For Immediate Release
February 9, 2022
Contact: press@gorefordc.com
(202) 697-7056
Democrat At-Large Candidate Lisa Gore:
Statement on Brentwood
Bus Terminal Injunction Hearing
Washington, D.C. – Today, I reiterate my support for the injunction against the planned polluting bus terminal in Brentwood, and continue to boost fellow advocates and community members who went before the court yesterday to argue that the addition of yet another polluting source to this overburdened community constitutes “irreparable harm.”
I urge the court to pass fair judgment in this case with haste, as every second the community has to wait for justice increases this injustice further. The Brentwood bus terminal is to be located in Ward 5, where more than half of the city’s industrial land has been concentrated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an environmental justice tool (EJ Screen) that quantifies the level of environmental injustice communities face. Brentwood, a majority Black neighborhood, is identified as an area of “high concern.” It is in the 93rd percentile of communities in the Mid-Atlantic (EPA Region 3) for PM 2.5, which is particulate matter from vehicle exhaust. This means in the combined region of DC, MD, VA, WV, DE, and PA, Brentwood is worse than 93% of all communities in terms of pollution from a known carcinogen. We need to be urgently working to reverse this injustice, rather than adding to it with this bus terminal.
I was inspired to run for election by this very issue. Environmental Justice forms the core of my agenda. My policy priorities for housing, transportation, education, economic justice, ethics, and aging and health all integrate with the idea of environmental justice. The Brentwood bus terminal is more than a simple pollution issue, it is a grave injustice that impacts every aspect of the communities’ lives. I urge a swift resolution to this issue so we can move onto justice for this community, rather than continue to weigh how much injustice we will subject them to.
Lisa Gore is a candidate for the Democrat At-Large seat and the current Vice-Chair of ANC 3/4G. She is a retired Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and has significant experience investigating and oversight of HUD federal housing programs.
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