Senate bill 5653 would weaken some of our nation's most important public-interest laws in the name of "streamlining," including the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. It would also limit meaningful judicial oversight and reduce the public's ability to challenge unlawful decisions.
The most alarming provisions target Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, one of the federal government's most effective tools for protecting historic places, Tribal cultural resources, and community voices. S. 5653 would narrow what projects receive review. Historic neighborhoods, sacred sites, battlefields, and local landmarks could be harmed before communities have a meaningful chance to be heard.
Americans do not need less accountability. We need agencies with the staff and resources to conduct timely reviews while respecting the people and places affected by federal decisions. We can build infrastructure and energy projects without silencing Tribal Nations, undermining public participation, or sacrificing irreplaceable historic and environmental resources.
Nearly sixty years after the National Historic Preservation Act and our landmark environmental laws were enacted to ensure Americans have a voice in decisions affecting their heritage and communities, Congress should be working to strengthen those laws, not weaken them. Reject the Section 106 provisions and vote NO on S. 5653!
First sent on November 10 by Karla
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