CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum
Senior Manager, Media and Public Engagement
stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org
(917) 887-0146
WHAT: On Thursday, March 9 at 10 AM ET, parents from Louisiana and elsewhere will join Moms Clean Air Force organizers in Washington, DC, at the US Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works (EPW) hearing on the environmental and public health threats facing the East Palestine community in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment and toxic chemical release.
WHO: A Louisiana Mom who has been impacted by chemical pollution is set to attend the hearing in-person and will be available for interviews:
- Roishetta Ozane, one of our Louisiana Field organizers and a noted environmental justice advocate, lives in the Lake Charles area, which is a hub for petrochemical and petroleum manufacturing. Living in the shadow of industry, Roishetta and her six children have been heavily impacted by pollution and toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride—one of the chemicals that was released in East Palestine. Roishetta says: “The disaster in East Palestine makes it clear that a continued reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable, damaging to our environment, and is harmful to the health of families. My community in Sulphur, Louisiana is overflowing with petrochemical facilities that light up the sky with flares and pollute the air with toxic fumes. Having lived through several petrochemical disaster pollution releases, I constantly live in fear that my six children and I are moments away from the next disaster. Our elected officials and the fossil fuel industry must take responsibility and prioritize the health of people.”
WHEN: Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 10:00 AM ET
WHERE: The hearing will take place at the 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Live video of the hearing and witness testimony will be available on the committee’s website.
RESOURCES:
- Statement: Moms speak out about Ohio train derailment, calling on EPA and government to protect communities from petrochemical pollution
- Fact Sheet: Petrochemical Pollution and Our Health
- Blog Post: Ohio Train Derailment Highlights Toxic Plastic Pollution
- Petition: Protect People From the Disastrous Petrochemical Industry