EDF Joins Diverse Coalition in Defending NEPA, America’s Bedrock Environmental Law

This week EDF joined Earthjustice, the Western Environmental Law Center, and organizations from the environmental justice, outdoor recreation, and conservation communities in challenging the Trump administration’s attack on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a cornerstone safeguard that Americans, especially communities of color, have depended on to be heard in decisions that have a profound impact on their communities, their health and their well-being.

Earlier this month the Trump administration finalized a rule to severely weaken NEPA protections, including by dramatically limiting how the federal government assesses the effects of its actions, what Americans can learn about the environmental and health impact of the federal government’s policies and major industrial projects, and how they can voice their concerns.

“For 50 years, NEPA has served as America’s bedrock environmental safeguard, ensuring that the federal government carefully considers the impacts of its actions and that communities have a voice in what gets built in their neighborhood. Today, EDF stands with a diverse coalition to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful effort to dramatically curb the use of these protections by restricting community input and limiting the use of important assessments of the risks posed by industrial projects.”

• Rosalie Winn, Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund

The press release from the full litigant coalition can be seen here: https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2020/nationwide-coalition-sues-to-defend-the-peoples-environmental-law