,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #dgi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,february #aa1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,ellison 7for himself1 ,mr4       
,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,ms4 ,lee of     
,california1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,ms4          
,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,holt1 ,mrs4          
,christensen1 ,ms4 ,chu1 ,mr4 ,honda1   
,mr4 ,lewis1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,ms4 ,clarke 
of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,ms4 
,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,ms4 ,norton1
 and ,mr4 ,cleaver7 submitted the       
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,energy and       
,commerce1 and in addition to the       
,committee on ,natural ,resources1 for a
 period to be subsequently determined by
 the ,speaker1 in each case for         
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,,resolution       
,recognizing the #bjth anniversary of   
the ,executive ,order #abhih1 ,federal  
,actions to ,address ,environmental     
,justice in ,minority ,populations and  

,low-,income ,populations4  ,whereas    
,february #aa1 #bjad1 marks the #bjth   
anniversary of ,executive ,order #abhih1
 ,federal ,actions to ,address          
,environmental ,justice in ,minority    
,populations and ,low-,income           
,populations2 ,whereas environmental    
justice is defined as the fair treatment
 and meaningful involvement of all      
people regardless of race1 color1       
national origin1 or income with respect 
to the development1 implementation1 and 
enforcement of environmental laws1      
regulations1 and policies2 ,whereas     
environmental justice means that all    
citizens should have the right and      
opportunity to participate in decisions 
and policymaking that affects their     
health2 ,whereas environmental justice  
is characterized by the promotion of    
unprejudiced treatment of all cultures1 
socioeconomic statuses1 and races1 with 
respect to the advancement of           
environmental policies1 regulations1 and
 law2 ,whereas the environmental justice

 movement is an extension of the civil  
rights movement1 and draws particular   
attention to the environmental health   
dangers affecting communities1 families1
 and individuals2 ,whereas environmental
 justice groups work to create public   
policy that is ethical1 secure the      
strict enforcement of laws for          
environmental protection1 and guarantee 
the right of all workers to a safe and  
healthy work environment2 ,whereas      
environmental justice communities fight 
to ensure the right to participate as   
equal partners at every level of        
decisionmaking1 and promote the         
education of present and future         
generations to ensure the health of the 
natural world2 ,whereas community-based 
organizations and grassroots advocates  
have distinguished themselves in the    
endeavor for civil rights1 sometimes    
risking their health and sacrificing    
their lives to seek justice2 ,whereas   
the protest against the siting of a     
chemical landfill in ,warren ,county1   

,north ,carolina1 led by local community
 leaders and national civil rights      
groups1 birthed the term environmental  
racism and brought national attention to
 the environmental justice movement2    
,whereas the ,first ,national ,people of
 ,color ,environmental ,leadership      
,summit in #aiia drafted and adopted #ag
 environmental justice principles1 which
 served as a defining document for the  
grassroots environmental justice        
movement2 ,whereas the ,congressional   
,black ,caucus promoted the formation of
 the ,environmental ,protection         
,agency's 7,,epa7 ,environmental ,equity
 ,workgroup in #aiib to investigate     
concerns that minority and low-income   
populations were inadequately protected 
by the ,nation's environmental laws1    
leading to the creation of the ,,epa's  
,office of ,environmental ,justice in   
#aiib2 ,whereas on ,february #aa1 #aiid1
 ,president ,william ,j4 ,clinton       
declared that each ,federal agency shall
 make achieving environmental justice   

part of its mission2 ,whereas the       
,executive order instructs each ,federal
 agency to determine the injurious      
effects of its actions on minority and  
low-income communities1 and devote      
attention to resolving these issues2    
,whereas the aim of the environmental   
justice ,executive order is to increase 
access to public information and        
participation for minority and          
low-income populations1 and encourage   
nondiscrimination in ,federal programs  
that impact the environment and human   
health2 ,whereas responsible            
environmental health policies and       
practices are critical to improving the 
lives of those who live in low-income   
communities and communities of color    
throughout the ,united ,states and the  
world2 ,whereas inequities in           
environmental protection based on race  
and income status are recognized across 
the ,united ,states2 ,whereas research  
has shown that income and race are      
directly correlated to greater exposure 

to pollution1 closer proximity to toxic 
pollution sources1 and greater health   
impacts from particulate matter air     
pollution2 ,whereas ,african-,americans1
 ,hispanics1 and ,asians are exposed to 
greater air toxics concentrations than  
,whites in every metropolitan city in   
the ,united ,states2 ,whereas           
communities with a higher percentage of 
low-income citizens bear a              
disproportionate level of society's     
environmental burdens2 ,whereas race1   
independent of poverty1 is a predictor  
of greater exposure to environmental    
toxics2 ,whereas minority1 low-income1  
and tribal communities are more exposed 
to air pollution from highways1 power   
plants1 incinerators1 landfills1 waste  
sites1 and vehicle depots in these      
communities2 ,whereas #fh percent of    
,african-,americans and #ci percent of  
,latinos live within #cj miles of a coal
 plant2 ,whereas tribal communities are 
disproportionately exposed to pollution 
and health burdens across the ,united   

,states due to siting of pollution      
sources1 cultural activities1 and legal 
gaps in the regulatory framework2       
,whereas environmental mitigation in    
tribal communities is behind that of    
nontribal communities in the ,united    
,states2 ,whereas inner-city1           
low-income1 and minority children have  
the highest asthma rates and subsequent 
asthma-related death rates resulting    
from greater exposure to indoor and     
outdoor air pollutants2 ,whereas        
cumulative effects such as substandard  
housing and inadequate health care can  
increase vulnerability to pollution2    
,whereas climate change is one of the   
biggest public health threats of this   
century1 disproportionately impacting   
communities less able to recover from   
extreme weather events that are caused  
and exacerbated by climate change2      
,whereas low-income communities1 tribal 
communities1 and communities of color   
have greater climate vulnerability due  
in part to lack of health care1         

dependence on public transportation and 
other public services1 higher energy    
costs1 less-than-adequate protection    
from severe weather1 and higher         
insurance costs2 ,whereas risk factors  
for heat-related deaths are higher for  
people with low incomes and people of   
color1 and climate change will lead to  
an increase in frequency and intensity  
of heat waves1 and a stronger heat      
island effect2 and ,whereas reducing    
greenhouse gas emissions and building   
climate resiliency in low-income1       
minority1 and tribal communities can    
create economic stability through good  
jobs in clean energy1 energy efficiency1
 and green infrastructure industries3   
,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house
 of ,representatives--  7#a7            
commemorates the achievements of the    
environmental justice movement over the 
last #bj years1 including--  7,a7 the   
institution of an environmental justice 
law1 ,executive order1 or policy by the 
#ej ,states and the ,district of        

,columbia2  7,b7 the reinstatement of   
the ,federal ,interagency ,working      
,group1 ,federal agency strategic plans1
 and ,plan ,,ej #bjad2  7,c7 the growth 
in the number of publications1 research1
 and university-based environmental     
justice centers1 legal clinics1 and     
academic programs2 and  7,d7 the over   
#c1jjj groups and a dozen networks of   
community-based organizations that have 
formed2  7#b7 affirms that ,congress    
should uphold the principles of         
environmental and climate justice by--  
7,a7 recognizing that legislation passed
 by ,congress has foreseeable and       
unforeseeable effects on the existing   
disparities between communities of      
differing socioeconomic statuses and    
racial composition2  7,b7 committing to 
policies and practices that protect the 
health1 economic vitality1 and human and
 civil rights of low-income1 tribal1 and
 minority communities2 and  7,c7        
creating policies that proactively      
address climate vulnerabilities and     

promote resiliency in low-income1       
tribal1 and minority communities2 and   
7#c7 urges the ,president to--  7,a7    
explicitly address environmental justice
 issues in his climate change           
initiatives2  7,b7 commit to focusing on
 greater oversight and supporting       
,federal agency advancement of          
environmental justice2 and  7,c7 work   
with tribal leaders and communities to  
address their unique environmental      
justice concerns4