WASHINGTON— Nearly 250 climate, environmental, health and human rights groups called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today to publicly reject all permitting reform legislation that reverses or alters environmental laws for the remainder of the 118th Congress.

While Schumer has stated that so-called “permitting reform” legislation championed by Sens. Joe Manchin and John Barrasso is unlikely to be considered before the election, he has not ruled out its consideration during the “lame duck” period between the election and the start of the 119th Congress in January. Nor has Schumer rejected the underlying premise or merits of Manchin’s efforts.

“Weakening our bedrock environmental protection laws doesn’t help renewable energy. It only serves to enrich the fossil fuel industry,” said Camden Weber, climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Permitting reform is one of the most insidious euphemisms on Capitol Hill. Sen. Manchin and other climate villains keep locking in fossil fuels dominance while far too many members of Congress are letting the wool be pulled over their eyes about the real results of permitting reform.”

Today’s letter notes that the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 weakened the National Environmental Policy Act, including limiting the time the agency must complete environmental impact assessments to two years and allowing industries to sue over missed deadlines. Since the FRA’s passage, the only lawsuit seeking to expedite a NEPA review was filed by Signal Peak Energy, a Montana coal company.

A national study from the University of Texas found that from 2010 to 2021, less than 5% of wind and solar projects required a comprehensive environmental review under NEPA.

The letter, signed by the Center, Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, and Oil Change International, also notes that not a single hearing has been held to assess the consequences of permitting reform within the FRA.

“Congress should thoughtfully examine whether the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 has harmed frontline communities and whether it has affected the transition to renewable energy before gutting our environmental laws any further,” said Weber. “It’s beyond disheartening that senators continue to advocate for permitting reform when they haven’t even evaluated the real-world consequences.”