Created by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) a dedicated opponent of
environmental regulations, the task force is chaired by Rep.
Cathy McMorris (R-WA).

"We don't need to have 10 people say nothing needs to be
improved," said McMorris, at a recent hearing in Rio Rancho, New
Mexico. "We want to hear from the people who have problems with
NEPA." [1]

At a hearing in Texas last month, seven of the nine invitees
represented industry, and only two were environmentalists. [2]

One of the invited witnesses, Sandra Nichols, staff attorney for
the environmental law firm, WildLaw, told BushGreenwatch, "The
panel was clearly tipped in favor of industry, and I was
disappointed that so few of them had a clear understanding of
how the law works in the first place."

NEPA is designed to protect natural resources and support public
participation in government. The law requires federal officials
to make a careful assessment of potential environmental damage
for a proposed project, and offer alternatives when necessary.

Frustrated that her group was denied the opportunity to discuss
NEPA at the Texas hearing, Phyllis Dunham, of the Southern
Plains Sierra Club, told BushGreenwatch, "We requested a chance
to speak at the hearing, but they did not offer us an
invitation."

Environmentalists charge that selective invitations aren't the
only way the task force has prevented environmental interests
from entering the review process, pointing out that inadequate
notification of the hearings' times, locations, and invited
witnesses have also filtered out environmental concerns.

The location of the June hearing, originally set to take place
in Fresno, California, was changed three times before the task
force decided to hold the meeting in Lakeside, Arizona. It was
finally scheduled for June 18th-- a day the community had
long-planned a celebration to mark the decommissioning of the
Fossil Creek Dam, a regional NEPA victory.

The Sierra Club and the Center for Biodiversity, the only two
environmental groups invited to the hearing, were faxed
invitations only days before it was to take place. The task
force required the groups to identify a representative and
submit their oral and written comments within 24 hours.
According to the Club's website, "Both organizations had to
decline given the impossible 1-day deadline, and obligations to
the pre-existing Fossil Creek community event." [3]

Not even Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the ranking democratic member
of the task force could attend the Texas hearing, citing that he
was only given two weeks notice. "The task force needs to be
better at publicizing where they will be and including all the
people who have a stake in this issue," says Udall. [4]

"These so-called public hearings are a well kept secret. They
are announced at the last minute, witness panels are not
revealed until a couple of days beforehand and are usually
dominated by industry representatives, and there is no effort to
reach out to the public to get them involved," said the Sierra
Club's Dunham. [5]

She went on to point out that members of the public were allowed
to attend the hearings, but could not ask questions. They were
allowed to submit written comments, but there was no assurance
that they would be included in the final record.

###

SOURCES:
[1] "Hear Me Out: Task Force Takes Aim at NEPA, Freaks Out
Environmentalists," Grist Magazine, Aug. 04, 2005.
[2] Task Force on Improving National Environmental Policy Act
website.
[3] "Public NEPA Hearings Silence Citizens: Rep. Pombo's
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Task Force leaves the
Public out of Government," Sierra Club, Jul. 22, 2005.
[4] "Hear Me Out," op. cit.
[5] "Public NEPA Hearings Silence Citizens," op. cit.