By CAP Action War Room

A First Look At The Fossil-Fuel And Anti-Environment Agenda Of The Next Congress

Much of the post-election conversation has centered on what Republicans will do with control of both chambers of Congress, with much of the attention focusing on immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act. But a new Center for American Progress report takes a first look at how the new Republican Senate will help the fossil-fuel industry while attacking America’s public lands. The GOP has been vocal about its promise to deliver the Keystone XL pipeline and stop the Obama administration’s rules to cut carbon pollution proposed in the Clean Power Plan. But Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)—who called climate change “the greatest hoax ever” and will likely chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee—has also promised to “file challenges against every final EPA rule.” In addition to these expected attacks on the EPA’s authority to protect clean air and water, CAP’s report details four broad priorities for Republican leaders in the House and Senate for energy and environmental policy:

1. Fast Track Exports of U.S. Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas to Foreign Markets. Republicans’ top priority will likely be growing the export of American oil, natural gas and coal. They will likely fast track the permit process for liquid natural gas exports, try to remove a ban on crude oil exports, and work to bypass local opposition to planned export terminals along the West Coast that would expand shipments of coal to Asian markets.

2. Halt the Creation of New Parks and Wilderness Areas. With the exception of one bill passed earlier this year, Congress has not protected a single new acre of public land since 2009—creating the longest moratorium on new parks since World War II. The trend of congressmen beholden to oil and gas companies blocking protections for monuments, wilderness and other public lands is likely to continue. Congress will also likely attempt to repeal the president’s authority — which Obama has utilized — to create national monuments by gutting the 1906 Antiquities Act.

3. Roll Back Investments in Renewable Energy. Oil and gas industry giants, along with the Koch brothers will pressure Congress to stall the growth of renewable energy production by discontinuing or overturning existing policies encouraging the use of renewable energy sources. These could include attempts to end or scale back renewable fuel standards for vehicles, tax incentives for wind energy production, and overturning a law that prohibits the federal government from procuring especially dirty fuels.

4. Open the Atlantic Ocean and Environmentally Sensitive Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling. Senate Republicans will to work hard to expand oil and gas drilling on federal land by bypassing environmental laws and public review and comment periods. The House passed a similar bill earlier this year.

Despite the successes of anti-environment Republican candidates, voters across the country overwhelming supported conservation this election. Voters in 19 states committed $13 billion to land conservation by approving 35 ballot measures — a result that underscores the disconnect between the agenda of the new Congress and where Americans actually stand on the environment.

BOTTOM LINE: Republicans have proven that they are beholden to the oil and gas industry, and with control of both chambers they will likely advance policies that will benefit the oil and gas giants, no matter the cost to the environment and future generations. Under the leadership of dirty energy giants, the 114th Congress will likely pass harmful legislation that could set back the clock on what progress has been made in combating the effects of global climate change.

Yesterday, millions of Americans cast their ballots. Republicans had a good night, and I congratulate all the candidates who won.

But what stands out to me is that the message Americans sent yesterday is one you’ve sent for several elections in a row now. You expect the people you elect to work as hard as you do. You expect us to focus on your ambitions — not ours — and you want us to get the job done. Period.

I plan on spending every moment of the next two years rolling up my sleeves and working as hard as I can for the American people. This country has made real and undeniable progress in the six years since the 2008 economic crisis. But our work will not be done until every single American feels the gains of a growing economy where it matters most: in your own lives.

While I’m sure we’ll continue to disagree on some issues that we’re passionate about, I’m eager to work with Congress over the next two years to get the job done. The challenges that lay ahead of us are far too important to allow partisanship or ideology to prevent our progress as a nation.

As we make progress, I’ll need your help, too. Over the weeks and months ahead, I’ll be looking to Americans like you, asking you to stay engaged.

I am optimistic about our future. Because for all the maps plastered across our screens today, for all the cynics who say otherwise, we are more than a simple collection of red and blue states. We are the United States.

And yesterday, millions of Americans — Democrats and Republicans, women and men, young and old, black and white — took the time out of their day to perform a simple, profound act of citizenship. That’s something we shouldn’t forget amid the din of political commentary. Because making progress starts with showing up.

Let’s get to work.

President Barack Obama

Since the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, BP and federal agencies have claimed that much of the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico simply “disappeared.” But recently, researchers discovered a massive, oily “bathtub ring” the size of Rhode Island on the Gulf’s deep ocean floor.

It’s now clear that the federal oil spill response was poorly planned, haphazard, and largely ineffective. This discovery highlights the alarming fact that the EPA still has not issued stronger protections to make sure that oil spill response techniques—such as the use of potentially toxic chemical dispersants despite lack of knowledge about their health and safety effects—are safer and more effective.

We have a chance to make sure this outrageous failure isn’t repeated. While the EPA has proposed stronger protections for chemical dispersants, it is still waiting for the Office of Management and Budget to move forward.

Let’s end the wait and ensure that companies like BP can’t just dump secret, toxic chemicals on oil spill disasters and call it a day.

Earthjustice has been fighting in court since the BP disaster to force the EPA to fulfill requirements mandated by the Clean Water Act for chemical dispersants. But we need widespread public urgency to move these protections forward.

Tell the Office of Management and Budget and the EPA to propose new safeguards for toxic dispersants now.

Toxic dispersants were used in response to the Gulf oil disaster without prior understanding of their effects on the marine ecosystems and human health. And Earthjustice had to sue to ensure that information about the dispersants—including their chemical ingredients—wasn’t kept secret.

EPA’s failure to have adequate dispersant protections in place was one of the many causes of the confusion, concern, and uncertainty surrounding the response to the BP disaster in 2010.

As the federal government and BP waffled on dispersant use in the middle of the crisis, it became apparent how little testing and study had been done beforehand. Even then, former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson readily acknowledged the agency’s lack of knowledge about dispersants. The result was a poorly planned, haphazard response, the effects of which—such as the recently discovered oil ring the size of Rhode Island—will be felt for years to come.

Please take action today to ensure stronger safeguards from toxic chemical dispersants like the ones used in the BP oil spill.

Take Action Now: http://action.earthjustice.org/oil-dispersants 

Sincerely,

Marianne Engelman Lado
Managing Attorney

Join me in asking Facebook to add physical appearance as an official category protected against hate speech.