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[Page S1674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 537--ENCOURAGING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO MAINTAIN
PROTECTIONS UNDER THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT AND REVERSE
ONGOING ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS TO WEAKEN THIS LANDMARK LAW AND ITS
PROTECTIONS FOR AMERICANS COMMUNITIES
Mr. CARPER (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Cardin, Mr. Booker, and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and
Public Works:
S. Res. 537
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is one of the
Nation's bedrock environmental laws that has helped protect
the Nation's environment and public health for half a
century;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act was passed by
an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress and has long
enjoyed widespread public support;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act has a basic
but critical purpose of directing Federal agencies to
identify and disclose the significant environmental and
public health impacts of major Federal actions before such
actions are taken, encouraging a ``look before you leap''
approach in Federal decision making;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act appropriately
gives the public a chance to review and give input on major
projects before building and development starts, resulting in
improved, more democratic government decision making on
everything from fossil fuel, transportation, and water
infrastructure decisions to habitat and ecosystem
conservation;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is one of the
most important tools available in the fight against the
climate crisis;
Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National
Environmental Policy Act will make it easier for corporate
polluters to hide the air, water, and climate impacts of
major projects;
Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National
Environmental Policy Act will undermine critical building
requirements that make our roads, bridges, and other
infrastructure safer and better prepared to withstand natural
disasters such as wildfires, floods, and storms, which are
getting more destructive and severe as a result of climate
change;
Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National
Environmental Policy Act will require the United States to
spend billions more taxpayer dollars on infrastructure
projects that won't survive the effects of climate change;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is a critical
civil rights tool that gives all Americans a voice in Federal
decision making by allowing communities to be informed and
weigh in on major proposed projects affecting their
communities;
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act requires
Federal agencies to evaluate the degree to which proposed
projects affect air quality, water quality, public health,
and public safety in nearby communities and consider
alternative approaches that would be better for nearby
communities and the environment;
Whereas before the enactment of the National Environmental
Policy Act there was often no way for people living in
disadvantaged communities to become aware of, much less have
their voices heard on, major projects that would result in
disproportionate health and environmental impacts in their
neighborhoods;
Whereas that when the National Environmental Policy Act's
public input process is cut short or weakened, ill-conceived
projects advance that can have devastating public health and
environmental consequences for American communities; and
Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act's charge to
``foster and maintain conditions under which man and nature
can exist in productive harmony'' is timeless and its
insistence on meaningful local involvement, sustainable
development, and deliberate Federal decision making was, and
remains, visionary: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms the value of the National Environmental
Policy Act;
(2) supports the continued enforcement of longstanding
legal requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act,
including the required consideration of climate change when
developing and planning Federal infrastructure projects; and
(3) opposes the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to
undermine the National Environmental Policy Act through the
regulatory process.
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