House Majority's Bill on Environmental Funding Is Atrocious

The razor-thin House majority, after weeks of delay and concessions to the most extreme elements of its fractured conference, has put forward its version of the annual appropriations bill that funds most of the federal government’s environmental programs and priorities. The bill is set for markup tomorrow.

Kyle Jones, director of federal affairs with the Center for Policy Advocacy at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), made the following statement:

“This is an historically bad bill – the worst of its kind we’ve ever seen – that reads like a ‘how-to’ manual for destroying the planet.

“While Americans take refuge from record-setting extreme heat and suffer from wildfire smoke, the House majority proposes slashing environmental funding to the lowest level in 30 years. This bill would gut support for President Biden’s historic climate law, double down on dirty fossil fuels, and slash funding for safe drinking water while unfairly limiting access to those critical funds. It would doom a number of species to extinction and much, much more.

“This is a non-starter, based on galling scientific ignorance and reactionary politics. Even the lead appropriator in favor said, ‘If you’re looking for a pretty bill, this is not it.’ He should win understatement of the year, and his bill should be sent back to the drawing board.”

For a look at some of the impacts of this bill, here is a blog by NRDC's Josh Axelrod and Valerie Cleland.