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Page Updated:
August 14, 2026

• • House Select Committee
  on the Climate Crisis

  Climate Change: The Science
  is In -We Know the Cause

  The U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is charged with delivering ambitious climate policy recommendations to Congress, in order to achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis.

  The select committee was authorized by House Resolution 6 on January 9, 2019, and will publish a set of public policy recommendations for congressional climate action by March 31, 2020.

  Its members include experts in environmental justice, coastal flooding, clean energy development and other issues that are vital for addressing the climate crisis.

  Click now for their website.

• • Memorable Presidential
  Environmental Quotes

  Six Memorable Presidential
  Environmental Quotes

  Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama had something to say

  Some didn't always follow up on those quotes.

  Click now to read the article
  From the Earth Matters News.
• • Political Scorecard

  How Did Congress Do in 2022

  Mar. 6, 2023, (League pf Conservation Voters) -The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) provides maps showing how both the Senate and House voted on environmental issues (LCV)

  It's not quite time to celebrate.

• • Democratic Governors Turn to Nuclear
  Power as Response to Energy Crunch

  State officials in Blue States Are Increasingly Embracing Nuclear Energy as Demand for Electricity Surges Nationwide...
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  August 12, 2026 -Democratic governors seldom see eye to eye with President Donald Trump when it comes to energy policy.

  A notable exception: expanding nuclear power.

  Kathy Hochul of New York, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and JB Pritzker of Illinois are among a growing list of Democratic governors who have taken steps this year to encourage nuclear development.

• • Top Science Body Deletes Climate Chapter From Judges’ Manual

  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Had Been Under Pressure From Republican Leaders, Including President Trump

  

  August 10, 2026 -The nation’s top scientific body has removed a chapter on climate science from a reference manual for judges after an outcry from critics on the right, including President Trump.

  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said Friday that it had “determined that questions about the processes used to develop the chapter warrant an independent review, and the chapter will not appear on our website while that review is underway.”

• • Hochul Steamrolled New York’s Climate Movement

  Now Green Groups Are Recalculating
  
  {POLITICO}

  August 10, 2026 -Gov. Kathy Hochul weakened the strongest climate law in the country this year, bulldozing an environmental movement that spent years pushing for its passage.

  But Hochul (D) — who hammered on cost concerns tied to the 2019 law — isn’t likely to pay a tangible political price. A left-flank primary challenge collapsed after she was endorsed by the state’s most prominent progressive, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and she’s now facing off against a pro-fracking Republican opponent opposed to renewables.

• • Senate Republicans Join Attack On California Pollution Rule Waivers

  GOP Lawmakers Have Introduced a Flurry of Resolutions Against Federal Waivers For California Pollution Rules
  
  {POLITICOPRO}

  August 6, 2026 -Four Republican senators introduced resolutions Thursday targeting federal waivers that have allowed California to impose stricter pollution standards for vehicles.

  The senators join a litany of lawmakers who have jumped at the chance to carry out a Trump administration request for Congress to target federal Clean Air Act waivers for California mandates.

• • California Assembly Dems Form Working Group On Wildfire Liability

  The Half-Dozen Lawmakers Will Lead the Conversation On Shaping the Assembly’s Priorities On the Issue
  
  {POLITICOPRO}

  August 5, 2026 -California Democrats in the state Assembly are preparing to hammer out the details of a proposal to reshape the state’s system for covering the costs of wildfires sparked by power companies.

  What happened: Six lawmakers have formed a working group to lead their caucus’ review of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) wildfire liability proposal. They are state Assemblymembers Lisa Calderon, Isaac Bryan, Rhodesia Ransom, Cottie Petrie-Norris, Ash Kalra and Steve Bennett, according to three people familiar with the move who were granted anonymity to disclose the private decision.

• • How a Conspiracy-Fueled Campaign Could
  Turn Republicans Against Weather Modification

  The GeoFight is Pursuing Litigation, Donations and Social Media Hype to "Shape the Conversation" Around Sunlight-Reflecting Technologies
  
  {POLITICO}

  August 3, 2026 -A conservative group is preparing to sue climate startups that aim to reflect sunlight away from the Earth, in a new campaign that could turn Republicans against potential technologies to halt rising temperatures.

  Launched in February, the group calling itself The GeoFight is tapping into deep suspicions among conspiracy theorists about efforts to modify the weather, including an experimental process to cool the planet known as solar geoengineering.

• • Trump is Undoing Plans to Boost Workplace Heat Protections

  Biden Took Steps to Shield Workers From Extreme Temperatures. Trump Takes a Gentler Approach With Employers

  

  August 1, 2026 -Republicans in Washington are taking steps to roll back federal workplace heat protections as summer temperatures surge.

  The Trump administration is moving to rewrite Biden-era rules that would mandate breaks and access to water and shade for workers, in a step businesses lauded but that labor groups said could weaken already limited federal protections. Congress is considering legislation that would go a step further, prohibiting the Labor Department from adopting the Biden-era heat plan or similar rules.

• • Clean Energy Group Targets State Races

  Advanced Energy United Wants Gubernatorial Candidates to Bone Up On Grid Issues
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  July 31, 2026 -The renewable energy industry is turning its attention to state-level races in the run-up to November’s midterm elections.

  Advanced Energy United, an industry group, this month released a set of state policy road maps for incumbent governors and gubernatorial candidates that detail strategies to deploy renewable energy more quickly. The group also is holding conversations with gubernatorial candidates of both parties — a recognition of the importance that statehouses play in the nitty-gritty of energy work, said one of the organization’s top officials.

