Environmentalists urge Biden to veto chips permitting bill
Sep 26, 2024
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Energy & Environment
Energy & Environment
The Big Story
Biden may approve chips bill despite green objections
A bill that would weaken federal environmental reviews of semiconductor facilities has passed Congress. Green activists and some Democrats hope President Biden vetoes it. © AP Photo/Susan Walsh
The bill would exempt semiconductor manufacturing facilities that receive federal funding from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. Proponents say this will streamline the approval process; opponents warn that it could lead to less oversight and, therefore, more pollution.
“It’s going to be completely secret going forward whether facilities are using PFAS and other harmful chemicals,” if Biden signs the bill, said Harry Manin, the Sierra Club’s deputy legislative director for industrial policy.
He added that transparency is "the last protection that communities and workers had" because it allowed them to negotiate for mitigation measures.
Despite this opposition, and opposition from 125 members of Congress, a White House official told Politico that Biden plans to sign the bill.
The spokesperson said that the legislation "will allow us to continue our efforts to ensure Americans across the country can benefit from the promise of the Investing in America agenda while protecting communities and the environment.” White House spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment from The Hill. Read more at TheHill.com.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
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What We're Reading
News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US (The Guardian) Conspiracy Theorists and Vaccine Skeptics Have a New Target: Geoengineering (The New York Times)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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