Protect Our Future: Oppose the Energy Permit Reform Act

The Senate could soon consider the Manchin-Barrasso Energy Permit Reform Act (EPRA). This bill is a giveaway to fossil fuel corporations that would lock the United States into decades of reliance on dirty energy, jeopardizing our climate goals, public health, and environmental justice. At a time when we urgently need bold action to transition to clean energy, this bill would take us in the wrong direction.

The EPRA would drastically undermine environmental safeguards by fast-tracking fossil fuel projects, reducing community input, and gutting protections under critical laws like the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA has long ensured that communities—particularly low-income and historically marginalized communities—have a voice in decisions that affect their health, safety, and environment. 

Stripping these protections prioritizes corporate profits over people, leaving communities to bear the brunt of increased pollution, health risks, and climate impacts. Subverting these laws during the climate and biodiversity crises is irresponsible and will further threaten the planet.

The bill’s focus on accelerating oil and gas infrastructure flies in the face of global climate science. The United Nations and leading climate experts have made it clear: new fossil fuel projects are incompatible with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Yet, this bill doubles down on outdated, harmful energy systems instead of investing in the clean, renewable energy that the majority of Americans want.

Environmental justice leaders across the country have also sounded the alarm. Communities that have been historically overburdened by pollution—predominantly Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities—would suffer the most from this bill’s provisions. By weakening oversight and cutting public participation, the EPRA silences these communities and allows industry to push through projects that will worsen environmental racism and health disparities.

The climate crisis demands real solutions, not policies that deepen our dependence on fossil fuels. We need investment in wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources, alongside reforms that center equity, protect public health, and create good-paying green jobs. The EPRA does the opposite, prioritizing corporate polluters at the expense of our planet and communities.

Sign the petition to tell senators to reject the Manchin-Barrasso Energy Permit Reform Act and instead champion legislation that moves us toward a just, clean energy future while protecting ecosystems and adhering to environmental safeguards which protect us all.