Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today questioned expert witnesses at a Committee on Natural Resources legislative hearing on Chairman Raul M. Grijalva’s H.R. 2021, the Environmental Justice for All Act.
In his questioning, Congressman Cohen referred to the Byhalia Connection pipeline that would have been built through a historic majority-Black community in southwest Memphis but for high-profile protests from the community and national political figures demanding environmental justice.
Congressman Cohen said he first heard the term NIMBY – short for “Not in my backyard” – as a state senator, and continued:
“In every place, they don’t want it in their backyard. And the powerful people, the wealthy people, the people who have voices because of political contributions or other powers…, they don’t get the pollutants in those areas, in their neighborhoods, because they’ve got a stronger voice, and it’s gone on forever.
“We need to have this environmental justice for the future and to make up somewhat for the past.”
Original source can be found here.
