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 attacks on our climate and democracy from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.
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“We will confront the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now. We will hold the Trump admin accountable for its corrupt abuse of power.”
— House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in his speech discussing the impact of the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
“Trying to bury this report won’t alter the scientific facts one bit, but without this information our country risks flying blind into a world made more dangerous by human-caused climate change. The only beneficiaries of disrupting or killing this report are the fossil fuel industry and those intent on boosting oil and gas profits at the expense of people’s health and the nation’s economic well-being.”
— Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists and National Climate Assessment researcher, on the Trump administration’s dismissal of over 400 scientists working on the newest National Climate Assessment.
“This administration appears to be just banking on the fact that they don’t need to follow the law until and unless someone sues them.”
— Jillian Blanchard, vice president of climate change and environmental justice at Lawyers for Good Government, on the Trump administration’s disregard for the rule of law.
OHIO PASSES BIPARTISAN ENERGY REFORM LEGISLATION: The Ohio state legislature passed a comprehensive energy bill to reform the ratemaking process, promote energy efficiency programs and electrical grid enhancing technology, and improve customer protections. Most notably, the legislation will repeal 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. The final bill passed the Senate in a rare unanimous vote and passed the House with only 2 no votes. The legislation now awaits action by the governor.
OECAF TAKE: Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund Managing Director of Energy Policy Nolan Rutschilling said, “The OEC Action Fund, our members, and our partners have been fighting for years to eliminate the OVEC Coal Bailout created by the House Bill 6 corruption scandal, and to create more equitable, transparent regulation of electric utilities. Today, we earned a significant victory for clean air, utility accountability, and Ohioans concerned with rising electric bills. This legislation is imperfect, but it is an energy policy win for everyday Ohioans, not Fortune 500 utility companies and their CEOs. This legislation will better allow the OEC Action Fund and our partners to continue our fight for a cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy system, and it is the result of tireless work from Ohio’s environmental and energy justice advocates. We have much more work to do, but today, Ohio took a step towards a more equitable energy policy, and we applaud the Ohio legislature for this progress. We encourage Governor DeWine to sign this bill immediately.”
MAINE TAKES ACTION FOR CLIMATE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Maine Governor Janet Mills signed legislation to create programs and funding for disaster resilience, implementing recommendations from the Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission which Mills established following winter storms in 2023 and 2024 that caused an estimated $90 million in damages. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support and will establish a new state Resilience Office, launch a flood-risk preparedness program, utilize federal funding for the state disaster recovery fund, and create a grant program to help homeowners make upgrades to protect their property against storm damage.
MCV TAKE: Maine Conservation Voters Director of Government Affairs Cathy Breen said, “We applaud the governor and Legislature for recognizing that recovering from extreme storm damage, emergency management, and infrastructure resilience are not partisan issues. There is no corner of Maine safe from the severe weather we’ve seen in recent years and the serious conditions predicted for the future.”
MARYLAND HITS 30X30 CONSERVATION GOAL NEARLY SIX YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: Maryland has permanently protected nearly 1.9 million acres of land from development, becoming the first state to achieve the goal of conserving 30% of its land by 2030. The state has now set a new goal of protecting 40% of its land by 2040.
CHISPA ARIZONA MARCHES WITH WORKERS ON MAY DAY TO DEMAND JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Chispa Arizona showed up strong at the May Day rally at the Arizona State Capitol, joining workers across the state to demand protection for public education, union jobs, Social Security, and Medicaid.
HOUSE LAUNCHES BIPARTISAN PUBLIC LANDS CAUCUS: Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT-01), along with Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Mike Simpson (R-ID-02) and six additional representatives from both parties, have launched a caucus aiming to stop any attempts to sell off public lands for development.
COMMITTEES KICK OFF RECONCILIATION TALKS: This week, House committees kicked off the process of voting on their pieces of their budget reconciliation bill, which has the potential to become one of the most harmful, costly and sweeping pieces of legislation in recent history.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “Time and time again we have seen that people, especially those in districts represented by Republicans, are benefiting from the clean energy initiatives that are creating good jobs, lowering costs, and making us more competitive, while helping cut down on the pollution that threatens our air, water, and lands. Sadly, congressional Republicans have made abundantly clear that they are out of touch with what people want by instead advancing legislation that prioritizes Big Oil and Big Polluters over the American people.
“It is wrong to cut essential programs and services to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. We will be doing everything we can to make sure people in Washington and back home in members’ districts are hearing and seeing what is happening as this bill takes shape.”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES ‘SKINNY’ BUDGET: President Trump has announced his budget proposal to Congress, which includes public health-harming, agency-crippling cuts to environmental, climate, and clean energy programs that are critical to the health and safety of our communities.
OUR TAKE: LCV Legislative Director David Shadburn said, “Donald Trump wants to ban clean energy and raise costs on people who are already feeling the impact of his chaotic policies, while gutting protections for the health and safety of communities facing harms from the climate crisis and pollution. This president is doing everything he can to satisfy his billionaire buddies, including illegally cancelling funds meant to protect our health while cutting taxes for corporate polluters. In the face of a lawless administration ignoring Congress and impounding lawfully appropriated funds, Congress should fight Trump’s planned giveaways to his Big Polluter and billionaire friends and ensure funding is faithfully executed to protect people.”
