WASHINGTON, DC – In anticipation of planned votes by the House of Representatives this week, LCV Legislative Director Sara Chieffo issued the following statement. This week, the House is expected to bring the anti-environment Energy and Water Appropriations bill to the floor for a vote, likely to be followed by a vote on Rep. Shuster’s bill to block the EPA and Army Corps’ draft Clean Water Rule.  Separately, the Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to vote on Rep. Whitfield’s bill to block implementation of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants. Rep. Rob Bishop is also using the mark-up of the Defense Authorization bill in the Armed Services Committee to sneak through a non-germane provision that would undermine the Endangered Species Act and future protections for the greater sage-grouse.

“The House Republican leadership is clearly committed to a break-neck pace of attacks on core environmental protections. Even before reaching a final agreement on the overall budget for the whole government, the House is sprinting to vote on an egregious Energy and Water spending bill that attacks clean water, cuts clean energy investments, and boosts dirty energy funding.  At the same time, these efforts from Reps. Whitfield, Shuster, and Bishop make it clear they are committed to protecting polluters at the expense of our health, our climate, and our wildlife.”

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