{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/civil-rights-environmental-report-confirms-need-rep-johnson-s-coal-ash", "Civil Rights environmental report confirms need for Rep. Johnsons coal ash bill", "2016-09-23", "2016", "2016-09", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Hank Johnson", "J000288", "hankjohnson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights today released its Environmental Justice: Examining the Environmental Protection Agency Compliance and Enforcement of Title VI and E.O. 12,898, which found that the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) Final Coal Ash Rule disproportionately impacts low-income and communities of color and places the burden of enforcement on these communities.\nThe Commission\u2019s findings support Rep. Hank Johnson\u2019s bill, the Coal Ash Landfill Safety Act of 2016 (CALSA), H.R. 4827. CALSA would protect citizens from dangerous coal ash being disposed in municipal landfills, which are not equipped to handle the toxic substance, and requires the EPA to re-examine its rules to determine if such criteria are as protective of health and the environment. The report found the \u201cEPA did not fully consider the civil rights impacts in approving movement and storage of the coal ash\u201d despite the agency finding \u201cthe percentage of minorities and low income individuals living within the \u2026 area of coal ash disposal facilities is disproportionately high.\u201d\nRep. Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement on the report:\n\u201cThe Commission\u2019s findings once again bring attention to the critical environmental justice concerns that plague low-income, tribal, and minority communities,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThese communities are disproportionately affected by the location of waste disposal facilities that take in toxic materials, such as coal ash, and lack the resources to prevent dumping near their schools, homes, and neighborhoods. The burden of our environmental regulations should not fall on those who are at the greatest risk of exposure to dangerous chemicals.\u00a0 As we have seen in Georgia, Flint, Michigan and in the Dakotas, we must act now to prevent corporate polluters from further poisoning our lands and water supply.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/civil-rights-environmental-report-confirms-need-rep-johnson-s-coal-ash"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8591688238084316, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}