Gabby Kientzle, gabby.kientzle@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – The Trump administration has taken steps to throw out 50 years worth of rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental safeguard designed to protect communities and give them a voice in federal permitting decisions.
The expected rule, called “Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations,” would rescind all regulations that the Council on Environmental Quality has issued to implement NEPA since 1977.
In response, Sierra Club Senior Attorney Nathaniel Shoaff released the following statement:
“This action is rash, unlawful, and unwise. Rather than making it easier to responsibly build new infrastructure, throwing out implementing regulations for NEPA will only serve to create chaos and uncertainty. Instead of following the standard rulemaking process that agencies have followed for decades under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Trump administration is racing ahead to weaken protections meant to keep communities safe and healthy in an attempt to grease the wheels for the president’s corporate polluter friends. The Trump administration seems to think that the rules don't apply to them, but we're confident the courts will say otherwise.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.