[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 8 (Thursday, February 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
       A UNIQUE RESPONSE TO TREATING INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT VICTIMS

                                 ______


                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 3, 1994

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, every now and then the silver 
lining appears. This week it showed up in my district, in the form of 
increased access to health care for some of my constituents.
  I rise today to congratulate a number of local officials in my home 
of Contra Costa County, CA, along with representatives of General 
Chemical Corp. and local community activities, for coming up with a 
creative and unique solution to a long-standing environmental and 
health-related problem.
  Last July, a chemical tank car began leaking at the General Chemical 
plant in Richmond, CA, creating a harmful cloud of sulfuric acid. 
Thousands of people sought treatment in local hospitals. Unfortunately, 
it was only the most recent of numerous serious industrial accidents in 
the bay area.
  After months of negotiations among officials from the county health 
department, the district attorney's office, the Bay Area Air Quality 
Management District, General Chemical, and local activists, an 
agreement was reached just this week that satisfies everyone--and 
which, most importantly, will have a very real and constructive impact 
in the Richmond community.
  For its fault in the toxic release, General Chemical has agreed to 
pay $1.18 million, with most of that money going to build a health 
clinic in North Richmond and create a separate, mobile health van to 
provide services to people who can't make it to the clinic. This will 
help fill a medical gap--the closest medical care now available to 
north Richmond residents is more than 3 miles away at the Richmond 
Health Care Center, where facilities and staff labor to meet the large 
increase in patient volume in the past 5 years.
  Last year, after the spill, my Oversight and Investigations 
Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee investigated this toxic 
chemical release and one of the steps we recommended was creation of 
this clinic.
  The investigation also concluded that too often, minority communities 
suffer disproportionately from exposure to toxic chemicals. And in the 
case of last summer's leak, many of the people who sought medical help 
came from the largely minority, low-income neighborhood around the 
plant.
  Mr. Speaker, I tell this story this morning because the problems of 
communities living with the risk of industrial accidents is not unique 
to my district. We all share this problem. But the creation of the 
health clinic is a unique response. The agreement to build the clinic 
is a true victory born out of tragedy. It represents a direct benefit 
that north Richmond needs. Simply paying a fine to a public agency 
wasn't going to help the community. It's not enough simply to sent 
money to the Treasury or to a local government. People want to see 
their daily lives made better and this will help do that.

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