Copy
Your source for working together to make water policies and projects environmentally and economically sound.
Glossy and white ibis, Everglades National Park, Florida. Photo: National Park Service.
Our best wishes for good health and well-being go out to all of you, your friends, families, and colleagues in these challenging times. As we are all working to adapt to these unprecedented circumstances, we have been heartened to see the outpouring of support and compassion from Water Protection Network members and the larger community. 

In addition to providing updates on key water resources issues, this email also provides links to resources designed to help your organizations and families during this pandemic. Please reach out to us at rubini@nwf.org if you have similar resources that you would like to share with the network, or suggestions for actions the network can take to help support your work during this national emergency.

Table of Contents

Federal Policy Update


As people around the country and the world are adapting because of the ongoing pandemic, so too are Members of Congress and staff. On March 27th, Congress passed and the president signed into law a $2 trillion stimulus package - the third legislative response to the COVID-19 pandemic. House leaders are now planning for a fourth package, that will likely focus on additional direct payments to individuals and expanded loans to businesses. Later bills may feature a heavier focus on infrastructure, including water infrastructure. Congress is currently on recess without a definitive end date, although a previously scheduled break would have them return to Capitol Hill on April 20.

Despite the recess, Congressional staff continue to work on the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), the bill that authorizes projects and policy changes for the Corps of Engineers. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held a hearing for member requests on February 27th. You can find a video of the hearing, as well as links to members' written requests on this page. The next hearing on the 2020 WRDA is tentatively planned for April 22nd. Click here to read about the Water Protection Network priorities for WRDA 2020.
 

Administration Continues Its Attacks on Environmental and Public Health Protections


Despite the current public health crisis, the Trump administration continues to push forward drastic rollbacks to critical protections for both the environment and public health:
 

EPA issues proposed rule undermining science-based decision-making

At a time when the importance of sound science-based decision-making is painfully clear, the Trump administration has proposed a rule that would impose sweeping restrictions on the types of scientific studies that can inform the regulatory decision-making process. Instead of "strengthening transparency" as the proposal claims to do, it is instead designed to "keep highly respected and peer-reviewed scientific studies from informing government decisions on public health and environmental protection" (Bruce Stein, NWF).

EPA waives enforcement of public health and environmental protections

On March 26th, the EPA announced that it will not enforce many critical environmental and public health regulations, even when communities are already suffering a public health crisis on top of ongoing environmental harms. The sweeping directive came after the oil and gas industry and other industries requested that the EPA suspend enforcement of health and environmental regulations. There is no set end date for the EPA's directive. Meanwhile, "the EPA has said it will go on with 'business as usual' for its regulations."

Recent relief package waives NEPA requirements

The $2 trillion COVID-19 response package that became law on March 27th included a provision that waives National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for federal acquisition or improvements to lands and buildings “in response to coronavirus” with no set end date for the waiver. This waiver is both dangerous and unnecessary as NEPA does not stand in the way of emergency response activities. When agencies are required to take immediate action to secure the lives and safety of people in our communities, NEPA provides for alternative arrangements for compliance. Most agencies have regulations that explicitly outline the NEPA procedures to be used when responding to emergencies. The Stafford Act also explicitly allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide immediate relief without conducting NEPA analysis.
 

Corps of Engineers continues public comment periods despite public participation limits

The Corps of Engineers is continuing public comment periods without extending the vast majority of them, while also issuing new public notices, despite the ongoing public health crisis that makes it difficult and unsafe for the public to provide input as usual. As of March 27th, the Corps had more than 200 open comment periods. 79 organizations - about half of which are WPN members - joined this group letter, coordinated by WPN member Friends of the Earth, to demand that the Corps holds open current commenting opportunities, refrains from opening new ones, and postpones public hearings until it is safe for the public to gather. Read the press release here about the letter that was sent on April 2nd.

331 Groups Oppose Attacks on Public Input & Environmental Reviews

Thank you for fighting to protect NEPA!


On March 10th, the public comment period closed on the Trump administration's proposal to undermine critical protections provided by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Thank you to all of the Water Protection Network members and partners that joined us in fighting this attack on public input and informed decision-making for major federal actions that impact natural resources and public health. While the fight to protect NEPA and the public's health and voice is far from over, there is a lot of work from recent months to be proud of, including:
  • This group letter led by the WPN and signed by 331 conservation, health, and justice organizations and businesses urging the Council on Environmental Quality to withdraw the proposed rollbacks. Click here for a list of the signatories. Many WPN members also signed on to additional group letters.
  • About half a million individual comments submitted against the rollbacks, thanks to the efforts of many organizations including WPN members.
  • Comment letters submitted against the rollbacks by hundreds of organizations. The letters submitted by WPN members include extensive detailed technical comments by the National Wildlife Federation, NRDC, and Southern Environmental Law Center, and many more individual organization letters and group letters. Click here to access a library, put together by the Partnership Project, of more than 400 technical comments submitted by organizations ranging from the fossil fuel industry to environmental organizations. 
  • A diverse group of people testified, rallied, and found creative ways to make their voices heard at the two public hearings that were held in Denver and Washington, DC, despite CEQ's disturbing attempts to limit public participation in the hearings.
  • Robust media engagement through social media, blogs, op-eds, letters to the editor, local public news stories as well as national news articles, and more. Click here for new messaging guidance from STG about NEPA and public health in the time of the pandemic.

Resources for People and Nonprofits in the Pandemic

 
If you would like to share or request news, resources, or something else in future WPN Updates, please email rubini@nwf.org.

More News & Resources

Recent Public Notices


The list below is non-comprehensive list of Corps of Engineers public notices from the Federal Register and Corps district websites, and select notices from other federal agencies. Please visit FederalRegister.gov, Corps division and district websites, and other federal agencies' websites for additional public notices. Click here for examples of comments and letters submitted to the Corps by WPN members.
 

Corps of Engineers Notices

Other Agency Notices
WaterProtectionNetwork.org
Copyright © 2020 The Water Protection Network, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp