Mr. Speaker, every Monday, Representatives Plaskett and Veasey lead our Caucus' discussion on issues of great importance to the American people, and I am glad to be joining them this evening to discuss a critical priority that is often…
Mr. Speaker, every Monday, Representatives Plaskett and Veasey lead our Caucus' discussion on issues of great importance to the American people, and I am glad to be joining them this evening to discuss a critical priority that is often overlooked: environmental justice.
Our country is built upon ideals like liberty, justice, equal protection for all Americans, yet we still fall short on those goals in important ways. While I believe we are making progress, this is a critical moment.
Over the last 100 days, we have seen how eager the new administration is to undo our recent achievements, from selecting EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, a man who does not believe in climate change, to overturning critical antipollution protections.
The Trump administration has shown a dangerous contempt for proven science. The administration has even favorably discussed pulling the United States from a global climate change prevention pact, a move that could have disastrous, unknowable consequences for every generation to come.
Mr. Speaker, the list goes on and on and on; but at this point, Mr. Speaker, before I continue, I want to bring forward my good friend--he has got a fabulous first name like I do--Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. He is from the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey. He is a fierce advocate for environmental justice in his hometown of Newark. I thank the Congressman. His voice and advocacy will help us move toward sounder policies and more just outcomes, and I look forward to working with the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman.
As has been demonstrated tonight, on nearly every facet of environmental policy, we are in danger of backsliding irreparably. I want to talk about an area where that danger is especially great and where stakes are especially high. Today, and for much of our history, certain communities have been the victims of profound environmental injustice. Lower income, rural, tribal, and especially minority communities are at an increased risk of exposure to the negative impacts of pollution and climate change.
For far too long, communities of color have been on the front lines of environmental and economic injustice, shouldering the health burdens of living in areas with higher rates of dangerous fossil fuel pollution and lower rates of income and employment.
Mr. Speaker, an African-American child born in the United States has twice the chance of developing asthma than a White child and is four times more likely to die from an asthma attack. This is not a coincidental statistic ginned up for shock and awe but the day-to-day reality that African-American families across the United States have been dealing with for decades.
Rooted in America's legacy of segregation and redlining communities of color while simultaneously restricting their government services, employment opportunities, and environmental protections, African- American families have historically borne the brunt of the worst health impacts of polluting industries and have received dwindling economic opportunities due to systemic racism. This is why we see coal plants, oil refineries, and natural gas plants, which spew some of the most toxic substances around into the air and contaminate water supplies, are frequently located in communities of color--communities that have little political or economic power to protect themselves.
These disparities, Mr. Speaker, are unacceptable, and they did not arise in a vacuum. In many cases, they have been the avoidable results of government action or inaction. For example, according to the FY 2015 Annual Environmental Justice Progress Report, ``Many low-income, minority, and tribal communities are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and are not able to participate in environmental decisions due to barriers preventing them from meaningfully engaging in the political process.''
These voices deserve to be heard. Their silence--particularly their enforced silence--is unacceptable, and it is incompatible with our, small D, democratic values. The practical consequences of that silence are dire: poorer public health, diminished economic opportunity, and decreased quality of life.
To address these grave human and civil rights issues, the environmental justice movement was born--a movement grounded in the belief that all citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic class, should share fairly in the benefits of environmental resources and the burdens of environmental hazards.
As policymakers, Mr. Speaker, we have a responsibility to embrace that vision--to correct and prevent environmental injustice. We can and we must do better. It is not enough to avoid repeating past mistakes. True equity requires a recognition that some communities have been hurt much more and, as a result, need more resources and targeted assistance. If we succeed--if we achieve equitable policies that promote environmental justice--our world will become a more fair, more liveable, and more sustainable place. But if we fail, public health will suffer. People will lead shorter and harder lives. None of us should be willing to accept that outcome.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is worth noting that the environmental justice movement began in 1982, when North Carolina established a toxic waste landfill in Warren County--a poor, rural, majority African- American locality--over the objections of the residents. In the more than 20 years since, many environmental justice organizations have formed. During the Clinton administration, the pursuit of environmental justice became a Federal priority.
Sadly, though, these improvements have not been enough to fix longstanding problems, and, again, the progress we have made is under grave threat. Left unchecked, this administration would devastate communities of color and many other vulnerable groups as well.
Today, the Trump administration is rolling back budgets, cutting offices, obscuring scientific information, and attacking legislation aimed at curbing environmental justice. That is why, on March 7, we witnessed the resignation of Mr. Mustafa Ali from his post as leader of the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice Program. For more than two decades, Mr. Ali helped lead our Nation's efforts to secure justice and positive change for vulnerable communities that have seen their public health threatened and the quality of their air, water, and land degraded.
In his letter, Mr. Ali said: ``Communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous populations are still struggling to receive equal protections before the law.
``These communities, both rural and urban, often live in areas with toxic levels of air pollution, crumbling or nonexistent water and sewer infrastructure, lead in the drinking water, brownfields from vacant former industrial and commercial sites, Superfund and other hazardous waste sites, as well as other sources of exposure to pollutants.
``Despite the many challenges we face regarding the impacts of pollution and a changing climate, we have just as many effective tools and programs with long track records of assisting vulnerable communities in meeting their goals of improving public health and enhancing the environmental quality of their local communities.''
Mr. Speaker, I know my Democratic colleagues are eager to use these tools to secure just outcomes and better lives for the people we represent. Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends in the majority to join with us.
Mr. Speaker, in concluding, I would like to thank my colleagues for joining me this evening to discuss environmental justice.
Together, we have amplified a simple truth: regardless of the color of your skin, how much money you make, or where you live, every American is entitled to clean air, clean water, and access to our public lands. Again, when we fail to achieve those goals, public health suffers, quality of life suffers, and people lead shorter and harder lives.
We know that climate change is real. We know that it is being caused by human activity. If we fail to act, we know that there are going to be terrible consequences for the entire human community. We also know that vulnerable populations and marginalized communities are poised to suffer the most--just as they have in the past. That kind of environmental
injustice has a long history, and it must stop.
That is why, this past week, I announced the creation of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force alongside my colleagues, Congresswoman Jayapal from Washington State and Congresswoman Barragan from California. We are going to fight every day to prevent climate change and to mitigate its worst effects. We are going to advocate for policies that correct and prevent environmental injustice. We are going to defend every American's right to clean air, safe water, and healthy communities. I think I can speak for all three of us when I say that we look forward to working with you all.
Millions of working families are counting on us, Mr. Speaker, as their Representatives in the House and the Senate to serve them and to make wise decisions to improve their lives. We must confront environmental and economic injustices through fierce participation in the planning processes in at-risk areas moving forward. That means demanding more stringent environmental compliance and enforcement that protect communities of color from fossil fuel pollution and demanding greater investments in clean energy deployment in historically African- American communities that will create union and family-wage jobs with upward mobility.
I know my colleagues on this side of the aisle are committed to making this change, and I challenge our friends in the majority to join us. I urge them to support greater transparency, objectivity, and outreach in environmental policymaking. I urge them to support processes that improve two-way communication between decisionmakers and the people their decisions affect. I urge them to help ensure that the decisionmakers are confronting the full effects of their choices-- including how consequences are distributed and by whom they are borne.
Protecting the environment, Mr. Speaker--creation care--is my passion. I commit to you that I will continue fighting each and every day to address climate change and sea level rise, push for renewable energy and green technologies, and do everything I can to leave this planet a better place for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I am an Eagle Scout, and I know that we are supposed to leave the campground better than the way we found it. The time is now to continue fighting for perhaps the most important issue of the 21st century--the environment.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for her indulgence.