[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3329-H3330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CLEAN AIR AND HEALTHY PARKS GO HAND IN HAND

  (Ms. DEXTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as someone who cherishes both 
the breathtaking beauty of our national parks and the fundamental right 
to clean air.
  When one asks what sets the United States apart, our national parks 
top the list, yet, increasingly, so does our

[[Page H3330]]

dirty and polluted air. That should alarm us all.
  The Washington Post recently reported on what too many of us already 
know: Air pollution and climate change are choking even the most 
treasured corners of our country.
  Wildfire smoke now blankets our parks each summer. Haze clouds once-
clear views. The places we go to breathe deep and reconnect with nature 
are being smothered by our inaction.
  At Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains, I saw how long-term air 
quality monitoring helps us track these threats, but data alone isn't 
enough. We must have the courage to act.
  As a physician and mother, I know what is at stake. Every child 
deserves to explore our parks without wheezing from smoke or smog.
  Clean air and healthy parks go hand in hand, and they are worth 
fighting for.

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