FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2025
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sullivan@weact.org
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s Department of the Interior (DOI) decision to violate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) protections under the false premise of an “energy emergency,” is a direct assault on environmental justice communities and Tribal nations. By slashing permitting review timelines and shutting the public out of decision-making, the administration is trampling over our rights and creating an open-season policy for polluting fossil fuels, mining, and other sources. According to Title I of NEPA, we the people have the power to protect ourselves and our environment, and we will not let that power be taken away.
Removing guardrails from the process of reviewing these projects threatens already overburdened communities. Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities have lived with the unfair and overwhelming majority of fossil fuel pollution and extractive industries for decades —breathing dirty air, drinking contaminated water, and dealing with industrial disasters causing cancer, asthma, heart-disease, and premature death. The administration’s move is not only dangerous for everyone, especially environmental justice communities—it’s illegal.
“NEPA requires the government to seek out the public, supporting the right of our communities to speak up in response to damaging projects. The administration’s effort to ignore legal obligations under NEPA will drive a reckless free-for-all of polluting projects releasing toxic waste and hazardous particles into our air, water, land, and bodies, while also attempting to silence the very people most affected. This is unacceptable, as 46% of Americans already live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and 78 million people of color live in counties with at least one failing grade, according to the American Lung Association’s latest study.
This action by Trump’s DOI, in combination with removing the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) ability to make sure NEPA processes are protected, will only cause serious harm to people and the environments we depend on, more legal battles, confusion, and delays. We deserve and need a government that creates a permitting process that involves the public meaningfully; protects our environments; moves us to zero-polluting, affordable energy sources; and benefits everyone, without hurting the most vulnerable.
The real “emergency” we need to address is the administration’s willingness to sacrifice our health and environments for the fossil fuel industry’s profits. We will hold the line against these unjust actions. NEPA is the people’s environmental law, and we will not allow corporate interests to claw away protections meant to safeguard communities and our health. We are committed to protecting our rights and our future.”
– Leslie Fields, Chief Federal Officer, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
# # #
WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X, and Instagram.