©2024 League of Conservation Voters
Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. Be sure to follow LCV on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
“The New England Wind project will help lower consumer costs, combat climate change, create jobs to support families, and ensure economic opportunities are accessible to all communities.”
— Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland on the approval of the eighth offshore wind project in the U.S.
“I’m grateful for the help I got to install a brand-new heat pump water heater that provides me all the hot water I need while saving energy and money. And I’m grateful that there’s now going to be more options for families that will make these new appliances affordable and bring the benefits to them too.”
— Georgia homeowner Mildred Carter on energy-efficient home upgrades she was able to install thanks to money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
“This mineral withdrawal will provide much deserved and long-lasting protection to the Thompson Divide, an area filled with immense aspen groves, vast roadless lands, community watersheds and rich wildlife habitat.”
— Will Roush, executive director of Carbondale, Colorado-based Wilderness Workshop, an organization dedicated to protecting public lands in western Colorado.
EPA AWARDS $20 BILLION FROM GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION FUND TO EIGHT APPLICANTS: EPA has awarded $20 billion to eight non-profit and private sector applicants through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, which were created under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. By mobilizing capital into climate and air pollution reduction financial networks, the programs will generate thousands of projects and clean energy jobs across the country, especially in low income and historically excluded communities, where at least 70% of the investments will be directed. The programs’ joint efforts will reduce or avoid up to 40 million metric tons of air pollution every year, a significant contribution to the climate goals set by the Biden-Harris administration.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis said, “The Biden-Harris administration is continuing to deliver on their promise to accelerate our country’s progress towards a clean energy future and ensure that a healthier, more prosperous future benefits communities previously left out. While extremist MAGA Republicans continue to attack the President’s affordable clean energy plan, these investments from the historic Inflation Reduction Act will jumpstart local projects and help cut energy costs for families, create clean energy jobs, and decrease pollution in communities disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and volatile fossil fuel prices. We look forward to these investments catalyzing building energy efficiency and clean energy projects on the ground and are thrilled that over half of these projects will go to historically excluded communities, including communities of color, communities with low wealth, and rural communities.”
CHISPA TAKE: Chispa Senior Director Estefany Carrasco-González said, “Chispa is excited to welcome the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund investments. These will address critically needed green energy funding for our communities of color that need it most, resulting in cleaner air, lower energy costs for all, and more local jobs. With local improvements such as community-owned solar, small business loans for local employers to electrify their vehicles, and home loans for families to improve their home’s comfort and energy efficiency, we’re starting to see an inclusive green energy future for all as a reality.”
NCLCV TAKE: North Carolina LCV Executive Director Carrie Clark said, “We thank Vice President Kamala Harris for coming to North Carolina and announcing the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund; and it couldn’t come at a better time. According to the latest U.S. climate assessment, North Carolina is one of the top five states facing the most expensive climate disasters. But North Carolina has also ranked first in the nation for business two years in a row, and first in the nation in rural clean energy jobs. If we want this success to continue, we must address the climate crisis. This announcement addresses the heart of the climate crisis and will help ensure North Carolina continues to be a great place for families and businesses to thrive.”
OFFSHORE WIND’S BIGGEST MONTH EVER: In just the last month, the Biden-Harris administration has overseen the completion of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind development, issued final approvals for two new projects, and proposed auctions for four new lease areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership the wind is at our back and the clean energy economy is booming. In just the last month we have seen the promise of offshore wind to fight the climate crisis and bring clean, reliable, cheaper energy across the country. Because of the Inflation Reduction Act and clean energy leadership from the Biden-Harris administration, communities across the country will have new investments in local economies, good-paying union jobs, and an economy built on clean energy.”
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV President Julie Tighe said, “These announcements mark a great moment for the future of clean energy in New York and the United States. Following the completion of South Fork Wind earlier this month – a first-in-the-nation achievement – we were thrilled that Sunrise Wind was approved to become America’s next commercial-scale offshore wind development. And with Equinor establishing a historic Project Labor Agreement for the construction of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, we are witnessing the fulfillment of the twin promises of our clean energy transition: reducing our reliance on fossil fuels while providing family-sustaining union jobs and ensuring a robust clean energy labor market in the years ahead. Furthermore, as New York’s offshore wind industry takes flight, we are committed to helping ensure that our clean energy economy works for everyone, which is why we enthusiastically support the Biden Administration’s expansion of the IRA’s community tax provisions to include communities on the front line of offshore wind energy production.”
ELM, NEW ENGLAND FOR OFFSHORE WIND TAKE: Offshore Wind Director for the Environmental League of Massachusetts and New England for Offshore Wind Kelt Wilska said, “Offshore wind represents the single biggest lever that New England states can pull to meet their climate goals, stabilize energy prices and build energy security and independence. We believe that states must select bids that contain a balance of quantitative and qualitative (non-price) factors to appropriately value the details that will shape the industry’s interaction with our communities and environment. This balance ensures that developers take measurable steps to provide family sustaining union jobs and equitable access to economic opportunity, while delineating the benefits their projects will deliver to Environmental Justice populations and demonstrating benefits from mitigation, minimization, and avoidance of detrimental environmental and socioeconomic impacts. We are also encouraged that new tax guidance from the federal government will complement these environmental and economic benefits by lowering developer construction costs and ultimately reducing ratepayer impacts.”
