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 Trump administration’s rollbacks on toxic chemical protections, affordable energy news with states pushing back against data centers, and the ongoing fight to protect our public lands.
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“Americans are demanding help with the cost-of-living crisis, but President Trump would rather start another war, potentially driving up energy prices, than listen to them.”
— Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, on oil prices jumping more than 10% following Trump’s strikes on Iran.
“Many rural communities just feel like they’re being invaded. Data centers come with a lot of unique questions. Between the land being cleared for development, the demand for energy they will add to the grid, and the tremendous water usage, these projects could cost communities more than they are worth.”
— Michigan state Rep. Jennifer Wortz, who co-sponsored a bill to temporarily pause the construction of Michigan data centers.
“Trying to force Washington to restart a defunct power plant is not only illegal, but would also jeopardize public health. Washington state will not be bullied.”
— Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown on the Trump administration forcing a rundown coal plant to remain operational despite its scheduled closure.
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE PASSES STRONG ENERGY BILL BUT ADDS MAJOR CUT TO EFFICIENCY PROGRAM: The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H.5151, a bill to sweeping energy affordability bill that includes clean energy and energy storage development goals, solar reforms, electrical grid improvements, and consumer protections. However, in committee, the bill was amended to include a $1 billion cut to Mass Save, the Commonwealth’s successful energy efficiency program. The program has saved Massachusetts residents and businesses over $40 billion in energy bills since it was enacted. The bill now moves to the state Senate, where LCV affiliate the Environmental League of Massachusetts and other advocates are urging legislators to protect Mass Save, as cutting the program would put Massachusetts’ net-zero emissions and clean energy goals at risk.
ELM TAKE: Environmental League of Massachusetts Vice President of Policy and Regulatory Affairs Amy Boyd Rabin said, “This bill is stronger because of sustained climate advocacy from ELM, our partners, and our supporters. We thank the many Representatives who fought for smart, win-win solutions on climate and affordability and we appreciate how responsive our elected officials have been to their communities throughout this process. Now we turn our attention to the Senate, where we look forward to building support for proven programs like Mass Save, which save residents billions of dollars.”
CAP-AND-INVEST PROGRAM COULD SAVE NEW YORKERS HUNDREDS: A new report from New Yorkers for Clean Air and Spring Street Climate Fund highlights the potential energy cost savings a cap-and-invest program could provide to New York residents. If implemented under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it could save $270 in annual rebates for millions of households, and would dedicate $3 billion to upgrading the state’s power grid. Advocates for a cap-and-invest program say it would reduce costly energy bills and expand clean energy access, helping New York meet its goal to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. However, Governor Kathy Hochul has claimed a cap-and-invest program would cost residents thousands of dollars and has been hesitant to implement it, despite signing CLCPA in 2019 and promising her commitment to affordable energy.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV president Julie Tighe said, “Three years ago, Governor Hochul proposed a cap-and-invest program for New York with a clear promise: protecting affordability, climate leadership, and funding a sustainable future. Now more than ever, New York must stand by that commitment. What we should be debating right now is how strong the affordability protections are, how quickly rebates get into people’s hands, and how we maximize benefits for working families. What we should not be doing is treating inaccurate modeling as a negotiating tactic. Building a green economy and protecting New Yorkers’ wallets are not at odds with each other. New York has both a legal mandate and a moral responsibility to cut pollution, and that is exactly what cap-and-invest will achieve.”
TRUMP, TECH COMPANIES MAKE EMPTY PROMISE ON RISING COSTS FROM DATA CENTERS: Major tech company executives visited the White House to sign Trump’s “ratepayer protection pledge,” a voluntary agreement to supply their own electricity to AI data centers to avoid raising residential energy bills. While Trump claims the pledge will drive down energy costs for consumers, energy experts say many of the costs for powering data centers will still fall to everyday consumers. Trump also supports using health- and climate-harming fossil fuels to power data centers. This is opposed by the majority of the public who would prefer data centers to be powered with clean energy and would further endanger the health and safety of communities living near data centers.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy and former EPA scientist Matthew Davis said, “People are looking for more than vague voluntary pledges to lower energy prices for working families, especially from a President who has continued to take clean energy options off the table and drove energy prices up 13% after promising to cut energy costs in half. Trump continues to make false promises that will harm our communities and increase our utility bills while putting more money in the pockets of Big Polluters and corporate billionaires. The public is rightly concerned about the impact the data center boom will have on their energy and water bills, their health, and their quality of life. People have strong concerns about data centers powered with dirty energy, and they want tech companies to pay their fair share for the private and communal resources they’re using. Trump’s focus on propping up more dirty, expensive energy like coal is directly at odds with what communities are looking for and could mean these ‘pledges’ turn into nothing more than a massive bailout for coal and other dirty energy sources that can’t compete with the lower costs and other benefits of wind and solar power.”
