Coalition Joins Sign-On for Strong Appropriations Bill

January 20, 2022

Dear Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chairwoman DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger:

On behalf of our tens of millions of members and supporters across the country, we urge you to swiftly approve Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) appropriations. Our groups are dedicated to better conserving our environment and natural resources and protecting public health, and we are concerned about the negative impact that a continuing resolution beyond February would have. We support the environmental portions of the FY22 appropriations bills approved by the House and proposed in the Senate last year. These bills would provide necessary increases in funding for the crucial programs and agencies that protect our health, lands, wildlife, air, water, oceans, and climate while advancing environmental justice and eliminating damaging policy provisions that have no place in the appropriations process.

In lieu of regular appropriations, a full-year continuing resolution would do irreparable harm to our health and environment. Funding for environmental agencies has stagnated or even declined over the past decade under the draconian spending caps of the Budget Control Act, with many programs struggling to even keep pace with inflation despite increasingly dire circumstances of the worsening climate and biodiversity crises. A yearlong stopgap bill would perpetuate these shortfalls and extend damaging policy provisions at a moment when we cannot afford to wait. Such a bill would fail to address the momentous issues we face with the urgency they demand.

We must dramatically scale up federal investments to meet this pivotal moment. With these challenges also comes a historic opportunity to address the climate and biodiversity crises, create good-paying union jobs, support our communities, reduce harmful pollution, invest in environmental justice, and protect our lands, oceans, and wildlife.

Congress has a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the public and secure a more just and prosperous future for all. Our community stands ready to support your leadership in meeting this request. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

350.org
Alaska Wilderness League Action
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Bird Conservancy
American Hiking Society
American Horse PAC
American Rivers
American Wild Horse Campaign
Animal Wellness Action
Appalachian Mountain Club
Audubon New York
Buffalo Audubon Society
Center for Biological Diversity
Children & Nature Network
Clean Water Action
Climate Crisis Policy
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Committee on the Middle Fork Vermilion River
Conservation Lands Foundation
Continental Divide Trail Coalition
Creation Justice Ministries
Defend Our Future
Defenders of Wildlife
EARTHDAY.ORG
Earthjustice
Earthworks
Endangered Species Coalition
Environment America
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Working Group
EVHybridNoire
For Love of Water (FLOW)
Friends of the Earth U.S.
Genesee Valley Audubon Society
Greenpeace USA
Health Care Without Harm
Hispanic Federation
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Huron Pines
Huron River Watershed Council
Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited
Inland Ocean Coalition
Interfaith Power & Light
International Fund for Animal Welfare
John Muir Project of Earth Island
League of Conservation Voters
Los Padres ForestWatch
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
National Audubon Society
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Ocean Protection Coalition
National Parks Conservation Association
National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Natural Resources Defense Council
North American Association for Environmental Education
Ocean Conservancy
Oceana
Oxfam America
PAI
Partnership for Policy Integrity
Partnership for the National Trails System
People’s Action
Public Citizen
Rachel Carson Council
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Revitalization Strategies
Safer Chemicals Healthy Families
Save The River Upper St Lawrence Riverkeeper
Shedd Aquarium
Sierra Club
Southern Environmental Law Center
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Student Conservation Association
The Alliance for the Great Lakes
The Conservation Fund
The Mountaineers
The Trust for Public Land
The Wilderness Society
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Union of Concerned Scientists
Ventana Wilderness Alliance, Inc.
Voices For Progress
Waterkeeper Alliance
Western Watersheds Project
Winter Wildlands Alliance
World Wildlife Fund