WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, Sierra Club joined Congressional and Gwich’in tribal leaders to decry the current attempt to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling as part of the tax scheme. The effort would attempt to offsets tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate polluters with revenue from drilling in one of the country’s last wild places -- a move that the Senate Parliamentarian has said violates Senate rules.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted to advance the nominations of Kathleen Hartnett-White for Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Andrew Wheeler for Deputy Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along party lines.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed a bill ordering public forest lands turned over to a private mining company. The bill, HR 3115, would expedite the exchange of National Forest land with PolyMet Mining Corporation for an open pit copper-nickel sulfide ore mine -- bypassing issues with the environmental analysis, value of the land appraisal, and ongoing public challenges.
Vet Voice Foundation and Sierra Club Military Outdoors today launched ads in the districts of Representatives Mast and Zeldin, urging them to oppose the current tax scheme being considered by Congress. The tax plan aims to offset tax cuts for corporate polluters by raising revenue through allowing oil companies to conduct dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The ads make clear that the tax bill’s steps to open the door to drilling the Arctic Refuge and a vote for the passage of the bill itself are unacceptable.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill essentially removing the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski last night introduced a bill that would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, Andrew Wheeler, nominee for Deputy Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, and Kathleen Hartnett-White, nominee for Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
During the hearing, Wheeler and Hartnett-White repeatedly dodged answers to questions and denied the impacts of human activities on climate change and of pollution on human health.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Republicans unveiled another effort to funnel millions more into the pockets of corporate polluters, this time in the form of tax legislation that includes billions in giveaways for corporate polluters, millionaires, and billionaires, while endangering programs that protect the health and safety of American families and ending tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles and interfering with tax credits for wind and solar energy.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the AP reported that Sam Clovis, Donald Trump’s nominee for the Department of Agriculture’s Chief Science Adviser decided to withdraw his nomination.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the FY18 budget resolution (216-212) which advances drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The House Natural Resources Committee today will take up legislation by Rep. Bishop that would essentially gut the Antiquities Act. The bill, HR 3990, would create a de-facto ‘no more parks’ policy. The legislation is a continuation of the Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to sell out public lands to corporate polluters-- attempts also to be addressed by the committee today as it takes up legislation from Rep. Grijalva, H. Res. 555, to force President Trump and Interior Secretary Zinke to make public information related to Zinke’s sham review of national monuments across the country.
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made a statement that federal tax credits for the wind and solar industries should be eliminated.
In response, Jodie Van Horn, Director of Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Campaign, released the following statement: