[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 479 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 479

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Executive Order 12898, Federal 
 Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and 
                        Low-Income Populations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2014

     Mr. Ellison (for himself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Hahn, Ms. Lee of 
California, Mr. Moran, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Holt, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. 
  Chu, Mr. Honda, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. 
 Jackson Lee, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Cleaver) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
  on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Executive Order 12898, Federal 
 Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and 
                        Low-Income Populations.

Whereas February 11, 2014, marks the 20th anniversary of Executive Order 12898, 
        Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations 
        and Low-Income Populations;
Whereas environmental justice is defined as the ``fair treatment and meaningful 
        involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or 
        income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement 
        of environmental laws, regulations, and policies'';
Whereas environmental justice means that all citizens should have the right and 
        opportunity to participate in decisions and policymaking that affects 
        their health;
Whereas environmental justice is characterized by the promotion of unprejudiced 
        treatment of all cultures, socioeconomic statuses, and races, with 
        respect to the advancement of environmental policies, regulations, and 
        law;
Whereas the environmental justice movement is an extension of the civil rights 
        movement, and draws particular attention to the environmental health 
        dangers affecting communities, families, and individuals;
Whereas environmental justice groups work to create public policy that is 
        ethical, secure the strict enforcement of laws for environmental 
        protection, and guarantee the right of all workers to a safe and healthy 
        work environment;
Whereas environmental justice communities fight to ensure the right to 
        participate as equal partners at every level of decisionmaking, and 
        promote the education of present and future generations to ensure the 
        health of the natural world;
Whereas community-based organizations and grassroots advocates have 
        distinguished themselves in the endeavor for civil rights, sometimes 
        risking their health and sacrificing their lives to seek justice;
Whereas the protest against the siting of a chemical landfill in Warren County, 
        North Carolina, led by local community leaders and national civil rights 
        groups, birthed the term ``environmental racism'' and brought national 
        attention to the environmental justice movement;
Whereas the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 
        1991 drafted and adopted 17 environmental justice principles, which 
        served as a defining document for the grassroots environmental justice 
        movement;
Whereas the Congressional Black Caucus promoted the formation of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Equity Workgroup 
        in 1992 to investigate concerns that minority and low-income populations 
        were inadequately protected by the Nation's environmental laws, leading 
        to the creation of the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice in 1992;
Whereas on February 11, 1994, President William J. Clinton declared that each 
        Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its 
        mission;
Whereas the Executive order instructs each Federal agency to determine the 
        injurious effects of its actions on minority and low-income communities, 
        and devote attention to resolving these issues;
Whereas the aim of the environmental justice Executive order is to increase 
        access to public information and participation for minority and low-
        income populations, and encourage nondiscrimination in Federal programs 
        that impact the environment and human health;
Whereas responsible environmental health policies and practices are critical to 
        improving the lives of those who live in low-income communities and 
        communities of color throughout the United States and the world;
Whereas inequities in environmental protection based on race and income status 
        are recognized across the United States;
Whereas research has shown that income and race are directly correlated to 
        greater exposure to pollution, closer proximity to toxic pollution 
        sources, and greater health impacts from particulate matter air 
        pollution;
Whereas African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians are exposed to greater air 
        toxics concentrations than Whites in every metropolitan city in the 
        United States;
Whereas communities with a higher percentage of low-income citizens bear a 
        disproportionate level of society's environmental burdens;
Whereas race, independent of poverty, is a predictor of greater exposure to 
        environmental toxics;
Whereas minority, low-income, and tribal communities are more exposed to air 
        pollution from highways, power plants, incinerators, landfills, waste 
        sites, and vehicle depots in these communities;
Whereas 68 percent of African-Americans and 39 percent of Latinos live within 30 
        miles of a coal plant;
Whereas tribal communities are disproportionately exposed to pollution and 
        health burdens across the United States due to siting of pollution 
        sources, cultural activities, and legal gaps in the regulatory 
        framework;
Whereas environmental mitigation in tribal communities is behind that of 
        nontribal communities in the United States;
Whereas inner-city, low-income, and minority children have the highest asthma 
        rates and subsequent asthma-related death rates resulting from greater 
        exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants;
Whereas cumulative effects such as substandard housing and inadequate health 
        care can increase vulnerability to pollution;
Whereas climate change is one of the biggest public health threats of this 
        century, disproportionately impacting communities less able to recover 
        from extreme weather events that are caused and exacerbated by climate 
        change;
Whereas low-income communities, tribal communities, and communities of color 
        have greater climate vulnerability due in part to lack of health care, 
        dependence on public transportation and other public services, higher 
        energy costs, less-than-adequate protection from severe weather, and 
        higher insurance costs;
Whereas risk factors for heat-related deaths are higher for people with low 
        incomes and people of color, and climate change will lead to an increase 
        in frequency and intensity of heat waves, and a stronger heat island 
        effect; and
Whereas reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resiliency in 
        low-income, minority, and tribal communities can create economic 
        stability through good jobs in clean energy, energy efficiency, and 
        green infrastructure industries: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commemorates the achievements of the environmental 
        justice movement over the last 20 years, including--
                    (A) the institution of an environmental justice 
                law, Executive order, or policy by the 50 States and 
                the District of Columbia;
                    (B) the reinstatement of the Federal Interagency 
                Working Group, Federal agency strategic plans, and Plan 
                EJ 2014;
                    (C) the growth in the number of publications, 
                research, and university-based environmental justice 
                centers, legal clinics, and academic programs; and
                    (D) the over 3,000 groups and a dozen networks of 
                community-based organizations that have formed;
            (2) affirms that Congress should uphold the principles of 
        environmental and climate justice by--
                    (A) recognizing that legislation passed by Congress 
                has foreseeable and unforeseeable effects on the 
                existing disparities between communities of differing 
                socioeconomic statuses and racial composition;
                    (B) committing to policies and practices that 
                protect the health, economic vitality, and human and 
                civil rights of low-income, tribal, and minority 
                communities; and
                    (C) creating policies that proactively address 
                climate vulnerabilities and promote resiliency in low-
                income, tribal, and minority communities; and
            (3) urges the President to--
                    (A) explicitly address environmental justice issues 
                in his climate change initiatives;
                    (B) commit to focusing on greater oversight and 
                supporting Federal agency advancement of environmental 
                justice; and
                    (C) work with tribal leaders and communities to 
                address their unique environmental justice concerns.
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