The Just Transition Alliance expresses our sincerest condolences for the passing of Representative A. Donald McEachin of the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia. As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Rep. McEachin served environmental justice communities heroically. Among a decades-long list of accomplishments in advancing equity, public safety, affordable health care, and environmental stewardship, Rep. McEachin along with Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva spearheaded the Environmental Justice for All Act, which was introduced to the U.S. Senate in 2021. This legislation aims to fund the transition for fossil fuel-dependent communities to a clean energy economy and to open pathways for people of color, Indigenous, and low-income communities to influence federal processes regarding their health and safety. In remembering Rep. McEachin’s fierce commitment to environmental justice, we express our humblest gratitude and aspire to honor his legacy as we serve environmental justice communities everywhere.
“Rep. McEachin’s role was always very inclusive,” says Just Transition Alliance Executive Director José Bravo. “EJ is tied to economic justice and Rep. McEachin saw beyond traditional environmental justice roles and looked at economic impacts that go along with EJ, the plight of frontline workers and many other pieces important to JTA. He will be greatly missed.”
(Photo credit: U.S. House of Photography, circa 2018)