September 22, 2022
Contact: Dana Johnson, dana@weact.org
MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP FORUM RESPOND TO TEXT FROM SENATOR MANCHIN’S PERMITTING BILL
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Senator Joe Manchin released bill text that will permanently alter the permitting process for large-scale energy projects. Currently there is as part of a deal that Senator Schumer and Democratic Leadership made to secure the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The Environmental Justice Leadership Forum is a national network of grassroots environmental justice organizations seeking to represent the needs of low-income and communities of color in the fight for equitable and fair environmental policies. Karlton A. Laster, Director of Federal Programs & National Advocacy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, responded to the news:
“The release of this bill text is disappointing in many ways, primarily because it bypasses public and congressional committee input and it goes against public sentiment, ultimately putting systemically disinvested and overburdened communities, which are largely communities of color and low-income areas, in the crosshairs. The Inflation Reduction Act is a foundational step forward with historic funding levels for environmental reviews under NEPA, Senator Manchin’s Bill is the equivalent of taking several steps backward.
Our communities cannot continue to be sacrifice zones, and fossil fuel interests cannot drive our climate policies.”
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The Environmental Justice Leadership Forum is a national coalition of nearly 50 organizations in 22 states that work to ensure a diverse grassroots perspective is present in federal, state, and local policy decisions. Members are based in red, blue, and swing states including those in the Appalachia, Deep South, Extreme Northwest, Midwest, Northeast and Southwest regions and represent Black, Latinx, Indigenous and low-income White communities in large, midsize, and small cities. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.