Local leaders in Southern Arizona came together Wednesday to throw their support behind the Environmental Justice for All Act, a congressional bill that aims to treat pollution in communities of color as a civil rights violation and create local funding for environmental cleanup.
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the Tucson Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources, introduced the bill last March, but said he’s spent his political career undoing damage in Tucson’s low-income and Latino communities caused by water contaminants like trichloroethylene and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called TCE and PFAS.
Water pollution has threatened area residents for years and cleaning it up has been a priority for local, state and federal representatives of Southern Arizona. High levels of PFAS, a long-lasting chemical used in plastics, coating and firefighting foams, polluted a regional groundwater aquifer near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base several years ago that was the main source of drinking water for more than 65,000 people. Similar incidents have affected Tucson’s mostly Latino South Side in the past.
The Environmental Justice for All bill, which Grijalva and other members of Congress are touting on a national tour of cities like New York and Detroit, is aimed at funding remediation and cleanup efforts across the countryu, and creating more government accountability. It would also create a protected class for “frontline communities,” or those most impacted by environmental hazards because of their economic and geographic vulnerabilities.
“The TCE contamination that many of us ignored for generations on the South Side of town was a prevalent part of my political upbringing in this community,” Grijalva said. “At the time, we didn’t have a definition for environmental justice, but all we knew was the impacted communities were predominantly working class and poor and predominantly communities of color.”
Grijalva said that he doesn’t want to see communities of color to continue to be treated “a dumping ground.” Instead, the measure would invest in equity at the local level, create community engagement and make sure federal agencies hear public redresses and petitions against government injustices or inactions. “Environmental issues need components of equity and justice,” he said.
Local government leaders from Pima County, Tucson and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe showed up to support Grijalva at a press conference on Wednesday. Several spoke about the impact that the bill would have on the South Side in repairing damage from water, air and land contamination, including from PFAS and TCE.
They included Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Councilwoman Lane Santa Cruz; Dr. Francisco Garcia, the chief medical officer for Pima County; Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, a member of the county board and the congressman’s daughter; as well as Pascua Yaqui Chairman Peter Yucupicio and Herminia Frias, a Yaqui councilwoman.
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Source: Tucson Sentinel – April 20, 2022
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