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In response to a slew of anti-environmental appropriations bills, including the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies FY 2026 Bills, Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) issued the following statement:
Washington, D.C. – Increased food, water, air, and economic insecurity already await us thanks to Trump’s recently passed reconciliation bill; impacts that will soon be felt by working families across the political spectrum. On top of that, newly marked-up appropriations bills pave the way for a level of harm we haven’t seen in generations; a recipe for disaster is being legislated.
If enacted, these bills would mean devastation for millions of people. Communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and those already grappling with extreme weather, will see health, economic, and environmental conditions deteriorate further.
Rolling back critical protections, including vehicle and methane emissions regulations, sewage sludge risk assessments, regulations that address air pollution emissions from power plants and the crude oil and gas sectors, hazardous waste regulations, and vehicle emissions fuel standards, among many others, is ill-intentioned. The consequences will ripple into every zip code, threatening public health and safety nationwide.
The bills also include dangerous language that could legislate discrimination. “Slashing funds that support climate and clean energy projects for Indigenous Peoples, Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and poor white communities serves absolutely no one and will only make us sicker. At the same time, the bills prohibit funds for diversity, equity and inclusion while essentially giving a green light to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people in the name of religious freedom. This is a violation of human rights and a show of lack of decency and must be opposed in the strongest of terms,” said KD Chavez, CJA executive director.
If these provisions are included in the final FY26 appropriations package, community health and wealth will be sacrificed for polluters’ profits. Chronic illness rates are likely to rise, especially for those living in close proximity to industry, airports, shipping ports, and vehicle distribution centers and routes. Weakening agencies like the EPA and dismantling foundational environmental protections will only saddle families with higher medical costs.
The proposed sweeping rollbacks of the EPA and vital environmental and public health protections violate our rights. Gutting programs that ensure communities have access to clean air, water, and land breaches the EPA’s mission and the obligation of the agency and administration to safeguard our health and environment.
As if it weren’t enough, the rollbacks remove accountability for polluters at the expense of our rights, health, Indigenous sovereignty, and future. This is another token prize to shield polluters from accountability and fill billionaires’ pockets at the expense of our home, Mother Earth, and human dignity.
Additionally, by opening up the public lands–including sacred sites and protected areas stewarded by Indigenous communities– to fossil fuel companies for expanded mining, drilling and extraction, lawmakers are not only accelerating the climate crisis, but also violating Tribal sovereignty and desecrating lands that hold deep cultural and spiritual significance. These actions raise utility costs for hard-working families while enriching polluters. Instead of providing giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, Congress should be safeguarding public health, respecting Indigenous rights, and investing in safe, reliable, community-led renewable energy solutions.
These anti-people, anti-environment riders have no place in any final appropriations bill and must be rejected. The protection of our communities, our planet, and the sovereign rights of Indian Country are long overdue.
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