Statement on Senate Homeland Security Committee’s attempts to gut environmental regulatory system
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today will mark up two bills which place corporate profits above public health by making it almost impossible for the federal government to regulate. Senate Bill 21, the “Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act” makes it nearly impossible for agencies to ever promulgate new rules while Senate Bill 34, known as the “Midnight Rules Relief Act,” would allow Congress to roll back hundreds of regulations that President Obama implemented. Together these bills make it nearly impossible for government agencies to do their job and protect the public.
Friends of the Earth Senior Political Strategist Ben Schreiber issued the following statement:
Eviscerating the regulatory system is an extreme step and sends a clear signal that Congress is more interested in protecting corporate interests than safeguarding public health. These bills rip regulatory decisions from the hands of scientific experts and place power in the hands of politicians and the polluters who fund their elections.
Congress is voting to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of the tools to protect clean air and water. Big oil and gas will celebrate as they are given free rein to pollute. Important regulations that protect consumers from food-borne illness and food safety violations will be sacrificed for corporate profits.
The American public supports a strong Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health. We will hold our elected officials accountable for serving big business, not the public.
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Expert contact: Ben Schreiber (202)-222-0752, [email protected]
Communications contact: Erin Jensen (202) 222-0722 [email protected]