WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House Natural Resources Committee today will hold a hearing on the Grand Staircase-Escalante Enhancement Act, HR 4588. Contrary to what the name implies, the bill would codify President Trump’s illegal proclamation cutting Grand Staircase-Escalante by half.
In anticipation, Dalal Aboulhosn, Sierra Club deputy legislative director, issued the following statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- According to reports, Sen. Murkowski has confirmed that a provision opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling is included in the final tax scheme proposal. The provision would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The provision ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Gallego today introduced legislation to preserve the Bears Ears National Monument and to expand safeguards for areas important to Tribal Nations that were left out of the original designation. The legislation comes as leaked documents show the Trump administration is planning massive reductions to Bears Ears National Monument, cutting the monument by 85%. Also on the chopping block is Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which could be cut by half.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill undermining bedrock environmental safeguards protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, as well as the Superior and Chippewa National Forests. The bill, HR 3905, would automatically grant mineral leases near the Wilderness boundary in perpetuity, while undermining guarantees for public process and water quality among others.
In response Lena Moffitt, senior director of Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, Sierra Club joined Congressional and Gwich’in tribal leaders to decry the current attempt to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling as part of the tax scheme. The effort would attempt to offsets tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate polluters with revenue from drilling in one of the country’s last wild places -- a move that the Senate Parliamentarian has said violates Senate rules.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted to advance the nominations of Kathleen Hartnett-White for Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Andrew Wheeler for Deputy Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along party lines.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed a bill ordering public forest lands turned over to a private mining company. The bill, HR 3115, would expedite the exchange of National Forest land with PolyMet Mining Corporation for an open pit copper-nickel sulfide ore mine -- bypassing issues with the environmental analysis, value of the land appraisal, and ongoing public challenges.
In response Lena Moffitt, senior director of Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement.
Vet Voice Foundation and Sierra Club Military Outdoors today launched ads in the districts of Representatives Mast and Zeldin, urging them to oppose the current tax scheme being considered by Congress. The tax plan aims to offset tax cuts for corporate polluters by raising revenue through allowing oil companies to conduct dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The ads make clear that the tax bill’s steps to open the door to drilling the Arctic Refuge and a vote for the passage of the bill itself are unacceptable.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill essentially removing the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski last night introduced a bill that would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, Andrew Wheeler, nominee for Deputy Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, and Kathleen Hartnett-White, nominee for Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
During the hearing, Wheeler and Hartnett-White repeatedly dodged answers to questions and denied the impacts of human activities on climate change and of pollution on human health.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Republicans unveiled another effort to funnel millions more into the pockets of corporate polluters, this time in the form of tax legislation that includes billions in giveaways for corporate polluters, millionaires, and billionaires, while endangering programs that protect the health and safety of American families and ending tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles and interfering with tax credits for wind and solar energy.