©2025 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, Instagram, BlueSky, and TikTok.
“[Tuesday night was] one of the most devastating and terrifying nights we have seen in any part of our city in any part of our history.”
— Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson on the devastating wildfires sweeping through southern California.
“I firmly believe that if you took someone from the 1970s and beamed them forward in time to today, they would be shocked at how hot it is.”
— Andrew Dessler, climate researcher at Texas A&M University, on last year being the hottest year on record (again).
“We stopped asking the question, ‘What do we need to shut down?’ and we started asking the question, ‘What do we need to build?’”
—John Podesta, senior climate advisor to President Biden, on the Biden-Harris administration’s climate legacy.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION PROTECTS 625 MILLION ACRES OF U.S. WATERS: The Biden-Harris administration has withdrawn 625 million acres of U.S. waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and gas leasing.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “We applaud the Biden administration for protecting the coasts off the Pacific, Atlantic, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the Northern Bering Sea off Alaska from new offshore oil and gas leasing. Preventing the expansion of future oil development off our coasts will help meet our climate goals and safeguard communities. With today’s announcement, President Biden has protected more of our lands and waters than any other U.S. president in history, more than 679 million acres of lands, waters, and oceans across the country. We are forever grateful to President Biden for his steadfast commitment and unparalleled leadership in protecting our communities, our health, our climate, and our treasured places.”
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION DELIVERS INVESTMENT IN CLEAN TRANSPORTATION: The Department of Transportation delivered over $5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund the build out of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure (including the construction of 11,500 EV charging ports), strengthen freight systems, and reconnect communities that have been cut off from essential services.
OUR TAKE: LCV Government Affairs Advocate for Climate & Clean Energy Darien Davis said, “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to deliver transformational investments to communities across the country that will help increase consumers’ fuel choices, lower energy costs for families, strengthen critical infrastructure, create good-paying clean energy jobs, and connect historically excluded communities with low wealth to essential services. The Biden-Harris administration’s historic commitment to invest nearly $5 billion to support cleaner transportation projects across all fifty states has doubled the number of publicly available EV chargers to over 205,000 — in part because of tireless bipartisan efforts in Congress — and will benefit people while tackling the climate crisis and health-harming pollution.”
ARCTIC REFUGE LEASE SALE YIELDS NO BIDS: A congressionally mandated oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge yielded no bids from oil and gas producers. There are no existing oil or gas leases in the Arctic Refuge.
OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick said, “Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would destroy a sacred landscape and devastate wildlife that sustains local communities. The lack of interest in this lease sale demonstrates that drilling in this location would be unpopular with the public and bad for business. Despite this poor showing, Republicans in Congress are already pushing for more leasing in the Arctic Refuge, which today’s lack of interest proves would be a waste of time at best, and a disastrous decision at worst. LCV remains committed to restoring protections for this region, and applauds President Biden and Secretary Haaland for their ongoing leadership in protecting America’s Arctic.”
LCV MARKS FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTION: Monday marked the four-year anniversary of the violent January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol in which rioters attempted to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
OUR TAKE: LCV Democracy Program Director Justin Kwasa said, “Four years after Donald Trump incited a violent insurrection to try to stop the peaceful transfer of power, with violence and threats against elected officials, civil servants, and law enforcement officers, today is a stark reminder that the stakes for our democracy are higher than ever. With someone returning to the White House who has attempted to rewrite the history of that day and has issued numerous threats to weaponize law enforcement and the military against political opponents, we will continue to fight non-violently for a strong democracy. The people deserve a democracy that respects every voter equally no matter their race, sex, income, or zip code, holds politicians accountable for corruption and abuse of power, and enables the people to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and our fundamental freedoms.
Today’s election certification presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris, honoring the peaceful transition of power as the United States has done for over two centuries, is a sharp contrast to the insurrection four years ago. We must continue to stand strong for a free and fair democracy for all.”
TREASURY FINALIZES RULES IMPLEMENTING TECH-NEUTRAL CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS: The Department of the Treasury finalized rules for the implementation of technology-neutral clean tax credits covering wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, hydropower, and more.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy, Matthew Davis said, “This final rule implementing technology-neutral clean energy tax incentives will continue to drive job growth, keep energy bills down for families, and provide big economic investments to our communities. An analysis released this week by Aurora Energy Research found that removing these clean energy tax credits would not only result in job loss and cancelled projects, but also would increase families’ energy bills – by a whopping $468 in New York and $348 in Texas in 2040. The stability and certainty provided by this final rule are critical for the workers, businesses, and investors building our clean energy economy – a flourishing, inclusive economy that creates jobs, swiftly delivers needed electricity, protects our environment, and lowers costs for our families and communities.”
