|
What an honor to host Environmental Protection Agency EPA Administrator Michael Regan while he was visiting Seattle! We are very grateful to EPA Regional Administrator Sixkiller who helped us coordinate a wonderful and meaningful conversation about Environmental Justice in our Duwamish Valley Community. It is important to hear the head of the EPA respond directly to the concerns of communities that have been historically and disproportionately impacted by pollution. We talked about actions EPA needs to take from policy changes to community-driven efforts to address these issues in communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Our pollution concerns have been impacting our community for decades, and we have long suffered from environmental injustices that shorten our lives and reduce our quality of life's quality . As an overburdened community, we are asking for specific actions, including: Support for a FULL Duwamish River cleanup that is health protective of our communities and environment. We ask the EPA to make cleanup goals for the East Waterway consistent with goals for the Lower Duwamish Waterway, create an East Waterway plan that concurs with state protective standards, and consult with impacted communities when any decisions are being made. Commitment from EPA to improve regulations and legislations more protective to healthy community standards. Mobilizing agency resources to invest in community air monitoring to better protect people and public health in vulnerable areas. Pressing state and local elected officials to take urgent action to better protect the most overburdened communities by pollution and disinvestment. Holding companies more accountable for their actions in overburdened communities with increased monitoring and oversight of polluting facilities. Applying best available science to agency policy making to safeguard public health and protect the environment. We are looking to EPA to be also be a leader in advancing zero emission, clean air solutions that protect and prioritize the mandatory reduction of pollution in overburdened and underserved environmental justice communities across the freight transportation system, such as diesel pollution from heavy duty trucks for near port communities like the Duwamish Valley.
|
