Date: 2015-10-28
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to direct our attention to the importance of preserving our planet and what we should do to address the issue of the changes going on in our climate. Protecting our environment and addressing climate change are issues which are important to all of our cities across the United States. In fact. at a very local level. many of our communities are working on these issues because they face them directly head on. For the Latino community. like other communities. we are familyoriented. and we want to provide a better future for our generations to come. That includes leaving our planet betterbetterfor our grandchildren and their children. As the Latino population continues to increase in the United Stateswe are about one out of every four. and they say that in another 30 or 40 years. we will be one out of every three Americansour exposure to climate change and the risks of pollution are even more important because our ZIP Codeswhere we live. where the Latino community livesare where we are highest at risk. It is estimated that close to 50 percent of all Latino Americans live in counties that frequently violate groundlevel ozone standards. It just doesnt affect Latinos. by the way. Asian Americans tend to also live in those ZIP Codes. What that means is that we are breathing dirtier air than most Americans. and we have more respiratory illness. Poor environmental protections affect the food that we feed our children. the air that our families breathe. and the water that we drink. Since I was elected to Congress almost 20 years ago. I have worked tirelessly to work in Orange Countywhere I live and where I representto help get some green projects in. both in Orange County and in California. For example. I have fought to maintain the funding for the Pacific Crest Trail. which serves residents of the entire West Coast and visitors from around the world. Of course. I am an avid hiker. so. I love that trail. In fact. in this Congress. I cosponsored legislation which would permanently extend the Land and Water Conservation Fund. which ensures the conservation of national parks. rivers. and streams. It provides grants to local parks and to recreation projects. One of the things it does is try to ensure that. for example. California. being so long in length. you could start at the southern portion of California and actually walk through wilderness all the way to the Oregon border. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a bipartisan program. That is why it kind of distresses me a little bit that we. as a Congress. havent funded it. because it is incredibly important. especially in urban areas. such as my district. where there is little natural environment left and where we need open space and green parks. It is where Latinos go to have their barbecues. It is where we have our family gatherings. It is incredibly important to us. Sometimes we live in pretty cramped conditions. and we need that outdoor space. even if it is in an urban area. Places like Pearson and Pioneer Park in my hometown of Anaheim or Centennial Park in Santa Ana or our beautiful Santa Ana Zoo have all been made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Mr. Speaker. do you know what the total cost to taxpayers for these wonderful developments are? Zero. The land and water conservation comes at no cost to the taxpayer. but it benefits them immensely. And. still. this House has failed to fund this. It expired on Mr. Speaker. the Land and Water Conservation Fund is another example of a commonsensecommonsensebipartisan program on which this House has neglected to act. So I ask the Members of the House. can you go back to the people of your district and say to them: Oh. I dont really care about your parks. I dont really care about the environment. I dont care about where you hang out with your families? This Congress has to act. We should act together on this because it is incredibly important to our families. I will leave you with a quote. another one from one of my favorite people. His Holiness Pope Francis: "I call for a courageous and responsible effort to .redirect our steps and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference." I am sure.