McEachin’s death revives push for vote on EJ bill
The sudden death of Rep. Donald McEachin has strengthened the resolve of some of his colleagues to push for a vote on the environmental justice legislation he long championed.
A House vote on the "Environmental Justice for All Act" would be a capstone to years of work by McEachin (D-Va.) and community activists who for decades were largely ignored by Congress and the broader environmental movement.
The bill, H.R. 2021, has almost no chance of passing the Senate, and it’s possible there may not even be enough votes to pass the House. But Democratic supporters said they hope to score a symbolic victory on the House floor in honor of McEachin, who died this week from secondary effects of colorectal cancer (E&E Daily, Nov. 29).
"What a wonderful gesture that would be for a man that devoted his life to equity, clean energy, climate and environmental justice," said Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) who chairs the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, on which McEachin served for the past four years.
Castor and other Democrats on the select committee sent a letter to House leadership Wednesday urging a vote on the "EJ for All Act" before Democrats cede control of the chamber to Republicans at the end of this year.
Castor said she also raised the issue with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) during a meeting Wednesday morning and got a "positive response." Democrats want to rename the bill in McEachin's honor, Castor said.
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'Moral seriousness'
First elected to represent Richmond in 2016, McEachin dedicated much of his congressional career to environmental justice.
In the hours and days after his death was announced, tributes from colleagues and allies poured in, praising his legacy. In Oregon, the governor there ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in his honor.
“I was particularly honored to partner with him on legislation to advance environmental justice and secure a cleaner, healthier, and more fair future for all,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, who co-sponsored the "EJ for All Act" when she served in the Senate.
McEachin championed the issue and met frequently with community activists well before environmental justice became a bedrock talking point for Democrats across the ideological spectrum.
In addition to the House climate panel, McEachin served in the 117th Congress on both the Natural Resources and the Energy & Commerce committees, a rare double assignment that gave him a larger platform to push for the "EJ for All Act" and other climate change legislation.
Democrats said he brought much-needed moral authority to energy and environmental issues, as they pushed the Inflation Reduction Act into law and debated EJ legislation over the past two years.
"You can get caught up in the clean energy aspect, but he always brought it back to the fundamentals — that clean air and clean water are especially important to front-line communities," Castor said.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), an environmental justice advocate, said McEachin was well-respected across the Democratic caucus for his legislative focus.
"He brought a moral seriousness to it because he was not someone who was always on TV or courted the press," Khanna said.
McEachin served on one of several unity task forces for then-candidate Joe Biden, a sign of his influence on the Democratic Party's environment and climate agenda.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said fellow lawmakers had "reverence" for McEachin.
"People wanted to listen to him; they couldn’t just shout him down,” said Huffman, who served with him on the Natural Resources Committee as well as on the climate panel. “So when he engaged on something like environmental justice, he just brought so much credibility and personal capital and moral clarity.”
Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán, another California Democrat who has advocated for environmental justice policies on Capitol Hill, noted McEachin’s generosity of spirit.
“This was his passion, this was his love, and he was willing to share this space with others like me and bring people in because he wanted as many people as possible talking about the issue,” she said.
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By: Emma Dumain and Nick Sobczyk
Source: E&E News
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