Language Access
Over 10 million Texans speak a language other than English at home. 3 million Texans are considered Limited English Proficient individuals-meaning they speak English less than very well. Over 160 different languages are spoken in the State of Texas, yet Texans who speak a language other than English are treated differently if they want to share their questions and concerns about the health and safety of their neighborhoods with the state.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that any organization that receives federal funding cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin-discrimination against those who speak languages other than English is discrimination on the basis of national origin.
The neighborhoods that suffer the greatest impacts of pollution disproportionately have less resources available to them and are more likely to speak a language other than English. The people that have to inhale polluted air, shelter in place during chemical disasters, and share a fence with giant refineries are left in the dark when a company wants to release more toxic emissions into the air and their voices ignored during public hearings-simply because they speak a different language.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality currently is not required to provide translation services at public meetings. TCEQ doesn’t publish notice of air quality permit applications in an alternative language. They are not required to respond to comments in an alternative language even if the comment was posed in a language other than English. These barriers mean not all Texans are treated the same by the state.
Update: On April 26, 2021, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality took the final written comment, the organizations below supported our recommendations to addressing language barriers and signed on to the comment submitted to TCEQ. Signators included: (from Left to Right).
Communities of Manchester, Magnolia Park, Pleasantville, 5th Ward, Baytown, Rio Grande, Fenceline Watch, Rio Grande International Studies Center (RGISC), Indigenous People of the Coastal Bend, Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS), Coalition of Community Organizations (CoCO), Frontera Water Protectors Alliance, US Mexico Border Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy (GCCLP), Clean Energy Now Texas, About Face: Veterans Against the War, Greenlatinos, Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE), The Last Plastic Straw, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Earthworks Seeding Sovereignty, Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO), Earth Ethics, Hispanic Federation, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Azul, The Post Landfill Action Network, UPSTREAM, WildEarth Guardians, Algalita, Defenders of Som Se’k, FracTracker Alliance, Environment Texas, Surfrider Foundation – Texas Coastal Bend Chapter, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Quantum Whale, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Peak Plastic Foundation, MADE SAFE / Nontoxic Certified, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)The Story of Stuff Thank you all for supporting environmental justice and bottom-up solutions!
View the TCEQ commission adoption of Alternative Language for public notice on August 25, 2021. Thank you to all of the advocates who helped make Texas history.
Our comment period is over but if you are building a language justice campaign feel free to browse our toolkit, template and we wish you success in your advocacy. Also feel free to reach our if you have questions on any of our work :
Access the full toolkit & template at : https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/14bHhJ__DpqE3c1SAKAecACd0Ies-qspC
Siéntase libre de copiar, agregar información y enviarla a la TCEQ
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