{"id":3801,"date":"2023-09-29T17:13:53","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T21:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-for-enviromental-justice-letter-to-the-senate-and-house-regarding-the-looming-goverment-shutdown\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T20:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T01:35:25","slug":"we-act-for-enviromental-justice-letter-to-the-senate-and-house-regarding-the-looming-goverment-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"update","link":"https:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-for-enviromental-justice-letter-to-the-senate-and-house-regarding-the-looming-goverment-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"WE ACT for Environmental Justice Letter to the Senate and House Regarding the Looming Government Shutdown"},"template":"","class_list":["post-3801","update","type-update","status-publish","hentry","update_type-announcements"],"acf":{"details":{"":null,"featured_image":"","update_type":[363],"focus_area":false,"authors":false,"abstract":""},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries House Minority Leader\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2433 Rayburn\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington, DC 20515\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Honorable Chuck Schumer Senate Majority Leader\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dear Mr. President, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader Jeffries,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As extremist Republican House members drive the government towards an unnecessary and dangerous shutdown, we, the undersigned Environmental Justice organizations from across the country, urge you to pass a clean appropriations bill that fully funds the government and to vigorously fight against any effort to undo the hard-won protections and investments in environmental justice communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In May, we were dismayed by the outcome of the deal that was made with House Republicans to lift the debt ceiling. There are parts of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that prioritized polluters over people and sent a message that extremism, not data, science or the best interests of marginalized Americans, are driving policy by forcing the permitting of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, furthering the erosion of the National Environmental Policy Act, and restricting SNAP eligibility for Americans facing financial hardship. Now, as House Republicans push us toward another standoff and a possible financial crisis, we want to be unequivocally clear that our communities cannot be sacrificed again. Our health, safety, and security cannot be up for debate, and the rights and protections afforded to environmental justice, front- and fence-line, low-wealth, and Tribal and Indigenous communities must not be bargaining chips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are counting on you to firmly reject any deal that:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Claws back environmental justice investments passed in the Inflation Reduction Act; \u25cf Weakens efforts to implement the Justice40 Initiative or Executive Order 14096; \u25cf Guts NEPA and the Clean Air and Clean Water acts;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Rolls Back the critical regulations that agencies, such as the EPA, have updated or are working to finalize;<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Supports so called \u201cpermit reforms\u201d that belies fossil fuel interests, undercuts community engagement, or slows down the transition to renewable energy;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Includes anti-immigration, anti-abortion, and anti-LBGTQ+ riders as well as racist attacks; and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Facilitates the build out of fossil fuels, such as changes to accelerate liquified natural gas buildout.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While we strongly oppose any deal that endangers environmental justice communities and our allies, we also want to be clear that there are real impacts on our communities during a government shutdown. We request that the Administration requires agencies to include actionable plans on how they will protect vulnerable communities in each agency contingency plan. In particular, we are concerned about EPA ceasing Civil enforcement inspections, which ensure polluting facilities\u2019 compliance with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, among others. Many of our communities are fenceline to polluting facilities and rely on the government to protect them from harmful emissions. We know a shutdown would delay or worsen backlogs in the rollout and development of critical programs like Superfund cleanup, the IRA\u2019s Climate and Environmental Justice Block Grants, and updated regulations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, with communities across the country still recovering from an unprecedented year of natural disasters, we cannot risk depletion of FEMA&#8217;s Disaster Relief Fund. As a result of dwindling funds, FEMA has already paused assistance on over 1,000 rebuilding projects in the last month.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know Tribal Nations, Indigenous and communities of color are hit first and worst by climate change and want to ensure everything possible is done to help these communities recover from the devastating, unjust impacts of climate change. We trust your leadership to ensure a government shutdown resolves swiftly while mitigating harms to our communities. However, ending the shut down cannot, once again, leave our communities bearing the brunt of the burden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second principle of Environmental Justice affirms: \u201cEnvironmental justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We unequivocally uphold this principle and implore you to the Biden Administration and Congress to stand by this and reject any anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-abortion poison pills. These redlines are by no means exhaustive; however, we hope they guide Congress and the Administration in any potential negotiations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frank, T. (2023, September 20). FEMA Needs More Money to Keep Up with Disasters. Instead It Faces a Potential Government Shutdown. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E&amp;E News.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/fema-needs-more-money-to-keep-up-with-disasters-instead-it-faces-a-potential-governme nt-shutdown\/<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Principles of Environmental Justice (EJ) https:\/\/www.weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ejprinciples.pdf\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sincerely,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7 Directions of Service\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alaska Community Action on Toxics\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better Brazoria: Clean Air &amp; Water\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black Millennials 4 Flint\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Center for Biological Diversity\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coalition of Community Organizations\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community In-power &amp; Development Association Inc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denver NAACP\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Duwamish River Community Coalition\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environmental Justice Network\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flint Rising\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green Door Initiative\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mi Familia Vota\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Native Organizers Alliance\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NC Climate Justice Collective\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York Lawyers for the Public Interest\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PODER\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WE ACT for Environmental Justice\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">West Atlanta Watershed Alliance\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">West End Revitalization Association\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Womxn From The Mountain\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CC:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation Shalanda Young, Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget<\/span><\/p>\r\n","include_drop_cap":false}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - 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