Environmental Justice Tracker

EJ Tracker Update

OMB Finalized Guidance on Quantifying Ecosystem Services

Last updated:

February 28, 2024

Statute

CWA, SDWA

Agencies

White House

Actions

Guidance/Policy

For the first time, OMB issued a general ecosystem services cost-benefit guide for federal agencies, providing guidance on how agencies should weigh “contributions to human welfare from the environment or ecosystems” in their cost-benefit analyses of rulemakings. The guidance built on OMB’s November revisions to its cost-benefit guidance, Circular A-4. In the guidance, OMB encouraged agencies to “pay close attention” to localized effects, including health or other impacts on overburdened communities. The guidance also encouraged agencies to account for changes in culturally valued experiences stemming from changes to ecosystem services, including for Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples.