[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MECCA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I 
welcome the students from the 6th grade class at Mecca Elementary 
School, who are visiting Washington, DC. I am particularly honored to 
have these students visit the U.S. Capitol because they know firsthand 
how important it is to speak up and be heard to make government 
officials aware of vital issues that affect their community.
  Like all Americans, the residents of Mecca, CA, have the right to 
expect that the air they breathe is clean, and that the Federal and 
State government will enforce the Nation's environmental laws to 
protect them from dangerous pollution. Unfortunately, some residents in 
Mecca became sick from overpowering air pollution coming from a nearby 
waste recycling facility. The noxious odors posed a public health risk 
to the two schools located near the site, Mecca Elementary School and 
Saul Martinez Elementary School.
  I became involved because local citizens, including teachers and 
students at the two schools, spoke out about the public health threat 
in Mecca that needed to be addressed immediately. I am so pleased that 
the Environmental Protection Agency stepped up its efforts to clean up 
the air pollution in and around the community of Mecca.
  I give special thanks to the residents of Mecca, including the 
students at Mecca Elementary School, for speaking up and telling the 
truth about the troubling conditions nearby. It is an example to all 
Americans that we have a stake in our communities and that by fighting 
for what is right, we can make our country a better, safer and 
healthier nation.

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