Christopher Schuler, christopher.schuler@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – Last night, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled against multiple provisions included in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee’s portion of Donald Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” including the fire sale of millions of acres of public lands and “pay to pollute” provisions to skirt environmental protections.
The Parliamentarian ruled that Sen. Mike Lee’s effort to sell millions of acres of public lands across the West was in violation of Senate rules and must be stripped from the bill, along with provisions that would allow polluters to pay money to skirt environmental safeguards like NEPA or expedite the expansion of deadly LNG exports without regard for public interest or the law.
Though final text of the legislation has still not been released, the Senate is expected to consider its version of the budget reconciliation bill this week as they move to meet an arbitrary and artificial July 4th deadline.
In response, Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:
“We’ve long known that these misguided efforts to put our public lands up for sale and give polluters free rein were egregious violations of the public trust, and we now know they also violate longstanding Senate rules. Our public lands are treasures that are protected for the people, not corporations. Our environmental laws and permitting processes exist to protect public health, preserve our access to clean air and water, and keep communities safe. Time and again, this Budget Reconciliation process has highlighted the many ways in which Congressional Republicans intend to put polluters before people. We welcome the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling and urge Congressional Republicans to abandon their attacks on clean energy, public health, and the rule of law.”
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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.