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Page Updated:
July 4, 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.

• • 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.

• • These Two Laws Give Agencies Authority
  to Regulate CO2 — If They Want To

  Administrator Lee Zeldin Says His Agency Can’t Regulate Greenhouse Gases Without Congressional Approval. Some Legal Experts Disagree
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  April 6, 2026 -EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says any new regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions will have to wait on Congress. But lawyers and policy experts contend a climate-conscious president already has ample legal authority to cut emissions without congressional action.

  The back and forth comes after EPA repealed the scientific finding underpinning its climate rules in February. Zeldin told a major energy conference in Houston last week he won’t be scouring the legal code for new authorities to regulate climate pollution.

  “What I’m not going to do is look at a law and say, ‘Well, the law doesn’t say I can’t, so I guess that means we can,’” he said in remarks at S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference.

• • Trump Budget Attacks Renewables, Boosts ‘Energy Dominance’s

  The White House’s 2027 Budget Proposal Would Cut Over $15B From Clean Energy Programs
  
  {energy central}

  April 6, 2026 -The budget request takes aim at Biden-era energy programs not yet erased by the Trump administration. It would 1) cancel $15.2B in funds for DOE renewable energy and carbon capture projects and 2) funnel $3.5B from clean energy to “energy dominance” efforts (including $1.2B for AI supercomputers at national labs).

  Yes, but: It isn’t binding and would need bipartisan support to pass. For reference, Congress ignored most of Trump’s asks last year (including a proposed 55% EPA cut, which Congress shrank to 4%).

• • EPA Eases ‘Discrete’ Parts of Biden Methane Rule

  Broader Changes Are in the Works, But EPA Has Finished a Technical Reconsideration of Two Provisions From Late in the Biden Administration
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  April 6, 2026 -EPA on Monday finalized two “discrete” changes to the Biden-era methane rule for the oil and gas industry, touting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual industry savings.

  The Trump administration is expected to pursue additional changes to the Biden methane rule but has yet to issue that broader proposal.

  Although these two changes were first proposed by the Biden EPA in response to industry requests, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin still blasted the Biden administration's regulatory agenda.

• • Americans’ Shifting Views on Energy Issues

  A Growing Majority of Republicans Prioritize the Development of Fossil Fuel Energy Sources Like Oil and Natural Gas
  
  {Pew Research Center}

  April 3, 2026 -The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say the country should prioritize oil, coal and natural gas over wind and solar power has doubled to 71% over the last six years.

  Majorities of Republicans see wind and solar power as less reliable than other energy sources, and decreasing shares of Republicans say wind and solar energy is better for the environment.

  An overwhelming majority of Democrats continue to prioritize wind and solar power and say the federal government should encourage their development.

• • Trump’s Budget May Target Climate Programs

  Here’s What Still Survives

  
  

  April 2, 2026 -President Trump has tried to cut funding for virtually every federal program that addresses climate change. But Congress has been pushing back, sometimes with surprising bipartisan support.

  This year, lawmakers quietly saved funding for the government’s popular Energy Star program, which ranks appliances based on energy conservation and cost savings. Bipartisan majorities also salvaged weather forecasting, fisheries and climate research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and even some international environmental aid.

• • Republicans Seek Protections for Oil Giants Against Climate Lawsuits

  Utah Passed A Law To Insulate Oil Companies Against Efforts to Make Them Pay For Their Role In Global Warming

  
  

  April 2, 2026 -Republicans at the state and federal levels are working to shield fossil fuel companies from laws and legal claims that aim to make them pay for some of the damage caused by climate change.

  Lawmakers and oil-industry advocates are running a two-track campaign, in statehouses and in Congress, to pass laws to protect companies from paying some of the costs of intensified wildfires, storms, floods and other effects of global warming. The goal is broad immunity, similar to what Congress granted to gun manufacturers two decades ago.

• • The Affordability Crunch is Pushing
  Democrats to Scale Back Climate Ambitions

  The upfront costs of Transitioning to Clean Energy and Worries About Rising Utility Bills Are Forcing Tough Choices for Democratic Leaders
  
  {POLITICO}

  Mar. 30, 2026 - Mar. 30, 2026 -The Democratic Party’s embrace of affordability politics is pushing what remains of U.S. climate policy to the brink.

  In a bid to quickly lower electricity costs, a growing number of Democratic-governed states are pulling money away from programs to save power and boost renewable energy, often by cutting charges on utility bills or redirecting those funds toward customer rebates.

• • Wealthy Investors Are Targeting Foes of
  Clean Energy, and They Want Revenge

  Renewable Energy Leaders Said Their Industry Got “Rolled” In President Trump’s Tax Bill. Now They’re Fighting Back, Starting in Texas

  
  

  Mar. 26, 2026 -President Trump’s sweeping tax law last year eliminated most federal support for wind and solar energy, electric vehicles and other clean technologies. Now, a group of wealthy investors is coming after its architects, trying to prove that green energy knows how to play hardball politics.

  Their first target is Chip Roy, a Republican representative from Texas who led the push to kill subsidies for clean tech in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The investors, who include Chris Larsen, the billionaire co-founder of the cryptocurrency platform Ripple, are pouring money into defeating Mr. Roy’s campaign for attorney general in Texas.

• • Fears Net Zero is ‘Next Brexit’ as
  Oil Crisis Fuels Political Climate Divide

  Rising Energy Bills Give Reform and Tories Opening to Attack Net Zero While Government Hesitant to Make Case For Clean Energy

  
  

  Mar. 26, 2026 -Could net zero become “the next Brexit”? That is the fear stalking climate advocates as the oil crisis caused by the war on Iran starts to bite.

