Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced her recommendation for local I-81 advocate, Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, to join the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity within the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“I am proud to recommend Lanessa Owens-Chaplin to the DOT’s Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Lanessa is a dedicated public servant committed to helping her community and fighting for environmental and racial justice.”

As an attorney and Director of the Environmental Justice Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union, Owens-Chaplin has been effectively working with state and federal officials and stakeholders surrounding the I-81 project. Her expertise in structural, economic and environmental racism has been critical in guiding a more equitable plan for the I-81 replacement and will be an invaluable asset to the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity.