pending rule or poliyc. It tends to be a mix of people deeply engaged in a niche regulatory issue like lawyers and technical and policy experts from environmental groups, state governments and industry. All people well read in the issue with actual policy recommendations. Typically you sign up, make your comments for 3 minutes or whatever and you follow up with written comments. When they were in person the enviros might show up in a down vest and hiking boots, but it was all respectful and dignified.
During the Biden administration I took part in one that was a fucking clown show. obviously it went online, and they decided to be respresentative people would have to APPLY to speak. There was zero explanation of the criteria they used to judge. So a lot of people directly affected by this permitting rule were left out, and they allowed absolute insane people on. One lady described herself as a ninja, non binary, part of some tribe, and used her time to tell us of a scifi graphic novel she'd written about how in the future corporations would own all the water. Maybe something about compasssion as well. I'm sure she got some sort of federal grant to explore her diversity. It was clear she had zero understanding of the clean water act or how it is regulated, cooperative federalism or any other concept that the grownups on the zoom all had.
Fucking good riddance.