Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds Biden Administration’s NEPA Updates
WASHINGTON – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on the release of the Biden administration’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Phase II regulations. Previously, Ranking Member Grijalva led two letters on the proposed NEPA regulations, including a bicameral letter with nearly 100 Members of Congress, outlining suggestions to strengthen climate and environmental justice considerations in the environmental review process, all of which were included in the final rule. The final rule also corrects unlawful provisions from the widely-opposed Trump-era NEPA regulations.
“Today’s new rule corrects the previous administration’s unlawful NEPA regulations that tried to exempt industry from basic environmental review requirements and put polluters over people,” said Ranking Member Grijalva. “I’m grateful to the Biden administration for working to restore legally durable environmental reviews while making the much-needed updates to address the climate crisis and environmental justice needs across our country.”
The new NEPA rule capitalizes on the more than $1 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding to increase staff capacity and resources for environmental review and permitting offices, which was championed by Ranking Member Grijalva. In addition, Ranking Member Grijalva, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are co-leads of the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act in the House and Senate, respectively.
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