VIDEO: Carper Remarks at Historic Environmental Justice Senate Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today spoke before the Committee’s Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee in a hearing on environmental justice.

“Today is the first Senate EPW hearing in nearly 15 years on the subject of environmental justice, and the first since the subcommittee has been renamed. But, as we all know, this topic—and the need for our government to address it—is far from new,” Senator Carper stated. “For decades, minority communities and low-income Americans have shouldered much of the burden from pollution and other environmental problems that impact our nation.”

“When we say ‘environmental justice’ it’s not a buzzword or a talking point…We have a moral obligation to put justice and fairness at the forefront of all the work that we do,” Carper continued. “As this body is in the final sprint working on expansive legislation to invest in our nation’s infrastructure and economy, we must keep our focus on this core principle of fairness—to fulfill our moral obligation to lift those in greatest need and pursue justice in all that we do.”

Senator Carper’s full remarks and witness questioning can be viewed here.