©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.
“I’m taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world.”
– President Joe Biden during the 2024 State of the Union address on Thursday night.
“Clearly he is the strongest president that has made the biggest investments in green energy and that kind of infrastructure.”
— Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) on President Biden’s climate record.
“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. We must do all we can to honor those who fought and bled to ensure its passage by working to restore its protections throughout our country.”
— Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on the need to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
PRESIDENT BIDEN DELIVERS STATE OF THE UNION: President Biden delivered the 2024 State of the Union address on Thursday night where he touted the work his administration has done so far to protect our climate and democracy,, and laid out his future plans to continue doing this work, including calling on Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “President Biden made clear once again that he is all in on investing in our communities, infrastructure, clean energy, environmental justice, and climate solutions across the country. He spoke powerfully to the incredible progress of his administration, including hundreds of clean energy and climate-smart projects underway across the country and hundreds of thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs. We’re thrilled that President Biden announced the tripling of the American Climate Corps, which has already seen such an enthusiastic response from people eager to get to work.
Meanwhile, extremist MAGA Republicans in Congress continue to shamefully attack critical investments and threaten our fundamental rights. We look forward to continue working with the Biden-Harris administration and our champions in Congress to support and advance strong policies that protect our democracy as well as the health of our planet for our communities and for future generations, especially those historically most impacted by the climate crisis, pollution, and voter disenfranchisement.”
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES $72 MILLION TO ELECTRIFY TRIBAL HOMES: The Department of the Interior announced it will invest $72 million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to provide zero-emissions energy to unelectrified Tribal homes, transition Tribal homes with electricity to zero-emissions systems, and support necessary home improvements to accommodate these systems in 21 Tribal communities. This funding helps to advance Biden’s Justice40 goals of ensuring 40% of benefits go to frontline communities that experience disproportionate levels of pollution.
TREASURY, IRS FINALIZE RULES TO EXPAND ACCESS TO CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS: The Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have finalized rules on elective or direct pay options that will allow tax-exempt entities, such as non-profits, schools, and local governments, to access clean energy tax credits available through President Biden’s affordable clean energy plan.
Ensuring tax-exempt entities can access clean energy tax credits through direct pay will help the administration expand the reach of these benefits and will expedite the transition to clean energy across the country.
ADMINISTRATION FINALIZES SHORT TERM COLORADO RIVER CONSERVATION PLAN: The Biden-Harris administration has finalized a short-term operating plan that will conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water in the Colorado River Basin through 2026. This agreement comes at a time when the Colorado River’s reservoirs are at critically low levels and will ensure water delivery and power production to the region in the short term. The administration is hopeful that the states in the Colorado River Basin will reach a long-term agreement by the end of the year.
LCVAF ENDORSED CANDIDATES ADVANCE TO GENERAL ELECTION: LCV Action Fund endorsed candidates Colin Allred for U.S. Senate in Texas and Michelle Vallejo for Texas Congressional District 15 emerged victorious in their respective primary elections on Tuesday. Additionally, LCV Action Fund endorsed U.S. House members Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-07), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Marc Veasey (D-TX-33) and Greg Casar (D-TX-35) will be advancing to the general election.
OUR TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “Congratulations to Colin Allred, Michelle Vallejo, and all of LCV Action Fund’s endorsed members of Congress from Texas for their victories tonight. Texas is on the frontlines of the climate and environmental injustice crises and Texas families deserve real leaders in Washington, DC, who will fight for their health, safety, and an equitable clean energy future. LCV Action Fund is committed to helping elect clean energy champions across Texas, starting with re-electing President Biden and electing Colin Allred to the U.S. Senate.”
In California, LCV Action Fund endorsed candidates Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11), Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Judy Chu (D-CA-28), Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Norma Torres (D-CA-35), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), and Scott Peters (D-CA-50), and candidates Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12), George Whitesides (D-CA-27), Luz Rivas (D-CA-29), Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Will Rollins (D-CA-41) and Dave Min (D-CA-47) advanced to their respective general elections. Check out our full list of endorsements.
TAKE 2: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “Congratulations to all of these amazing climate and democracy champions for their victories tonight and advancing to the general election in November. California is on the frontlines of the battle for control of the U.S. House this year, just as it is on the frontlines of the climate crisis. The Golden State has been a leader in advancing climate solutions, and LCV Action Fund is ready to help these candidates win in November and restore a pro-environment majority in the House.”
