We need environmental justice now, John.
That’s why today, the head of the EPA, Administrator Michael S. Regan, joined Cori and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones to tour the Chain of Rocks Water Treatment Plant, which supplies water to St. Louis residents. The facility has been in service for over 125 years and is in need of overdue upgrades to ensure reliability for years to come. In his remarks, Regan thanked Cori for her leadership in elevating the fight for environmental justice.
Touring the plant, Cori saw first-hand what we need in order to deliver environmental justice — investments like comprehensive lead pipe replacement, restoring wetlands and water sources, and water efficiency programs. These long-overdue investments are needed to protect our water and address current water crises — like the one still being endured by the people of Flint, Michigan.
John, Cori is passionate about this fight because water is just one piece of the puzzle. Clean water is a basic human necessity and must be guaranteed to all, but we also must fight every facet of environmental injustice in our country today.
Cori is taking action on the ground in St. Louis and in the halls of Congress to fight for environmental justice for the communities who need it most. If you're in this fight, will you add your name to show your support for Cori’s legislation to bring climate action and environmental justice to our communities?
Especially in Black, brown, and indigenous communities, the effects of environmental injustice and racism are felt every single day. In St. Louis, Black children are hospitalized with asthma at 10x the rate of white children, our walls are more likely to be lined with lead paint, and our neighborhoods can even be flooded with water from radioactive creeks.
This is a crisis of great magnitude, and that's why Cori is so dedicated to proposing bold solutions. In January, she partnered with Senator Ed Markey to introduce the Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act to bring the fight to end environmental injustice to communities like St. Louis. The bill would create and fund a committee to develop detailed neighborhood maps of environmental risk factors including air quality, fossil fuel infrastructure, and police violence.
And just two weeks ago, Cori introduced the Green New Deal for Cities alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to fund an expansive array of climate and environmental justice jobs and projects including wind power procurement, clean water infrastructure, and air quality monitoring.
In solidarity,
Team Cori