SENATE REPUBLICANS PROPOSE ROLLBACKS ON TOXIC CHEMICAL PROTECTIONS: The Senate heard a proposal to significantly weaken the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The proposal would fast-track the approval of potentially dangerous chemicals with limited EPA review, weaken the ability for states to protect their residents from toxic chemicals in water and food, and would give the chemical industry more influence than independent science over regulatory decisions, making it easier for hazardous chemicals to enter homes, schools and workplaces.
OUR TAKE: Ahead of the hearing, LCV Government Affairs Advocate for Healthy Communities Lizzy Duncan said, “Senate Republicans’ proposal to reopen and gut the law meant to protect us from toxic chemicals, otherwise known as the Toxic Substances Control Act, is an obvious giveaway to the chemical industry that will make America sicker. The existing bedrock environmental and chemical safety law protects our families and communities from exposure to toxic chemicals that have been linked to death, cancer, learning disabilities, and infertility. By proposing to allow toxic chemicals onto the market with minimal review and oversight, Republicans and industry lobbyists are clearly prioritizing the chemical industry’s profits over the health and safety of our families. We cannot allow this dangerous proposal to move forward. The Senate must reject this bill and not cave to the chemical industry’s wishlist at the expense of our health.”
MAGA REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE CRA TO GUT NATIONAL MONUMENT PROTECTIONS: Extreme Republican lawmakers are attempting to overturn the management plan for the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint-resolution that would nullify the current plan to protect the monument. Conservation groups and tribal representatives strongly oppose this action, as it would undermine years of local and tribal input and could open the land to mining and oil and gas extraction. This is the first time a Congressional Review Act has attempted to overturn national monument protections, and would set a terrible precedent for the future of land conservation.
OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick said, “It’s no coincidence this attempt to gut protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was introduced by the members of Congress who led the public lands sell-off efforts during reconciliation. This is the first time a Congressional Review Act resolution has attempted to overturn a management plan for any national monument. It is dangerous and reckless, and anyone who opposes selling off public lands must reject this bill and protect our treasured national monuments that our communities, economies, and environment depend on. Trump’s extreme allies in Congress are not only raising costs and harming the health of families across the country, they’re determined to advance yet another attempt to sell off our public lands to Big Polluters and corporate interests. This rollback is in direct opposition to the advocacy of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Inter-Tribal Coalition and thousands of public comments supporting monument protections — proving once again that MAGA Republicans are determined to continue to attack our public lands and culturally-rich national monuments.”
STEWARDSHIP UTAH TAKE: Stewardship Utah Co-Director David Garbett said, “Utahns overwhelmingly support protecting Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. The current management plan does that and reflects years of public comment, local input, and engagement with tribes and local businesses owners. This is what Utah’s delegation is actually unhappy about: a protected landscape managed for the public.”
TRUMP TO REVOKE PUBLIC LANDS PROTECTIONS: The Trump administration is set to revoke the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) conservation and landscape health rule, a Biden-era policy that applied conservation standards across 245 million acres and allowed leases from environmental groups or others to temporarily protect land from development impacts. Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum have framed the repeal of the rule as a step to remove regulatory barriers for destructive actions like mining and timber management, with Burgum stating BLM is targeting the millions of protected acres for resource extraction.
EPA TO REMOVE SITES FROM POLLUTION CLEANUP LIST: Trump’s EPA plans to remove eight long-standing sites from the Superfund National Priorities List, fully deleting six and partially deleting two. The list contains a rundown of 1,343 sites that the EPA determined to be of national priority to clean up due to the presence of hazardous pollutants like industrial chemicals and radioactive waste. The action to remove some sites comes as the Trump administration seeks to redefine cleaning completion standards and to accelerate the construction of data centers and other AI infrastructure.
