MEDIA ADVISORY: Houston air pollution expert to testify before Congress on how Trump EPA’s dwindling enforcement is adversely affecting local communities
HOUSTON – (Feb. 25, 2019) – Air Alliance Houston Executive Director Bakeyah Nelson, Ph.D., will testify before Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 26, on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) troubling enforcement record under Trump Administration and the implications for people’s health in the Houston region.
Dr. Nelson will appear before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and will testify about how the absence of meaningful enforcement by the EPA and the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is leaving communities across Houston and Texas almost defenseless against harmful air pollution. She will highlight Hurricane Harvey as a cautionary tale about the vulnerability of millions of Americans who live near chemical plants. They are predominantly people of color and low wealth. The oversight hearing is the first of the new Congress to address Trump EPA’s environmental enforcement.
WHAT: Testimony at the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on EPA’s enforcement program.
WHO: Dr. Bakeyah Nelson, executive director of Air Alliance Houston
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 10:30 am EST
WHERE: Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. The hearing will be live-streamed on the website of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Other witnesses will include Eric Schaeffer, executive director of Environmental Integrity Project, and Bruce Buckheit, former director of EPA’s Air Enforcement Division.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Nelson about her testimony, contact Riikka Pohjankoski, communications manager at Air Alliance Houston, at [email protected] or 713.528.3779.
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Air Alliance Houston (AAH) is a local nonprofit organization that works to improve air quality and public health through research, education, and advocacy. AAH believes everyone has a right to breathe clean air every day. Where you live, work, learn, and play should not determine your health.