Washington, D.C. — In response to the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 through the House of Representatives, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Legislative Representative Laura Forero:

“Thanks to Chairman Smith and House leadership for taking steps towards ensuring that our military installations do not uphold a legacy of white supremacy and Anti-Blackness which has caused so much pain to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The bill’s many pro-environment provisions, including those protecting our public lands and natural heritage, safeguarding our clean air and water, prohibiting the detrimental effects of new and unnecessary nuclear testing, and improving our resiliency to the climate crisis, demonstrate that we do not have to sacrifice our communities and the environment for national security.

“President Trump’s threat to veto this bill in order to preserve the names of military bases honoring Confederate racists and traitors is another outrageous demonstration of how out of touch he is with our country’s reckoning on racial justice. Ahead of a conference with the Senate later this year, we urge negotiators to preserve the provisions that invest in healthy and safe communities, rename military installations currently honoring Confederate generals, and protect our public lands and waters from Big Polluters.”

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