The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of projects like highway construction and federal land management applications before deciding whether to approve them. In other words, NEPA provides necessary checks and balances as project proposals move forward, and can help block the most environmentally-damaging among them.
Recently, the Trump administration announced plans to “modernize” NEPA in ways that would significantly limit the law’s ability to incorporate public input into project reviews and to avoid climate impacts. If the changes are enacted, they will loosen requirements to consider longer-range, cumulative impacts of a project – like those contributing to, and stemming from, climate change.
Mass Audubon will be opposing this change with our environmental partners. A group of more than 140 members of congress, including most of Massachusetts’ delegation, has also voiced their opposition.
You can too.
The federal Council on Environmental Quality is accepting public comments through March 10. You can submit your own comments to oppose weakening NEPA.
Let the Council know we need to be doing everything we can right now to tighten greenhouse gas emission limits, not weaken them, and that effectively removing climate impacts from the approval process is a short-sighted and dangerous decision for our climate.
Thank you for speaking up!