ICYMI: Rep. Luz Rivas: As LA Burned, Trump Fanned the Flames of the Next Disaster

WASHINGTON— In a recent opinion piece, Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29) warns that one year into Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has dismantled critical environmental justice protections just as Los Angeles communities face catastrophic wildfires. Rivas details how Trump moved on Day One to weaken the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority, roll back pollution limits, and attack foundational climate protections, actions that disproportionately endanger Latino and low-income communities already overburdened by pollution. As Republicans push to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding and silence communities through weakened environmental reviews, Rivas argues that Trump is prioritizing polluters and fossil fuel donors over families struggling with rising health costs, climate disasters, and economic instability.

La Opinión: As LA Burned, Trump Fanned the Flames of the Next Disaster

Born and raised in an environmental justice community right here in Los Angeles, I now represent Californians and the San Fernando Valley at the heart of the Trump administration’s polluter-first agenda that is harming vulnerable Americans. One year of Donald Trump in office has wreaked havoc on critical environmental justice protections, with the administration set on gutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory power, rolling back pollution limits, and dismantling lifesaving rules to give corporate handouts. This comes at the expense of communities like mine.

We will not be an afterthought of this administration. That’s why I introduced the Environmental Justice Screening Tool Act, a bill that ensures the federal government has the data and tools needed to equitably and adequately prioritize funding for environmental justice communities, like mine in the San Fernando Valley. Our government and advocates on the ground need reliable information to identify and support our most vulnerable neighbors who are struggling most with pollution, health problems, climate change, and economic hardship. This bill will make sure environmental justice communities aren’t left behind.

Californians know too well the very real threats of climate change. Just one year ago, my first days in Congress were marked by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires that swept across Los Angeles County. As my first speech on the House floor advocated for constituents affected by the fires, Trump was busy on Day One slashing the very policies meant to protect people from devastating wildfires and extreme weather events.

My constituents have long lived in a sacrifice zone and a dumping ground for environmental pollution. Past decisions about where to locate landfills, polluting industries, and highways have had enduring impacts on my neighborhood’s access to clean air and safe drinking water, leading to generational health problems and higher rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases. These disproportionate burdens are unacceptable, and the Trump administration is only making our problems worse.

Let me make one thing clear: Trump isn’t protecting the interests of Americans. He’s catering to the whims of corporations and big oil billionaires who funded his reelection. This administration wants to empower polluters to keep using our backyards as their playgrounds with no consequences.

Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are hard at work trying to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a bedrock protection that recognizes climate-warming greenhouse gases as a threat to human health and communities. Serious local climate impacts like last year’s wildfires will only worsen with the revocation of the Endangerment Finding. To add further insult to injury, Republicans in Congress are pushing to pass the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which will weaken protections for pollution-burdened communities by limiting environmental and judicial review and reducing public participation?effectively silencing communities, like mine in the San Fernando Valley, from having a voice in what happens in their own backyard.

People are too often sidelined in the name of corporate profit, and the Trump administration is disregarding those most impacted, letting frontline communities fend for themselves. These environmental attacks and injustices do not protect our kids, workers, or families who bear the burden of health-harming pollution every day.

Americans are already struggling in an affordability crisis that is compounded by the effects of climate change and pollution. Dirty air and water lead to higher medical bills, while insurance premiums skyrocket, and extreme weather destroys homes and disrupts local economies. While Trump prioritizes companies’ record-breaking profits and lining the pockets of his fossil fuel buddies, working families will pay more and suffer grave health impacts.

It’s high time we did the work of putting our communities’ well-being first. This one-year anniversary of both Donald Trump’s implementation of his reckless anti-climate agenda and the deadly fires is a reminder of the high-stakes in the fight for environmental protections. The Trump administration is not hiding their priorities. They choose polluters and profits over people. But the work to help overburdened communities stay healthy and avoid harm will continue.

We must do better. We do not want the San Fernando Valley, Cancer Alley in Louisiana, or any place in between to be made into a place of waste, pollution, and dangerous health consequences for its residents. All Americans deserve access to clean air and water, regardless of where they live. I will continue to champion the neglected voices and uplift those working tirelessly to keep their communities safe.