The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) hosted an Earth Day 2026 strategy session and press conference titled Federal Fire, Local Heat at the US Capitol. Members of Congress, climate leaders, and frontline organizers came together for an Earth Day 2026 strategy session to align priorities in the face of federal rollbacks and policies that protect polluters. Dalal Aboulhosn, Managing Director for Programs and Policy at the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED), convener of the Platform for a Justice Climate, spoke alongside other climate justice leaders and members of Congress like Rep. Adelita Grijalva and Sen. Ed Markey. Watch and read Dalal’s remarks at Federal Fire, Local Heat below.
Transcript
Hello, I’m Dalal Aboulhosn, Managing Director of Policy & Programs at the Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED). At CEED, we work to build the power necessary to advance a just transition: one grounded in environmental justice, climate justice, and energy democracy. That means ensuring the communities most impacted by pollution and climate change are not just heard, but are leading the solutions.
At the national level, we convene and facilitate the Platform for a Just Climate, which is a coalition of 12 environmental justice groups, 6 national environmental organizations and over 300 co-signer organizations from all over the country united around a shared vision: ending environmental racism and building a just climate future.
And that vision is deeply connected to why we’re here today. Earth Day has always been about people power. In 1970, 20 million people took to the streets to demand action on pollution. That movement led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the passage of the Clean Air Act, and other landmark protections.
So today is not just a celebration. It’s a reminder. We have won before. And we can win again. But to understand what we’re fighting for, we have to be honest about what we’re up against.
We know that from day one, Trump has attacked environmental justice values, policies, and investments. The Trump Administration is not only ignoring decades of science, but it’s also throwing our most vulnerable communities under the bus.
One of many examples is the recent repeal of the endangerment finding. The endangerment finding is the backbone of protections that limit pollution from power plants, highways, and the oil and gas industry, and it is especially crucial for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low‑income communities who already breathe some of the dirtiest air in our country.
Also, the recently released FY2027 President’s budget proposal represents a sweeping rollback of investments that protect public health, lower energy costs, and support communities on the frontlines of pollution and climate change. Congress must reject these cuts and instead increase funding for environmental justice and climate programs that safeguard health, reduce costs, and ensure polluter accountability.
That brings us to a critical question: what does real climate progress actually look like in the face of a hostile administration? For years, we’ve been told that market-based solutions and clean energy alone would solve the crisis. But frontline communities have always known the truth: clean energy does not automatically mean justice. Clean energy does not automatically mean improved health outcomes, economic relief, or job opportunities at the community level.
Justice has to be fought for, specifically, intentionally, and against the resistance of powerful interests that benefit from the current arrangement. For justice to prevail, our movement and institutions have to center the health and safety needs of frontline communities to ensure clean air, water, access to the outdoors, and economic prosperity.
And that’s why community-led solutions are so important. The people living on the frontlines of pollution and climate chaos are not just direct witnesses of this crisis; they are leaders with the knowledge and solutions we need. Policies, built in tandem with communities and decision makers like the A. Donald McEachen Environmental Justice for All Act show what’s possible when we center community needs: lowering costs, improving health, and holding polluters accountable.
All our communities deserve to be protected, not treated as sacrifice zones. Environmental Justice means that all people, regardless of race, income, or ZIP code, have a fundamental right to live in healthy, safe, and prosperous communities.
So as we look ahead, the choice in front of us is clear. We can’t go back. Because that status quo was never good enough for our communities. Instead, we move forward. Toward a future that is not only cleaner, but fairer. Not only sustainable, but just.
This Earth Day, I’m calling on all of us to do two things: to fight back against rollbacks that harm our communities and to fight for the bold, community-led solutions that will shape the future we all deserve. Thank you.