SEC PROPOSES CLIMATE RISK DISCLOSURE RULE: On the heels of the hottest February ever recorded, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its proposed Climate Risk Disclosure rule, which would require public companies to be more transparent about how they are handling climate-related financial risk. While this rule is an important step, there is still more the SEC can and should do to protect investors from climate-related financial risk, including requiring comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Government Affairs Advocate David Shadburn said, “Investors have been clear: they need mandatory and standardized climate-related financial risk disclosures to determine which companies are taking the financial risks of the climate crisis seriously and which are not. LCV commends the SEC for taking this critical first step to increase transparency and protect investors in the face of the climate crisis. At the same time, we are disappointed that corporate special interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce, who represent the very large, public companies whose climate-related financial risk disclosures are most needed, worked to significantly weaken the previously proposed comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reporting that received overwhelming support during the public comment period. SEC must do more to ensure these companies provide investors a full accounting of their climate financial risks, including supply chain emissions (also known as Scope 3), which often make up the majority of publicly traded companies’ emissions.”
NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR SIGNS CLEAN FUEL STANDARDS BILL: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico signed HB 41, Clean Transportation Fuel Standards, into law, making New Mexico the fourth state to adopt the standards. Conservation Voters of New Mexico was instrumental in guiding this bill over the finish line and attended the bill’s signing.
CVNM TAKE: Conservation Voters of New Mexico Climate and Energy Director Samantha Kao said, “We still have a lot of work to do in combating climate pollution and decarbonizing our transportation sector, but this bill is a critical stepping stone in helping us get to a 100 percent clean energy future.”
GOV. LUJAN GRISHAM TAKE: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “Clean fuel standards not only decrease emissions and move us toward our climate goals, but also diversify our economy and attract new businesses to our state. Thank you to the bill’s sponsors for their hard work in getting this important legislation across the finish line.”
VIRGINIA 2024 CLIMATE WINS: The Virginia General Assembly passed multiple clean energy bills this session, including legislation to expand community solar, establish a state green bank to utilize federal funding, and update energy efficiency standards. Additionally, Virginia House and Senate Budget conferees released the final budget agreement today, which includes language directing the Commonwealth to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program and a cooperative effort with ten other states. Virginia was the first southern state to join the program in 2021, but withdrew under order from Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2023.
VALCV TAKE: Regarding the establishment of the state green bank, Virginia LCV Executive Director Michael Town said, “This legislation is a huge win for clean energy in Virginia. By putting federal dollars to work here in the Commonwealth, we can take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic investments in clean energy, further growing our clean energy economy, cutting pollution, and creating good-paying jobs as we work toward achieving our clean energy future. We are thankful for the leadership of Majority Leader Surovell and urge Governor Youngkin to sign this legislation so we can seize on the incredible opportunity to bring clean energy dollars to our state.”
JUDGE DECLARES MONTANA PUBLIC SERVICE MAPS LIKELY UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Montana Conservation Voters (MCV) are suing the state over the extremely gerrymandered Public Service Commission map adopted last spring. A recent court order set an expedited schedule for the lawsuit and declared the map is likely unconstitutional after a mathematician who testified for MCV created over 100,000 maps according to state guidelines but was unable to replicate the current map. In his order, Judge Christopher Abbott said he predicts MCV and co-plaintiffs will win the case on the merits.
MCV TAKE: In a statement released when the lawsuit was filed, Montana Conservation Voters Executive Director Whitney Tawney said, “Montana remains a state where freedom of choice at the ballot box matters. Fair and competitive elections result in better representation for all Montanans and help hold our elected officials accountable to the jobs they are elected to do. This is as important for the Public Service Commission as anywhere else given their role in setting the utility rates of Montanans.”
BILL MCKIBBEN SUPPORTS CRITICAL MAINE OFFSHORE WIND PORT: In an opinion piece published today in the Bangor Daily News, 350.org founder Bill McKibben makes a powerful argument in favor of the recently-announced Sears Island offshore wind port off the coast of Maine.
MCKIBBEN TAKE: From the piece, “But [ocean warming due to climate change] is real, and the only way to begin to check it is to replace fossil fuel with clean energy. Offshore wind is by far the single greatest opportunity for Maine and the northeast to decarbonize while creating thousands of family-sustaining union jobs in communities that badly need them. None of that can happen without a port, and there simply are no other east coast locations that meet the physical requirements, including size, needed to build out this industry at the pace and scale the climate crisis demands.”
ON THE BLOG: As Farm Bill negotiations continue, The Power Source Blog highlights the importance of conservation funding for Black farmers dealing with climate change with a spotlight on Cherie Jzar, a Black woman, mom of five, and urban farmer. You may remember Cherie from our Farm Bills ads last year.
ON OUR SOCIALS: The social team was busy uplifting key moments (here, here, and here) from the president’s 🔥🔥🔥 SOTU address on Thursday night, and, in the wake of Trump’s nomination on Super Tuesday, we reminded our audiences just how dangerous another Trump term would be.
MARCH 14: LCV’s Climate Smart Ag Expo from 12-1:30pm in Senate Russell 385. Press RSVP to press@lcv.org.
MARCH 20: LCV Capital Dinner, featuring House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
MARCH 22: New government funding deadline for the second six bills.
©2024 League of Conservation Voters