Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Proposed rollbacks to National Environmental Policy Act would limit public and scientific input into endangered species, public lands and resources management.
April 11, 2019
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is under attack again. New regulations expected this spring would weaken ptotections for the environment, public health and safety, as well as requirements for public oversight of how public funds, lands and resources are managed.
NEPA is one of our most important and effective laws. It was signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1970 to
promote safe and science based federal decisions and actions. NEPA also ensures that federal agencies and the public are fully informed of any environmental impacts prior to major government actions. These include potential impacts to
public health and safety, rare and endangered species, and air and water quality.
NEPA accomplishes this through analyses which assess the environmental impacts of federal projects such as logging, oil and gas extraction, mining, dams, and roads.
These analyses solicit input from scientific experts, affected stakeholders and the public. Agencies must disclose their findings publicly before undertaking projects that may significantly affect the environment.
NEPA is particularly important for plants. Some federal agencies do not have sufficient botanical expertise to accurately evaluate impacts to plants. Review by native plant societies and other local experts may the only botanical review some federal projects receive. Local experts often bring rare and endangered plant populations to the attention of project designers. They also contribute information about potential threats from invasive non native plants and other specialized knowledge about the local environment.
NEPA has always drawn strong opposition. It can hinder lucrative projects if they would adversely impact public health or the environment. This makes it a target for many.
On June 20, 2018, the Trump administration announced plans to re-examine NEPA’s implementing regulations. New regulations are expected to be released sometime this spring. The Native Plant Conservation Campaign will work with partners to keep you up to date and help you to oppose dangerous changes to NEPA.
You can oppose these attacks on NEPA and its requirements for scientific review and public participation in federal decisionmaking:
Project NEPA has also provided a
toolkit and PowerPoint presentation which offer talking points, history of the law, success stories, sample letters to the editor and much more.
Other benefits of NEPA include:
- NEPA gives local communities a voice in federal project planning by giving them opportunities to inform agencies of concerns about the potential adverse impacts.
- NEPA requires that federal agencies consider alternatives, including those proposed by the public, which would reduce environmental impacts, and that they justify any adverse impacts of proposed projects.
- NEPA allows Native Americans to inform agencies so sacred sites or areas where important plants are collected can be protected from damage or destruction by federal actions.
Photo: Gold Mine on Bureau of Land Management Land