WASHINGTON STATE SUES OVER TRUMP COAL PLANT ORDER: LCV affiliate Washington Conservation Action and other environmental advocacy groups filed a lawsuit to challenge an executive order from Trump’s Energy Department to force the state’s last remaining TransAlta coal-fired power plant to remain open. The TransAlta generation facility is one of several aging coal plants the Trump administration has forced to stay open after they were scheduled to be shut down. The DOE has abused emergency authorities under the Federal Power Act to order power plants to run for 90 days and then repeatedly extend those orders, even as these power plants contribute to air pollution and rising costs, and pose a public health risk.
WCA TAKE: Washington Conservation Action CEO Alyssa Macy said, “Washington’s communities deserve clean air, a healthy environment, and energy they can afford. Trump’s order blocking the retirement of the state’s last coal plant threatens all three. We’re committed to defending the progress Washington has made and ensuring decisions that protect people and nature.”
MAJOR WIN FOR NEW YORK CITY CONGESTION PRICING: A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s attempts to halt New York City’s successful congestion pricing program are illegal, delivering a major victory to the state’s efforts to cut down on traffic and air pollution. The tolling plan designed to reduce gridlock and fund public transportation improvements took effect in January 2025, but federal funding was quickly cut off as the Trump administration sought to end the program. With this legal victory, New York City will continue to benefit from the program.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV President Julie Tighe said, “This week’s court ruling that the federal government’s attempt to end congestion pricing was illegal is a major win for the environment and the quality of life in New York City. Congestion pricing is already delivering huge results: cleaner air, shorter commutes, faster buses, and a more efficient city. And, critically, it’s generating billions of dollars in funding to improve the public transit system that so many New Yorkers and others in the region rely on. We salute Governor Hochul for her leadership and for demonstrating that when New York leads with vision, we can deliver big change for our communities and our future.”
CALIFORNIA APPROVES CLIMATE DISCLOSURE LAWS: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the first set of rules to implement the state’s landmark corporate climate disclosure laws that require large companies to report their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and any climate-related financial risks by August 10, 2026. The rules will apply to companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue for emissions reporting and $500 million for climate risk disclosures. This is especially important now that Trump’s EPA is no longer tracking climate pollution data because many major businesses operate in California meaning that data will still be recorded.
ENVIROVOTERS TAKE: California Environmental Voters CEO Mary Creasman said, “Two and a half years ago, the California legislature passed historic legislation around pollution transparency and corporate accountability. It’s fitting that California leads the way as our communities are bearing the brunt of climate disasters far too regularly. The California Air Resources Board’s vote today is an important step forward to making this promise a reality, but the work is not done. The remaining regulations must be completed on time and with integrity to ensure the program delivers the full, accurate reporting Californians were promised. We look forward to continued leadership from CARB to use California’s global market power to ensure transparency from corporations on their emissions, disclosure is the first step to change.”
NJ REPRESENTATIVE INTRODUCES GREENWAY PATH BILL: Representative LaMonica McIver has introduced the Parks to People Active Transportation Act, a bill creating a $300 million federal fund to support greenway paths, shared-use corridors that connect communities to natural spaces and parks. The legislation prioritizes underserved and rural areas to promote equitable access to open spaces.
NJLCV TAKE: New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Interim Executive Director Allison McLeod said, “Greenways are integral green infrastructure for our communities. They connect neighborhoods, offer much-needed open space, and reduce flooding. New Jersey LCV is proud to stand with Rep. McIver in advancing The Parks to People Active Transportation Act to provide permanent, federal funding for these often overlooked community gems.”
VIRGINIA LEGISLATORS SET DEADLINE TO REJOIN REGIONAL CAP-AND-INVEST PROGRAM: On Monday, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation setting a May deadline for the state Department of Environmental Quality to reissue the needed regulation and sign a new agreement with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Just over a week earlier, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a budget amendment to re-enter RGGI. Virginia will join 10 other East Coast states who participate in the cooperative, market-based program to reduce climate pollution. RGGI generates important revenue from polluters for climate and energy programs that help reduce costs for residents.