  “The vast majority of energy policy takes place at the state level, and governors have the biggest platform to make changes on that level,” said Dylan Reed, who leads the group’s federal and political affairs. “We’ve worked in previous cycles to tell governors that investing in advanced energy solutions should be a priority and can be an economic development issue.

• • Energy, Enviro Spending Work Teeters in the Senate

  While Appropriators Remain Stuck On Full-Year Fiscal 2027 Legislation, Stopgap and Supplemental Spending Bills Could Address Environmental Priorities
  
  {E&E DAILY}

  July 27, 2026 -Bipartisan dealmaking to fund energy, water and environment programs has ground to a halt in the Senate as top appropriators butt heads over spending levels and policy riders.

  The Senate Appropriations Committee has been effectively frozen for weeks amid stubborn partisan disagreements and the extended absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell. As the House plowed ahead in recent months, marking up all 12 of the annual spending bills, negotiations in the Senate have gone nowhere.

• • ‘Climate Hushing’ Has Swept the Democratic Party

  Climate Change Might Not Be a Top Priority For Voters, But Keeping Quiet About It May Backfire

  

  July 27, 2026 -A hush has fallen over the Democratic Party — a “climate hush,” to be precise. The phrase captures the push within the party to focus more on the high cost of living and less on the planetary crisis, in hopes of addressing a popular diagnosis of why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump. Since then, Democratic politicians have been mentioning the subject less on social media and in their press releases. Candidates in this summer’s primaries might have it in their platforms, but it’s the rare candidate who campaigns on it.

• • Trump Administration Admits Grants For
  Clean Energy Were Canceled Based On Politics

  Trump Has Acknowledged In Court Documents That It Canceled $7.6 Billion In Grants For Hundreds of Clean Energy Projects “Based Solely On the Political Identity of the Grant Recipient’s State"
  
  {WCVB5}

  July 25, 2026 -The statement contradicts repeated assertions by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials that the projects were canceled because they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or had other problems that made them a poor investment of taxpayer dollars.

  Democrats and environmental groups seized on the court filing Friday, saying the administration had “weaponized” the federal government to kill good jobs and punish working families because of their political views.

• • It's 3 Times Harder For Blue States
  to Get Disaster Funding Under Trump

  Trump has Approved Just 23 Percent of Blue State Requests For Disaster Aid, Compared to 89 Percent For Red States
  
  {POLITICO}

  July 23, 2026 -President Donald Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

  He approved just 23 percent of disaster funding requests from states with a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators since returning to office 14 months ago. For states with a Republican governor and two Republican senators, it’s the opposite — Trump has approved 89 percent of their requests.

• • K Street Girds For Democrats’ Oil Oversight Onslaught

  The Chances Democrats Win Back Committee Gavels Has Lobbyists and Their Energy Clients Preparing to Be Put Under The Microscope
  
  {POLITICOPRO}

  July 22, 2026 -Democrats have spent their years out of power seething about the Trump administration’s close ties with the oil and gas sector, which has won regulatory rollbacks, new drilling opportunities and lower royalty rates after donating heavily to President Donald Trump’s campaign.

  If the midterms go their way, Democrats may finally be able to do something about it.

• • Trump Attacks Nation’s Top Scientific
  Body Over Climate Chapter in Manual

  The President Slammed the National Academies of Sciences for a Chapter About Climate Science in an Educational Guide For Judges

  

  July 20, 2026 -President Trump has jumped into the fray over a hotly contested chapter on climate science in a reference manual for judges.

  Hours after attending the World Cup final on Sunday, the president took to Truth Social to attack the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine over the manual, which was released last year and has drawn criticism from Republican officials.

• • Trump Tried to Kill Renewables

  They’re Growing Anyway
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  July 13, 2026 -Hold the obituary for renewables.

  U.S. wind and solar generation climbed 10 percent over the first half of 2026, overcoming President Donald Trump’s political attacks to surpass coal and nuclear in the country’s electricity mix.

  Coal generation was down 10 percent over the same period while natural gas generation was flat, according to a POLITICO review of federal energy data.

• • Progressives Look to Revamp the Green New Deal For the AI Era

  A group of Insurgent Democrats Could Have a Major Impact On How the Party Deals With the Environment
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  July 10, 2026 -A new crop of progressive Democrats poised to join the House next year could pump new energy into the quest for a “Green New Deal” and even expand its scope eight years after activists put the aggressive climate change policy in the spotlight.

  The insurgents — some of whom have unseated more moderate incumbents in closely watched primaries for safe blue seats — will arrive at a time when Democrats focus less on talking about a climate crisis and more about pocketbook issues, and when the party is grappling with how to respond to the artificial intelligence boom.

• • This Former G.O.P. Politician Wants to
  Take Politics Out of Climate Change

  Bill Frist, a Surgeon Who Also Served as Senate Majority Leader, Has Emerged as an Outspoken Advocate For Environmental Health

  

  July 6, 2026 -Bill Frist, the former Republican Senate majority leader, racked up a slew of notable medical successes during his years as one of the country’s top heart and lung surgeons.

  He founded one of the country’s busiest transplant centers. One of his patients held the Guinness World Record for being the longest surviving single lung transplant recipient. And, in 1991, Mr. Frist performed lifesaving thoracic surgery on Gen. David Petraeus, then a lieutenant-colonel, when, during a training exercise, the military leader was accidentally shot in the chest.

