Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON D.C.-- The House today passed the FY2021 Minibus 1. The bill increases funding for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency and includes provisions to protect and prioritize public health, while supporting environmental programs to address climate change,safeguard clean water and invest in green infrastructure. Also included are specific provisions for fighting racism, increasing environmental justice activities and funding research into the role of protecting wildlife and wild places to prevent future pandemics.
In response Sierra Club Deputy Legislative Director Kirin Kennedy released the following statement.
“We applaud the House for passing a budget that puts people, not corporate polluters, first. The funding approved today will help safeguard clean air, clean water and wildlife, while providing support for those bearing the brunt of the current pandemic, worsened by environmental injustice. Funding the agencies and programs that keep our communities safe and healthy is paramount. We urge the Senate to quickly follow the House in approving this vital funding.”
BILL HIGHLIGHTS:
Environmental Protection Agency -- Blocks the Trump Administration’s attempted rollbacks to particulate matter clean air safeguards that would have further harmed communities of color who are already suffering disproportionately high death rates due to toxic pollution. Includes dedicated funding for environmental justice activities, additional funding for compliance and enforcement, funding for PFAS protections, replenishes Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and includes additional funds for Brownfield cleanups.
U.S. Department of the Interior -- Increased funding for wildlife and land conservation; limits seismic testing for offshore oil and gas drilling; prevents funds from being used for oil and gas leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in special areas of the Western Arctic.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- Increased funding to help conserve wildlife, stop wildlife trafficking, and research zoonotic diseases to prevent future pandemics.
National Park Service -- Mandates the removal of all physical Confederate commemorative works and requires an inventory of assets under the agency's purview named for Confederate figures; includes funding for the Historic Preservation Fund to preserve underrepresented civil rights sites, grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices.
U.S. Forest Service -- Raises funding above FY 2020 levels for wildfire management; preserves roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.