After Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, got a tour that was out of this world at the Science Museum of Virginia on Monday, she met with various groups to discuss environmental policy back here on Earth.
Space: An Out of Gravity Experience, an exhibit that runs until early September, explores the technology that makes life in space possible and what the future of space exploration could hold. Representatives of NASA accompanied McClellan on her tour before joining a roundtable with professors from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond, along with members from local environmental group Southside ReLeaf.
McClellan noted the timeliness of the conversation as recent weeks have shown high temperatures and smoke from Canadian wildfires has frequently caused poor air quality throughout several U.S. states.
Representatives from NASA talked about its TEMPO project, which is a space-based instrument to monitor air pollutants hourly across the North American continent.
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“We study space to understand ourselves and our planet,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy. “NASA is in a unique position because we know how to study the Earth as a planet, not just bits and pieces of it, but as an entire system.”
Experts from the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University discussed a recent study in Virginia showing public health impacts of heat-related health incidents. They also reflected on a local heat mapping study in recent years showing ground temperatures have risen in Richmond’s 8th District.
With more impervious surfaces and less green space, portions of Richmond — particularly parts of South Side, experience the urban heat island effect, or urban areas with higher temperatures than outlying areas.
Some of Richmond’s hottest neighborhoods were previously redlined. This means that when mapping Richmond in the 1930s, appraisers lined Black-populated neighborhoods in red and deemed them “hazardous” areas for home loans, which deepened inequalities among Richmond neighborhoods.
Co-founder of environmental nonprofit Southside ReLeaf noted the work her organization does to plant and maintain trees around various Richmond neighborhoods along with advocacy. It also works to build trust with residents.
“Because of systemic oppression because of a lot of horrible and discriminatory land use policies around housing — whether it’s racial covenants, redlining, urban renewal — there’s a lot of just general distrust that happens between people and government,” Sheri Shannon said. “And we want to be part of that process to heal communities, to bring people together.”
McClellan also noted the disproportionate impact of climate change on different communities.
“Our worsening climate is an environmental justice issue that poses life threatening dangers to people,” McClellan said.
One of the recent actions she has supported in Congress takes its name from her predecessor — the late Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th. After he died last November, following the after effects of his treatment for colorectal cancer, McClellan, then a state senator, was elected to represent the district.
In April, she was among 68 representatives to cosponsor the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act. The bill is a reintroduction of a 2021 bill that McEachin had been a co-lead on with Rep. Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat.
The proposed law would set guidelines and requirements for federal agencies and foster more community input when it comes to placing fossil fuel projects. The bill would also amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to say that actions of federal agencies can be considered discrimination if they cause drastic impact on communities based on race, color, or national origin. It would also allow private citizens to file discrimination lawsuits under the Civil Rights Act — which has been blocked since a United States Supreme Court decision in 2001.
McEachin and Grijalva wrote the legislation after years of garnering feedback from communities and environmental groups. Since it was reintroduced into Congress with the new name this spring, it would still need to pass both the House and Senate before President Joe Biden can consider signing it into law.
While that bill is still working its way through Congress, McClellan reiterated last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest to date federal investment in climate change mitigation efforts.
“We’re focused right now, on implementing those [investments] and making sure that we maintain them,” McClellan said. “Hopefully we can build on that.”
In the meantime, Melroy from NASA is enthusiastic about continued scientific innovation and the role it can play in climate solutions — from data collection and sharing, to government policy, to advancements in agriculture.
She noted how NASA has been able to grow vegetation from space through hydroponics. She noted how the “very efficient agriculture” could be replicated even more.
“It sounds like science fiction right?” she said. “I do think that some of that advanced technology could actually really have an impact.”
