On June 4th, the President of the United States signed the executive order "Accelerating the Nation's Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Emergency by Expediting Infrastructure Investments and Other Activities." Among many changes, this legislation minimizes the restrictions that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has on large construction projects such as highways. According to EPA, "NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions." The executive order would allow for less resistance and an overall faster process in permitting infrastructure developments.

 

In March, when news circulated about the potential reduction of NEPA, the association submitted formal comments that opposed that notion. ASLA President, Wendy Miller, said regarding those comments, "ASLA strongly opposes any attempts by the administration to weaken NEPA. This long-standing environmental law makes certain that when the government has a major project in the works, our air stays clean, our water stays safe, our ecosystems remain intact, and our communities don't suffer. Weakening those protections in the midst of the global climate crisis is completely irresponsible."

The news of the executive order was not received well by ASLA as they issued a statement announcing their disapproval in the President's decision. They claim that the President was using the pandemic as an excuse to pass this order. They explained how the changes could have negative consequences in saying, "This decision will only cause more damage to the environment, hurt underserved communities, and magnify the consequences of the ongoing climate crisis. ASLA urges the president to rescind this unconscionable and destructive order."

https://www.asla.org/NewsReleaseDetails.aspx?id=57697