Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. This week, we’re covering a slew of attacks on the environment, energy costs, and human life.
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“The men and women of NABTU are proud to be constructing every offshore wind project in the United States, all under strong project labor agreements. These rulings mean our members can get back to work and keep affordable, clean, reliable power moving to our communities.”
— Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, on this week’s court decisions to allow construction on three offshore wind projects to resume.
“The idea that EPA would not consider the public health benefits of its regulations is anathema to the very mission of EPA.”
— Richard Revesz, faculty director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law, on EPA’s announcement that they will no longer consider the health effects of pollution (e.g. human lives saved or cut short) when setting pollution limits.
“We want our public lands to be pristine and roadless for this generation and generations to come.”
— Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) on the 25th anniversary of the Roadless Rule, which Trump is attempting to rescind.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES WINS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR NEW YORKERS: In her State of the State address, New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a historic $3.75 billion investment into clean water infrastructure and a $425 million investment in the state Environmental Protection Fund. She also proposed various energy reforms such as improving programs to help New Yorkers lower their energy bills and promoting clean electric vehicles, as well as climate resilience initiatives, including helping communities be more prepared for flooding. Notably, Hochul also announced plans to establish critical ratepayer protections against large energy users, especially AI data centers, by requiring them to pay their fair share for the energy they use or generate their own power to lower the cost burden on New York residents.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV said, “Governor Hochul’s State of the State underscores New York’s commitment to energy affordability, consumer protection, and advancing public health through critical infrastructure upgrades. We applaud the Governor’s historic $3.75 billion investment in water infrastructure and a $425 million EPF, as well as her commitment to energy affordability programs like Empower+ and the deployment of funds to make our communities more resilient to flooding. We appreciate the need to streamline environmental review and permitting to support affordable housing and other critical infrastructure but it must be done carefully; we look forward to seeing the details and working together to ensure that solutions do not compromise on environmental protections. We urge the administration and Legislature to build on these measures by investing another $1 billion in the Sustainable Future Fund including $200 million for thermal energy networks, advancing the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act and automated solar permitting, and delivering permitting reform and increasing support for battery storage – proven solutions that align with the Governor’s agenda of cutting burdensome red tape and delivering clean, affordable energy for New Yorkers.”
TAKE 2: New York LCV said on X, “@GovKathyHochul announces in her #StateOfTheState that data centers will pay their fair share for the power they use & they’ll ultimately generate their own clean energy. We hope the final budget requires them to add 100% renewable energy to the grid to power their operations.”
SOUTH CAROLINA REGULATORS APPROVE RATE HIKE: While the cost of living is at an all-time high in South Carolina, regulators have approved an electricity rate hike that will further increase energy bills for families. While the approved rate hike is smaller than the utility’s original proposal, South Carolinians can’t afford to keep seeing their energy bills go up.
GOVERNORS DEMAND ELECTRICITY GRID REFORM: Governors of all 13 states in the nation’s largest electricity grid signed onto a bipartisan document with President Trump calling on regional grid operator, PJM, to enact significant reforms to address high energy prices in the wake of rapid data center buildout. LCV and our state affiliates are continuing to push PJM to bring more renewable energy, the cheapest, clean, and fastest form of energy to deploy, online to meet rising energy demand.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of State Climate and Equity Policy Lashelle Johnson said, “Today’s announcement shows that public pressure still works, but what happens next will determine whether people enjoy lower prices and cleaner communities sooner, or if they are locked in to waiting for dirtier and more expensive energy. We have been calling for data centers and tech companies to pay their fair share and to power with clean energy because sources like solar, wind, and battery storage are the cheapest and fastest ways to get more electricity onto the grid.
“Governors should use their authority to ensure data centers power operations with cheap solar and batteries and meet state clean energy goals. People understand data centers are one of the reasons electricity prices are skyrocketing and are rightly demanding solutions that can address this problem as quickly as possible. Today’s announcement only underscores why the Trump administration’s war on clean energy needs to end.”
CVPA TAKE: Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Executive Director Molly Parzen said, “This action, supported by a bipartisan group of regional governors, follows the lead of Governor Shapiro’s previous steps to protect Pennsylvanians from out of control electric bills by negotiating a price cap on the PJM capacity auction. While this deal represents meaningful progress, we must continue to push for long-term solutions. Bringing more clean, renewable energy online will counter rising prices from increased demand, particularly from data centers. And while we agree that data centers must bring their own energy to Pennsylvania in order to keep our rates from further skyrocketing, that energy must be from clean and renewable sources that are the cheapest and fastest to bring online. We applaud this attempt to get PJM to do right by their customers, and strongly encourage Governor Shapiro and the state legislature to keep pushing for additional protections for workers, impacted communities, and our environment.”
