Earlier this week, Huffington Post reporter Robert Baldwin III spent two days in Washington, D.C. with over 15 Moving Forward Network members from overburdened communities across the United States and national environmental groups, and wrote an excellent news article.
Among our group were representatives from California, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Texas port and railyard communities, Earthjustice, the National Resources Defense Council, and the Moving Forward Network national office.
While in Washington, we met with staff from several EPA organizations, presented Senator Cory Booker with an award, and visited other congressional offices. We capped off our trip with a meeting with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and her staff.
During the meeting, several of our members described the port and railyard pollution in their communities, and the public health impacts. We asked Administrator McCarthy to set up a cross-agency team to evaluate our recommendations for cleaning up ports and railyards, and plan how the EPA will take action.
Administrator McCarthy listened carefully, emphasized that she shares our concerns about port and rail yard air pollution, and asked thoughtful questions. We anticipate a response within a few weeks.
Check out this excellent Huffington Post article:
Diesel Pollution Is Affecting Dozens of Communities. Will The EPA Act? Emissions from freight facilities disproportionately affect blacks and Latinos.
To learn more about our recommendations for cleaning up ports and railyards, and to sign our petition to the EPA, please click below: