EJ Movement Defeats the Energy Permitting Reform Act

This Dirty Deal Would Have Harmed Communities

We won! The dirty deal is dead! Together, we have protected our right to clean air and water in our communities. Yet again, we DEFEATED a policy that would have fast-tracked dirty energy development at the people’s expense. Thanks to frontline communities and our collective sustained efforts within the environmental and climate justice movements to oppose this harmful policy; this is the FOURTH time we have said NO to a dirty deal that aimed to strip away environmental protections for us all. Now more than ever, we are reminded that we are stronger together and must remain steadfast and united against any attempts to further erode our rights in the new year.

KD Chavez

Executive Director, Climate Justice Alliance

When Senator Joe Manchin Pushed a Dirty Deal in Congress That Would Have Hurt Us All, the Environmental Justice Movement and Legislators Pushed Back and Won.

You told Congress to oppose the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 in any form it may take, and Congress listened. Click here to read the Climate Justice Alliance statement.

Against the interest of the greater good, this deal was a reincarnation of previous attempts by Big Oil to skirt the permitting process with the help of national legislators in their pockets. And we need to hold onto any and all hard-fought environmental protections (really, environmental protections are people protections, public health protections, economic protections) that we can, while also building community-led energy solutions that do not exacerbate climate change, cumulative impacts on overburdened communities, or global exploitation.

Communities have fought loosening permitting restrictions in its multiple iterations and, rightfully, won – there are already too many ways fossil fuel companies dodge full accountability for the harms they cause. Harmful policy that has been overwhelmingly opposed year after year, should not be shoved down our throats at the whims of companies that do not mind destroying our neighborhoods, our water, our air, and our planet, for a few dollars in their bank accounts today.

A key nuance: We’re not against all permitting “reform” (see our positive permitting vision) — we’re against Big Oil co-opting our government to serve their purposes.

The only beneficiary would have been big business.

EPRA woud have laid the groundwork to fast track dirty and polluting industry.
EPRA would have dismantled bedrock legislation like the National Environmental Policy Act that protects communities by ensuring we have recourse against polluting industry. Shortening judicial review helps no one except big business.
EPRA would have undermined climate and energy goals by creating loopholes for unproven and dangerous technologies as it expands fossil fuel abuse of public lands.
EPRA wouldn’t have addressed the backlog of renewable energy projects.