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 the president’s attempts to make voting more difficult while making polluting easier.
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“We will not blindly follow illegal orders because Donald Trump wrote them down on a piece of paper.”
— Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in response to Trump’s executive order threatening to disenfranchise millions of voters.
“Unfortunately, we cannot wish away the security threats associated with climate change.”
— Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate and Security, on climate change being left out of the most recent U.S. threat assessment report.
“Notwithstanding all of the challenges that our country is grappling with, House Republicans have decided to spend this week debating walk-in freezers, commercial refrigerators, and giving new responsibilities to a department that they want to abolish.”
— Representative Joe Neguse on the House floor in the lead up to consideration of Republican leadership’s Congressional Review Act resolutions that would permanently undo money-saving energy efficiency standards for refrigerators and freezers.
WASHINGTON JUDGE OVERTURNS PRO-FOSSIL FUEL INITIATIVE: Washington King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan overturned a misleading ballot initiative that would have slowed the state’s shift away from natural gas and toward cleaner energy sources due to the initiative violating multiple requirements in the state constitution. While activists are excited about the decision, it is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court. Read statements from the plaintiffs on their victory.
WCA TAKE: Washington Conservation Action Vice President of Programs Christina Wong said, “Initiative 2066 was designed to rob people of their choice to access cleaner, more efficient energy. We’re already seeing the consequences—programs that would help families afford high-efficiency electric appliances have been blocked by 2066. With 2066 struck down, Washingtonians can get back to work towards a cleaner, healthier, more affordable energy future. This is a win for Washingtonians, not the fossil fuel lobby.”
CONSERVATION VOTERS FOR IDAHO HOST RALLY TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC LANDS: Nearly 2,000 Idahoans from across the state joined Conservation Voters for Idaho and partner organizations for a rally at the Idaho Capitol to voice their concerns about potential public lands privatization efforts and express their support for keeping public lands in public hands.
CVI TAKE: Conservation Voters for Idaho Executive Director Alexis Pickering said, “The future of our public lands is in jeopardy. Now is the time for our leaders to reject these dangerous efforts and make it clear that we will not follow the path toward privatization.”
OHIO LEGISLATURE PASSES COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY BILL: After the Ohio Senate unanimously voted to pass a comprehensive energy bill last week, the House followed suit and passed similar legislation with only three members voting against the legislation. This bipartisan energy bill would reform the state energy sector and help reduce energy costs for Ohio consumers. Importantly, it would also remove coal subsidies that have cost Ohio ratepayers over half a billion dollars since being enacted in 2019 as part of the largest bribery scheme in state history.
VIRGINIA TO FIGHT GOVERNOR YOUNKIN’S CLEAN ENERGY VETOS: On Monday, Governor Glenn Younkin vetoed or amended a number of bipartisan bills passed by the General Assembly that would protect the state’s environment, create good-paying jobs, grow the local economy, and expand clean, affordable energy. Next Wednesday, the state’s lawmakers will reconvene to consider overriding these vetoes and amendments in a one-day veto session.
VALCV TAKE: Virginia League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Mike Town said, “Time after time, Governor Youngkin says one thing and does another. He says he cares about cutting energy costs, then turns around and kills legislation to lower energy bills. He says he cares about jobs, and then vetoes bills to expand training for the clean energy industry and efforts to ensure these workers earn a living wage. Youngkin claims to have done more than any governor to clean the Bay, but just killed legislation protecting our clean water from toxic forever chemicals. Virginians are sick and tired of the hypocrisy, and we’ll be doing everything we can between now and Election Day to elect leaders with the integrity and dedication to environmental protection that we deserve.”
NEVADANS RALLY FOR ENERGY JUSTICE AT CONSERVATION LOBBY DAY: At Conservation Lobby Day in Nevada, community members and dedicated advocates from Chispa Nevada and Nevada Conservation League (NCL) called on lawmakers to hold monopoly utilities accountable, enforce transparency in electricity rates, invest in clean energy, and expand assistance programs for low-income families. As energy costs rise, Chispa NV and NCL advocates made it clear: energy is a right, not a luxury.
NCL TAKE: Nevada Conservation League Executive Director Kristee Watson said, “Conservation Lobby Day is an opportunity for us to stand united in our fight for clean water, clean air, a strong outdoor recreation economy, and affordable, local, and clean energy. It is a chance to celebrate our shared Western way of life and culture — one that centers the protection of our beautiful public lands and wildlife. As a mother myself, it hurts me to know the hard choices so many of my neighbors and their families are facing. And like so many mothers, I want a better future for my children — and all of Nevada’s children. I know that this is a hard fight. I’m feeling tired, beaten down, and angry, too. But I also know that the fight for a better future, a brighter, healthier, more prosperous future, is a worthy fight and one we will win together.”
