What Environmental Protection?

Signed into law by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago in 1970, the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)  is considered to be the bedrock of environmental safeguards in the US. Under the law, federal agencies are required to be transparent and consult with the public before embarking on infrastructure projects that could impact the environment.

Trump has announced alterations to allow projects to go ahead with less oversight.  The changes amount to the dismantling of the 50-year-old law and are a giveaway to polluters. Under the changes unveiled by Trump, the time window for the review process will be shortened. This will speed up approval for projects such as mines, roads, pipelines and power plants. Environmentalists have condemned the changes as a cynical attempt to avoid scrutiny and circumvent the communities most affected by pipelines and other projects.

The Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group, said the move will "weaken safeguards for air, water, wildlife and public lands".

The announced changes are part of a much broader environmental rollback directed by the president, who has appealed for electoral support from America's beleaguered mining and farming communities.

Since taking office in 2016, Mr Trump has slashed regulations on oil and gas development, weakened fuel emission standards for automobiles and proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act - a law credited with keeping hundreds of species from going extinct. So far, the administration has rolled back more than 100 environmental rules, according to New York Times analysis.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53425238