E&C Announces Subcommittee Hearing on Environmental Justice and the Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19

Statement

Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Chairman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that the Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee will hold a fully remote hearing on Tuesday, June 9, at 12 p.m. (EDT). The hearing is entitled, "Pollution and Pandemics: COVID-19's Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities."

"Due to policies like redlining, pollution has long disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color. Now this exposure to pollution is contributing to people of color dying from COVID-19 at shockingly higher rates than others," said Pallone and Tonko. "It is past time that Congress accept what frontline communities have long understood: that environmental health is public health. We must ensure that frontline communities get the resources they need, and we look forward to hearing from impacted communities and environmental justice experts on how best to make that happen."

This hearing will take place remotely via Cisco Webex video conferencing. Members of the public may view the hearing via live webcast accessible on the Energy and Commerce Committee's website. Please note the webcast will not be available until the hearing begins.

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