Barbara Lee Holds Town Hall Meeting on West Oakland Air Quality
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee held a town hall meeting Saturday with representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, the Port of Oakland, and the U.S. Postal Service where West Oakland residents got updates on collaborative efforts to improve local air quality and environmental health in the West Oakland community and learned what steps they can take to protect their families’ health.
“Since our last town hall meeting on this issue, there have been many promising developments, but we have a long way to go, particularly with the increases in regional goods movement that we will be seeing here locally in the coming years,” said Lee. “I am committed to working with all levels of government to ensure that the health of West Oakland residents is a top priority in the planning processes related to goods movement, and that there is a clear, formal process for community input as these changes take place.”
Discussion focused on the formation and progress of the West Oakland Toxic Reduction Collaborative (WOTRC), a joint effort of the U.S. EPA, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project and other local stakeholders; information on healthy homes; and updates on environmental impact mitigation efforts on the part of the Port of Oakland and the U.S. Postal Service in West Oakland. Congresswoman Lee also provided an update on her legislative environmental efforts, such as H.R. 5235, the Environment and Public Health Restoration Act of 2006.
"The US EPA is pleased to be able to work with the community of West Oakland and other stakeholders through the West Oakland Toxics Reduction Collaborative. This work will yield a reduction in toxic exposures from diesel and other pollutants," said Deborah Jordan, Director of the US EPA Air Division in the Pacific southwest. "The Collaborative has already been making steady progress, and we look forward to continuing our work with the community and with Congresswoman Barbara Lee to make the air cleaner for all of the residents of West Oakland."
West Oakland has some of the highest asthma rates in the country, due in large part to the high volume of diesel emissions from the ships and trucks moving cargo in and out of the Port of Oakland on a daily basis. In February 2005, Congresswoman Lee hosted an event on these issues and received valuable input from local residents and organizations regarding their environmental and community health concerns. Saturday’s event was designed to revisit those discussions and provide updates to community residents on the important progress that has been made with regard to the environment and air quality in West Oakland since that time.
In one example of the ongoing effort to address air quality, the Port of Oakland launched a truck replacement program, through which truckers are provided with financial incentives to exchange the oldest, dirtiest trucks on the road with newer models, thereby decreasing the amount of diesel emissions in the air and contributing to an improvement in community health in West Oakland and in the surrounding areas.
“The Port of Oakland recognizes that as a result of its service as a major transportation hub to this region, that there are environmental impacts from our operations. We are actively pursuing emissions reductions programs. We applaud Congresswoman Barbara Lee for holding a Town Hall meeting that helps keep our stakeholders involved and informed as we all work together to improve air quality,” said Roberta Reinstein, Manager, Environmental Programs and Safety, Port of Oakland.
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