[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2000-E2001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCING THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2005

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my good 
friend, Representative Hilda Solis, and Senators Kerry and Durbin to 
introduce the Public Health and Environmental Equity Act.
  It has been 5 weeks since Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives and 
landscapes of the gulf coast region. The floodwaters that ravaged 
Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi in the last month have finally 
begun to recede and America and the world have become all too aware of 
the losses suffered by the citizens of these areas. They have lost 
family and loved ones. Most have lost homes, jobs, and businesses. And 
in their greatest hour of need, they were left abandoned and forgotten. 
Our own President was forced to admit the shortcomings of the so-called 
``relief'' effort.
  While nothing can ever make up for the misery endured in the first 
days of the storm, there is plenty we must do to alleviate additional 
harm as rebuilding begins. Understandably, residents are anxious to get 
back to their homes and to their lives. Anxious contractors with a 
different agenda have vowed that such a mission can be fulfilled sooner 
rather than later. They want us to believe that homes, buildings, and 
schools fully submerged from weeks of raw sewage, pesticides, solvents, 
decaying corpses, and teaming with mold will magically become clean and 
safe to move into.
  How will they accomplish such a feat? Their plan: Have the EPA 
completely waive every environmental mandate that has protected us for 
35 years. Simply put, this means that anyone involved in Katrina 
rebuilding will be allowed to dump where they want, pollute where and 
when they want, and contaminate for as long as they want. It's a quick-
but-dirty solution for cleanup and reconstruction with no regard for 
maintaining clean air, water, or soil. Once in place, environmental 
loopholes attributed to Katrina recovery in the gulf region will also 
be the excuse for any company to create toxic breeding grounds anywhere 
in the country. Your backyard could be next.
  Mr. Speaker, waiving these long-standing environmental regulations is 
an irresponsible and unconscionable way to jump-start the rebuilding 
process. What we'll end up with are toxic residues that will sicken 
these communities for years to come. Residents who return to their 
homes under such EPA waivers will face a lifetime of illness and 
uncertainty about the water they drink, the air they breathe, and the 
soil they walk on every day. Failure to fully implement current 
environmental health and safety regulations jeopardizes every human and 
ethical standard we claim to hold dear. Loosening these environmental 
safeguards will further victimize those still struggling to regain 
their lives.
  We know what Katrina's victims look like; we know their income level; 
and we know why they've been ignored. To roll back highly regarded 
environmental protections will add insult to an already festering 
injury of racial and social injustices. The citizens of the gulf coast

[[Page E2001]]

want the same things the rest of America strives for--a safe place to 
live, work, and raise their families. They expect their elected 
officials to uphold laws that secure these basic necessities. They 
deserve our assurances and our actions that the value of their lives 
are no longer a back burner issue.
  Katrina's victims already survived the worst natural disaster in 
modern American history. They've already survived a relief effort that 
can only be described as shameful. Why on earth would we create a man-
made catastrophe and tell them it's in their best interest?
  The resolution which we are introducing today makes Congress's 
commitment clear and obvious that we do not believe that Katrina--or 
any other natural disaster--should be used to justify rolling back and 
completely waiving environmental regulations. I ask for our colleagues' 
support and urge the House to move this resolution swiftly.

                          ____________________