Earthjustice Statement on Republican Plans to Slash Environmental and Social Safety Net Programs

Today, House Energy and Commerce Republicans finished a markup of their portion of the budget reconciliation bill. The bill would make deep cuts to programs from the Inflation Reduction Act that help reduce pollution in communities across the country. Similar to legislation passed by the House Natural Resources Committee, the bill creates a ‘pay-to-pollute’ provision that would allow project sponsors of major projects to pay a special rate for expedited environmental review with limited judicial review. The bill’s cuts to Medicaid would kick over 10 million people off of health insurance.

Following the markup, Earthjustice Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García issued the following statement:

“The Republican reconciliation bill plunders wildly popular programs that reduce pollution, lower energy costs, and improve health outcomes. While Republican billionaire supporters and polluting industries CEOs reap the benefits, everyday people are left with crumbs. Not content with robbing the public of a cleaner future, they are also trying to shield polluting industries from scrutiny and accountability, attempting to eviscerate the rule of law, and giving the Trump administration the ability to approve any project it wants without any check or oversight.”

Additional Resources on the Bill’s Key Provisions

Defunding and Delaying the Implementation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program: Over 50 organizations sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee expressing opposition to language in the bill that will delay MERP, a program established by the Inflation Reduction Act that imposed a fee on companies for each ton of wasted methane that exceeds specified thresholds. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the program would generate $8.47 billion in revenue.

Rescinding Inflation Reduction Act Funds for Environmental Justice Programs: A coalition of environmental, civil rights, and justice organizations sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee opposing the rescission of funding for life-saving programs investing in air monitoring and cleaning up toxic pollution in communities facing disproportionate impacts of environmental injustices.

Expediting Approvals of Liquefied Methane Gas Exports and Gas Infrastructure Projects Through a “Pay-To-Pollute” Scheme: Over 25 organizations sent a letter opposing the provisions of the bill to expedite and automatically approve the expansion of liquified methane gas, expedite the permitting process for projects, and restrict judicial review. The bill amends the Natural Gas Act to allow companies to pay a fee of $10 million or 1% of construction costs for expedited environmental review. It also limits judicial review of projects to 180 days.

The Equitable and Just National Climate Platform sent a letter opposing the bill’s cuts to environmental justice programs like the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants, Clean Ports Program, Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, and air monitoring programs.

Groups from the Climate Action Campaign sent a letter opposing efforts to rescind Inflation Reduction Act funding, jeopardize public health protections, and repeal fuel efficiency and air pollution standards.