In response to President Trump’s recent infrastructure proposal, SAVE THE FROGS! and a coalition of 164 other organizations sent a letter to Congress opposing any infrastructure legislation that would undermine protections for public health, air, water or wildlife. The letter highlights the critical importance of retaining environmental safeguards while upgrading our nation’s infrastructure. SAVE THE FROGS! and coalition members recognize the need to fix aging water systems, build modern mass transit, improve road networks, and develop renewable energy sources, but it is inexcusable for politicians to cite current environmental protection measures as standing in the way of progress.
As SAVE THE FROGS! and other environmental organizations describe in this Coalition Letter on Infrastructure sent to Congress in June 2017, far from obstructing improvements to the state of infrastructure, national environmental policy has helped ensure that wise decisions have been made while preserving the environment to benefit all citizens. Several examples have shown how reviews in accordance with The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), have enabled better decisions to be made for infrastructure renewal that both saved taxpayers millions of dollars and protected the environment.
The current political discussions are misleading, as undermining public safeguards will not move infrastructure projects forward any faster. In fact, they will make it harder to ensure that taxpayers and citizens benefit fully and are not harmed from the infrastructure that is built. The environment is too precious to be used as a bargaining chip in political discussions over poorly thought out infrastructure projects.
In an effort to ensure that politicians understand the importance of protecting the environment and public concern, SAVE THE FROGS! has co-signed the Coalition Letter on Infrastructure with 165 organizations. It has been sent to Congress to oppose any infrastructure legislation that would undermine protections for public health, air, water or wildlife. We urge you to read our letter to Congress and show your support for amphibian conservation projects and improved environmental regulations and compliance.