Some two dozen environmental groups, including those who are well known in Oklahoma have written members of Congress asking them to make sure there is adequate funding for the nation’s environmental programs.
Some of them include the Sierra Club which has a state chapter in Oklahoma. Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity are also known for their criticism of former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, now head of the EPA.
“We urge you to ensure that our nation’s environmental and public health needs are prioritized in any discussions regarding budget and funding levels for the remainder of FY 2018 and beyond,” they wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
The groups want Congress to lift the sequester caps for “nondefense discretionary spending at parity with defense spending.”
“Furthermore damaging environmental policy riders should not be a part of the negotiations over charting a responsible path forward on federal spending,” asked the groups. “Lastly, any budget deal or further FY18 appropriations package should be free of damaging anti-environmental policy riders.”