Protection to the
Democratic Process

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).