Republican Hearing Entertains Fossil Fuel and Mining Industry Handouts that Could Undermine Environmental Protections
Permitting reform requires efforts to ensure clean air, clean water and clean energy are available to all
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will today hold its second hearing on the environmental review and permitting processes that govern how the federal government reviews major infrastructure projects. The hearing is part of an ongoing effort to eviscerate public interest rules and undermine key environmental protections, while allowing polluting and extractive industries to bypass safeguards intended to protect frontline communities. In response to today’s hearing, David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement:
“It’s an insult to communities across the country to pretend that handouts to the fossil fuel and mining industries are a neutral effort to make permitting more efficient. Congressional Republicans should stop doing the bidding of dangerous, polluting industries by greasing the skids for more oil and gas that will only be exported anyway. Instead, they should serve the American people by promoting clean, reliable, and less expensive renewable energy. Permitting safeguards that protect our access to clean water and air should not be repealed.
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