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Halloween might make most people think of ghosts, monsters, haunted houses, and spooky ghouls. But here in Washington, D.C., we're thinking about a number of very scary thing happening in Congress right now! Polluted water and air! More climate change! More oil drilling! More coal burning! *shrieks*
Here's our list of Five Scary Things Congress is Doing Right Now
1. Trying to stop progress in tackling the climate crisis - Last week, the Clean Power Plan hit the Federal Register, which immediately spawned a slew of polluter-backed lawsuits and legislative attacks by climate deniers in Congress. In the spirit of Halloween and loving dead things – maybe the big polluters would love a dead planet? (You can help stop the attacks right here)
2. Letting the Land and Water Conservation Fund expire – Speaking of dead things, some in Congress let the incredibly successful Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expire! Established by Congress in 1964 to ensure access to outdoor recreation resources for present and future generations, it provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. It’s got bipartisan support - yet still, some in Congress want it to die.
3. Scare in the air - Big polluters and their friends in Congress just love dirty air! They love it so much that they’ve acted more than once in the past week to block new clean air protections against smog pollution that the EPA announced back on October 1. The House Science committee even questioned whether asthma attacks and smog pollution are connected! It makes us scream with fright (and frustration, to be honest).
4. Attempting to end the ban on crude oil exports - The House of Representatives already voted to end this 40-year-old ban and now it's on to the Senate. "Lifting the crude oil export ban would be a boon for the oil industry, it would be a blow to America’s wild places, the world’s climate, American jobs and our pocketbooks." (Tell your senators to vote NO on lifting the ban)
5. Roads, Roads, Roads - The House Transportation Committee would like you to shuffle around aimlessly like a zombie…a zombie in a car, that is. Their new bill would expand highway projects – with less public input – and hobble public transit projects.
What's sad –- and yes, scary -– is that this is just a short list of the scary work that some in Congress are hell-bent on. Instead of treating us with climate action and solid clean air and water bills to protect public health, they're trying to trick the masses into dirty air and water, more oil drilling, more climate change, and more car-clogged highways. This is one scary movie we’re all working together to make sure has a happy ending.