Tell the Army Corps: Shut Down the Nationwide Permit 12 "Fast-Track" for Pipelines
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The Army Corps of Engineers is currently reviewing "Nationwide Permit 12," the special permit which since 2012 pipeline developers have taken advantage of to fast-track a series of major pipelines like Dakota Access (DAPL), Gulf Coast Pipeline, Keystone XL, Mountain Valley Pipeline, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and Byhalia Connection.
Nationwide Permit 12 is a scheme to avoid public scrutiny of oil and gas pipelines. By artificially treating these pipelines as hundreds or even thousands of "single and complete projects," NWP 12 avoids any public scrutiny. That’s the goal. For example, the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was originally approved under NWP12, even though it has more than 1,000 water crossings.
These pipelines have more than "minimal" environmental effects under any reasonable definition; simply put, NWP12 is a loophole under which the pipeline industry has fast-tracked all of these climate-polluting projects.
Fast-tracking permitting for oil and gas pipelines under Nationwide Permit 12 puts communities, waterways, and the climate at risk. NWP12 should not be used for fossil fuel pipelines -- the Army Corps must require robust analysis of the environmental impacts of these pipelines.
Add your name to tell the Army Corps: Shut down the NWP12 "fast-track" permit for pipelines.
Sponsored by
To:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
From:
[Your Name]
Fast-tracking permitting for oil and gas pipelines under Nationwide Permit 12 puts communities, waterways, and the climate at risk.
Nationwide Permit 12 is being used to improperly segment major pipeline projects and circumvent critical laws that are designed to protect the public through informed and participatory agency decisionmaking.
The Clean Water Act’s general permit program was not intended for massive interstate pipelines that transport hazardous fossil fuels for hundreds of miles through communities and waterways and pose grave risks of leaks, spills, and explosions.
By artificially treating these pipelines as hundreds or even thousands of "single and complete projects," NWP 12 avoids any public scrutiny. Communities learn about these projects after it's too late, and learn their only opportunity to weigh in was at the national NWP stage every 5 years.
In his reasoning for revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, Presiden Biden declared the project was inconsistent with his economic and climate imperatives, had limited significance for our energy security and economy, did not contribute to the development of a clean energy economy and related jobs, and would undermine U.S. climate leadership by undercutting the credibility and influence of the United States in urging other countries to take ambitious climate action.
The Executive Order also directed federal agencies to more fully consider the climate change impacts of their decisions.
NWP 12 does just just the opposite -- it allows the Army Corps to rubber stamp permits for corporations to build oil and gas pipelines without adequate environmental review, and green-lights a massive buildout of fossil fuel pipelines without any climate review whatsoever.
Nationwide Permit 12 should not be used for fossil fuel pipelines. The Army Corps must require robust analysis of the environmental impacts of proposed pipeline projects.