Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 10 January 2020
Trump proposes sweeping rollback of environmental oversight

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a change instructing federal
dramatic rollback of envi- employees to disregard cu-
ronmental oversight, Presi- mulative and longer term
dent Donald Trump took effects would have the
action Thursday to clear same effect, however.
the way and speed up de- The proposal is to be pub-
velopment of a wide range lished in the Federal Reg-
of commercial projects by ister in coming days, fol-
cutting back federal re- lowed by a 60-day period
view of their impact on the for public comment.
environment. Although relatively little
"The United States can't known outside of industry,
compete and prosper if a government and environ-
bureaucratic system holds mental circles, the act sets
us back from building what out some rights that Ameri-
we need," Trump said at the cans now take for granted,
White House in announcing said Stephen Schima, se-
the proposed regulatory nior legislative counsel with
rollback, surrounded by the environmental advo-
Cabinet secretaries, indus- cacy group Earthjustice.
try leaders and workers in "That public meeting you
hard hats. went to in your neighbor-
Trump's proposal calls President Donald Trump delivers remarks on proposed changes to the National Environmental hood about a highway?''
for greatly narrowing the Policy Act, at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, in Washington. Schima said. "'That was be-
scope of the half-century- Associated Press cause of NEPA."
old National Environmental House Speaker Nancy Pe-
Policy Act, signed by Re- eral agencies to consider sibilities of each generation ture projects have been losi accused the admin-
publican President Richard whether a project would as trustee of the environ- tied up and bogged down istration of further sidelin-
Nixon in 1970. It was one harm the air, land, water ment for succeeding gen- by an outrageously slow ing any federal efforts to
of the first of that era's fun- or wildlife. It also gave the erations.'' and burdensome federal confront climate change.
damental environmental public, including people Trump, who has targeted approval process,'' he said. ''These new guidelines un-
laws, along with the Clean living in the neighborhood environmental rules in his "The builders are not hap- dermine critical building
Air Act and Clean Water around a proposed dam, drive to ease the way for py. Nobody's happy.'' requirements that ensure
Act, that spelled out the pipeline or other big proj- business, said Thursday that Environmental groups and that our communities are
country's principal protec- ect, the right of review and enforcement of the law Democratic lawmakers able to withstand the grow-
tions. input. Congress said at the had slowed federal ap- countered that the pro- ing threat posed by the cli-
That National Environmen- time that the nation was proval of projects. "Ameri- posed rollback would gut mate crisis," she said.
tal Policy Act required fed- moving to "fulfill the respon- ca's most critical infrastruc- major environmental pro- Groups representing pro-
tections and take away the fessional state and urban
public's right to know and planners spoke out against
comment on a project's the administration's propos-
potential harms. al.
Key among the changes "Ignoring the future impact
proposed is one that would of climate change as part
newly limit the requirement of the nation's core envi-
for federal environmen- ronmental review law will
tal review to projects that only increase costs of de-
have major federal fund- velopment and future di-
ing. saster recovery on taxpay-
The change would mean ers and communities, while
a range of predominantly making us all more vulner-
privately funded and man- able to its already appar-
aged projects would not ent effects,'' the American
fall under the law's require- Planning Association and
ment for federal environ- the Association of State
mental study and for public Floodplain Managers said
review and comment. in a statement.
Other changes including Trump said the changes
giving federal agencies would deliver "gleaming
no more than two years to new infrastructure" to the
evaluate any environmen- United States and would
tal impact of a project. "completely overhaul the
Mary Neumayr, head of dysfunctional bureaucratic
the administration's Coun- system that has created
cil on Environmental Qual- these massive obstructions.
ity, said the changes would Interior Secretary David
not explicitly bar federal Bernhardt told reporters
consideration of a proj- that Trump would "deliver
ect's impact on the nation's a home run ... by cutting
output of climate-damag- red tape that has para-
ing fossil fuel emissions. But lyzed decision making" on
environmentalists said a projects.q