Center for Biological Diversity: New Iteration of Nationwide Permit 12 Greenlights Environmental Destruction
Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:
Environmental groups sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today over the Trump administration’s plan to fast-track the construction of oil and gas pipelines through wetlands, streams and rivers nationwide. The Corps’ latest issuance of Nationwide Permit 12, which was previously struck down by federal courts, would destroy wildlife habitat and endanger drinking water sources from coast to coast.
Today’s lawsuit asserts that the Corps approved the permit in January without analyzing the environmental dangers of pipelines, including oil spills and the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of waterways that people and endangered wildlife rely on.
In 2020 a federal court ruled that the Endangered Species Act requires the Corps to consult with expert wildlife agencies to ensure federally protected animals and plants are not harmed by the nationwide permit program. However, the Corps ignored that order and reissued the permit without considering the potential harm from Nationwide Permit 12 on imperiled species.
Today’s lawsuit also contends the Corps violated the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to fully consider the significant environmental harm from pipeline construction and operation in waters and wetlands.
The Clean Water Act allows the Corps to issue nationwide permits for categories of activities with only minimal impacts, which then means individual projects can usually proceed without any further review. The Corps’ issuance of Nationwide Permit 12 is a blatant abuse of the program, as it authorizes massive oil and gas projects to avoid public scrutiny and a more complete environmental analysis of their potential harm.
“We’re not going to let the Army Corps abandon its obligation to protect our nation’s waters and imperiled wildlife in favor of dangerous pipelines,” said Meg Townsend, a senior freshwater attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Trump administration’s blatant disregard of bedrock environmental laws puts rivers, streams and wetlands at risk of serious contamination, threatening the people and wildlife who rely on these waters.”