OEC TAKE: Ohio Environmental Council CEO Carol Kauffman said, “Though this is meaningful progress, these actions alone will not achieve the affordable, reliable, and clean energy grid Ohioans deserve. The next critical step is clear: PJM must accelerate interconnection for existing clean energy projects stuck in its bureaucratic process. The bottom line? We urgently require more energy at an accelerated pace. Fortunately, market-driven solutions are already available. We must address the energy affordability crisis for millions of people living in the PJM territory by deploying cheap, clean energy as fast as possible.”
OFFSHORE WIND TRIUMPHS OVER TRUMP IN COURT: Federal courts ruled against the Trump administration to allow construction to resume on three offshore wind projects off the East Coast, Revolution Wind, Empire Wind, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. The court rulings come after the president froze construction in late December. This is a huge win for the offshore wind industry and clean, affordable energy on the East Coast. Two additional offshore wind projects halted by the Trump administration are also challenging the order in court.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV said, “Today’s court ruling is a clear victory for New York workers, families, and our clean energy future. NYLCV applauds the decision allowing Empire Wind to resume construction, and we urge swift and similar action for Sunrise Wind and the other projects across the East Coast… We look forward to workers returning to the job without further delay and to the courts ultimately rejecting the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to kill clean energy jobs and halt fully permitted projects.”
VALCV TAKE: Virginia LCV Director of Advocacy and Campaigns Blair St. Ledger-Olson said, “Virginia needs more, not less, affordable clean energy and today’s ruling helps make that happen. When complete, this offshore wind project will be the nation’s largest, powering hundreds of thousands of Virginia homes with clean, renewable energy, while creating hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars of investment in our economy. The Trump Administration’s continued obstruction of clean energy projects may be good for his fossil fuel donors, but it hurts Virginians, saddling us with higher energy bills and dirtier air while killing good-paying jobs. We are pleased that CVOW has been allowed to proceed and look forward to continuing to unlock more clean energy off our coast, and securing offshore wind as an economic driver well into the future.”
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS INTRODUCE BICAMERAL PROTECTING TAXPAYERS FROM RISKY INVESTMENTS IN VENEZUELA ACT: Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) and Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced the Protecting Taxpayers from Risky Investments in Venezuela Act in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The legislation aims to ensure taxpayers aren’t on the hook for the cost of building dirty, expensive fossil fuel infrastructure in Venezuela for the benefit of Trump’s fossil fuel donors.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Federal Advocacy Campaigns Director Leah Donahey said, “Taxpayers in the U.S. shouldn’t be forced to pay for Big Oil infrastructure — period. Trump’s proposal to invest taxpayer dollars subsidizing overseas oil and gas projects will help line the pockets of his Big Polluter friends and do zero to lower everyday expenses for families here at home. Energy prices are up 13% under President Trump and yet he is abusing his power and banning clean energy projects to give handouts to wealthy oil executives, when what we need is to invest in the fastest and cheapest energy to bring online — clean energy — and the good-paying jobs it creates. We applaud Senator Merkley and Representative Levin for introducing these bills and urge Congress to pass this legislation that helps to protect taxpayer dollars from funding Big Polluters.”
EPA TO PRIORITIZE PROFITS OVER HUMAN LIFE: EPA announced it will stop considering the monetary value of health effects from air pollution (e.g. human lives saved or lost) when setting pollution limits. This is a reversal of decades of precedent in which the agency has used the benefits to human health, including fewer asthma attacks and premature deaths, to show the value of setting rules to limit pollution. This means they won’t tell the public how many more people will die and be sickened by their lax air pollution limits, which contradict EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment, and prioritizes polluting industries’ profits while making our air dirtier.
OUR TAKE: LCV said on Bluesky, “This administration makes it abundantly clear every single day that they have zero regard for the health and well-being of the American people.”
EPA MOVES TO LIMIT STATE AND TRIBAL ABILITY TO SAFEGUARD CLEAN WATER: EPA proposed a rule to limit the scope of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which gives states and Tribes the authority to veto large projects that could result in more pollution in their water.
