Groups rally over public’s ability to protect environment
Trump’s attempt to rollback NEPA a major blow to environmental review and public opposition to polluting projectsWASHINGTON – Environmental advocates from across the country today protested the Trump Administration’s proposed rollbacks of the National Environmental Policy Act. The National Environmental Policy Act is one of this country’s foundational environmental laws, ensuring the public is informed and can participate in decisions on major federal projects from power plants and refineries to freeways and pipelines.
Under the Trump proposal, public review of proposed projects would be significantly curtailed. Further, the proposal would allow the companies responsible for major polluting projects to be involved in the environmental review process far earlier, potentially allowing them to stack the deck in favor of approval. It also reduces the scope of NEPA review and allows the federal government to ignore the impacts of climate change.
In response to today’s rallies, Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement:
Not every project can or should be built. The National Environmental Policy Act ensures communities have a right to know the environmental and fiscal impacts, and whether less destructive alternatives exist. Trump’s attack on the National Environmental Policy Act silences the communities across the nation fighting corporate polluters.
If this rollback happens, it will weaken communities’ efforts to protect their air, water and public health. We must not allow this critical tool for public engagement to be eliminated by the businesses determined to destroy our environment for profit. We will not tolerate efforts to dismantle our bedrock environmental laws.
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]