Trump administration proposes destruction of vital conservation law

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2020 ---- The Trump administration today proposed destruction of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the law that provides public participation and transparency in federal projects that may harm the environment. 

The proposed rule would weaken the National Environmental Policy Act through a number of significant changes. The rule calls for disregarding “cumulative” environmental effects (shorthand for climate-related impacts) and narrowing the scope and constricting the definitions and timelines for projects that would fall under NEPA review. 

Statement by Drew McConville, Wilderness Society Senior Managing Director, Government Relations   

“The Trump administration has once again put the agenda of our nation’s worst-polluting industries above the health and wellbeing of communities across the country. The changes proposed for the National Environmental Policy Act would eviscerate requirements for transparency in government that have been in place for many decades. 

At a time when the climate crisis is already delivering catastrophic effects, we should not be writing a blank check for industry and our government that allows them to ignore the impacts that mining, drilling and other projects have on our clean air, water and climate.”

Background: National Environmental Policy Act

Signed into law on January 1, 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act is like a Bill of Rights for water we drink, the air we breathe and the land we live on. It safeguards the health of humans as well as the environment. By ensuring that people have the right to know how government activities impact the environment, NEPA enshrines our most fundamental democratic values into federal decision making. The public has a right to weigh in on these matters, thanks to this law. 

The National Environmental Policy Act requires a science-based look at pollution and environmental threats that might otherwise go undetected until it’s too late. The law provides a fair and transparent pathway to sound decision-making about federal actions that affect local communities.   

Undermining the National Environmental Policy Act would turn back the clock to a time when polluted water, toxic dumps and environmental destruction were tolerated. A rule of this magnitude would give a free pass to polluters and suggest that polluters control our environmental agencies and the health of our communities. 

Background 

• Wilderness Society statement on USFS draft rule, “Conservation groups blast draft Forest Service rule to gut bedrock environmental law,” August 2019. 
• Wilderness Society blog, “People need to know what the government is doing to the environment,” July 2019 update. 
• Coalition letter to Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Comments on Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, August 2018.

How the National Environmental Policy Act Succeeds Locally – Examples

• NEPA Success Stories, Map and state-by-state stories, The Partnership Project. 
• Natural Resources Defense Council, “Never Eliminate Public Advice: NEPA Success Stories,” (2015). Examples by state. 
• Environmental Law Institute, Partnership Project, “NEPA Success Stories: Celebrating 40 Years of Transparency and Open Government,” (2010). 

The Wilderness Society, founded in 1935, is the leading conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. With more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 111 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. www.wilderness.org.    

Contacts 

Michael Reinemer, Deputy Director Communications Strategy, The Wilderness Society,  michael_reinemer@tws.org, 202-429-3949. 

Alison Flint, Director of Litigation and Agency Policy, The Wilderness Society, alison_flint@tws.org, 303-802-1404.