WASHINGTON, D.C. — The use of the global COVID-19 pandemic to further erode the public-input and review process at the core of the National Environmental Policy Act is a "cynical" decision at a moment when Americans want to ensure federal policymakers are prioritizing public health and environmental protections.

“Using the global pandemic as an excuse to further erode public health and environmental protections is as cynical as it is irresponsible,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “The millions of Americans facing public health challenges, staggering unemployment, and racial injustices need the White House to focus on health, jobs, and eliminating systemic racism, rather than exacerbating these interconnected challenges through unrelenting pursuit of harmful environmental and health rollbacks under the cover of darkness.”