Tell Congress to vote no on the permitting bill that weakens environmental protections

Why this Matters

Cascadia Wildlands is asking people to tell Congress to vote no on the American Affordability and Jobs Act, S. 5653, and to oppose proposals that weaken environmental protections, undermine state and Tribal authority, or limit public participation and access to the courts. The group calls the bill a Trojan horse for extractive industry.

A policy analysis hosted on the Western Environmental Law Center's website, dated October 2026, backs up the worry with specifics. Section 1110 would stop courts from vacating permits that violate the National Environmental Policy Act, so a project could keep moving while a flawed review is fixed. Sections 1106 and 1107 would let agencies ignore new science that arrives during a review. Section 1304 would let states take over Endangered Species Act consultations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Section 1401 would bar the government from revoking or changing permits in effect after September 16, 2026. Sections 1202 to 1204 would limit what states and Tribes can weigh under the Clean Water Act.

A K&L Gates analysis dated October 2 says Senator Shelley Moore Capito wants the bill to be the first vote when the Senate returns after the November 3 election, in a short lame-duck session, and that it needs 60 votes. The coverage ECC found gives no vote date, so the time to speak up is now. ECC is amplifying Cascadia Wildlands and does not claim a partnership with them.

Steps to Take

Step 1

Read the short version. The policy analysis of S. 5653 walks through what the bill would change, law by law.

Step 2

Take the action on the Cascadia Wildlands action page. ECC could not see that page's form details, so we do not know what information it collects or whether it signs you up for the group's email list.

Step 3

Contact your own senators. Oregonians can reach Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley directly. Ask them to vote no on S. 5653 unless the court access, endangered species, clean water, and permit lock-in sections are fixed.

Step 4

Add one sentence about your own place: a river, a forest, a bay you care about. A message in your own words stands out from a form letter.

Step 5

Do not wait for a vote date. The Senate returns after the election and the sponsors want this bill to go first.

Sample Text

Option 1

I live in [your town], Oregon, and I am asking Senator [Wyden or Merkley] to vote no on the American Affordability and Jobs Act, S. 5653, unless it is changed. The bill would limit courts' power to stop permits that break environmental law, ignore new science during reviews, and weaken state and Tribal authority over clean water. [Add a sentence about the place you want protected.] Please tell me where you stand.

Option 2

The Senate may vote soon on S. 5653, a permitting bill that would weaken environmental review, endangered species protections, and public access to the courts. Cascadia Wildlands has an action to tell Congress to vote no: https://cascwild.org/actions/baaja-is-a-trojan-horse-for-extractive-industry/

Find more actions like this

Select a tag below to browse other calls to action with the same type or organization.

Filter by type: Contact Congress
Filter by organization: Cascadia Wildlands