ACTION
Stop the Senate’s harmful handouts for data centers and polluters
We all deserve clean water and a say in what happens in our own backyards. But some Senate leaders have proposed a bill that would weaken three fundamental environmental laws: the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The proposed changes would limit the ability of states and tribes to address water quality concerns associated with pipelines, power plants, data centers and other major infrastructure projects. Additional changes would make it easier for projects to be built in communities without local residents having a say or even finding out beforehand.
Congress has proposed these changes to overhaul the country’s permitting process for major energy projects — the so-called Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act — an effort to speed up the approval and construction of new infrastructure projects. But studies have repeatedly shown that projects get permitted and built more quickly when there is more community engagement — not less. That’s because early and robust local engagement results in better projects and less community opposition.
Speeding up energy projects should not come at the expense of clean water, environmental safeguards, wildlife protections or meaningful public participation.
Under the proposal, developers could face fewer requirements to consider water quality and community concerns before moving forward with major projects. That could make it easier to build infrastructure without giving states and local residents a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their health, environment and quality of life.
Nobody understands a community better than the people who live there. That’s why it’s so important for local residents to have a say in what happens to them and their neighbors.
LEARN MORE:
The Clean Water Act protects the nation’s rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands from pollution. It establishes water quality standards and requires permits for activities that discharge pollutants into waterways. States and tribes can review federally permitted projects to ensure they meet water quality standards, giving communities an important voice in protecting clean water and public health. The proposed changes to the Clean Water Act in the permitting reform legislation would weaken the ability of states, tribes, and even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect our water from pollution.
The Endangered Species Act protects vulnerable plants and animals from extinction and helps preserve their habitats so they can survive. More than 99% of species protected under the ESA have been saved from extinction and are on the path to recovery. The permitting reform bill would allow states to review the impacts of proposed projects on endangered species instead of the experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Endangered species don’t recognize state lines, and a unified federal approach to protecting their habitats is critical. Further, the bill exempts some projects from the ESA, weakening protections for these at-risk animals.
The National Environmental Policy Act allows people like you to find out when new significant projects are proposed in your community and make sure your voice is heard. It also allows residents to take legal action to make sure the government follows the law. The Trump-Vance administration has already weakened NEPA through the agency rulemaking process, and the permitting reform legislation would only make the situation worse. The bill would greatly limit the number of projects covered by NEPA and cut public participation by:
• Allowing agencies to ignore scientific information that becomes available after a project application is filed.
• Sharply limiting the window of time in which residents affected by a project can sue a federal agency for failing to properly follow the law.
• Making it more difficult for impacted communities to hold agencies accountable through lawsuits.
These changes would diminish the public’s voice and allow agencies to sidestep accountability to the law and dodge their responsibility to consider the best available information.
Our environmental protections are on the line. Senators are scheduled to vote on this bill in November. Tell your lawmakers to vote “NO” on changes to our environmental laws that cut the public out.