WE ACT and 60+ Orgs Speak Out Against House Environment/Interior Appropriations Bill
WE ACT for Environmental Justice and 60-plus Organizations Speak Out Against House Passing Extreme Anti-Environment Appropriations Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2023
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sullivan@weact.org 1(917) 837-1183
WASHINGTON – As the Republican-led House of Representatives moved forward on the passage of the Interior-Environment FY24 Appropriations Bill Friday, WE ACT for Environmental Justice joins 60-plus organizations raising major concerns in a letter over the dramatic nature of these provisions and cuts to essential programs and agencies. This bill is a clear and blatant attack on action to fight the Climate Crisis, and on long-fought environmental justice efforts to right the wrongs of decades of discrimination. This bill also stalls agreement to fund the government during a year already littered with standoffs, only underscoring the lack of responsible leadership by the current House majority. We urge lawmakers and voters to take notice of these unveiled strategies to hurt our communities and to turn the clock back on historic investments in environmental justice that have overwhelming support from public officials and Americans alike. At a time when frontline communities are increasingly facing the worst of natural disasters and extreme heat, along with a myriad of other health issues related to fossil fuel infrastructure, and the world at large is at a crucial, historic threshold to stave off the worst of climate chaos, the passage of this bill is a profound and devastating act against the people, lands, waters, and air of the United States and our shared planet.
If this bill is enacted, communities of color, low-income communities (who disproportionately face the burdens of the Climate Crisis and fossil fuels), and Americans as a whole will face increased and prolonged suffering and harm. The bill cut nearly 40 percent of the budget funding to the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior to the lowest point in three decades, blocked funding for necessary societal costs of carbon and emissions considerations that would protect communities, as well as international climate mitigation initiatives, and it would increase offshore gas and oil projects and sales. Alarmingly, it would also plainly stop federal agencies from appropriately advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility policies (DEIA), and prohibit the implementation of the American Climate Corps, a program focused on investing in equitable, fair-paying livelihoods that also works to mitigate the impacts of the Climate Crisis. As former senator and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has recently shared on the partisan nature of climate inaction at the global level, “Public money has to be part of the equation—and there’s not enough of it. And there hasn’t been enough of it for quite some time. That’s a reflection of really tough politics that have been created in our country.”
After decades of research, exposure of prejudicial policies, and grassroots organizing, WE ACT and our collaborators have finally made inroads towards creating a better future for all with investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and efforts to weave environmental justice across agencies including Justice 40. The monumental efforts of hundreds of thousands of passionate, devoted people invested in this commitment to justice cannot be undone, and these kinds of attacks and steps backward cannot stand. As we can expect to see continued attempts to cut the IRA in a continuing resolution, we are steadfast and united in the effort to ensure that environmental justice is implemented across programs, policies, and agencies with adequate funding from our elected government.
In combination with the various overarching issues with this bill, these specific environmental justice provisions CAN NOT be conceded in any negotiations to keep the government open, or to pass appropriations bills:
- Any cuts to the hard fought protections for and investments in environmental justice under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant program, and other investments in environmental justice communities;
- Any effort to weaken the implementation of the Justice40 Initiative Executive Order 140008 or Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All Executive Order 14096 ;
- Any effort to weaken NEPA and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, in addition to its ability to consider environmental justice and climate change;
- Any provisions to roll back regulations such as EPA rulemaking on air pollution, especially on vehicle emissions standards and National Ambient Air Quality Standards;
- Anything that supports “permit reforms” which ultimately support fossil fuel interests, reduce community-engagement, and slow clean and renewable energy transition;
- Any policies that include anti-immigration, anti-abortion, and anti-LGBTQ+ riders as well as racial prejudice; and
- Any funding that facilitates the build out of fossil fuels, including acceleration of liquified natural gas buildout.
In response to the passage of the Interior & Environment FY24 Appropriations Bill, these 60-plus groups reiterated their opposition with the following statement:
“There are so many outrageous attacks on our environment in this bill that it would be impossible to name them all.
Following a summer full of record heat waves, horrific flooding, and wildfire smoke blanketing much of the nation, this bill would gut the agencies charged with protecting our environment and our health and would massively undermine last year’s historic climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act.
In contrast to the Senate’s bipartisan bills, the House is once again setting Congress on a path to a harmful and completely avoidable government shutdown.
This attack on our health, lands, wildlife, biodiversity, air, water, ocean, and communities is unacceptable and must be rejected.”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, andInstagram.
Below are the 58 groups who signed onto the letter, as well as additional organizations that endorsed the statement:
League of Conservation Voters
Trust for Public Land
AFFTA Fisheries Fund
Alaska Wilderness League
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
American Humanist Association
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Appalachian Mountain Club
Azul
CCAN Action Fund
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Freethought Equality
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Campaign
Climate Law & Policy Project
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Conservation Lands Foundation
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice
Earthworks
EcoMadres
Elevate
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Protection Network
Environmental Working Group
Evergreen Action
Friends of the Earth
GreenLatinos
Greenpeace USA
Hispanic Access Foundation
Humane Society Legislative Fund
Inland Ocean Coalition
Interfaith Power & Light
Kids for Saving Earth
Los Padres ForestWatch
Maine Conservation Voters
Moms Clean Air Force
National Audubon Society
National Ocean Protection Coalition
National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Natural Resources Defense Council
Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness
Ocean Conservancy
Ocean Defense Initiative
Oceana
Partnership for Policy Integrity
Sierra Club
Silvix Resources
Southern Environmental Law Center
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
The Earth Bill Network
The Wilderness Society
Union of Concerned Scientists
Voices for Progress
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Western Watersheds Project
Native Organizers Alliance
Zero Hour