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The House debated over 150 amendments to spending bills that propose steep funding cuts to conservation and climate programs at the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Department of Agriculture. The bills would cut funding for climate change and clean energy initiatives while opening up more federal lands for mining and fossil fuel extraction. The Rules Committee approved funding cut amendments to the Interior-Environment and Energy-Water bills, and the House is scheduled to vote on the bills this week.
The White House stated that President Joe Biden will veto the bills if they reach his desk. “At this funding level, DOI would be unable to adequately conserve and protect the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage, maintain or improve critical infrastructure on public lands, or honor trust and treaty responsibilities to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated Island Communities,” the statement noted.
The legislation is in line with the agenda of the antiparks caucus, a group of legislators identified in a recent Center for American Progress report who are working to dismantle protections for America’s public lands. The antiparks agenda includes bills that seek to overturn public land conservation actions or rules to seize and sell public lands; weaken, dismantle, or undermine the Antiquities Act; expand drilling or mining on protected public lands; limit habitat conservation; exclude the public from engaging in decision-making on land management; attack protections of specific public lands; weaken Tribal sovereignty on lands and waters; and more.
Manchin, Barrasso announce permitting reform deal
Senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso released the Energy and Permitting Reform Act of 2024, which aims to speed up the environmental review process for energy and mineral projects. The proposed legislation includes measures that open up federal lands and waters to more leasing and drilling and includes new limits on litigation and language against the Biden administration’s pause on liquefied natural gas export approvals. “Those who promote this kind of so-called ‘permitting reform’ claim that it’s necessary to accelerate the deployment of clean energy, but in truth this is nothing more than yet another attempt by fossil fuel industry boosters to give handouts for polluters at the expense of our communities and the climate,” said Mahyar Sorour, Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy Director for the Sierra Club.
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So many young people say that tackling climate change is one of the top issues for them. They want to spend their lives making a difference for their future, for their children’s future, for our collective future. And this is a way to do that.”
