[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20587]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ACT OF 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleague, 
Congressman Mark Udall, in introducing the Environmental Justice Act of 
2002.
  This bill will codify a 1994 environmental justice Executive Order by 
President Bill Clinton.
  Executive Order 12898, the ``Federal Actions to Address Environmental 
Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations,'' attempts 
to address environmental injustice within existing federal laws and 
regulations by prohibiting discriminatory practices in programs that 
receive federal funds.
  This issue has been one of my priorities as a public servant because 
I have seen the damage--first hand--that environmental injustice can 
bring to poor and minority communities.
  I grew up in the shadow of one of the largest landfills in the 
country.
  As the landfill grew, so did other regional pollution.
  Gravel pits that are miles wide and hundreds of feet deep were dug to 
build roads and buildings in California.
  Heavy industry moved in--especially during World War II when my area 
manufactured jet fuel.
  And the rivers that were once free-flowing water bodies were reduced 
to sewer channels.
  Areas where my family would picnic or enjoy nature when I was little 
are now part of the dirtiest watershed in the country.
  In the Los Angeles area, it is estimated that over 71 percent of 
African Americans and 50 percent of Latinos reside in areas with the 
most polluted air, while only 34 percent of whites live in highly 
polluted areas.
  Even our open space tends to be divided among financial or other 
demographic lines.
  In Los Angeles neighborhoods where 1990 household income averaged 
less than $20,000 a year, there was less than a half-acre of parkland 
for every 1,000 residents.
  The ratio was more than 40 times higher--21.2 acres for every 1,000 
people--in neighborhoods where household incomes were $40,000 or 
higher.
  Park access was similarly lopsided when broken down by race.
  Majority white neighborhoods had 95.7 acres of parkland for every 
1,000 children, compared with 5 acres in Latino areas, 2.9 acres in 
African-American neighborhoods and 6.3 acres in Asian-American areas.
  In the past we might have accepted our fate but today we chose to 
fight back.
  Hardly a day passes without the media informing us about a 
neighborhood that is fighting a landfill, incinerator, chemical plant 
or some other polluting industry.
  This was not always the case.
  Just three decades ago, the concept of environmental justice had not 
registered on the radar screens of most environmental, civil rights or 
social justice groups.
  Today, we enjoy a greater ability to connect with the public by media 
but our laws still offer few protections to disadvantaged communities.
  I am committed to changing this and look forward to working with 
Congressman Udall and others to make sure that environmental protection 
starts with environmental equality.
  I ask my colleagues to support this bill and yield back the balance 
of my time.

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