Friend, this is huge — the House has now passed a major environmental bill to dedicate $36.8 billion in funding for the EPA, the Department of the Interior, and related agencies. The bill would also block Trump's rule to gut the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), which was just finalized.

Trump's move to gut NEPA is considered one of the most damaging attacks on the environment of his presidency. Under the new rule, agencies will be told not to consider climate change or long-term health effects when approving major infrastructure proposals — so pipelines and other projects could sail through review without disclosing increases in air pollution or other kinds of toxic discharge. And the public would lose opportunities to provide input, counter to the law's original intent.

This sets up a major fight in the Senate, and things could move quickly. These spending bills are considered must-pass — if they fail, the government will be forced to shut down, which, with election season just around the corner, is a scenario Trump has to avoid.

Friend — we need to fight like hell to ensure that this environmental spending bill passes in the Senate as is. We need your help, right now: a major donor has agreed to contribute $500,000 to LCV — only if 10,000 LCV members chip in before the end of the month.

This is a major opportunity, and we're dangerously close to coming up short. We're asking every LCV supporter for help, in reaching this goal, small donations count the same as big ones. Renewing your LCV membership is just $5 right now — and it could be enough to put us over the top.

Friend, will you make an emergency gift today to renew your membership? It costs just $5 »

This is a huge moment. Trump has been trying to pass anti-environmental legislation and roll back protections against climate change since the beginning of his presidency. These rules have not only been incredibly damaging to the environment, but they also disproportionately affect Black, Latinx, and low-income communities, who are already more likely to suffer from the dangerous effects of pollution and the impacts of climate change. This bill addresses several of Trump's more egregious proposals, for example:

• Since the beginning of the pandemic, Trump has rolled back EPA safety and enforcement measures regarding the release of mercury and other toxic pollutants into the air and groundwater. Those rollbacks are tentatively set to expire in August, but Trump is pushing hard to make them permanent. This bill blocks his inadequate soot standards and effort to undermine mercury standards for power plants and increases funding for the EPA. Make a gift to LCV today to help us force the EPA to do its job »
• The Trump administration recently announced plans to open up 82% of an Alaska reserve — 18.7 million acres — for oil and gas leasing, which would more than double the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses estimated to be released as a result of drilling in the next 20 years. This bill blocks drilling anywhere in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The environmental movement needs to put up a huge fight to ensure these protections stand in the final bill. Donate today »
• Because of systemic racism, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities are more likely to live close to a site that is contaminated with chemicals known as "PFAS", which are linked to cancer, kidney disease, and birth and developmental disorders. These communities are now experiencing far higher death rates from COVID-19. This bill includes funding to regulate and scale back the use of PFAS chemicals. This is a matter of life and death. Contribute TODAY to help fight systemic environmental injustice »
• For no apparent reason, House Republicans tried to include legislation that would allow the importation of elephant or lion hunting trophies taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or Zambia. House Democrats successfully shut them down. Donate NOW to ensure that Senate Republicans don't make it easier for Trump's kids to bring back more illegal hunting souvenirs »

And that's just what we're fighting to keep in this bill. There are so many urgent fights on the horizon, it's hard to keep track — which is why we have to stay vigilant, and which is why we are asking for your help right now, friend.

Trump knows he's running out of time — this is likely going to be his last chance to jam through his most damaging policies before the election is officially in full swing. He is going to be pushing — hard — for the Republican-controlled Senate to make this bill as environmentally-unfriendly as possible.

The deadline to reach 10,000 voters is just two days away — and we are dangerously close to coming up short. I can't stress this enough: this $500,000 grant would significantly improve our chances of winning many of the fights we desperately need to win.

Friend, we wouldn't be reaching out if this wasn't truly urgent. The best thing you can do right now is to renew your membership for 2020 — it only costs $5 »

Thank you, friend, for standing with us in this critical moment. We couldn't do this work without you. We'll keep you updated as things progress.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation Voters