How the Big Lie bill impacts you, your family, and your community

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Hi John,

The budget bill passed earlier this month should have been called the Big Beautiful Lie.

It sells out communities, puts polluters before people, and places lives at risk.

Find out more about how Trump’s budget prioritizes profits over clean air, clean water, and climate progress. ([link removed])

After reading this, I hope you’ll forward it to at least one friend. Let people know what’s at stake and how we must fight for what we love.How it will impact you, your family, and your community

The Methane Emissions Reduction Program and EPA oversight of oil and gas operations have been seriously weakened. The methane fee on polluters has been delayed until 2034. And roughly $150 million meant to help communities and companies cut methane emissions? Slashed.

We know that Trump’s EPA wants to roll back methane emissions standards. The administration wants to give polluters a free pass.

Real people are paying the price. In West Texas, kids still walk to school through invisible clouds of benzene and formaldehyde, breathing in poison without knowing why their lungs burn.

And the companies responsible? They’re unlikely to face any consequences.

The budget also allocates $10 million to assist fossil fuel companies in expediting the issuance of pipeline permits. It creates a pay-to-play fast lane for industry that skips environmental reviews and blocks local communities from raising objections. It also gives Big Oil, Gas, and Mining companies enormous power and puts them in charge of their own oversight.

A community could wake up to find survey flags on their land, only to learn that construction is already approved with no government oversight. Communities would have no say, and the law no longer gives them time to act. That’s what this budget allows: corporate convenience at the cost of public control.

The budget also wiped out climate justice funding and community emissions reduction grants that helped neighborhoods hardest hit by pollution access clean energy, as well as funding for cleanup efforts.

FIND OUT MORE ([link removed])

What’s next

In Congress:

Much of the worst legislation ahead will require 60 votes in the Senate to pass. That’s good news.

However, we can expect to see anti-environment riders attached to must-pass funding bills, as well as the National Defense Authorization Act.

This could make it harder for some Senators to vote in favor of protecting the environment, so it will take all hands on deck to demand that our Senators stand up for the people and communities who voted them in.

We know that it only takes a handful of House members, or Democrats standing strong in the Senate, to impact a bill’s success or failure.

The current federal budget is set to expire at the end of September. Expect big battles ahead. And we will keep you posted on how you can help along the way.

In States and Communities:

We need to do even more work in state legislatures, city councils, county commissions, and other local governments, which are being asked to take on more decision-making and spending responsibilities.

We’re working with allies and communities on the ground in key states to understand and engage with the new, less participatory NEPA process established by the Trump administration.

We’re also helping governors, mayors, state legislators, and others create, strengthen, and find funding for community climate action that protects families from disasters like we’ve seen in Texas and North Carolina.

We’re helping craft local clean energy legislation and working to secure protections for clean air, water, and public lands.

📢 What you can do

📞 Call your members of Congress. We will share specific messages and talking points that make these calls easier.

✍️ Write to your members of Congress. We will continue to send you essential action alerts. We target these as much as possible so you don’t get too many, and each one has the most impact.

🗣️ Speak up when federal appropriations bills are debated in September. Congress will debate how to allocate (or not allocate) funds for important agencies like the EPA and Department of Interior -- agencies that are essential to protecting our air and water.

🤝 Get involved in state and local action. Earthworks partners with frontline communities and local groups in states across the US, as well as Indigenous communities in New Mexico, Arizona, and elsewhere.

Together, we fight for what we love

If this all feels overwhelming, it is. But I’ve never witnessed more desire to get up every morning, take action, talk to friends and neighbors, and fight for the people and places we love.

I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather work with in the coming months to take action. Please share our blog post ([link removed]) and send this message to friends and family. Invite them to help, and let’s work on this together. Thank you for all you do.

In solidarity,

Jennifer Krill, Executive Director
Earthworks

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