20 YEAR BAN ON NEW DRILLING IN COLORADO: The Biden-Harris administration has finalized a 20 year ban on new oil and gas drilling and mining in western Colorado, protecting over 22,000 acres of Thompson’s Divide following years of grassroots advocacy from diverse stakeholders. Finalized in a public lands withdrawal signed by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the decision will protect the landscape’s invaluable wildlife habitat and regional recreation economy.
LCVAF ANNOUNCES NEW HOUSE ENDORSEMENTS: LCV Action Fund has announced new endorsements of six candidates for election to the U.S. House of Representatives. The endorsements include Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Val Hoyle (OR-04), and candidates Jessica Morse (CA-03), Johnny Olszweski (MD-02), Laura Gillen (NY-04), and Tim Kennedy (NY-26).
OUR TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “LCV Action Fund is thrilled to announce our latest endorsements for pro-environment, pro-democracy leaders who will put people over Big Polluters and special interests. Communities, especially communities of color and low-wealth communities, across the country are seeing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis and pollution firsthand. We are all in to elect candidates like these who will follow the science and fight for the health of our environment for clean energy, and a free and fair democracy for future generations.”
DNCC APPOINTS SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORS: The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and the Chicago 2024 Host Committee have appointed two women-owned, Chicago-based firms, Bright Beat and Purpose, to serve as Sustainability Advisors for the Democratic National Convention.
OUR TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “LCV Action Fund applauds the selection of these two locally based, women-owned firms to lead sustainability efforts to lower emissions and implement pro-environmental policies for this year’s National Democratic Convention to make it the most sustainable convention yet. This strong commitment is in line with President Biden’s historic efforts as the most pro-climate action president ever. We look forward to the Biden-Harris record on climate, clean energy, and environmental justice being front and center at the convention.”
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ISSUES PROTECTIONS FOR NONPARTISAN CIVIL SERVICE WORKERS: The Office of Personnel Management has issued a final rule to ensure federal civil employees are hired and fired based on merit and expertise, not their political affiliations or loyalties.
COALITION TAKE: LCV joined 27 organizations in signing onto a comment led by Democracy Forward in support of the rule. From the comment, “Protecting the expertise and experience of agency staff ensures that agencies can fulfill this role. Many federal programs and projects are complex and longstanding, and are not designed to be subject to major shifts in staffing or approach every four years. Carrying out these programs effectively, efficiently, and consistent with Congress’s intent requires thorough understanding of the particular statutory and regulatory schemes, institutional knowledge of the history of the programs, familiarity with relevant stakeholders inside and outside government, and substantial technical expertise.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE CLIMATE ACTION HOSTS MAPLE SYRUP BREAKFAST: The New Hampshire Climate Action team, alongside the Sierra Club, Protect our Winters, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, hosted their annual pancake breakfast complete with local maple syrup and an appearance by Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). Speakers at the breakfast discussed the importance of climate action, clean energy progress, and the impacts of climate change on maple syrup production in the state.
NEVADA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION GREENLIGHTS SOUTHWEST GAS RATE HIKE DESPITE COMMUNITY OPPOSITION: Last December, dozens of Chispa Nevada members asked the Public Utility Commission of Nevada (PUCN) to reject the Southwest Gas proposal and keep rates affordable for families, especially low-income and Latine families who already spend a higher percentage of their income on utility bills. Chispa Nevada submitted a petition with over 1,000 signatures urging the PUCN to reject any future rate hikes and offer consumers relief. Despite this effort, PUCN accepted Southwest Gas’s proposed rate hike this week.
CHISPA NV TAKE: Chispa Nevada Program Director Audrey Peral said, “We are deeply disappointed in the PUCN’s decision. As we shared with the Commission during December’s Consumer Session, our families are struggling to pay for basic needs and cannot afford another rate increase. So long as Nevadans are dependent on imported gas, our bills will continue to be unpredictable. We demand the PUCN reject any more rate increases and seek a transition to local, affordable, clean energy solutions.”
Read what some community members had to say about the rate increase here.
ON THE BLOG: Last week, we published the March Top 5 blog, with stories about women congressional champions, LCV Action Fund’s latest round of endorsements, legislative victories in Virginia, new protections against deadly soot pollution, and federal investments in clean energy on Tribal land. Read the full stories on the blog!
ON OUR SOCIALS: On our to-do list: Call out Republican conspiracy theories, and celebrate the activation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and the Biden administration’s plan to protect federal civil servants.
APRIL 9: Last day of Ramadan.
APRIL 15: Tax Day (don’t forget your clean energy tax credits!)
APRIL 22: Earth Day!
APRIL 22: Passover begins at sundown.
©2024 League of Conservation Voters