friend—Over the past few years as I’ve campaigned for office, I’ve changed the way I talk about the environment.

Yes, I am a proponent of the Green New Deal. But this Earth Day, I want you to know that’s not enough. We need environmental justice.

Justice implies righting wrongs. So as we make sure the planet is habitable and livable for future generations, we need to take accountability for the communities and people who have suffered as a result of poor climate legislation.

When you look at people who have suffered as a result of power plants, as a result of nuclear plants, these are mostly poor people. These are mostly people of color, like the communities polluted by chemicals in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.

I have to ask why.

Addressing environmental justice means not just tackling the future of climate problems, but also addressing the past and the present.

From polluted air in our cities, to chemical spills and unaddressed lead contamination, our government needs to do much, much more to fix the quality of life of our people today. Moving away from fossil fuels and microplastics is a present problem, not one to save for the future.

This district has never had a progressive representative who has unequivocally fought for environmental justice from the get-go. Can you pitch in and help us win?

Just as our communities keep us safe, our communities keep us healthy. Change starts from the bottom-up, and I’m so grateful to have you in this fight.

Sincerely,

Maebe Pudlo