TREASURY FINALIZES RULES FOR CLEAN HYDROGEN FINANCIAL INCENTIVES: Last Friday, the Department of the Treasury released final rules for receiving federal tax credits for clean hydrogen production.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy and former EPA scientist Matthew Davis said, “Today’s final rule represents a well-reasoned step from the Biden-Harris administration towards responsibly scaling up clean hydrogen in a manner that is targeted toward the hard-to-decarbonize industrial and transportation sectors. While we don’t support all of the changes made in the final rule, it will allow green hydrogen projects to move forward with confidence they will qualify for tax credits without increasing carbon pollution or families’ electricity bills. Done right and with the protections and certainty provided by this final rule, green hydrogen has the potential to create good jobs and deliver cost-saving benefits for our climate, our communities, and future generations. At the same time, it is critical for the deployment of clean hydrogen to significantly decrease or eliminate pollution in communities, especially communities historically excluded from economic development and disproportionately impacted by fossil fuel pollution.”
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF JIMMY CARTER: On Thursday, the nation celebrated the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter, an early champion of clean energy and committed environmentalist and humanitarian.
OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “As we mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter, we celebrate his life and legacy as a committed champion of our environment, conservation, clean energy, and a healthy democracy. Among his many accomplishments, he was instrumental to the passing of the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA), which protected more than 100 million acres in Alaska and is one of the largest pieces of public lands legislation ever signed into law. And, from installing solar panels on the White House to proposing tax credits for solar panel installation in people’s homes, he was an early champion of affordable clean energy.
President Carter also championed civil rights and a more inclusive democracy, including appointing more women and people of color to the federal judiciary than all previous presidents combined. We also celebrate his incredible legacy over the last 45 years since leaving office. What an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts are with the Carter family as we endeavor to keep working to fulfill President Carter’s vision of clean energy and public lands for all while centering justice and equity.”
NEW YORK ENACTS A POLLUTER PAY LAW: New York became the second state to pass legislation requiring major fossil fuel companies to pay for the costs of damage caused by climate change. New York follows the lead of Vermont, which enacted the first state Climate Superfund law last spring. The new law will take the burden off of New York taxpayers, who are currently footing the bill for climate change adaptation and disaster recovery efforts.
CONGESTION PRICING TAKES EFFECT IN NEW YORK CITY: The first-of-its-kind program launched on January 5th and aims to reduce traffic, lower pollution levels, and improve air quality for NYC residents by requiring drivers to pay a toll to enter busy parts of Manhattan. The revenue will provide funding for public transit.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV President Julie Tighe said, “We cannot drive our way out of the climate crisis. We need fewer cars on the road, less greenhouse gas emissions coming from our transportation sector, and less air pollution from tailpipes of cars idling in traffic choking our lungs. This is not just a matter of reducing traffic—it’s about improving the health and quality of life for millions of people.”
CHICAGO CITY FACILITIES NOW POWERED BY 100% CLEAN ENERGY: All of Chicago’s over 400 municipal buildings, including two international airports and two of the world’s largest water treatment facilities, now run on 100% clean energy. This milestone will cut an estimated 290,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – equivalent to taking 62,000 cars off the road.
IEC TAKE: Illinois Environmental Council City Government Affairs Director Iyana Simba said, “We’re pleased to see Chicago deliver on a promise sustained through three mayoral administrations. This is a major step forward in achieving the goals of the Chicago Climate Action Plan and reaffirms the City and advocates’ commitment to building a sustainable, greener future.”
ON THE BLOG: ICYMI, we recently published our Top 5 Stories Worth Reading from December. Check it out to learn about how LCV and our state affiliates are helping communities access federal climate funds, state-level clean energy milestones, electric school bus rollouts, LCV’s efforts to secure safe and equal access to the polls, and see a wrap-up of our November election coverage.
ON OUR SOCIALS: Our hearts go out to the communities impacted by devastating wildfires in southern California. Check out this video from our California state affiliate, California Environmental Voters, to learn about legislative changes that can be made to lessen the impacts of future wildfires.
JANUARY 18: People’s March in Washington D.C.
JANUARY 20: Inauguration Day.
JANUARY 21: 15th Anniversary of the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court case.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters