Climate Change is A Global Problem

Floor Speech

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Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for holding this Special Order to address the impact of the fossil fuel industry on Latinos and how a Green New Deal can address the needs in our communities.

From sea level rise, to the location of power plants, to fossil fuel extraction, to the urban heat island effect, the inequities from our energy system and who bears its consequences are everywhere. People of color are on the front line of this issue. We are hit first and worst.

We need a climate bill that rises to the scale of both the climate crisis and the damage from environmental racism that impacts my district and the districts like it across the country.

The best way for us to understand these challenges and how to overcome them is to meet environmental justice communities where they are.

Our local challenges can provide useful information for Federal climate policy that can address environmental justice issues across the country.

America needs to lead on a just transition away from fossil fuels, and climate solutions must account for what that means for communities like mine. We deal with pollution from oil refineries and ongoing urban oil drilling, which has a direct impact on the quality of the air we breathe.

At the same time that the fossil fuel industry has a disproportionate footprint in minority communities, these industries often provide jobs, including union jobs, to my constituents. As we work to unwind the fossil fuel economy, we need our climate policy to ensure a just transition includes the needs of communities of color. This means creating union jobs in the clean energy industry with great benefits, and it means opportunities for minority-owned businesses to play a role in the clean energy future of tomorrow.

We must also focus on air emissions from ports and the communities near them bearing the burden. In my district, I have the Port of Los Angeles, one of the most ambitious ports in the country when it comes to reducing emissions. At the same time, the port is a significant source of air and climate pollution, and communities in my district believe the best path forward is for the port to achieve zero emissions as quickly as possible.

These are challenges that face ports throughout our country. Our climate policy must invest in America's ports to keep them competitive and on a pathway to zero emissions.

As Democrats are in the majority, we are in a position to move swiftly and boldly on this issue, and we must do so.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues this year to craft bold climate solutions that leave no community behind.

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