Chair Grijalva Statement on Senate Republicans’ Vote to Undo New NEPA Regulations

Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on Senate passage of a Republican-led resolution to invoke the Congressional Review Act to undo the Biden administration’s recent finalization of Phase One rulemaking on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The rulemaking restored NEPA regulatory protections that were eliminated by the Trump administration in 2020.

“It seems as though the GOP will stop at nothing to wage their nonsensical war against the National Environmental Policy Act, including wasting everyone’s time with a protest resolution that will go nowhere,” Chair Grijalva said. “NEPA is one of the strongest tools we have for keeping ourselves and our environment protected from big polluting projects. At a time when the climate crisis is putting our health and safety more at risk every day, we should be working towards making NEPA stronger, not weaker. And of all things, voting to strip NEPA of its requirement to consider a proposed project’s impacts on climate change and environmental justice communities seems especially indefensible right now.”

On March 18, 2021, Chair Grijalva and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) introduced H.R. 2021, the Environmental Justice For All Act, which would strengthen community protections in the National Environmental Policy Act through improved community involvement opportunities and pollution disclosure requirements. The legislation recently passed Committee.

Press Contact

Media Contact: Lindsay Gressard

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