Alessandra Biaggi: We Need Bold Action on Environmental Racism
by New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated communities across New York State, but for families in the South Bronx, COVID has added to an already existing health crisis –– environmental racism. Decades of environmental injustice have led to the South Bronx having the highest hospitalization rates in New York.
Even before the pandemic, my constituents were experiencing chronic health conditions at far higher rates than most Americans, caused by decades of companies unleashing toxic air contaminants in the Bronx’s predominantly Black and Brown communities. In fact, the number one reason children in the South Bronx miss school is on account of asthma, and those same children are twice as likely to be hospitalized for asthma as other children in the rest of the United States.
The reality is that the increasing climate crisis, like the ongoing pandemic, has not and will not affect us all equally — it disproportionately impacts low-income, Black and Brown families. In the face of these terrible disparities, we must have a specific focus on addressing the racial inequities caused by environmental policy failures.
It is long past time to loosen the stranglehold of environmental racism on communities like the South Bronx, beginning with the air quality. Access to clean air in your community is one of the most basic human rights. I’ve introduced legislation to expand regulation and oversight of seven toxic air pollutants to help us make that right a reality for all New Yorkers.
Last week, we passed my bill, S4371B, in the New York State Senate. The legislation would require the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to set air quality standards for seven toxic contaminants that are not currently regulated, guided by the best scientific data available. These air contaminants are all linked to cancer or other adverse health effects. It would also require businesses that emit toxic contaminants to make a plan for reducing their emissions, monitor their emissions closely, and report that data to the state on penalty of not being granted licenses and certifications. Additionally, my bill secures funding for projects that would specifically and visibly benefit neighboring environmental justice communities.
And it’s not just urgent for us to address environmental justice — it’s also extremely popular with New Yorkers.
Data for Progress recently conducted a survey of 886 likely voters in New York asking them if they would “support or oppose a bill to establish standards and limits on the emissions of toxic air contaminants in New York State, and create a community benefit fund through the enforcement of financial penalties for those that do not comply.” 67% of voters, a strong majority, supported this proposed bill: 81% of Democrats, 60% of Independents, and a plurality of Republicans, 48%.
We can’t prevent another pandemic from arriving at our doors in the future, but we can take steps to lessen the devastation and inequality crises that COVID-19 wreak. Centering environmental justice is one of those crucial steps. By making S4371B law, we can ensure that Black and Brown New Yorkers don’t have to face future crises already handicapped by severe illnesses caused by toxic emissions. We’ve seen what happens when we don’t take crises seriously — time is running out to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, so let’s take the bold action we need to make our environment and economy more equitable.
Alessandra Biaggi is Senator for the 34th District of the New York State Senate.