Washington, DC: In response to the introduction of the omnibus appropriations bill, the League of Conservation Voters issued the following statement from Gene Karpinski, president:

“This spending bill is a repudiation of President Trump’s extreme budget cuts. It recognizes that we need more investments—not fewer—to protect public health, boost our outdoor recreation economy, and grow clean energy jobs. Administrator Pruitt’s efforts to dismantle the EPA, Secretary Zinke’s proposal to gut the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Secretary Perry’s plan to decimate clean energy research are thoroughly rejected in this bill –that’s a win for communities across the country, and we hope this trend continues in the coming years.

“We thank the Democratic leadership for their success in boosting investments for a brighter future for our kids and fighting off a raft of anti-environmental and other nefarious policy riders. At the same time, it is unfortunate that Republican leaders were able to insert some anti-environmental and other harmful policy riders that simply have no place in a spending bill while securing some funding for anti-environmental border fencing and levees and continuing to block protections for Dreamers.”

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