OUR TAKE: LCV Healthy Communities Government Affairs Advocate Lizzy Duncan said, “The Trump administration has proven time and time again that they will say and do whatever it takes to eliminate environmental safeguards and pad the pockets of their polluter allies at the expense of the health and safety of our communities. This latest proposal would strip states and Tribes of their right to protect their waterways from health harming pollution. The proposal is especially galling after the administration pointed to states’ rights as a key reason to undermine the Waters of the United States’ rule. This administration’s continued assault on the Clean Water Act threatens our communities and economic growth. It will make our waters dirtier and families sicker at a time when healthcare costs are already going up for millions. Protecting access to clean water is popular among families and communities across the country and communities need stronger clean water safeguards, instead of handouts to corporate polluters. The Trump administration should abandon this horrible proposal.”
HOUSE PASSES SHOWER ACT: The House passed the SHOWER Act, lifting water efficiency regulations for showerheads. People across the country are already struggling to pay their utility bills, and this legislation will drive bills even higher. Prior to the vote, LCV sent a letter to members of the House urging them to oppose the bill.
OUR TAKE: From the letter, “[This bill] would effectively eliminate already-attained federal showerhead efficiency standards by changing the legal definition of a showerhead to allow higher overall water use. This will result in higher household water and energy costs, place additional strain on water and energy infrastructure, and shift costs onto consumers and utilities, with disproportionately high burdens on renters and low income households.”
DOE REALLOCATES $500 MILLION FROM BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW TO BOLSTER COAL: The Department of Energy (DOE) announced its illegitimate plans to use more than half a billion dollars in funding Congress had earmarked for programs to improve energy resiliency and environmental protection in rural America to instead prop up outdated and obsolete coal plants.
NEW JERSEY GRANTS $32 MILLION FOR ELECTRIC BUSES, CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE: New Jersey has issued $32 million in grants to fund 53 electric school buses, 41 fast chargers, and 26 public charging stations for electric vehicles. This investment will reduce pollution from transportation in the state.
NEW JERSEY LCV ANNOUNCES INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Following Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s announcement that New Jersey LCV Executive Director Ed Potosnak will serve as the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey LCV named Allison McLeod as the organization’s interim executive director. McLeod has served as the organization’s deputy director.
SENATE PASSES THREE BILL APPROPRIATIONS MINIBUS: The Senate has passed a three bill minibus including the Interior-Environment, Energy-Water, and Commerce-Justice-Science bills. These bills avoided the worst of the cuts to environmental programs and poison-pill riders Republican lawmakers sought to attach. The legislation is now on the president’s desk.
OUR TAKE: Ahead of the bills’ passage in the House last week, LCV Legislative Director David Shadburn said, “This hard-fought compromise is a crucial step forward in blocking dozens of the worst partisan attacks. Congress must rein in Donald Trump and Russell Vought’s continued abuse of power and ensure that agencies are doing the work of the people as mandated by Congress. Quickly passing bipartisan funding bills is our strongest defense against the attacks on our core institutions of environmental protection. We are grateful to the members of Congress and their staff for working overtime to negotiate truly bipartisan funding bills that will help protect our air, water, and public lands.”
ONE YEAR OF TRUMP’S COSTLY SECOND TERM: Next week marks the first full year of Trump’s second term. Over the past year, Trump has consistently prioritized his polluter cronies over people and the planet, jacking up our energy costs and jeopardizing the health and safety of our communities and environment. LCV released a memo detailing how Trump and congressional Republicans have increased our costs over the last year.
OUR TAKE: From the memo, “Across the country, families are paying more. For electricity, for insurance, for health care, for housing…the list goes on. These rising costs aren’t abstract, and they aren’t accidental. They are the result of a series of policy choices that have shifted the costs of dirty energy, pollution, and climate damage onto families, workers, and taxpayers, while handing out gifts and giveaways to polluters.”
ON THE BLOG: Stay tuned for exciting upcoming content on The Power Source Blog!
ON OUR SOCIALS: Two weeks into the year I hope everyone’s New Year’s resolutions are going well. I know our resolution to keep holding the Trump administration accountable for their attacks on people, the planet, and democracy is still going strong!
JANUARY 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
JANUARY 20: 1 year anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration.
FEBRUARY 16: President’s Day.
FEBRUARY 17: Lunar New Year.
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