Congress Told to “End Environmental Justice as We Know It”

Did you watch Project 21 member Donna Jackson’s congressional testimony last week?

If you didn’t, you still have a chance to watch it on-demand!

In a rousing testimony before the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, Donna declared – in no uncertain terms – that it is “time to end environmental justice as we know it.”

During a hearing about alleged disproportionate treatment of minority communities in federal environmental grantmaking, Donna said, “I think the greater threat comes from the disparate impact of environmental policies and the damage they do to the economic aspirations of those who can least afford it.”

Watch Donna’s testimony here:

Donna also condemned the left’s “Green New Deal,” saying that it would “further raise energy costs” for poor and minority households and take away job opportunities that “are literally – literally – a ticket to a better life.”

Explaining to Congress what black communities really want, Donna said:

I can tell you that most black families don’t want handouts. We have more ambition than just to get by a little more comfortably.

We want upward mobility. We want opportunities that give us economic independence. We want homeownership – not subsidized rent…

The American dream is alive and well in the hearts of minorities and low-income families, and we need to make certain that policymakers don’t stand in anyone’s way.

Addressing the notion that federal grant monies might not be flowing equitably, Donna questioned whether taxpayer dollars should be flowing at all to the programs advocated by these members of Congress:

If the purpose of these grants is to pursue policies that serve to raise the cost of living on those who can least afford it or to stifle the creation of good-paying jobs for those individuals who most need it, then minority communities are better off without the money.

To see the entire subcommittee hearing on “environmental justice” and federal grantmaking in which Donna testified, click here.



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