Congress is considering legislation that could speed up renewable energy projects in exchange for increasing offshore drilling, offering more of our public lands to oil, gas and coal mining companies, and approving new gas export facilities. Environment America opposes this legislation due its harms to public lands, oceans and wildlife. Last week, 118 scientists wrote to Congress expressing concerns over the climate impacts of the legislation.
Prominent scientists raising concerns about the Energy Permitting Reform Act include Dr. Daniel Kammen, Lau Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley and Dr. Mark Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. Their key concerns include:
- Five gas export facilities likely to be fast-tracked by the bill would produce lifecycle emissions equivalent to 165 coal-fired power plants
- More drilling and fossil fuel infrastructure locks us into increased climate pollution, even if demand for polluting energy falls in the future
- Increased drilling could also worsen plastic pollution, since plastic is made from fossil fuels
There’s still time to stop this bill. Tell your senator that increased drilling and climate action don’t mix.
This post was originally published on here
