September, 22 2022, 10:41am EDT
400+ Scientists, Health Professionals Oppose Manchin's Energy Permitting Bill
In Letter to Dem. Leadership, Experts Highlight Grave Health, Climate Risks of Proposed Plan
WASHINGTON
In a letter delivered to House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer today, more than 400 scientists and health professionals urged Congress to reject the energy permitting reform bill released yesterday by Senator Joe Manchin. The letter cites grave public health and climate threats associated with the fast-tracking of fossil fuel development that the bill prioritizes.
The letter was written by noted biologist and climate expert Sandra Steingraber [Science and Environmental Health Network] and circulated in conjunction with Food & Water Watch. Initial signers include renowned health and climate experts Peter Kalmus [UCLA], Robert Howarth [Cornell Univ.], Michael Mann [ Univ. of Penn.], Farhana Sultana [Syracuse Univ.], Mark Jacobson [Stanford Univ.], and former EPA and White House official Dr. Philip Landrigan [Boston Col.].
The letter states in part: Fossil fuel projects also carry enormous risks to public health that include not only diverse widespread health impacts from an overheated climate but also direct harm to those living near them. As is now documented in more than 100 studies, public health harms linked to living near oil and gas wells and associated infrastructure include asthma, heart problems, early death, and impairments to infant health... More than 17.6 million U.S. residents live within a mile of an active oil or gas well. These Americans include our patients.
"The climate crisis is a public health crisis, with people living on the frontlines of oil and gas extraction suffering the most. Scientists who document the evidence for harm and health professionals who treat the harm are now speaking out with one voice," said Sandra Steingraber, PhD, senior scientist at the Science and Environmental Health Network and co-author of the letter. "We call on House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer to reject Senator Manchin's dirty deal that will expedite further fossil fuel build-out."
"Having spent more than 50 years working to protect children against health threats in the environment, I feel compelled to speak out against any political deal that would expose them to decades more pollution from fossil fuels," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, pediatrician and director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at the Schiller Institute. "Fossil fuel extraction harms prenatal development. Fossil fuel combustion causes prematurity, stillbirth and asthma in children. The single, most effective strategy for protecting our children against these dangers is a rapid transition to clean, renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. The sooner the better."
Yesterday Senator Manchin released the text of his much-anticipated energy permitting reform legislation, which Senator Schumer intends to attach to a "must pass" budget continuing resolution before the end of September.
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Analysis Shows How GOP Attack on SNAP Could Cut Food Assistance 'From Millions' in Low-Income Households
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As congressional Republicans mull potentially imposing stricter work requirements for adults who rely on federal nutrition aid as part of a push to pass a GOP-backed reconciliation bill, an analysis from the progressive think tank the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released Wednesday states that such a move could take away food "from millions of people in low-income households" who are having a hard time finding steady employment or face hurdles to finding work.
The analysis is based on a proposal regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from House Agriculture Committee member Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), which, if enacted, the group estimates would translate into an estimated 6 million people being at risk of losing their food assistance.
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Under Johnson's proposal, work requirements would apply to adults ages 18-65, and they would also be expanded to adults who have children over the age of seven. Per CBPP, Johnson's proposal would also "virtually eliminate" the ability of states to waive the three-month time limit in response to local labor market conditions, like in cases where there are insufficient jobs
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Earlier this month in a separate decision, the Supreme Court ruled that migrants being deported under the Alien Enemies Act must be provided with due process to challenge their removal.
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments over what could become the country's first taxpayer-funded religious charter school—and opponents of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School renewed their warnings about the proposal.
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Reporting on over two hours of arguments Wednesday, Law Dork's Chris Geidner wrote that "the religious supremacy movement from the right's majority on the U.S. Supreme Court—with its outside helpers—appeared likely to... OK the first religious charter school in the country."
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It appears very likely that the Supreme Court will force Oklahoma to approve and fund a Catholic charter school that reserves the right to indoctrinate students in Catholicism, force them to attend mass, and discriminate against non-Catholics. The three liberals sound increasingly exasperated.
— Mark Joseph Stern ( @mjsdc.bsky.social) April 30, 2025 at 11:52 AM
According toThe Associated Press:
If Roberts sides with the liberals, the court would be tied 4-4, an outcome that would leave the state court decision in place, but would leave the issue unresolved nationally.
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Proud to join @faithfulamerica.bsky.social outside of SCOTUS ahead of oral arguments in the OK religious charter school case, which challenges whether public funds can be used to support religious charter schools. As religious Americans, we say the separation of church and state is good for both!
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— Interfaith Alliance (@interfaithalliance.org) April 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Chris Yarrell, an attorney at the Center for Law and Education, similarly warned in a Common Dreams opinion piece earlier this month that "if the court sides with St. Isidore, the ripple effects could be seismic, triggering a wave of religious charter school applications and fundamentally altering the landscape of public education."
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