Read the full news release here.
Check out the group sign-on letter here.
NYPIRG delivers letter to New York Congressional Delegation urging them to reject attempts to gut
environmental protections
(New York) NYPIRG, joined by over 100 local, statewide, and national groups, delivered a letter to the New
York Congressional Delegation calling on them to defend the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
and other bedrock environmental laws, from federal attack.
In the name of “permit reform,” amendments to laws such as NEPA, the Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act
are being considered that weaken the environmental review process and will undoubtedly lead to more fossil
fuel infrastructure in New York. This is particularly troubling as New York considers granting permits for the
William’s NESE and Constitution pipelines, even though they’ve been rejected several times already for not
complying with water quality standards. Fast tracking fossil fuels projects will make New Yorkers sick and
cut lives short. Congress would be sending Americans in the wrong direction by amending bedrock
environmental laws and continuing our reliance on fossil fuels.
“In just a few weeks, over 100 groups have coalesced around protecting our long-standing federal
environmental laws. Voters care about having a meaningful way to participate in decisions that impact our
communities, our air, and our water,” said Cecilia Ellis of NYPIRG. “It’s obvious that people are fired up
about protecting their rights, and that’s why we’re urging New York’s Congress members to take note.”
H.R.1, which passed this summer, includes a new “pay to play” scheme for the NEPA process, allowing
project applicants to pay a fee in exchange for an expedited environmental review. This is a threat to the
mission of the bipartisan NEPA law that has protected Americans from environmental hazards for decades.
The letter urges New York Congress members to fight back against further proposed permitting changes that
will make it easier for dangerous projects to be approved in New York.
Among the organizations that signed onto the letter were advocacy groups, environmental coalitions, and
religious organizations from the coast of Long Island to the Finger Lakes to Western New York.
“The National Environmental Policy Act is one of the strongest tools communities have to protect their air,
water, and health from dangerous fossil fuel projects. Gutting it would open the floodgates to more polluting
pipelines and plants, while silencing the people most affected. New Yorkers — and all Americans — deserve
strong environmental laws that put public health and our climate ahead of the fossil fuel industry’s agenda.
