Workers on the front line, they are putting themselves at risk so that we can move vital goods across our country.

Please pass that bill so we can get the vaccines deployed to our cities, towns, and villages across the country.

As Congress continues the process of developing the next COVID-19 relief package, it is critical that this package include emergency relief for our Nation's maritime transportation system.

We had established a program from the Santa Barbara Channel down to the Ports of LA Long Beach, a voluntary program called the Blue Whales, Blue Skies program.

We are leading the way at the Port of Los Angeles, where I happen to represent, where a new public-private ocean institute called AltaSea is creating a world class, ocean-based, 35-acre campus where scientists, entrepreneurs, and educators…

When we add to that consideration the consequences of burning that oil, and the contributions it makes to climate change, and all of the devastating impacts that has on the ocean and on people, it seems a no-brainer that we shift as…

I represent the Port of Long Beach, and my adjacent port is the Port of LA.

The bills the Committee is hearing today will drive climate solutions, restore our oceans, foster innovation, and help us realize the potential of a sustainable ocean economy.

We tend to focus more on the source, rather than emissions.

Thank you, Chair. And first I want to apologize for running back because I know other Members have done this also running back and forth and voting.

They look to site projects where they will face the least amount of political and public resistance, which, unfortunately, is often in poor, underserved, and under-represented communities.

For too long, companies paid little public price for this decision making, which was based on both systemic racism and unconscious bias.

Fossil fuel companies know the toll that their infrastructure takes on public health and environment.

It is an undeniable fact that in our country, it is often the very wealthy and politically connected who have an outsized voice in the public decision-making process.

I do know that, Ms. Patterson, that you have another appointment and you need to depart in 1 minute from this hearing.

When a privileged community decides it doesn't want something in its backyard, quite often, it is the backyards of the less powerful, less connected, and less wealthy that end up bearing the burden.

If we are truly serious about Black Lives Mattering; If we deeply value taking the knee of white supremacy off of the neck of Black America; If we sincerely want to end the inhumane practice of sacrifice zones and the poisoning of entire…

Just as white Americans can no longer ignore the systemic inequalities in policing, in public health, and in the criminal justice system, we cannot ignore the racism ingrained in the systems that keep our lights on, our cars moving, our…

I'm proud of the work done by this Committee to address environmental justice, led by our full Committee Chair Raul Grijalva and our Subcommittee colleague Representative McEachin.

Thank you for the question. Dominion Energy always told us... that the gas was needed, would bring jobs and would be inevitable.

Thanks in large part to brave activists who are willing to put their bodies on the line in order to highlight racial injustices, there has been an enormous public awakening.

I ultimately ended up voting for the bill, against my local labor unions, and it was very painful.

I hope in the future that we take back that message, that such important reform should be debated and discussed fully.

It is going to take a long time for a person like me and, I would think, others, to regain trust.

I have pressed Congress and the administration to take steps to aid ports like opening up municipal lending facilities to port authorities.