FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 4, 2020
DENVER—President Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order today that attempts to waive enforcement of environmental laws in order to expedite permitting of pipelines, highways, and other infrastructure projects on national public lands.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Policy Director Jesse Prentice-Dunn:
“President Trump cannot erase America’s bedrock conservation laws with the stroke of a pen, no matter how much he wants to. The former clients of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt surely find the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act inconvenient, but this bald-faced attempt to use the coronavirus pandemic as justification to ignore the law is likely to fail in court, as the Trump administration’s dismal track record shows.
“A public health crisis is not an excuse to drill, mine, and pave our public lands, and the American people won’t fall for it.
“This order will almost certainly increase environmental injustice across America. Pipelines, highways, and mines have significant impacts on communities, particularly communities of color. This executive order will limit or eliminate the ability of those communities to have input on projects that put the health of children and seniors at risk.”
LEARN MORE
- Trump administration keeps losing in court [NYU Institute for Policy Integrity, KQED, Colorado Sun]
- Trump administration faces overwhelming public opposition to weakening bedrock environmental law [Westwise]
- As America fought coronavirus, Trump’s Interior Department rushed through dozens of environmental attacks [Westwise]