WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), released the following statement today slamming proposed guidance issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) that agencies are not required to consider long-term climate impacts in environmental assessments of federal projects.

“The Council on Environmental Quality should be concerned about improving our nation’s environmental quality and coordinating federal actions to reduce greenhouse gases,” said Senator Carper. “The draft guidance released today would help to accomplish neither of those things—it would actually do the opposite, accelerating dirty fossil fuel projects. It ignores science, disregards the courts and really wouldn’t provide good ‘guidance’ for agencies at all. It also contradicts the commitments Ms. Neumayr made to me with respect to federal planning for extreme weather events spurred by climate change.”

Senator Carper continued, “In addition, I’m very disappointed by Ms. Neumayr’s failure to allow for a 90-day comment period. As I mentioned in her hearing, I feel the American people deserve a greater opportunity to speak truth to power. They deserve a full public commenting period on issues as important as this and any other NEPA guidance issued by CEQ. That’s why I urge CEQ to extend the public comment period.”