FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2017

Contact:
Janet Redman, janet [at] priceofoil.org, 508-340-0464

Oil Change International Responds to Trump Infrastructure Executive Order

Today, in a press conference dominated by questions about recent attacks by white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA, President Trump announced a new executive order on streamlining infrastructure permitting in the United States. In response, Janet Redman, U.S. Policy Director at Oil Change International, released the following statement:

“Trump has once again proved himself to be a reckless cynic doing the bidding of his billionaire developer friends. What he and his big business cronies call ‘streamlining,’ Americans recognize as cutting corners and ramming dangerous projects down the throats of citizens voicing opposition.

“We only need to look as far as the multiple disasters caused by the recent construction of the Rover gas pipeline – which include massive spills of toxic drilling mud, collapsed highways, and the destruction of state historic sites – to understand the true costs of rushing through the permitting process.

“Today’s announcement is nothing more than a gag order on communities expressing their legitimate concerns about the impacts of dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure put in place by Big Oil. If Trump has his way, we’ll be facing a fossil fuel buildout that locks America into climate catastrophe.

“When it comes to pipelines and other dirty energy infrastructure, Trump’s executive order is a one-two punch. First, it ties the hands of agencies trying to ensure new projects don’t put American lives and the environment at risk.

“Second, Trump’s order rolls back federal flood standards designed to help protect public infrastructure from the extreme storms and flooding projected to become more frequent as our climate changes. Not only is he preventing these projects from getting a proper review, he’s also preventing communities from protecting themselves from the inevitable impacts. Spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on schools, hospitals, roads, and bridges that can’t stand the test of time as climate impacts grow more severe couldn’t be more wasteful.

“I doubt Trump would let his chauffeur drive over one of these bridges in a rainstorm. But then, he can just take his personal jet instead.”

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