April 25, 2018 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources:
Today at 2:00 PM EST, the Full Committee will meet to examine the weaponization of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the implication of environmental lawfare.
Originally designed as a tool to protect the environment, NEPA has become a tool of obstruction, and in many cases, ironically, has caused more harm than good for the environment. Litigation activists, extreme environmentalists and special interest groups will do everything in their power to stop, delay or restrict federal projects, and the avenue created by the vague and ambiguous language of NEPA is their go-to weapon of choice in the courts.
Excessive lawsuits have led federal agencies to make environmental analysis documents “bullet-proof,” in fear of litigation. This “analysis paralysis” approach is costly to American taxpayers, lengthy and overall prevents critical projects from getting off the ground. Our nation’s environmental review and permitting process takes significantly longer than other Western democracies with comparable, stringent environmental protections. Germany, Canada and Australia are all able to approve most major infrastructure projects within TWO YEARS. Why should a developer invest in American projects or infrastructure where the threat of litigation and delay is so great, when they can go elsewhere? NEPA doesn’t just impact oil and gas development, but also renewable energy projects, infrastructure, water shortages in the West, and proper forest management to prevent catastrophic wildfires.
NEPA → Foreign Dependency on Energy
Earlier this year, our friends in New England received a late Christmas present from the Kremlin: Russian Natural Gas. The reason? A lack of infrastructure and pipelines to transport domestic energy. As long as extreme environmental groups continue to weaponize NEPA and halt energy infrastructure projects, our nation will continue to be dependent on foreign energy.
NEPA → Exacerbates the Western Water Crisis & Aging Infrastructure
The construction of desperately needed water infrastructure projects in the West is at a standstill. Why? NEPA. And because of this, we have a water supply today that falls short of meeting today’s need.
In one instance, it’s taken the Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) 16 years and counting to study and approve the proposed Sites Reservoir, a new 1.8 million-acre-foot off-stream reservoir in northern California. Throughout the process, 52 alternative locations for the reservoir have been evaluated. This potential project – along with others in the state – continue to be subject to seemingly endless studies necessitated by burdensome NEPA requirements more than a decade after they were initiated. Californians are still waiting for this project to be approved, while the opportunity to increase smart surface water storage remains gridlocked under environmental review.
NEPA → Wildfires
Lawson Fite, General Counsel of the American Forest Resource Council, who testified before the Committee last year, argues that a large percentage of lawsuits aren’t targeted as specific legal violations, but are instead used by self-proclaimed “environmental groups” to halt or prevent forest restoration activities.
Just last year, an extreme environmental organization used NEPA as a tool to sue and subsequently stop fire mitigation projects in Lincoln, Montana. Two wildfires ignited weeks later.
Learn more about the House Committee on Natural Resources by visiting their site here.