STRENGTHING AND EXPANDING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROTECTIONS TO INCLUDE THE CURRENTLY NON- PROTECTED CLASSES & STOPPING THE CORPERATIZATION OF OUR GOVERMENT, WHILE PROMOTING "REVITALIZING OUR OVERBURDEND COMMUNITIES FIRST BEFORE ANY OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTAL ACTS.” To: The Honorable Chairman Henry Waxman: Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Honorable Charwoman Mrs. Barbra Boxer; Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The Honorable Peter John "Pete" Visclosky Congressional Representative for Indiana 1st District Under the Bush administration, as a nation, we have witnessed the most intensive attacks on the U.S. Constitution, Civil Rights and sound Environmental Science, in our history. We have reached a place in our nation where the vast majority of ordinary Americans of all races and in every economic class stand ready to do their part in fixing this broken system of government and are willing to pursue the fair and inclusive ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY THAT BENIFITS EVERYONE. An Environmental Justice complaint was filed with Office of EPA Civil Rights Division OCR, in 2004 by Darryl Harris Complaint 05R-04-R5 (IDEM) Again Mr. Harris standing for Socialjustice and equality on May 11, 2009 Filed another Environmental Justice Compliant noticing a pattern of environmental discrimination with the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. This complaint was filed during NIRPC's Certification hearing,and it demands that NIRPC not be Certified to receive federal funding (Stimulus Funding) because NIRPC has in the past and up to this date avoided the people of Gary, and holding public meetings and hearings in Gary and in transit accessible places and times to engage environmental justice communities as federally mandated. The IDEM EJ complaint calls in to question the Pollution permit Issued to an Infectious Waste Autoclave operation bringing with it an increased mercury hazard to a region that is already overburdened with environmental risks, and has failed every EPA test for more than 8 years consecutively and the people in the region have been exposed to every health risk that is related to contaminated water during our most recent floods as corrupted and negligent public officials refused to appropriately use our tax dollars earmarked for repairing our levees in Urban community. The whole region is now suffering, White Black Brown, rich and poor. WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. The 2004 EJ complaint sits stifled going on five years now as environmental conditions have worsened during this time and permits to pollute are still being issued to corporations, by the states Environmental Permit Branch. Under Title VI Environmental Justice Executive Orders and Public Law for the protected Class of citizens, but currently there are no protections under this law for Non Minorities, living outside of EJ communities, who suffer the same fate from being exposed to adverse human heath and environmental effects from the same sources of pollutions. WE MUST STAND TOGETHER Northwest Indiana, like many regions in this nation share a municipal waste water treatment system that in most cases cant adequately clean waste and storm waters, compounding the risks for environmental diseases bared upon all who reside in that region especially after the September floods. WHEN GOVERNMENT IGNORES THE URBAN COMMUNITY THE ENTIRE REGION SUFERS The Indiana Department of Environmental Management released its “303d Impaired Water Report in May 21, 2008, included the Grand Calumet in its report, the after being forced by Local environmental groups demanding there “Right To Know”. If it where not for these environmental groups we would have never know that Northwest Indiana’s head waters and The Grand Calumet’s major basins qualified to be listed a Category 5a, exposing all in the region to impaired biotic communities, E. Coli (fecal matter),PBC’s and Mercury, that demands immediate attention. The State of Indiana is now put in Rules that Mean More Pollution. The State of Indiana through its autonomy legislative agenda is trying to undermine Federal environmental regulations that are designed to hold polluters accountable and requires corporations to be held to higher standards. Indiana being in contempt of our Presidents Mercury legislation that was just signed into law November of 2008 poses new risks to our air, soil, and waterways through out the State as it reduces environmental oversight, and Environmental regulations to increase sprawl, and developing our Green Space in the interest of corporations, ignoring the voices of those who demand Social Justice. WE MUST PUT AN END TO THIS IGNORANCE! WE Say Indiana should have No States Autonomy On Issues as Vital As This. We call on congress to hold a public hearing, in the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, to then be referred to the Congressional Government Oversight committee and the Government Accountability Office, to effect inclusive environmental protections, and assure public accountability. For eight years we have been subjected to the worst environmental conditions ever recorded in our nations history. We are all connected and are members of the Human Family and we shall be encouraged to stand together and support new governmental policy that protects all members in our human family, and stand strongly against all systems of injustice that would promote public policy that ignores human life and that seeks to polarize our family by age, race, geographical location and economic class. THE FOLLWING BILL MUST BE DRAFTED TO BE INCLUSIVE TO ALL CLASSES SUFFERING UNDER BUSH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY TO THIS DATE AND ALLOW NO STATES ATONOMY ON THIS VITAL ISSUE AS WE DEMAND THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS REVITALIZE FIRST URBAN AND RURAL AREAS, BEFORE PROPOSING NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND PERMITING MORE POULLUTION IN OUR WATER, SOIL AND AIR. S. 2549 :23-Jan-08 Hillary Rodham Clinton A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice to provide guidance to Federal agencies on the development of criteria for identifying disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority populations and low-income populations, and for other purposes.

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