TELL CONGRESS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES

Send an email to Congress telling them to do the right thing and OPPOSE the Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) of 2024, which fast tracks fossil fuel projects by eliminating community decision-making power.

This dirty deal, which has been pushed by Sen. Manchin multiple times and defeated through the organizing efforts of communities, directly benefits fossil fuel companies at the expense of communities, taking away our right to protect our communities from development that we don’t want. Read more about the harms of EPRA in this factsheet.

While we already knew it could be brought for a vote this fall or slipped into must-pass legislation, Congress might be succumbing to the pressure of fossil fuel lobbyists and we MUST remind them who they work for.

Fossil fuel companies and their beneficiaries in Congress want to make the permitting bill sound innocuous, if not advantageous, so our legislators feel like they’re doing the right thing, but let’s break down what “making it easier to build energy projects” means to communities:

The “energy projects” the bill predominantly supports are fossil fuel projects, which will create pollution with wide-ranging and long-term health impacts in already overburdened communities, exacerbate climate change, and deepen our dependence on fossil fuels. Some might argue that the bill includes support for some potential renewable infrastructure (in a problematic way), but that just paints over the fact that the crux of the bill serves fossil fuel expansion and takes away community rights, which will result in overburdened communities being sacrificed again.
The bill “makes it easier” to build “energy projects” by making it harder for communities to decide what happens in their own neighborhoods: it strips communities of our right to public participation and self-determination.
The bill “makes it easier” to build “energy projects” by gutting the National Environmental Policy Act, which was designed to protect communities and give us some way to hold polluting industries accountable for their harms.

We must keep reminding Congress not to succumb to peer pressure because they SERVE THE PEOPLE! They have a real opportunity to put people first and transform the energy sector, rather than supporting more profits for oil and gas companies through this dirty deal.

Remind Congress Who They Work For

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Dear [recipient position will go here] [recipient name will go here],

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Please do the right thing and oppose the Manchin/Barrasso Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 in whatever form it may take during the lame duck session. If passed it would significantly weaken permitting regulations that exist to protect my right to clean air, clean water, and leading a dignified life. We need bold leadership now, nothing less.

There is nothing good about stripping away my community’s right to protect itself against toxic and polluting industries by taking away the established due process of scrutiny, community input, and environmental analysis that are integral to keeping developers accountable to the places on which they operate. We have seen time and again that unscrupulous entities will sacrifice the long-term health and prosperity of this country for the short-term economic gain of a few.

EPRA essentially forces environmental justice communities to choose between building out transmission lines for potential renewable energy AND dangerous permitting decisions; leading the most vulnerable communities to be harmed through the continuation of historically unjust practices. We can’t keep sacrificing the most overburdened communities for the profits of a few. Moreover, the net benefits some argue could occur are actually based on faulty modeling and would not slow down greenhouse gas emissions with the expansion of oil and gas this bill requires.

As a strong defender of individual liberties, communities’ rights, and a thriving [your jurisdiction will go here], I urge you to stand with constituents and oppose this latest attempt to weaken the few safeguards that our communities have in the face of industry. Why would we give a head start to those who are waiting to give free reign to dirty industry in the new year?

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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