The Littoral Society Applauds Reintroduction of The Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act

In early June, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman A. Donald McEachin (D-VA) reintroduced the Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act, a bill aimed at eliminating pollution that has disproportionately harmed communities of color, Indigenous communities, and low-income communities for generations. 

The bill is wholeheartedly supported by the American Littoral Society.

“Fixing our water and sewer systems is a matter of racial justice," said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the Littoral Society. "Communities that were once redlined are now twice as likely to live with toxic flooding, lead pipes and unfishable riverfronts. Senator Booker and Congressman McEachin’s bill is a welcome step to bring clean water and green jobs where they’re needed most. We urge local and federal lawmakers to work together to bring these investments home to the Delaware Valley.”

This critical legislation would invest over $200 billion to clean up legacy pollution. It is co-sponsored by Senators Schatz (D-HI), Smith (D-MN), Durbin (D-IL), Whitehouse (D-RI), Wyden (D-OR), Sanders (I-VT), Duckworth (D-IL), Markey (D-MA), Gillibrand (D-NY), Van Hollen (D-MD), Warren (D-MA), Blumenthal (D-CT), Merkley (D-OR) and Padilla (D-CA).

“In our nation, the biggest determining factor of whether you live near toxic pollution, whether you drink contaminated water, or whether you breathe dirty air is the color of your skin and your economic status,” said Senator Booker. “That’s wrong, and it’s time to make it right. In order for communities of color, low-income communities, and Indigenous communities to thrive, this legacy of environmental injustice must be addressed. The Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act will make the necessary federal investments to clean up this legacy pollution, and I plan to fight to have this funding included in the upcoming infrastructure and climate change legislation.”  
 
“All Americans should have the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment, regardless of their zip code or socioeconomic status. For generations, low-income communities and communities of color have been subjected to legacy pollution and have suffered adverse health effects as a result. For too long, environmental hazards, like toxic waste sites and contaminated water lines, threaten the well-being of our communities,” said Rep. McEachin (VA-04). “We must keep environmental justice issues at the forefront of every discussion and work to combat these inequities. The Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act is a monumental step towards rectifying the harm these communities face. Not only will it help clean up pollution in our communities, it will help hold large corporations accountable and ensure healthier outcomes for future generations.”

The Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act would: 
 
Cleanup Toxic Sites 

• Provide $10 billion to the EPA Superfund National Priorities List to accelerate the cleanup of toxic sites and help clear the largest backlog of unfunded sites since 2004. 
• Provides $10 billion to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, an investment that would fund the reclamation of thousands of eligible abandoned mine lands sites.
• Dedicates $10 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Program to remediate abandoned hard rock mines, with priority given to sites located on tribal land. 
• Provide $3 billion for grants to remediate brownfield sites. Such remediation efforts are a major boon to economically depressed communities, producing roughly $20 in economic benefits for every $1 spent. 
• Provide $10 billion to the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program and clean up 90% of these sites. The EJLPA also commits $3 billion to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, which will remediate tens of thousands of acres of formerly radioactive land and return hundreds of properties back to public use. 

 
Improve Air Quality

• Provide $30 billion to replace over 50% of diesel school buses with zero emission school buses in the most disadvantaged school districts. 
• Commits $25 billion to urban tree planting initiatives, an investment that will plant an estimated 100 million trees with priority given to projects in low-income communities and communities with lower tree canopy cover and higher daytime maximum temperatures. 

 
Address Lead, Clean Water, and Sanitation Issues

• Inject $45 billion into a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant program to remediate lead-based paint hazards in low income housing, the leading cause of childhood lead poisoning in the United States. This funding would eliminate lead based paint hazards in nearly 4 million low income households. 
• Provides $1 billion for grants to tribal governments to address housing-related safety hazards.
• Provide $45 billion in funding to replace every lead drinking water service line in the country. 
• Commits $10 billion in funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Decentralized Water Systems Program, which will give nonprofits capacity to provide grants to hundreds of thousands of homes to construct or improve individual household water well and wastewater systems. 
• Provide $3 billion to the Indian Health Service (IHS) to build and renovate sanitation infrastructure, which will bring safe drinking water and adequate sewage systems to every American Indian and Alaskan Native household.
• Provide $25 billion to the EPA to address combined sewer overflows, which will eliminate most overflow problems in economically distressed communities.

Click here to learn more about The Environmental Justice Legacy Pollution Cleanup Act.