NEPA rollback puts clean water and communities at risk
July 15, 2020
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
President Trump today will announce sweeping rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act that put clean water and river health at risk, and threaten public health, particularly in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities nationwide.
NEPA is one of our country’s cornerstone federal environmental laws, requiring that any major action (such as construction of a dam, power plant or pipeline) undertaken, permitted or funded by the federal government be assessed to determine its impact on the environment and communities. The Trump administration’s changes to NEPA will drastically limit this review and public input, paving the way for more environmental destruction and pollution of our air, lands and waters.
Bob Irvin, President and CEO of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“In the midst of the worst public health crisis in American history, President Trump is gutting one of our nation’s most important environmental laws. This means more pollution and health risks, especially for Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities. It means more destruction of rivers and streams. It means less participation for the public and more loopholes for polluters. It is precisely the wrong approach to ensuring a healthful environment and one that American Rivers strongly opposes. We will continue to fight to ensure healthy rivers and clean water for all.”
“Adding insult to injury, President Trump chose to make the announcement in Atlanta, where, with the authority of NEPA and other bedrock environmental laws, promising efforts are underway advancing innovative green infrastructure and clean water solutions that deliver benefits for the environment and economy and begin to address longstanding injustices. Instead of trashing the laws meant to protect our environment and public health, the Trump administration should be working with Atlanta’s leaders on solutions that improve water quality and strengthen communities.”
Learn more about why NEPA matters:
An attack on common sense: Don’t let the Trump administration kneecap NEPA!