CHISPA NV TAKE: Chispa Nevada member Ivon Meneses said, “As someone on a fixed income due to disability, I have struggled to pay my family’s utility bills. Even though we try to conserve electricity, we have had to make sacrifices. I’ve had to limit the food I buy for the kids and buy fewer fruits and vegetables overall, because they are more expensive. That’s why today I am here urging the Nevada Legislature to do everything they can to lower utility bills, from increasing low-income families’ access to solar energy to holding corporate utilities accountable for fair rates.”
ARIZONANS RALLY TO PROTECT PUBLIC LANDS: This past week, Chispa Arizona joined advocates at the Arizona Capitol for a rally to defend public lands that belong to the people, not special interests. Communities across the state are demanding stronger protections to ensure these lands remain accessible, preserved, and safeguarded for future generations.
COLORADANS RALLY TO DEFEND THE EPA AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS: Conservation Colorado joined AFGE Local 3607, federal workers, and advocates in Denver to stand up for the EPA’s essential role in protecting public health, the environment, and our communities. With Trump and EPA head Lee Zeldin threatening to slash funding, cut staff, and roll back critical protections for our air, water, and land, Coloradans made it clear: they will not stand by as our environmental safeguards are dismantled. Conservation Colorado stands in solidarity with EPA workers to keep Colorado’s people and environment safe.
EPA ENCOURAGES POLLUTERS TO REQUEST CLEAN AIR ACT EXEMPTIONS VIA SIMPLE EMAIL: The Trump administration announced a new email and template that will make it remarkably easy for polluters to avoid nine Clean Air Act rules that protect people from dangerous emissions like mercury, arsenic, and ethylene oxide, which is known to cause cancer. This likely illegal action is yet another example of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin sacrificing people’s health and safety so polluting industries can irresponsibly cut corners and enrich their executives.
OUR TAKE: LCV said, “Nothing says Make American Healthy Again like giving polluters free rein to spew toxins and chemicals into our air!”
DOE RESCINDS ENERGY EFFICIENCY RULES: The Department of Energy has rescinded energy efficiency standards for electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies. Withdrawing the efficiency standards, which the Biden administration estimated would save consumers $56 billion on their utility bills and cut 156 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere over the next 30 years, is a major blow to climate progress and driving down energy costs for families across the country.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ATTEMPING TO MAKE VOTING MORE DIFFICULT: On Tuesday, President Trump issued an executive order entitled, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” The executive order, which is similar to the SAVE Act in Congress, would make voting more difficult for millions of eligible voters by attempting to require documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport, when using federal voter registration forms. This executive order isn’t just illegal–it directly undermines established best practices of election administration. Voters have a right to make their voices heard without unnecessary barriers.
Following the executive order, LCV joined 133 civil rights organizations in an open letter urging people to unite and speak out against the larger attacks on our civil rights and freedoms that protect everyone.
COALITION TAKE: The open letter states, “We have a free press, the right to protest, an independent legal system, and organizations for people, not profits, to hold our government accountable. These protections exist so we can all have a say in our lives and live them freely. But today, the administration of President Donald Trump is acting as if the government can do whatever it wants, even if it violates our rights and takes away our freedoms.”
ON THE BLOG: ICYMI, last week LCV announced that Pete Maysmith will become our organization’s new president next month. Want to know more about what inspired Pete to get into advocacy work (spoiler, it’s his mom <3), his vision for LCV, or how we can meet this moment together? Check out our Q&A with Pete on the Power Source Blog.
ON OUR SOCIALS: It’s been another bleak week from the administration and Congress. The administration is trying to make it easier to pollute while making it tougher to vote. And while we like cold beverages just as much as G. Love, House Republicans want us to stick it in an inefficient fridge – what a waste of time and energy. But don’t worry, we’re collabing to fight back – Join us on April 5th for a national day of action.
MARCH 31: Trans Day of Visibility.
APRIL 3: Media roundtable in DC with state affiliates in the Conservation Voters Movement.
APRIL 5: Hands Off National Day of Action.
APRIL 12: Passover begins at sundown.
APRIL 20: Easter.
APRIL 22: Earth Day.
APRIL 30: 100 days, 100 harms of the Trump administration.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters