In late March, the U.S. House passed HR1 ("The Lower Energy Costs Act"), which despite its innocuous-sounding name is actually one of the most dangerous and irresponsible pieces of legislation in recent U.S. history, and threatens to eviscerate the nation's bedrock National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
This legislation reads like a holiday wish list for nearly every major polluting industry in the country! Under the bill, vast categories of fossil fuel and energy activities (among others) would be exempt from NEPA-mandated public review and input. Fossil fuel projects and infrastructure such as drilling platforms, pipelines, and roads could be built without any consideration of the impact on wildlife, ecosystems, cultural resources, local communities, or climate change.
Even worse, the legislation would strictly limit—if not eliminate—the public's ability to do anything about it! Public commenting periods and environmental reviews would be drastically limited in both time and scope, and destructive projects would be allowed to continue unimpeded even in the face of legal action.
Now, a companion bill (S947) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA). It's time to finally pull the plug on this utterly undemocratic and reckless piece of legislation!
Take Action!
Tell your Senator that public lands, waters, wilderness—and especially your voice—matter, and to vote "NO" on the dangerous and destructive "Lower Energy Costs Act"!
