Note from Front and Centered: This post will be continually updated with new endorsements.
Eighty-nine groups in our state agree: lawmakers should pass Senate Bill (SB) 5489, the HEAL Act.
Sen. Rebecca Saldana, proud prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5489, with Front and Centered’s David Mendoza.
Front and Centered and HEAL Act endorsers representing doctors, faith leaders, environmental justice advocates, labor unions, farmworkers, scientists, family, immigrant and civil rights leaders and anti-poverty groups believe that everyone deserves clean air and healthy water. Where you live, your income, race or language ability should not determine how healthy and safe you are. But we know that in our communities, health and well-being varies significantly according to who you are and where you live. People across Washington suffering worst from pollution — often low-income people, communities of color and linguistically isolated people — pay with their well-being and shortened lives.
State data in the Washington Environmental Health Disparity Map shows eight areas where our frontline communities rank a “9” or “10” in environmental health disparity — 10 representing areas experiencing the worst environmental health impacts in our state on a scale of one to 10. Our communities in these areas are bearing an unfair share of the health impact. And nearly every legislative district has neighborhoods highly impacted by environmental health hazards.
If Washington wants to stand as a national leader on environmental policy and climate action, its lawmakers must do better to protect all of its people and the health conditions of where we live and work. Lawmakers can choose a healthier future for ALL of Washington by passing SB 5489, the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act. Passing the HEAL Act, will define and enforce environmental justice in our state, ensuring communities unfairly burdened by cumulative environmental health impacts will be at the front of agency directors’ minds as they make decisions about environmental policy, enforcement and investments. The HEAL Act ensures cross-agency accountability to communities most burdened by environmental health impacts – and to closing the health disparity gap in our state.
So far, 89 diverse groups across our state agree that it’s time for our state to ensure ALL in Washington have a right to a healthy environment — clean air and water where we live, work and pray. It’s time to improve environmental health conditions for all Washington residents, prioritizing areas where communities are suffering first and most from pollution. It is only by reducing environmental health disparities and inequities that we can truly HEAL Washington and achieve the greatest positive health impact in our state.
Our movement to #HealWA is growing every day with new endorsers.
Think lawmakers should pass the HEAL Act? Join us by endorsing today!
ENDORSERS:
350 Eastside | 350 Everett | Alliance for Clean Jobs and Energy | Audubon Washington
American Rivers | Asian Pacific Americans for Civic Engagement (APACE) | Asia Pacific Cultural Center
Asian Counseling and Referral Service | Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC), King County Chapter
APIC, Pierce County Chapter | APIC, Snohomish County Chapter | APIC, Snohomish County Chapter
APIC, South Puget Sound Chapter | APIC, Spokane Chapter | APIC, Yakima Valley Chapter | Black Collective
BlueGreen Alliance | Centro Latino | Children’s Alliance | Casa Latina | Citizens for a Healthy Bay | Climate Solutions
Climate Reality Project – Bellingham Chapter | Climate Reality Project – Seattle Chapter
Climate Reality Project – Snohomish County Chapter | Community Alliance for Global Justice
Community Development & Outreach Service Ministries | Community to Community (C2C)
Defenders of Wildlife | Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition / TAG | E3 Washington | Earthjustice | Earth Ministry
El Centro de la Raza | Fuse Washington | Futurewise | Global to Local
Got Green | Heart of America Northwest | IslandWood | League of Women Voters of Washington
Legacy of Equality Leadership & Organizing (LELO) | Loving Kindness Meditation Center – Tu Tam Temple
Mason County Climate Justice | Mother Africa | Native Youth Leadership Alliance
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides | NW Energy Coalition | Odyssey World International Education Services
OneAmerica | Progreso | Puget Sound Clean Air Agency | Puget Sound Sage
RE Source for Sustainable Communities | Seattle Aquarium | Seattle Green Spaces Coalition
Seattle Foundation | Seattle Parks Foundation | Shift Zero | Sierra Club, Washington Chapter | Sound Action
South Seattle Climate | Southwest Washington Communities United for Change | Spark Northwest
Statewide Poverty Action Network | Sunrise Movement – Seattle Hub | Sunrise Movement – Tacoma Hub
Sunrise Movement – Olympic Peninsula Hub | Sunrise Movement – Walla Walla Hub | Sun Path Electric | Surfrider Foundation
The Climate Justice Initiative | The Lands Council |The Nature Conservancy | The Wilderness Society | Toxic-Free Future |
Transit Riders Union | Transportation Choices Coalition | UAW 4121 | UFCW 21 | Union of Concerned Scientists
Dr. Ben Danielson | Washington Conservation Voters | Washington Environmental Council
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility | Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
Young Women Empowered | YWCA Olympia | Zero Waste Washington
