Maloney, Rouda Seek Answers on EPA’s Decision to Stop Enforcing Environmental Laws
Yesterday, U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) and Harley Rouda (D-OH) sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demanding an explanation for its decision to suspend enforcement of environmental laws during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EPA announced its decision on Mar. 26. Five days afterward, it announced that it would be rolling back Obama-era car emission standards.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, our planet faces a rapidly changing climate that is a grave threat to all Americans and to people around the globe,” they wrote. “Strong science-based leadership and environmental action by the federal government is needed now more than ever. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears to be abandoning this critical responsibility.”
Read the full letter here.
Krueger Commemorates 50th Earth Day
Yesterday, State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) released a statement recognizing the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
In her statement, Krueger connected our ongoing climate crisis to the current COVID-19 pandemic. She claimed that the crisis we’re facing now closely resembles the catastrophe that climate change will cause if we don’t take immediate action.
“It is very appropriate that in the middle of an acute global crisis the likes of which the world has not experienced in generations, we take a moment to recognize the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day,” said Krueger. “COVID-19 has revealed and exacerbated the underlying inequalities and lack of investment in our social fabric, and and has given us a preview of what lies in store if we do not take bold, science-driven action to address the climate emergency. We now see that the notion of our resilience in the face of climate change is still far from realized. We also see playing out something we’ve known for a long time; the most vulnerable members of our society will bear the heaviest burdens of the climate crisis, but no one will escape its effects.”
De Blasio Announces New Plan to Combat COVID-19 at NYCHA
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced a new plan yesterday to confront the spread of COVID-19 at NYCHA housing.
De Blasio said that the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges that NYCHA residents already face, particularly since they live in crowded spaces where the risk of person-to-person spread is high. His plan includes the opening of six new testing sites near NYCHA properties and the distribution of free PPE to NYCHA residents.
“NYCHA residents are the backbone of New York City, but for decades they have not received the support they deserved from all levels of government,” said de Blasio. “We refuse to continue this pattern, and this new plan will provide residents with the support they need to protect themselves and their families during this crisis. My promise to the New Yorkers who call NYCHA home; we will have your back, no matter what.”
Johnson Urges New York to Devote “Special Attention” to Nursing Homes
Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) wrote an op-ed for the Daily News yesterday, urging the City to give special attention to our nursing home residents during the pandemic.
In the article, Johnson pointed out that senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19; due to their advanced age and weakened immune systems, they’re the least likely to recover. With that in mind, he wrote that the City’s efforts to protect its seniors has been “shamefully inadequate”.
Going forward, Johnson proposes, among other measures, blanket testing of all nursing home residents and the deployment of additional personnel.
“We cannot sit by any longer and watch nursing homes lose the battle against COVID-19,” said Johnson. “Nursing homes are not able to provide adequate care to their patients, and they are not preventing the spread of this infection.”
Read the article here.
