WASHINGTON – Today the President will discuss finalizing rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that, among other things, are expected to enable agencies to purposely ignore the economic and social costs of climate impacts from major government-approved projects.
The changes to the landmark bipartisan 50-year-old law are also expected to give the administration more power to exclude communities, small businesses and as well as local and state governments from major decisions impacting their economic and community wellbeing.
Following is a statement from Sandra Purohit, E2 Federal Advocacy Director:
“At a time when our communities need more resources and support in the midst of a crisis, this administration is stripping power away from local businesses and residents and increasing the risk of harmful projects and worsening climate.
“The President is wrong — Shutting out local voices isn’t a winning strategy for economic growth. It’s a recipe for disaster. Extreme changes that undermine the rights and interests of businesses and investors, add new uncertainties for developers, increase financial risk of projects, and will cause real economic and environmental harm.”
The BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 is a prime example of the economic and societal damage that turning a blind eye to project review can have. BP’s Deepwater Horizon project was “categorically excluded” from a NEPA review.
In March, more than 600 business leaders from across the country voiced their strong opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed changes to NEPA in a letter delivered by E2 to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today.
For more information, please contact Michael Timberlake at (202) 289-2407 or [email protected].
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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.