STATE LAWMAKERS PROPOSE PAUSE ON DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION: A bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers have proposed a moratorium on the construction of data centers in the state until April 1, 2027. The “Data Center Regulation Act” would prevent new data centers from receiving permits or beginning operations for one year. The pause would give the communities affected by data centers time to gather research and data into how the data centers will impact them, and comes in response to growing public concern over the long-term effects of AI infrastructure built in their neighborhoods. At the same time, City Council members in Colorado are also considering putting a moratorium on data centers following the proposal for the construction of a facility that would consume enough electricity to supply 20,000 homes in a historically disadvantaged Denver neighborhood. These are just the latest in a growing number of states pushing back against the rapid pace of data center construction.
SENATE VOTES TO ADVANCE STEVE PEARCE AS BLM DIRECTOR: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted along party lines to advance Steve Pearce as the next director of the Bureau of Land Management. Pearce has repeatedly tried to sell off public lands and block national monuments. Prior to the vote, LCV and state affiliates representing states with the most public lands issued statements opposing Pearce’s nomination.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Federal Advocacy Campaigns Director Leah Donahey said, “Steve Pearce has a track record of supporting the sell-off of public lands, has conflicts of interest with the oil and gas industry, and a history of trying to shrink and block the designation of national monuments. Letting Steve Pearce steward over 245 million acres of public lands will only put our public lands at risk and accelerate the Trump administration’s attack on affordable, clean energy. Given Pearce’s clear record there is no doubt BLM will work to prioritize expensive, volatile and dirty energy sources like coal and oil over more affordable and reliable clean energy. The next BLM director should serve our public lands and the American people, not Big Oil. We applaud all the Senate Democrats and Senator King who voted to reject his nomination in committee and urge the entire Senate to oppose his confirmation.”
MCV TAKE: Montana Conservation Voters Executive Director Ben Super said, “Senator Daines had a clear choice: stand with Montanans who value our public lands — or side with a nominee whose record calls for selling them off. By voting to advance Steve Pearce, Sen. Daines chose politics over the 75% of Montanans who opposed Pearce’s nomination to lead the BLM. Leadership at the Bureau of Land Management matters deeply for Montana. We need a director who respects science, values local voices, and understands that our public lands are not for sale to the highest bidder. Montanans deserve leadership that will protect our outdoor way of life — not use public lands as a short-term political prize.”
ENVIROVOTERS TAKE: California Environmental Voters Federal Advocacy Coordinator Aaron McCall said, “Putting Steve Pearce in charge of the Bureau of Land Management is like handing the keys to our public lands to the highest bidder. This agency is responsible for 245 million acres of shared land and Pearce has built a career selling pieces of it off, gutting national monuments, and cozying up to Big Oil. If confirmed, he would be an inside partner to corporate polluters who have made dismantling public land protections their mission. At a moment when Americans are demanding affordable, clean energy, we thank Senator Padilla for voting against putting corporate polluters over people.”
HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE PASS PARTISAN FARM BILL: The partisan Food, Farm and National Security Act was passed through the House Agriculture Committee following strong opposition from LCV and a coalition of conservation organizations. The bill weakens protections for public health by shielding pesticide manufacturers from litigation over the human health impacts of their products, and would block states from requiring pesticides to carry health warnings or limit how the chemicals are used. It also limits federally supported solar energy projects on farmland, restricting renewable energy development in rural areas.
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE OVER MONTANA COAL MINE EXPANSION: Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against Trump’s Interior Department over its approval of the expansion of a coal mine in the Bull Mountains of Montana. They claim the agency skipped the required environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. The expansion of the mine would allow for the extraction of 57 million tons of coal and would threaten the ecology and tribal residents of the mountain.
ON THE BLOG: Stay tuned for exciting new content coming to The Power Source blog!
ON OUR SOCIALS: We’re kind of crashing out. Trump, congressional Republicans, and the MAGA Supreme Court really did not let up this week. They threatened to reverse protections for a Utah national monument, moved to weaken protections for our communities from toxic chemicals, and advanced the nomination of Steve Pearce, a known enemy of public lands, to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
MARCH 8: Daylight Saving Time begins.
MARCH 17: St. Patrick’s Day.
MARCH 20: First day of Spring.
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