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ASLA Opposes Administration Attempts to Weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)


2020-01-10

ASLA 2009 Professional Award of Excellence in General Design, Buffalo Bayou Promenade, SWA Group | Photo by Bill Tatham

Buffalo Bayou Promenade
 Washington, D.C. (January 10, 2020) – The Trump Administration is trying to roll back environmental safeguards that date back half a century.

The administration's proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) would make substantial cuts to environmental reviews of government projects and limit the public's input in the process–rushing projects regardless of the impact they could have on the environment and communities.

"ASLA strongly opposes any attempts by the administration to weaken the NEPA. This long-standing environmental law makes certain that when the government has a major project in the works, our air stays clean, our water stays safe, our ecosystems remain intact, and our communities don't suffer. Weakening those protections in the midst of the global climate crisis is completely irresponsible," said Wendy Miller, FASLA, President of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

"Many landscape architects design infrastructure that simultaneously advance sustainability goals and address the need to build 21st-century transportation systems. We know the process can be better," Miller continued. "We also know we can achieve those improvements without sacrificing the environmental health of the planet."

ASLA published the ASLA's Smart Policies for a Changing Climate Report to summarize policy recommendations to incentivize the use of green infrastructure methods in transportation and other infrastructure projects. In the coming months, ASLA will work with policy makers and other stakeholders to promote policies that advance infrastructure goals while also addressing the urgent need to confront the growing climate crisis.
 

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