{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://summerlee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-summer-lee-joins-people-s-hearing-in-pittsburgh-to-set-new-agenda-for-change", "Rep. Summer Lee Joins People\u2019s Hearing in Pittsburgh To Set New Agenda for Change", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Summer L. Lee", "L000602", "summerlee.house.gov", "summerlee", "https://summerlee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 NOVEMBER 21, 2025 \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined Pittsburgh leaders and members of communities throughout Pennsylvania and beyond who gathered to testify as part of The People\u2019s Hearing Tour: Speak Easy, Speak Free\u2013a national call for courage, care and collective action.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful to bear witness and carry these testimonies back to Congress to inform our work, including in the first-ever People\u2019s Environmental Justice Caucus, in the Environmental Justice for All Act, and beyond,\u201d said Congresswoman Summer Lee. \u201cThese legislative actions aim to amplify the voices of those most impacted by environmental racism and injustice\u2013because Washington doesn\u2019t get to decide what\u2019s best for communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt takes collective leadership to build power,\u201d said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. \u201cToday, I feel like I\u2019m in a room of peoplethat have influence.\u201d\n\nThe two-day event, which continues tomorrow at the Omni William Penn, is intended to build community and to forge a new policy agenda for the coming years to ensure the health of current and future generations. Those who testified spoke about coal mines, fracking, radioactive waste, data centers and housing insecurity, documenting trauma, grief and a wide range of health impacts from asthma to chemical burns.\n\n\u201cAir pollution is my biggest enemy,\u201d said Natalie Morris with 412 Justice, who testified about dust in the air in her community, and relies on oxygen. \u201cI\u2019m speaking for everyone who has a breathing problem - please help us.\u201d\n\nCommunities across the country have begun bearing witness to the real impacts of pollution, displacement and economic inequity, while lifting up solutions that heal our health, land and work. The People\u2019s Hearing Tour has already galvanized action in North Carolina and Arizona.\n\n\u201cNever let anybody tell you that you don\u2019t exist and that your reality is not reality,\u201d said Dr. Beverly Wright, of the People\u2019s Environmental Justice Advisory Council (PEJAC), who is the founder and executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. PEJAC launched the tour together with nonprofit partners, and itself grew out of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council(WHEJAC).\n\n\u201cThe power of the people is stronger than the people in power,\u201d said Kendra Brooks, Philadelphia City Council At-Large Member, \u201cI feel the need to encourage you that there are elected officials who are willing to show up and hear what you have to say.\u201d\n\nLikewise, Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, Allegheny County Council District 8 Representative, told those testifying, \u201cYour voices make a difference,\u201d citing important improvements to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Lead and Copper Rule that are helping ensure clean water for communities nationwide. \u201cAt this time, more than ever, it is so critically important for you to be talking to each other,\u201d she said. \u201cThese are the stories that matter. These are the stories that move policy change.\u201d\n\nThe hearing continues tomorrow as attendees share more individual experiences, and work together to establish priorities and share environmental justice solutions.\n\nFor more information on the event or to connect with its leaders or participants, please contact Anne Hawke, annehawke@gmail.com, or at (202) 329-1463.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://summerlee.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-summer-lee-joins-people-s-hearing-in-pittsburgh-to-set-new-agenda-for-change"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8163000456988811, "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"}