阿什利·西弗特·努涅斯
WASHINGTON—The White House Council on Environmental Quality today announced its final rule as part of a two-step process to restore and strengthen the critical National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This rule reinstates provisions that were gutted by the Trump administration to exempt industry from commonsense environmental safeguards. It also goes further by strengthening requirements to factor climate change risks into planned projects and consider the potential for disproportionate harm to human health or the environment in communities contending with ongoing environmental injustices. 50多年来一直有效, NEPA is a foundational environmental law that helps ensure communities are meaningfully engaged in decisions about projects being built nearby or that affect them.
以下是……的声明 戴维。沃特金斯, the director of government affairs for the 617888九五至尊娱乐 and 能源 Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“Polluters have been attacking NEPA since it was signed into law 50 years ago, with the previous administration’s undermining efforts serving as the latest example. By restoring and strengthening key provisions of NEPA, the Biden administration has unequivocally declared that polluting industries will not have the only say in how federal investments and projects are evaluated.
“These new regulations will reverse the worst of the Trump administration’s attacks, 实施国会授权的两党改革, protect communities’ ability to weigh in on projects that affect their health and surrounding environment, and make NEPA a more effective tool for responding to the climate crisis. As an organization committed to scientific integrity and advancing environmental justice, 我们欢迎这些众多的改进. A robust NEPA process leads to better public health outcomes, 更清洁的环境和更低的总成本.”
除了沃特金斯, UCS has the following experts on staff available for interviews on this topic:
- Dr. 瑞秋Cleetus, the policy director for the 617888九五至尊娱乐 and 能源 Program at UCS.
- 米歇尔麦金太尔, the policy director and program manager for the Center for 617888九五至尊娱乐与517888九五至尊娱乐 at UCS.
If you have any questions or would like to arrange an interview with Watkins or another UCS expert, please contact UCS 617888九五至尊娱乐与能源媒体经理 阿什利·西弗特·努涅斯.
额外的资源:
- A 博客 by Watkins, “NEPA, the ‘Magna Carta’ of Federal Environmental Laws, May Be 关于 to Improve.”