• • Heat Wave Politics: GOP Leaders Deride Calls to Conserve

  With half of Americans under a major heat advisory, official warnings and response are colored by the nation’s deep political divide.

  

  July 2, 2026 -Seeking to sow unity amid a pending heat crisis, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaped a whirlwind of right-wing rage.

  Mamdani’s post on X on Wednesday urged New Yorkers to turn their thermostats to 78 degrees F and turn off unneeded lights and electronics—nothing original. It echoed the advice of the state’s largest utility, ConEd, which also asked customers to limit air conditioning in a Tuesday press release. “Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together,” Mamdani wrote.

• • President Trump Can Now Axe Energy
  Agency Leaders Without Explanation

  What Will He Axe Next?
  
  {energy central}

  June 30, 2026 -The ruling: Due to Monday's Supreme Court decision, US presidents can now sack the heads of independent agencies—without having to explain why (except for the Federal Reserve).

  The concern: Energy experts think this ruling could impact organizations like FERC and the NRC. They’re worried the White House could sway officials to put politics over technical expertise.

• • 5 New York House Races Where Energy Policy Could Matter

  Candidates Across the Empire State Are Battling Over Rising Utility Bills and the Future of Nuclear, Wind and Solar
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  June 26, 2026 -New York’s congressional primaries Tuesday featured some of the most watched races of the midterms, and many had major implications for energy and environmental policy.

  Two incumbent Democrats were unseated by progressive challengers, while a handful of major open races were decided. The contests could help decide the balance of power in Washington come January.

  Here are some New York House races to watch:

• • Elected Democrats Have Embraced ‘Climate Hushing.’

  Are They Making a Mistake as the Midterms Loom?

  

  June 24, 2026 -To some political pundits and Democratic strategists, one takeaway from the 2024 presidential election was clear: Don’t talk about climate change.

  An Inside Climate News analysis of press releases issued by members of the House and Senate shows that elected Democrats seem to have embraced this message of “climate hushing,” with mentions of climate change plummeting since 2025. They’ve pivoted to a focus on energy affordability in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran—and the resulting surge in oil prices.

• • The Shifting Politics of Climate Change

  A New Poll Suggests Republicans May Be More Movable On Climate Change Than Previously Thought

  

  June 18, 2026 -Conventional wisdom among the political class holds that climate change is not a winning issue.

  Most voters are more concerned with kitchen-table topics like affordability, the thinking goes. Under this logic, environmentally focused Americans are already going to vote for climate-friendly candidates. And climate deniers can’t be won over by a little campaign messaging.

• • A New Senate Bill Could Curb Federal Attacks On Renewables

  And Bring Permitting Reform Back to the Table
  
  {energy central}

  June 16, 2026 -The bill: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) have unveiled the “FREEDOM act,” Politico reported. This bill would restrict a president’s power to axe or delay energy project approvals. Specifically, the legislation would bar federal agencies from 1) snatching permits 2) rolling out stop-work orders and 3) freezing construction on most permitted projects.

  Sound familiar? President Trump has harnessed these very tactics to hamstring US solar and wind development.

• • How Should Democrats Talk About Climate Change?

  A Big New Milestone For Solar Power, a Shift In Democratic Messaging and More Climate News

  

  June 11, 2026 -Before we explain a big shift in Democratic messaging on climate, and a big milestone for solar power, let’s get caught up:

  NOAA declares that El Niño is here and flashing danger signs: Meteorologists said Thursday that an El Niño has formed in the tropical Pacific and will likely intensify in the coming months, setting off more extreme weather and higher temperatures around the world.

• • Democrats Once Vowed to Stop Oil
  and Gas. Now They’re Not So Sure

  As the Midterm Elections Approach, Many Leading Democrats Are Rethinking Their Approach to Climate Change

  

  June 11, 2026 -Democrats and environmentalists are shifting their approach to climate change, as the economic fallout from war in the Middle East has reshuffled the politics of energy.

  With voters worried about spiking gas prices and inflation, some of the party’s leaders argue that they should stop trying to throttle oil and gas, which heat the planet when burned. It’s a rejection of the approach taken during the Biden administration, which treated climate change as an existential threat and tried to stop new drilling and pipelines.

• • Trump Attacks On Renewables ‘Toxic’ to Permitting Talks

  A Top Democrat Said Wednesday He Wanted to See More Movement On Renewable Energy Approval, But...
  
  {POLITICO}

  June 10, 2026 -Top lawmakers working on permitting reform in Congress expressed optimism Wednesday about some form of legislation getting across the finish line this year, but a White House official was cool to key Democratic asks as part of the process.

  Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the leaders of the Environment and Public Works Committee, are looking to clinch a deal this summer with other top lawmakers.

• • Dems Want Clean Energy Tax Credits Back

  Some Companies Say "Don’t Bother"
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  June 5, 2026 -Democratic leaders have pledged to restore wind and solar tax credits if they regain control of Congress and the White House, but some renewable energy developers say the industry may no longer need — or even want — the subsidies.

  Republicans last year accelerated the phase-out of investment and production credits that Democrats supercharged in their 2022 climate law within the Inflation Reduction Act. The credits’ return is now central to the Democrats’ comeback plan.

  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said reinstating the incentives will be “one of the very first things I will do when we retake the majority.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has made a similar vow. Even some moderate Republicans have expressed support.

• • Hochul’s Affordability-First Climate Turn
  Could Be a Blueprint For Other Dems

  The New York Governor's Shift On Energy, Culminating With Weakening the State’s Landmark Climate Law, is Drawing Plaudits From Business Leaders and Centrist Democratic Thinkers
  
  {POLITICO}

  June 5, 2026 -Gov. Kathy Hochul has rolled back one of the nation’s most ambitious climate laws in deep-blue New York — and likely won’t face any political fallout.

  New York is the only Democratic bastion to weaken emissions reduction targets enacted in a wave of optimism about state-level climate action during President Donald Trump’s first term. It’s a marked shift for Hochul and the state, which has often vied with California for the mantle of climate leadership.

• • Senate Upholds Trump’s Mercury Rule Repeal

  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Wanted to Use the Congressional Review Act Against the Administration's Rollback
  
  {POLITICOPRO}

  June 3, 2026 -The Senate on Wednesday shot down a Democratic-led attempt to stop the Trump administration from loosening power plant mercury emissions standards.

  S.J. Res. 188, from Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), failed to advance 46-53 along party lines. All Democrats voted in favor of advancing the legislation and Republicans against.

• • Trump Taps Democrats’ Climate Money For Western Drought

  As Colorado River Water Levels Reach Disastrous Lows, the Administration Looks to Draw Cash From the 2022 Climate Law It Sought to Neuter
  
  {GREENWIRE}

  June 1, 2026 - As the drought-stricken Colorado River faces record-low flows that could set off a sprawling water and power crisis across the West, the Trump administration is opening the federal cash spigot.

  In recent weeks the Interior Department has contacted farm districts, cities, tribes and other water users in Arizona, California and Nevada looking to extend Biden administration contracts that paid out nearly $1.4 billion from Democrats’ signature climate law to entities that agreed to fallow fields, tighten conservation measures or otherwise forgo water deliveries.

• • Permitting, EV Fees, Climate Rollbacks:
  Inside the House’s Highway Bill

  The Legislation’s Climate Provisions Are Angering Environmentalists and Could Set Up a Fight Among Congressional Democrats
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  May 19, 2026 -The House’s new surface transportation bill would make major investments in federal infrastructure while streamlining the permitting process for some projects and rolling back some Biden-era environmental initiatives.

  The “BUILD America 250 Act,” expected to be marked up by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday, represents a bipartisan effort to address some of the nation’s most pressing transportation needs under a relatively restrained top line.

  Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) crafted a $580 billion proposal that quickly drew praise from a number of transportation and construction industry groups — but also derision from environmental advocates who are incensed about ways in which the bill could undermine efforts to slash emissions from the country’s highest-polluting sector.

• • Democrats On Collision Course Over EV Fees in Highway Bill

  The House Unveiled Its Transportation Bill Sunday. House and Senate Democrats Are Set For an Intraparty Fight
  
  {E&E DAILY}

  May 18, 2026 -House and Senate Democrats are hurtling toward an intraparty clash on one of the most contentious provisions of the new surface transportation bill: a fee on electric and hybrid vehicles.

  The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled its long-awaited transportation bill, also known as the highway bill, on Sunday. The legislation from Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) contains provisions on permitting reform and it repeals some Biden-era environmental initiatives.

• • EPA Wants to Repeal Limits On ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water

  If Finalized, the Proposal Would End the Biden-Era Restrictions For Four Toxic PFAS Compounds and...

  

  May 18, 2026 -The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday proposed repealing limits on four types of “forever chemicals” in drinking water, while delaying regulations on two others, drawing swift criticism from both environmental activists and the Make America Healthy Again movement that has supported President Donald Trump.

  Shortly after Trump took office, the EPA signaled its plans to rescind the 2024 protections against per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. More than a year later, the agency has issued its formal proposal.

• • House OKs High-Ethanol Fuel In Win For Corn Lobby

  A Measure Lifting Seasonal Restrictions On the Sale of E15 Fuel Passed the House on Wednesday
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  May 14, 2026 -The House handed the biofuels industry a long-fought win Wednesday, approving legislation to lift summer restrictions on the sale of the higher-ethanol gasoline blend E15.

  “This has been a long time coming,” said House Agriculture ranking Democrat Angie Craig of Minnesota, who joined the ethanol fight when she was elected to Congress in 2018.

  Wednesday’s passage by 218-203 shifts attention to the Senate, where the measure isn’t likely to stand alone for a vote and could instead be attached to other legislation — which in turn would mean another test in the House before it could become law.

• • Colorado Lawmakers Reject Environmentalist-
  Backed Effort to Regulate Data Centers

  Sponsors Added a Tax Incentive But It Was Not Enough to Get the Bill Passed
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  May 11, 2026 -Colorado lawmakers abandoned a last-minute effort Monday to pass environmental regulations for data center development in the state.

  After rewriting the environmentalist-backed legislation, Senate Bill 102, to add a tax incentive for data centers, state Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, proposed her bill be postponed indefinitely. The Senate Transportation and Energy committee voted down the legislation unanimously, putting an end to the measure Kipp has been working on for about a year.

• • How the US-China Rivalry Is Costing the Climate

  The Tragedy of Green Politics
  
  {EARTH.ORG}

  May 5, 2026 -The oil and gas companies that donated heavily to support Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign have been repaid many times over since the US and Israel started a war with Iran in late February. The skyrocketing fuel prices that are affecting ordinary people across the globe are a gift for fossil fuel giants, for whom the spike has meant an extra $30 million in profit every hour in the first month of the conflict.

  But the longer term results of Trump’s warmaking may dampen his donors’ mood. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been an emphatic reminder that as well as being the key to the fight against climate change, renewable energy sources offer security against the geopolitical shockwaves that have become increasingly frequent in recent years. This reality has sent countries scrambling to invest in clean energy, doubling Chinese solar panel exports (already at nearly unprecedented levels) in March.

• • Fears Over ‘God Squad’ Derail Endangered Species Bill

  Florida Republicans Want Changes to Their Party’s Endangered Species Act Overhaul
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  April 23, 2026 -Florida Republican lawmakers scuttled a planned House vote to advance a major overhaul of the Endangered Species Act, raising questions about whether the long-time GOP priority can still succeed.

  The development was a blow to House Natural Resources Committee Republicans who see the overhaul as one of their top priorities. They want to make sure protecting species doesn’t get in the way of energy projects and other development.

  Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled the “ESA Amendments Act,” H.R. 1897, from consideration Wednesday and later explained he did so at the behest of “a few subsets of members.”

• • State Department Spending Plan
  Targets Climate Funds, Carbon Taxes

  The Republican-Drafted Legislation Doubles Down on the Trump administration's attacks on International Climate and Energy Programs
  
  {CLIMATEWIRE}

  April 23, 2026 -House appropriators unveiled their spending proposal for the State Department and foreign aid programs, laying out a conservative plan to block funding for international climate and energy initiatives.

  The House’s fiscal 2027 State-Foreign Operations bill doubles down on efforts from congressional Republicans and the White House to abandon a number of multilateral environmental efforts. It also contains new language prohibiting funding for the implementation of any carbon tax.

• • Republicans Had an Earth Day Plan to Limit Species Protections.

  It Flopped

  
  

  Apr. 22, 2026 -House Republicans had big plans for Earth Day this year: They would pass a bill to narrow protections for endangered species that they had long seen as federal overreach.

  It didn’t work out that way.

  On Wednesday afternoon, Republican leaders suddenly canceled a vote on the measure after an initial procedural vote showed shaky support from party members. One Florida Republican, Representative Anna Paulina Luna, publicly aired concerns about the bill before the scheduled vote, writing on social media: “Don’t tread on my turtles. Protected means protected.” Her post contained an image of a yellow flag emblazoned with a sea turtle and the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” a phrase dating to the American Revolution that some conservatives have embraced in recent years.

• • Senate Votes to Allow Mining Near Minnesota Wilderness

  The Move Was a Victory For a Chilean Company That Wants to Build a Copper and Nickel Mine, Which Environmentalists Say Could Devastate Fragile Lakes and Forests

  
  

  April 16, 2026 -The Senate voted on Thursday to allow mining upstream from Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the largest and most visited expanses of federally protected lakes and forests in the United States.

  By a vote of 50 to 49, senators passed a resolution that would repeal a moratorium on new mining across more than 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters. The House already passed the Republican-led measure, which now heads to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

• • Political ‘Circus’ Engulfs Texas Refining Hub as Water Crisis Nears

  The City Council Considers a Petition to Remove the Mayor While Elected Officials Gear Up For an Election in November
  
  {ENERGYWIRE}

  April 16, 2026 Leaders in Corpus Christi, Texas, are weighing the removal of the city's mayor as they reckon with a water crisis that could disrupt life in one of the nation's largest petrochemical and refining hubs.

  The City Council voted 5-2 this week to set a May 19 removal hearing date for Mayor Paulette Guajardo after the council received an impeachment petition signed by seven people.

• • Challenge: Raising Trillions to Fight Climate Change

  With or Without the U.S. Presidential Cooperation
  
  

  Nov. 12, 2024 - Getting big cash commitments would be hard enough without wars, a pandemic and inflation having drained the reserves of rich countries that are expected to help poorer ones cope with climate hazards.

  It just got even harder. The election of Trump as president of the U.S. all but guarantees that the world’s richest country will not chip in.

• • Climate Hawks 2020 Endorsements

  What It Takes to Be Endorsed

  (CLIMATEHAWKS), -What we consider in issuing endorsements: First and foremost, a candidate’s public statements regarding climate change. Do you mention specific climate change action in your stump speech? Did you show up at a People’s Climate March? Do you have a thoughtful statement on your website? We also look at viability, although we will back longshots when we find a compelling reason to do so.

  We do not endorse mediocre Democrats, no matter how vehemently a Republican opponent may deny climate science. We only endorse when we are convinced that the candidate will commit to strong climate action in Congress.

  We like primaries. And in 2018 we won 6 out of 8 primaries in which we endorsed — a better track record than any of the larger groups whose endorsement records were compiled by FiveThirtyEight.

  Climate Hawks Vote does not accept contributions from fossil-fuel corporations, executives, or lobbyists. We are a federal Super PAC, which means that we are an independent expenditure committee and can’t endorse in state/local races. We do network with others on the lookout for climate hawks who can think globally and lead locally.

• • Conservatives and Liberals Want
  a Green Energy Future - But..

  They Want it For Different Reasons

  May 5, 2020,(The Conversation)-Political divisions are a growing fixture in the United States today, whether the topic is marriage across party lines, responding to climate change or concern about coronavirus exposure. Especially in a presidential election year, the vast divide between conservatives and liberals often feels nearly impossible to bridge.

  Our research examines what people know about the energy sources in use today in the United States, and what types of energy they would like to see the nation using in 2050. Energy connects to many important issues, including climate change, jobs and economic growth, equity and social justice, and international relations. It would be easy to assume that America’s energy future is a highly polarized topic, especially when the Trump administration is clashing with many states led by Democrats over energy policies.

  Click now to learn what the 'BUT' means.

• • Trump's Early Environmental Rollbacks

  23 Environmental Rules Rolled
  Back in Trump’s First 100 Days

  May 2, 2017 (NY Times Climate Forward) - President Trump, with help from his administration and Republicans in Congress, has reversed course on nearly two dozen environmental rules, regulations and other Obama-era policies during his first 100 days in office.

  Citing federal overreach and burdensome regulations, Mr. Trump has prioritized domestic fossil fuel interests and undone measures aimed at protecting the environment and limiting global warming.

• • The Climate President Action Plan

  10 Climate Actions
  the Next President
  Can Take Without Congress

  Dec. 23, 2019 (ClimatePresident.org)-The United States faces an indisputable climate emergency. The solution to the crisis is also inarguable: We must transform our extractive economy to a regenerative and inclusive one.

  The actions called for in this Presidential action plan can be implemented by the President acting alone without any Congressional action. These ten actions form the necessary foundation for the country's true transformation to a safer, healthier, and more equitable world for everyone.

• • Why Not a Green Marshall Plan?

  Elizabeth Warren Has
  Added a Green Marshall
  Plan to Her List of Proposals

  June 4, 2019  ( Mother Jones)- Elizabeth Warren has ascended in recent Democratic presidential polls atop a growing stack of audacious proposals to wipe out student debt, break up giant companies like Amazon and Facebook , and slap new taxes on the ultra-rich.

  Yet the senator from Massachusetts is taking a different approach to the climate crisis, weaving a patchwork that will likely amount to Warren’s answer to the Green New Deal.

• • Who Are the Climate Mayors?

  We Are Climate Mayors

  Climate Mayors, founfed in 2014, is a bi-partisan, peer-to-peer network of U.S. mayors working together to demonstrate leadership on Climate Chane through meaningful actions in their communities, and to express and build political will for effective federal and global policy action.

  The Climate Mayors coalition has emerged as a key voice anddemonstration of the ongoing commitment of U.S. cities to accelerate climate progress.

• • Congress Should Be
  Supporting Clean Energy Incentives

  Tell Congress to Support
  Clean Energy Incentives

  July, 2019  (Environment Florida)) -

  By going big on renewable energy, we can stop polluting our communities and planet with dirty energy sources and make real strides in tackling the climate crisis. Tell your representatives to expand their support for clean energy incentives.

  
  Click now to sign on.
• • Jay Inslee’s Campaign Pledge: No Fossil Fuel Money

  Jay Inslee’s Pledge to
  Reject Fossil Fuel Money

  Mar. 1, 2019 (Huffington Post)) -Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed a pledge Tuesday promising to reject donations from the fossil fuel industry ahead of a likely run for the White House that he’s vowed to uniquely center on climate change.

  In an interview with HuffPost, Inslee, 67, said he added his name to the list of more than 1,300 politicians across the United States who took the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.

  Almost every Democratic candidate running in 2020 has signed the pledge.

  Click now to read more.

• • The Green New Deal Explained

  What Is the Green New Deal?
  A Climate Proposal, Explained

  NY Times Climate Forward, Feb. 21, 2019  - The Green New Deal is a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling climate change.

  Introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, the proposal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.

  Interested? Click now for whole story.

• • Burn It or Eat It (Trump’s Choices)

  Food Vs. Fuel: What Trump's Ethanol
  Policy Means For the Food System

  Oct. 25, 2018 (Forbes) -The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with President Trump’s directive to lift a federal ban on high ethanol blended gas during the summer months, though not quickly enough for Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who Reuters reports is urging the EPA to lift the ban on a much quicker timeline. Lifting the ban is a policy shift that’s being celebrated by large-scale corn growers and decried by biofuel opponents. But the policy has implications for the food system too, as many food system reformers say the last thing U.S. farmers should be growing is more corn.

  Corn is a complicated crop. It’s highly efficient, nutrient-packed and yet, on the other hand, the U.S. probably grows too much of it. Corn has earned its fair share of criticism — it’s starchy, grown industrially and ubiquitous in ultra-processed food — but this leading cereal crop has also more than earned its place as an agricultural success story.

  Click now to stay on top of the situation.

• • How the Border Wall Affect Wildlife Near the Border

  ‘This Is Not Like a Fence in a Backyard’
  — Trump’s Border Wall vs. Wildlife

  The Revelator Podcasts, Apr. 11, 2019 - As was discussed recently on the Sciencentric podcast, the wall’s true impact becomes more evident when you envision all of the things that accompany it: Roads, vehicles, lights, and acres upon acres of cleared habitat. That’s bad news for jaguars, bears, birds, bees and hundreds, if not thousands, of other species.

  Check out the video interview, where host Eric R. Olson and John Platt also discuss The Revelator, my work on “Extinction Countdown,” and what technologies might work instead of a wall.

  
  Click now to watch the interview.
• • Trump Wants to Tell the Polar Bears Where to Get Off

  Help Protect the Arctic Refuge
  Before It’s Too Late!

