On Sept. 10, 2026, the Census Bureau proposed a rule that could hinder environmental justice policies and projects that rely on census data to identify communities and guide funding.
First, the proposed rule “usual residence” as where a person lawfully spent the most days from January 3 to April 1, consistent with their tax records. This could change where movers, rural P.O. box filers, college students, and service members are counted. Additionally, it excludes international students, work-visa holders, refugees, asylees, and other residents from the count for the first time. The Bureau is considering further measures to track immigration status, including through agency records and an immigration status question on the census form.
Second, the proposed rule would prohibit questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation on questionnaires used for the census count. Race and ethnicity have been included in every census since 1790.
Environmental justice policies depend on census data to inform funding formulas, redistricting, and analytical tools used to identify vulnerable communities. Undercounting immigrant communities and dropping race and ethnicity reporting could undermine environmental justice policies and future research.