Message of the Week: June 8, 2020
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As communities across the country continue to protest racial injustice against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which is made worse by air pollution and disproportionately impacts communities of color, Donald Trump and
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler are trying to permanently weaken federal authority to issue strong clean air and climate change safeguards.
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A recent study
demonstrates that African Americans in the United States are succumbing to the lethal coronavirus at a rate much higher than other populations, which could be connected to long-term exposure to air pollution, according to preliminary data from scientists.
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A
2018 EPA study
found African Americans are subjected to higher levels of air pollution than their white counterparts.
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Last week, the Trump administration announced a plan attacking the Clean Air Act AND an executive order to circumvent public input and responsible review of the environmental and public health impacts of major infrastructure projects
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
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Vulnerable communities and communities of color will bear the brunt of the consequences of slashing NEPA and environmental safeguards meant to reduce air pollution and fight climate change.
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These are just the latest handouts to big polluters and attacks on public health by an administration that has rolled back 100 environmental and public health protections.
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Thankfully, leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are
holding a hearing
this week on the relationship between disproportionate exposures to environmental pollution and disproportionate effects of the coronavirus pandemic in environmental justice
communities.
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We need bold solutions to address both the coronavirus pandemic and climate crisis, to protect our people and our communities.
Reorient Target Messaging
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[Senator] needs to hold EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler accountable for his anti-environmental agenda and have a plan to address all threats to public health, including the coronavirus and the climate crisis.
Renew Target Messaging
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As EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler continues to attack public health safeguards, we need [Senator] to take action and have a plan to help protect our health and environment, enhance job creation and the economy, correct
inequities linked to environmental injustices and health disparities and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.
Energize Target Messaging
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Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler are taking aggressive steps to worsen our air quality amid this global public health crisis. We commend [Representative] for moving swiftly to address this crisis and for
understanding that science matters in developing public policies that protect our health and environment.
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The coronavirus public health crisis demands strong leadership and bold action to stabilize our economy and protect us from extreme weather. We commend [Representative] for moving swiftly to address this crisis and for
understanding that science matters in developing public policies that protect our health and environment.
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Additional Resources
For more national and state-specific facts about climate change, clean energy, extreme weather, and carbon pollution, please visit the regularly updated Climate Change Index at
https://climateindex.org/