Press Releases

July 15, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on the Trump Administration’s announced changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which would weaken environmental safeguards and reduce community input for major federal actions:
 
“Despite their claims to the contrary, the Trump Administration’s weakening of NEPA standards will not significantly boost the economy, it merely will reduce Americans’ say in what happens in their communities,” said Rep. Beyer. “Eliminating or reducing local input or environmental reviews of major Federal actions would worsen concerns that already existed in Virginia for projects like the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines. Climate effects and community impacts deserve more consideration, not less. At a time when demands for racial equality and justice are reaching new highs across the country, the Trump Administration is blatantly ignoring those calls, reinforcing systematic racism to serve the needs of already-powerful special interests.”
 
Representative Beyer is the Co-Chair of the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus, and Co-Chairs the New Democrat Coalition’s Climate Change Task Force. He serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
###