As I and a number of others have pointed out a number of times before, some Right Wing congressional leaders are on a mission to rewrite our nation's premier environmental laws such as the
Clean Air Act, the
Endangered Species Act and the
National Environmental Policy Act. They will do it no matter what. No matter what the public wants and no matter what is the good of the nation. Appallingly, it appears they are even willing to use the Katrina relief effort to dust off their old proposals to weaken or eliminate basic environmental protections and to
divest the public of our natural and national inheritance.
I know I'm harping here, but I dont want you to forget this.
The
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is democracy in action, requiring public involvement and input on federal projects. I have profiled
NEPA success stories before.
NEPA is a law that puts people before politics, and values science over short-term thinking by requiring that the public is involved and the environmental impacts of proposed projects are disclosed. This common sense "look before you leap" requirement leads to better decisions and helps the government avoid making mistakes. It can also act as a shield against unwieldy federal bureaucracies, forcing them to stop and listen to the advice of regular Americans. Thats you.
NEPA is the guarantee that Americans affected by a federal action will get the best information about its impacts, a choice of good alternatives, and the right to have their voice heard before the government makes a final decision. Thanks to NEPA, every American can expect major federal actions that could impact the environment - logging, oil drilling, highway construction, and so on - to be subject to reasonable scrutiny and review. By making sure that the public is informed and that alternatives are considered, NEPA has stopped some damaging projects or made them better.
NEPA saves time and money in the long run by reducing controversy, building consensus, and ensuring that a project is done right the first time. Before NEPA was signed by President Nixon in 1970, community concerns were usually not considered. This resulted in some bad decisions such as putting radioactive mine tailings alongside the Colorado River near Moab, Utah - tailings that are now being cleaned up at great cost to protect the drinking water supply of millions.
Its LOGIC at its best. But, never one to work in the realm of reality, House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA), eliminates environmental reviews and opportunities for public comment for drilling on public lands. Other, even broader exemptions to NEPA are being proposed for the next Katrina relief bill. These changes are being proposed even though NEPA already has exemptions for emergencies.
Chairman Pombo has also initiated a task force to examine NEPA (see my take on that and Pombo himself HERE) and to recommend changes to the law. A White House task force, composed of a dozen experts on NEPA, spent more than a year reviewing the law - and made no recommendations for legislative changes. But, Chairman Pombo has concluded that these experts, ten former Chairs and General Counsels of the Council of Environmental Quality, and hundreds of other legal experts who have weighed in against changing NEPA are all wrong.
The Administration and Congress have already succeeded in weakening the law for many logging and energy drilling projects, and perhaps the biggest exemption of all - eliminating environmental impact statements for forest plans - is expected to be approved soon despite overwhelming public and scientific opposition. It is essential citizens retain what protections are left.
Cutting corners can have disastrous consequences, especially when it comes to spending taxpayer money on projects that might harm citizens or their environment. Instead of using the Katrina disaster to support an industry dream bill, Congress should consider the consequences of an unaccountable government and keep NEPA on the books as is.
Ten Former Officials of Council on Environmental Quality Oppose Changing Law!! A letter sent on 9/19 from ten former Chairs and General Counsels of the White House Council on Environmental Quality from both political parties to NEPA Task Force Chair Cathy McMorris (R-WA) expresses strong support for the law, saying NEPA is, in the words of the CEQ regulations, "our basic national charter for protection of the environment." The letter goes on:
"We are concerned that certain recent measures and pending proposals fail to reflect, and in some instances may undermine, the basic principles served by NEPA. Measures to exempt certain agencies and programs from NEPA, to restrict or eliminate alternatives analysis, or to limit the public's right to participate in the NEPA process threaten NEPA's vital role in promoting responsible government decision-making. We urge you and the other members of the Task Force to support the basic principles of NEPA and reject proposals that would weaken or undermine NEPA."
The letter is available at:
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/gelpi/news/documents/CEQChairsLettersigned.pdf
Also, check out The Political Assault on the National Environmental Policy Act. Its a new report by Robert G. Dreher, Georgetown Environmental Law & Policy Institute, has documented the various attacks on the law. The most harmful proposals would 1) exempt large categories of government activity from the NEPA environmental review process, 2) restrict the substance of environmental analysis under NEPA and allow agencies to ignore environmentally superior alternatives to a proposed action, and 3) limit opportunities for the public to comment on and challenge agency decisions. Cumulatively, these and other proposals threaten to kill the NEPA process. A copy of the report is available at:
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/gelpi/news/documents/NEPAUnderSiegeFinal.pdf
Again, I know I am repeating myself. But NEPA, the ESA and other landmark environmental laws that are under assault work to make your life and your communities better. They are easy to forget in the IraqPlameDelayHurricaneObamaSCOTUSCindy typhoon, but they are vital to your day to day existence and you need to stand up for them.