[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 129 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E800-E801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SERIOUS ISSUES FACING OUR COUNTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. MAXINE WATERS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2021

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I'm here to point out just how 
interconnected the climate emergency is to America's housing crisis and 
how it impacts communities of color.
  We are living in a climate emergency. Wildfires are raging, sea 
levels are rising, and severe weather events are getting stronger. 
Meanwhile homes are being destroyed, and not nearly enough is being 
done to address environmental racism and the ways in which communities 
of color across this country suffer disproportionately from a lack of 
action. We cannot stand by as corporations, big oil, and industry 
titans pollute the air we breathe and contaminate the water we drink 
without consequence.
  The truth is that these negative environmental factors compound 
social and economic conditions, and lead to higher levels of chronic 
health problems such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension in 
communities of color and low-income communities. It should surprise no 
one that on average, people of color comprise 56 percent of the 
population living in neighborhoods with facilities that release toxic 
substances into the air and water supply.
  This is a fair housing issue and a direct result of systemic racism 
and historically racist policies, including redlining and exclusionary 
zoning, that segregate low-income people and people of color into areas 
that have suffered from decades of disinvestment. These segregated 
areas are often located closer to industrial districts and are 
therefore more likely to be deprived of green spaces, healthy homes, 
and clean drinking water. None of this is news. But, because of 
worsening residential segregation, the increasingly harmful effects of 
climate change and extreme weather events are exacerbating these 
conditions in low-income communities and communities of color.
  Today, formerly redlined communities suffer from hotter temperatures, 
and their homes are 25 percent more likely to experience damage due to 
flooding compared to communities that were not redlined. In some cases, 
whether due to repeated flooding or because they are located at higher 
elevations, low-income communities of color, such as in Puerto Rico and 
Florida, are facing displacement, known as climate gentrification.
  The real-life examples are far too plenty. Take for example, St. 
James Parish, Louisiana--a community that is often referred to as 
``Cancer Alley.'' I traveled there in 2001 to bring international 
attention to corporate pollution and the human costs of that pollution 
on communities of color. St. James Parish has a long history of 
inequality. The parish is located along the lower Mississippi River 
where enslaved Africans were forced to labor. Today, it serves as an 
industrial hub, with nearly 150 oil refineries, plastics plants, and 
chemical facilities. Not only have these facilities polluted the 
surrounding water and air, but they have also subjected the mostly 
African American residents of St. James Parish to cancer, respiratory 
diseases, and other health problems.
  In 2005, we saw how Hurricane Katrina impacted people of color in New 
Orleans. Lives

[[Page E801]]

were taken, whole communities were absolutely ravaged, and homes were 
destroyed. Even after seeing that level of destruction, not enough 
action has been taken to make sure that homes are resilient and safe 
from extreme weather events, especially those located in the hardest 
hit communities.
  And just last year, in the middle of the pandemic, Georgia and 
Tennessee experienced deadly tornados that damaged and demolished more 
than 2,000 homes. In the wake of California's 2018 wildfires--the 
deadliest in the state's history--82 percent of homes that were built 
to pre-2008 standards were damaged. The need to ensure our homes and 
communities are sited and built more equitably and resiliently is more 
critical than ever before.
  And so, I want to make it clear that America's housing infrastructure 
is vulnerable to the growing costs of climate change and weather 
disasters, which will only accelerate the need for maintenance and 
repair, or it will make our housing infrastructure uninhabitable. 
Between 2016 and 2020, these disasters have cost nearly $616 billion in 
damages and have displaced tens of thousands of people from their 
homes. We cannot keep asking people to live like this. We must act now.
  As Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, I 
recently introduced my historic Housing Is Infrastructure Act of 2021, 
which provides over $600 billion to increase our nation's green, 
inclusive, affordable housing infrastructure. I'm fighting for the type 
of investments that will bring our housing stock into the 21st century 
and beyond, including working to address environmental racism and the 
climate emergency, strengthening our nation's commitment to fair 
housing, and recognizing that housing IS infrastructure.

                          ____________________