Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGette. Madam Chair, studies show that when our environmental laws are broken our poorest communities disproportionately pay the price. Communities such as Globeville and Elyria-Swansea--two predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in my district--are being inundated by the pollution coming from the highways, railyard and industrial plants around them.

The problem is: While EPA monitors each of these sources individually, they don't consider the cumulative health impact that all of these sources combined can have on nearby residents.

The legislation I included in this bill will change that. It will require EPA, for the first time, to address the cumulative effect of multiple sources of nearby pollution. It will also require EPA to identify 100 of the most heavily polluted communities in the country and ensure the laws put in place to protect them are being enforced.

Ensuring ``Environmental Justice'' for all Americans needs to be more than just a catchphrase, it should be our collective mission. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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