  NRDC -The Trump administration is closer than ever to tearing open the heart of Alaska’s pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for dangerous oil and gas drilling — and if they succeed, it will have devastating, irreversible consequences for our waters, wildlife, climate, and the region’s Gwich’in people.

  NRDC is fighting back in and out of the courtroom in an unprecedented battle to protect the Arctic Refuge and its fragile Arctic coastline.

• • Trump is Not the 1st to Assault Env. Protection

  History of US Presidential Assaults
  on Environmental Health Protection

  Apr. 26, 2018 American Public Health Association - The Trump administration has undertaken an assault on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency critical to environmental health. This assault has precedents in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

  The early Reagan administration (1981–1983) launched an overt attack on the EPA, combining deregulation with budget and staff cuts, whereas the George W. Bush administration (2001–2008) adopted a subtler approach, undermining science-based policy.

  Wait, there’s more…

• • Some Republicans Support Carbon Fee/Dividend

  Exceeding Paris

  Contain Forewords by: Ted Halstead, George P. Schultz, Lawrence Summers, Rob Walton, Christine Todd Whitman and Janet Yellen.

  The Baker-Shultz plan would achieve approximately 32% in greenhouse gas reductions by 2025, thereby exceeding our Paris commitment by a wide margin

  The Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan is not only the most environmentally ambitious plan, but also the most politically-viable. Why? Because it addresses the legitimate concerns of all key stakeholders in the climate debate and enables each to realize an important victory.

  Click to read the PDF from the
  Climate Leadership Council.

• • Attention Humanists: You Have a Role to Play

  Ask What You Can Do for Your Climate(1)

  Apr. 18, 2017 -While the federal government is becoming a follower rather than a leader on climate change, humanists can fight on the state, local, and personal levels

  IF THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL, then climate change is personal, too. As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump campaigned against the Paris Agreement negotiated in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. With President Trump signing an executive order to roll back federal efforts to reduce global warming, humanists must do more at the state and local levels to fight climate change. If you’re up for it, there are many things you can do to help.

  
  Click now if you’re ready to learn more.
• • We Can Take Active Role in the Climate Crisis

  Ask What You Can Do for Your Climate<2>

  Join a Climate Reality Chapter,and be part of a sustainable future. You’ve heard about “the future.” It’s not that far away, and your children and grandchildren will be living in it, long after you’re gone.

  Chapters give you the opportunity to draw on Climate Reality’s support and expertise, while creating and executing plans for climate action that make the most sense for your community.

  Already, Climate Reality chapters have become a vital force for progress, helping expand clean energy alternatives, tackling the legacy of fossil fuels in low-income communities, and pushing for carbon pricing policies, to name just a few of the many campaigns underway across the US.

  
  Click now if you’re ready to take action too.

• • Science Under Attack:

  Sidelining Researchers and Their Work

  Dec. 28, 2019 (NY Times Climate Forward -In just three years, the Trump administration has diminished the role of science in federal policymaking while halting or disrupting research projects nationwide, marking a transformation of the federal government whose effects, experts say, could reverberate for years.

  Political appointees have shut down government studies, reduced the influence of scientists over regulatory decisions and in some cases pressured researchers not to speak publicly. The administration has particularly challenged scientific findings related to the environment and public health opposed by industries such as oil drilling and coal mining. It has also impeded research around human-caused climate change, which President Trump has dismissed despite a global scientific consensus.

• • Politicians Voting Against
  Climate Change Get More Corporate Cash

  Voters Seem to Care About Climate
  Change, But Do Big Corporations?

  Oct. 23, 2020, (Bloomberg Green)-As Americans vote in an election that will redefine national climate priorities, the biggest U.S. companies—even those with ambitious green agendas—are throwing their support behind lawmakers who routinely stall climate legislation.

  Bloomberg Green examined political donations by businesses in the S&P 100 and large U.S.-based corporate contributors to climate change identified by the Climate Action 100+, which seeks to help them lower their emissions.

• • Dems to Fossil Fuel Contributions: No Thanks

  DNC Votes to Ban Fossil
  Fuel Company Donations

  June 12, 2018 -The move is a step toward purging oil, gas and coal industry influence on the Democratic Party’s climate policies.

  The Democratic National Committee voted over the weekend to ban donations from fossil fuel companies, HuffPost has learned.

  The resolution — proposed by Christine Pelosi, a party activist and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s daughter — bars the organization from accepting contributions from corporate political action committees tied to the oil, gas and coal industries. The executive committee voted unanimously to approve the motion.

• • Clean Energy Research Not a Priority

  White House Seeks 72% Cut to
  Clean Energy Research,Underscoring
  Its Preference for Fossil Fuels

  Feb. 1, 2018 -The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for deep budget cuts to the Energy Department’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, slashing them by 72 percent overall in fiscal 2019, according to draft budget documents obtained by The Washington Post.

  Many of the sharp cuts would probably be restored by Congress, but President Trump’s budget, due out in February, will mark a starting point for negotiations and offer a statement of intent and policy priorities.

• • Donald Trump: Making the Oceans Not-So-Great Again

  Donald Trump Aims to
  Weaken Ocean Protections

  Mar. 16, 2020 (CleanTechnica) -We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the British Petroleum (BP) disaster, which killed 11 men, injured 17 others, and spilled more than 130 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster polluted more than 1,300 miles of coastline, devastated marine life, and cost the Gulf Coast billions in lost revenue.

