Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett gave the following statement during a meeting of the full Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today.
“A few days ago, the Boston Globe ran an article that advocates that Flint and its tainted water epitomize the worst kind of environmental racism at the hands of government agencies. That conclusion may be true, but what has happened in Flint is symptomatic of what is happening in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods all across America, regardless of the race of the inhabitants. It continues to happen because America tolerates environmental hazards and polluting of the poor and people of color every day.
The lead and other contaminants in Flint water is just one kind of environmental hazard. For many other economically challenged communities, toxic chemicals are stored in nearby facilities, or are used abundantly in manufacturing plants.
Everyone is acting shocked and surprised by what has happened in Flint, Michigan.
I don’t understand what’s so shocking; this is par for the course. This is business as usual in America. We have crises like these that are occurring around the country whether its toxic drinking water, toxic land, subhuman tenements, crumbling schools.
For the most part the common denominator – majority minority, low income, socio-economically challenged areas. That’s the common denominator. Certain Americans don’t count for much. Governors, Federal Agencies, State Emergency managers want to wag their fingers at towns but don’t want to expend money in the right manner to support those areas. This Congress is the same.
We create Select Committees and drag all kinds of people in to testify. Not to exasperate the gravity but this congress created the Benghazi committee over the death of 4 Americans. That committee has spent nearly 6 million to date. But we can’t get the governor of Michigan at the hearing on an action that affects 9,000 children and the entire city at large.”
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