  A powerful coalition of the well-funded Reform party, led by Nigel Farage, the Conservative party, some business interests, and the UK’s right-wing media, are engaged in an onslaught against the longstanding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

• • Prominent Climate Scientist Resigns From
  NASA, Citing Trump’s Attack on Science

  Kate Marvel, a Well-Known Author, Joins an Estimated 95,000 People Who Have Left Federal Science Agencies Since Trump Returned to the White House

  
  

  Mar. 24, 2026 -Kate Marvel, a widely known climate scientist and author, has resigned from her position at NASA, citing the Trump administration’s attacks on climate science in the United States.

  Dr. Marvel, who trained as an astrophysicist before turning to the Earth’s atmosphere, said in an interview that the administration’s actions made it impossible to remain at an agency that she loved.

• • A Critical Political Season Could
  Decide if Alaska Is a Failed ‘Petrostate’

  A Governor Who Spent Two Terms Cutting Services to Preserve Alaskans’ Oil-Funded Annual Checks is Leaving Office

  
  

  Mar. 25, 2026 -Juneau, Alaska, takes pride in providing services that some larger cities would shy away from — child care and housing assistance, arts grants, three libraries, two public pools, an arboretum, a ski area and a pledge that all 250 miles of borough roads will be plowed, if possible, within 48 hours after a snowstorm ends.

  But the system that has made that possible — a steady flow of revenue from oil production — is cracking like Arctic ice in spring, not just in Juneau, Alaska’s capital, but across the state. Even with the war in Iran sending oil prices sky high, the oil-dependent model that has financed generous public services while giving Alaskans annual checks from a Permanent Fund can no longer keep both promises.

• • US Has Caused $10Tn Worth of Climate
  Damage Since 1990, Research Finds

  US, Top Carbon Emitter in History, has ‘a Lot of Responsibility’ For Causing ‘Substantial’ Harm Globally

  
  

  Mar. 25, 2026 -The US has caused an eye-watering $10tn in global damages to the world over the past three decades through its vast planet-heating emissions, with a quarter of this economic pain inflicted upon itself, new research has found.

  By being the largest carbon emitter in history, the US has caused greater harm to worldwide economic growth than any other country, ahead of China, now the world’s largest emitter that is responsible for $9tn in GDP damage since 1990, according to the findings of the paper.

• • It’s Three 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
  
  {E&E NEWS}
  
  

  Mar. 23, 2026 -President 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.

  There has never been such a sharp partisan disparity in the approval of federal disaster funds since FEMA was created in 1979, according to a review of 2,500 natural disaster declarations by POLITICO’s E&E News.

• • Susan Collins and Climate Change: ‘The Silence is Deafening’

  Seeking a Sixth Term, the Maine Senator’s Passivity in the Face of Executive Branch Power Grabs Undermines Her Greatest Electoral Strength, as Much as It Does Climate Action

  
  

  Mar. 21, 2026 -When reports emerged last August that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) planned to cancel $7 billion in grants for solar panels for low-income households, including an estimated 20,000 households in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins seemed to defend the move

  “It is no surprise, now that control of the White House has changed, that the new administration would consider terminating this IRA program,” she was quoted as saying, referring to the Biden administration’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

• • New York’s Governor Pushes to Delay a
  Key Portion of the State’s Climate Law

  State Lawmakers and Environmental Advocates Are Pushing Back

  
  

  Mar. 20, 2026 -New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to roll back parts of the state’s Climate Act, which established aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

  Using 1990 as a baseline, the law requires a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and an 85 percent decline by 2050. In an op-ed on the news site Empire Report, Hochul proposed eliminating enforcement of the 2030 emissions target and replacing it with a new 2040 target. The 2050 target would remain the same.

• • House Democrats Unveil Energy Policy Priorities as Senate Talks Resume

  House Democrats Introduced a Bill to Upend Trump’s Energy Playbook
  
  {energy central}
  
  

  Mar. 18, 2026 -The bill would 1) Restore clean energy tax credits and grants. 2) Bar FERC from allowing specific generators, like gas-fired plants, to cut interconnection queues. 3) Put $2.1B toward grid upgrades, among other proposals. It’s backed by 122 House members and two former FERC commissioners.

  Don’t hold your breath: It probably won’t pass the Republican-controlled Congress, but it could pave the way for future legislation if Dems take the House or Senate in November.

• • The Latest Front in the Battle Over Climate
  Lawsuits: Bills Wiping Out Liability

  Republican Lawmakers Are Advancing Legislation That Would Shield Major Polluters From Legal Accountability For Climate Change Harms

  
  

  Mar. 14, 2026 -Republican lawmakers in multiple states and Congress are advancing proposals to shield polluters from climate accountability and prevent any type of liability for climate change harms—even as these harms and their associated costs continue to mount.

  It’s the latest in a counter-offensive that has unfolded on multiple fronts, from the halls of Congress and the White House to courts and state attorneys general offices across the country.

• • Study Examines Why Biden Failed to Get Credit For IRA

  Voters Were Confused About Where the Money Came From
  
  {CLIMATEWIRE}
  
  

  Mar. 9, 2026 -Former President Joe Biden never got political credit for the Inflation Reduction Act because voters didn't know about it or were confused about who was driving the expansion of clean energy projects in their states.

  Voters were more likely to credit their own governor for the construction of green energy facilities, according to a study published last month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

• • Iran War’s Oil Shock Fuels GOP Political Anxiety

  President Trump Sent Conflicting Messages About the Administration’s Plans

  
  

  Mar. 10, 2026 -President Donald Trump was eager to point to gas prices in his State of the Union speech last month as he touted his administration’s progress on the economy.

  “Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was, quite honestly, a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states,” Trump boasted minutes into his nearly-two-hour address, framing his party’s message heading into the midterms.

• • 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.