  The Trump Administration’s aggressive deregulatory agenda threatens to undo many of the safeguards for ocean and coastal ecosystems, including those that regulate the offshore oil industry. We cannot have a repeat of the BP disaster and we need common sense protections for the ocean now more than ever.

• • Strip Mining on Protected
  Tennessee Cumberland Plateau

  Trump May Approve
  Strip Mining on Tennessee’s
  Protected Cumberland Plateau

  Feb. 13, 2020 (inside climate news) -LAFOLLETTE, Tennessee—Even as the nation's demand for coal tumbles, the Trump administration is considering a permit that would allow strip mining on protected ridgelines in Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau over the objection of environmental groups and the state's Republican attorney general.

  The wild, scenic terrain is within 75,000 acres designated, at the state's behest, as unsuitable for surface coal mining in 2016 by the Obama administration's Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation, the agency responsible for regulating coal mining in the state.

• • Good Riddance to Climate Denier From NSC

  Climate Denialist to Depart
  White House National Security Council

  Sep. 11, 2019 (New York Times)- William Happer, the White House architect of a stalled plan to attack the established science of climate change, is leaving the Trump administration on Friday, according to three people familiar with his plans.

  Dr. Happer, a physicist who gained notoriety by claiming that the greenhouse gases contributing to warming the planet are beneficial to humanity, and for likening attacks on fossil fuels to “the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler” in a 2014 interview, served on the National Security Council as President Trump’s deputy assistant for emerging technologies.

• • No Lessons Learned From Deepwater Horizon

  Trump Plan Would Open Nearly All
  the Gulf of Mexico to Oil Drilling

  Jan. 4, 2018 - The Trump administration on Thursday (Jan. 4) announced plans for the largest expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. history, putting up for lease federal waters in the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico, including protected areas in the eastern Gulf.

  Click now for article from azCentral.

• • Clean Energy and Electric Cars Hit By GOP

  Tax Overhaul Hammers
  Clean Energy and Electric Cars

  (M.I.T. Technology Review) Dec. 8, 2017 - Legislators from both chambers are now hashing out their differences in the reconciliation committee in hopes of delivering a final bill to the White House before the end of the year. Clean-energy lobbyists are scrambling to push back on provisions they and others fear could stunt development or deployment of technologies needed to lower the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions.

• • DOW's Campaign Contributions
  Stopped the Banning of Chlorpyrifos

  How Dow Chemical Influenced
  the EPA to Ignore the
  Scientific Evidence on Chlorpyrifos

  (Union of Concerned Scientists) -On March 29, 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that his agency would decline to ban chlorpyrifos, despite years of scientific study and deliberation indicating that the pesticide poses a clear risk to children, farmworkers, and users of rural drinking water.

  This was a 180-degree turn from the science-based conclusion reached just a few months before by the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, which found that chlorpyrifos has harmful effects on children’s brain development. Both EPA scientists and the American Academy of Pediatrics have urged the EPA to ban the insecticide.

  Click now to read on.

• • The Top Ten Toxic Threats

  The E.P.A.’s Top 10 Toxic
  Threats, and Industry’s Pushback

  Oct. 21, 2017 - The E.P.A.has published a list of 10 toxic threats it will evaluate first under a law passed last year intended to crack down on hazardous chemicals.

  They are among 90 chemicals identified by the agency that may harm children, damage nerve tissue, cause cancer, contaminate the environment, accumulate in the bloodstream or show up in consumer products. As the review begins, industry and other interest groups are urging the E.P.A. to limit any restrictions.

  Click for the list that should
  not be on your top ten.

• • Climate Change Collapsing Australia’s Ecosystems

  Ecosystems Across Australia Are Undergo Climate Change

  The Converstion

  Research, recently published in Nature Climate Change, describes a series of sudden and catastrophic ecosystem shifts that have occurred recently across Australia.

• • CC Advisory Committee Dropped

  Administration Disbands Climate
  Change Advisory Committee

  Aug 20, 2017 - The Trumpv administration of has decided to disband a federal advisory panel on climate change - in a further sign of the White House's view on environmental policy.

  The panel is part of the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping officials and policy makers integrate the US Government's climate change analysis into their long-term planning.

• • Climate Skeptic Heads Top Science Post

  New USDA Research Head
  Thinks Climate Science Is 'Junk'

  July 20, 2017 - President Trump has nominated a well-known climate change doubter to the top science job at the Department of Agriculture.

  The nomination, which had been expected, was announced in a statement by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Sam Clovis, an early campaign adviser to Trump, will serve as undersecretary for research, education and economics.

• • Is the State of the Great Lakes a State Problem?

  Trump Says 'Yes' -
  Congress Says 'No'

  July 14, 2017 - Together, the five lakes hold nearly one-fifth of the earth’s surface freshwater. They’re home to 3500 species of plants and animals, including 170 species of fish. Not to mention the drinking water for about 35 million people, in eight states plus Canada. They have been a major highway for transportation, trade and migration. And more than 1.5 million jobs are directly connected to the lakes.

  But the Trump administration views the health of the Great Lakes as a local issue. Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow and budget director Mick Mulvaney squared off at a budget hearing a couple months ago on the topic. You can watch the exchange here:

• • Shades of White House Climate Denial

  5 Shades of Climate Denial,
  All on Display in the White House

  June 9.2017 - - From ‘it’s not real’ to ‘it’s not urgent,’ take a tour through the many shades of climate change denial wielded by Donald Trump's administration.