Today, Democratic lawmakers released the text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill did not include provisions of Senator Manchin’s dirty permitting deal, despite numerous reports of a last-ditch effort by Democratic leadership to include it. After the release of the text, Earthjustice President Abigail Dillenissued the following statement:

“The dirty permitting deal did not belong in the NDAA, or any other must-pass legislation, and we are pleased that it was not included in the latest text. We are grateful to the many Members of Congress who have made their opposition clear to a bill that would set back progress on environmental justice and climate solutions. We cannot afford to build our clean energy transition on an unjust foundation that silences communities of color and low-income communities that tend to bear the disparate burden of polluting industries. Any bill that advances fossil fuels and goes so far as to legislate approval of a massive gas pipeline is impossible to reconcile with climate imperatives.

“I am also encouraged by the unity displayed by our movement in such dire circumstances. Led by environmental justice communities, our message has been clear: no more sacrificed communities. We are relieved that this dirty deal will not inflict harm on those already overburdened communities. We urge Democratic leadership to stop this bill once and for all, but we remain ready to fight it — shoulder to shoulder with our community partners — as many times as we must.”