Dr. Ruiz Taking Fight for East Valley Environmental Justice to Congress
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) is continuing to press forward with the Environmental Justice Initiative for the East Valley. Dr Ruiz spoke today at the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment & Climate Change about the harmful effects airborne particulate matter has on public health. Making reference to the recent mulch fires in Thermal that forced schools to close their doors for a week and sent students to the hospital, Dr. Ruiz pressed experts on techniques to better inform and protect residents from issues related to lingering smoke and airborne irritants.
"This isn't theoretical," said Dr. Ruiz at the hearing. "Airborne hazards are real for my constituents. I grew up there, and enough is enough. This is why I've taken action, forming a collaborative effort, bringing together federal, state, county, tribal and school officials to better prevent, mitigate, and respond to airborne hazards. We must have better systems to protect the public from the risks associated with breathing smoke-filled air."
You can watch Dr. Ruiz's remarks here.
Dr. Ruiz's remarks at today's Energy and Commerce Committee hearing come on the heels of multiple meetings focused on environmental justice in the East Valley. Last week, Dr. Ruiz met with both the Desert Healthcare District and the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians to discuss follow-up actions related to the Martinez 3 Fire that occurred this past fall.
Background
Dr. Ruiz held roundtables in October and November of 2019 with tribal, state, county, and federal government officials where he initiated the efforts to collaborate to promote environmental justice in the East Valley. The primary objective from these discussions was to close the environmental hazard, provide for the cleanup of damaged land, and then prevent future environmental hazards from occurring.
As of January 2020, the recycling center at the core of the Martinez 3 Fire has closed and the BIA is actively assessing the property ahead of cleanup efforts.
After the urging of Dr. Ruiz in November 2019, the Desert Healthcare District allocated $500,000 to work with the stakeholders outlined above and issue a report on Eastern Coachella Valley airborne environmental hazards that impact residents. Specifically, the report will focus on a comprehensive strategic plan to prevent, mitigate, and respond to airborne environmental hazards such as pollution, dust, or smoke.
This Congress, Dr. Ruiz introduced H.R. 3923, the Environmental Justice Act of 2019, which would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agency action and strengthen the legal protections of those affected by environmental injustices.