Janice Schakowsky: “Tomorrow is Earth Day, and I remember well as a young mom in 1970 when Earth Day was established, and at that time, we…”

“Tomorrow is Earth Day, and I remember well as a young mom in 1970 when Earth Day was established, and at that time, we really had an environmental crisis. We had a desperate need for passage of legislation to guarantee clean air and clean water. We had toxic waste sites that were crying out for something to be done. So Earth Day highlighted that. As a result, we did see the passage of this important legislation. We have made progress, and this is a time to really celebrate that progress. We now have Superfund legislation to clean up toxic sites, the clean air and clean water legislation, and we have a booming economy, and that is a surprise to some, not to me and others on our side of the aisle, but those are compatible concepts, that they go hand in hand, a booming economy and environmental protection. The environment really is a nonpartisan issue when one goes to a national park or one breathes clean air, regardless of whether one is a Democrat or a Republican, these issues are important. But unfortunately, over the recent years, it has become just that, and it is so unfortunate, even today, that it has been raised in a partisan context.”