| Kathleen - Three weeks. Three climate change-fueled super storms. Our nation and the Caribbean are reeling from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria — which made landfall in Puerto Rico this morning.
In the days after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, we saw a series of environmental catastrophes at dirty oil refineries and chemical plants. Amid the flooding and loss of human lives, there is widespread concern that residents and first responders are being exposed to hazardous pollution.1
The kicker? The Trump administration is now pushing for cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency — including shutting down an EPA lab in Houston!2 That's why we're joining with the organization Green for All in calling on Congress to stop these cuts.
Tell Congress: we need the EPA more than ever. Please don't cut funds to protect our communities.
I can't stress enough how much we need EPA protections and services right now. Harvey's rains and winds forced the state of Texas to close down dozens of air pollution monitors, so there was no way to independently verify the level of pollutants that companies reported to release. After the storm, local air quality monitoring by Air Alliance Houston and the Environmental Defense Fund proved that a Valero oil refinery downplayed how much cancer-causing benzene was leaked into the air.3 We can't let fossil fuel companies get away with this.
Petrochemical facilities in Texas released millions of pounds of chemicals into the air from "controlled" shutdown procedures and uncontrolled damage caused by the storm.4 13 Superfund sites were flooded and possibly leaked dangerous chemicals into surrounding communities.5 Elemental mercury, a liquid metal with a toxic vapor, was found dotting the soil by a landowner in Channelview, TX.6 An explosion at a chemical plant in Crosby, Texas that forced the surrounding community to evacuate.7
And it's not just about big climate-change fueled disasters. Communities living next to petrochemical facilities — often working class and people of color — have fought for decades against the pollution they live with everyday. Agencies like the EPA are needed to protect our air and drinking water all the time.
Please tell your members of Congress TODAY that we need the EPA more than ever. We will personally deliver your name to Congress next week.
Thank you for taking the time to contact your members of Congress and stand up for your community.
Sincerely,
Sarah Rasmussen
Digital Director, Greenpeace USA
P.S. Now is not the time to cut funds protecting our communities from pollution! Tell your member of Congress to protect the EPA's funding.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/08/us/houston-hurricane-harvey-harzardous-chemicals.html
[2] http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/local/article/Houston-EPA-lab-set-to-close-12195927.php
[3] http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Private-air-quality-monitoring-detects-high-12203487.php
[4] http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/14/550472740/air-pollution-from-industry-plagues-houston-in-harveys-wake
[5] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-harvey-superfund/harvey-floods-or-damages-13-texas-superfund-sites-epa-idUSKCN1BD0US
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/science/harvey-superfund-mercury.html
[7] https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/harvey-danger-major-chemical-plant-near-houston-likely-explode-facility-n797581 |
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