[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 537--ENCOURAGING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO MAINTAIN 
  PROTECTIONS UNDER THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT AND REVERSE 
  ONGOING ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS TO WEAKEN THIS LANDMARK LAW AND ITS 
                 PROTECTIONS FOR AMERICANS COMMUNITIES

  Mr. CARPER (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
Cardin, Mr. Booker, and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works:

                              S. Res. 537

       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is one of the 
     Nation's bedrock environmental laws that has helped protect 
     the Nation's environment and public health for half a 
     century;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act was passed by 
     an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress and has long 
     enjoyed widespread public support;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act has a basic 
     but critical purpose of directing Federal agencies to 
     identify and disclose the significant environmental and 
     public health impacts of major Federal actions before such 
     actions are taken, encouraging a ``look before you leap'' 
     approach in Federal decision making;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act appropriately 
     gives the public a chance to review and give input on major 
     projects before building and development starts, resulting in 
     improved, more democratic government decision making on 
     everything from fossil fuel, transportation, and water 
     infrastructure decisions to habitat and ecosystem 
     conservation;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is one of the 
     most important tools available in the fight against the 
     climate crisis;
       Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National 
     Environmental Policy Act will make it easier for corporate 
     polluters to hide the air, water, and climate impacts of 
     major projects;
       Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National 
     Environmental Policy Act will undermine critical building 
     requirements that make our roads, bridges, and other 
     infrastructure safer and better prepared to withstand natural 
     disasters such as wildfires, floods, and storms, which are 
     getting more destructive and severe as a result of climate 
     change;
       Whereas efforts to block the enforcement of the National 
     Environmental Policy Act will require the United States to 
     spend billions more taxpayer dollars on infrastructure 
     projects that won't survive the effects of climate change;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act is a critical 
     civil rights tool that gives all Americans a voice in Federal 
     decision making by allowing communities to be informed and 
     weigh in on major proposed projects affecting their 
     communities;
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act requires 
     Federal agencies to evaluate the degree to which proposed 
     projects affect air quality, water quality, public health, 
     and public safety in nearby communities and consider 
     alternative approaches that would be better for nearby 
     communities and the environment;
       Whereas before the enactment of the National Environmental 
     Policy Act there was often no way for people living in 
     disadvantaged communities to become aware of, much less have 
     their voices heard on, major projects that would result in 
     disproportionate health and environmental impacts in their 
     neighborhoods;
       Whereas that when the National Environmental Policy Act's 
     public input process is cut short or weakened, ill-conceived 
     projects advance that can have devastating public health and 
     environmental consequences for American communities; and
       Whereas the National Environmental Policy Act's charge to 
     ``foster and maintain conditions under which man and nature 
     can exist in productive harmony'' is timeless and its 
     insistence on meaningful local involvement, sustainable 
     development, and deliberate Federal decision making was, and 
     remains, visionary: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the value of the National Environmental 
     Policy Act;
       (2) supports the continued enforcement of longstanding 
     legal requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, 
     including the required consideration of climate change when 
     developing and planning Federal infrastructure projects; and
       (3) opposes the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to 
     undermine the National Environmental Policy Act through the 
     regulatory process.

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