Political Quotes

“I thank Mr. McEachin for his passion and for his commitment to these issues of environmental justice. Particularly in the Virgin Islands, we know that climate change is real. We feel it, and we see it in how we operate and how our environment is changing, whether it be mosquitoes and Zika, before that chikungunya and dengue. We know that the effects of climate change are impacting our health and impacting the livelihoods of our environment. The Congressional Black Caucus supports policies that ensure that all Americans also have access to a clean and healthy environment. Studies have long shown an unsettling correlation between race and the location of hazardous waste facilities. For example, a 1983 Government Accountability Office study found that 75 percent of hazardous waste landfills in eight southeastern States were located in predominantly poor and minority communities. The places where minorities live, work, and learn are significantly compromised by air, water, land, soil, noise, and light pollutants. Black Americans and other minorities are predisposed to health issues directly linked to environmental and toxic waste. We cannot take away funding to support the eradication of these health hazards. We must continue to push for that. We are not here as the Congressional Black Caucus simply to disparage our President. We are not here to point out his fallacies.…”