TRUMP APPOINTEES GUT DOJ CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION: The Trump administration has gutted the voting rights unit in the Department of Justice as part of a broader attack on DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. A whopping 235 civil rights attorneys have either accepted deferred resignations or left the Justice Department. This massive reduction in capacity for civil rights enforcement comes as the Trump administration aims to reshape the Civil Rights Division to weaponize it for a MAGA political agenda while neglecting our voting rights, civil rights, rights of people with disabilities, and more.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Judiciary and Democracy Doug Lindner said, “Trump and his extreme administration are continuing their assault on our freedoms with their latest moves to gut the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, which is the key federal agency protecting our civil rights, including our fundamental right to vote. These actions will have dire, lasting impacts on our voting rights across the country, even as MAGA Republican politicians at every level of government pursue an anti-voting rights agenda. Congress must take action to ensure the Department of Justice continues to do its job to protect our fundamental freedoms and prevent it from being used by the administration as a weapon against our civil rights, civil liberties, and freedom of speech.”
HOUSE PASSES ILLEGITIMATE CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACTS TO ELIMINATE CLEANER VEHICLE STANDARDS: The House passed H.J. Res. 87, H.J. Res. 88, and H.J. Res. 89, the illegitimate Congressional Review Act resolutions that claim to roll back California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) waiver, Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II), and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Omnibus (HDO) rules. Prior to the votes in the House, LCV sent a letter to members of the House urging them to vote against the CRAs, and signed onto two coalition letters (here and here) with a broad spectrum of health, union, good-government, and environmental groups opposing the resolutions.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis said, “These so-called Congressional Review Act resolutions are nothing more than an illegitimate power grab. In this case, the CRAs are being wielded to block clean air protections, and will, ultimately, prevent U.S. automakers from making more efficient vehicles that are less expensive to drive. This would risk domestic manufacturing investments while other countries and manufacturers win the global competition. For more than 50 years, California has had the authority to set strong vehicle standards under the Clean Air Act, and this authority has been reaffirmed by administrations of both parties. Around a dozen states have also adopted these innovative and flexible standards. We urge Congress to not hinder the states’ decisions to clean up their air and deliver greater cost-saving vehicle choices for their residents.”
Ahead of the upcoming vote in the Senate, LCV sent a letter to members urging them to vote on the CRAs.
TAKE 2: From the letter, “LCV urges you to vote NO on any legislation that would eliminate tailpipe pollution standards for cars and trucks. This includes, but is not limited to, the illegitimate Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) waivers for the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II), and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Omnibus (HDO) rules.
“Eliminating these waivers would undermine critical cleaner vehicle standards that help to reduce health-harming transportation pollution, reduce the cost of operating a car or truck, and address the climate crisis. Furthermore, without these waivers, U.S. automakers would be dissuaded from investing in domestic manufacturing for cleaner cars and trucks to stay competitive in the global market. Illegally attempting to use the CRA to eliminate the waivers granted to one state would also open the floodgates for other illegitimate attempts to remove other state waivers, such as the hundreds provided to states for various portions of Medicaid, SNAP, or K-12 education using a similar, using the precedent set by this illegitimate use of the CRA.”
38 REPUBLICANS CALL FOR INFLATION REDUCTION ACT REPEAL: As committees begin to work up their reconciliation bills, 38 House Republicans sent a letter calling for the wholesale repeal of energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Several of the letter signers, including Majorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace, among others, have publicly praised IRA funded projects in their districts.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DISMISSES NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT AUTHORS: The Trump administration has fired all of the scientists working on the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment. The assessment, which comes out about every four years, is the foremost body of research on the impacts of climate change and used to inform environmental rulemaking and legislation.
EPA TO CANCEL NEARLY 800 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANTS: EPA announced it plans to cancel 781 environmental justice grants totaling over $1.5 billion. The grants, issued under the Biden administration, would have funded a range of projects aimed at helping impacted communities address the effects of climate change. The cancellation of these grants comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s firing of 450 environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion employees last week.
100 DAYS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, VOTERS SEE CHAOS AND RISING COSTS: According to a new survey by Hart Research on behalf of Climate Power and the League of Conservation Voters, 100 days into his second term, Trump’s mishandling of the economy has become a major weakness with voters. Voters have lost confidence in Trump’s energy policies, describe his presidency as “chaos,” and blame him for rising energy costs. Read the full memo for more.
OUR TAKE: LCV President Pete Maysmith said, “Voters have soured on Trump’s reckless energy policies because they are feeling the painful impacts every day. After 100 days it’s clear voters understand Trump is only looking out for himself, Big Oil executives, and other corporate polluters instead of helping people looking for lower energy bills, and cleaner air and water.”
CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power executive director Lori Lodes said, “Trump promised to lower costs in his second term, but 100 days in, the only thing he’s delivered is chaos and price hikes – and voters see right through it. Voters blame Trump for rising costs and their higher energy bills. Democrats have an opportunity to go on the offense and tell the American people the truth about where Trump’s agenda leads – even more reckless policies and higher costs for working families.”
LCVAF ENDORSES ADELITA GRIJALVA FOR AZ-07: LCV Action Fund announced its endorsement of Adelita Grijalva for the special election to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Arizona’s 7th district.
OUR TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “Adelita Grijalva has been a champion for the people of Arizona for years, and we are excited to support her campaign. Adelita will fight to address the climate crisis, environmental injustice and protect our rights. With our climate and democratic institutions under unprecedented attacks by the current administration and Congress, Southern Arizonans deserve a leader who will fight for their right to clean air and water, to enjoy our public lands and participate equitably in our democracy.”
CHISPA AZ TAKE: Chispa Arizona Executive Director Vianey Olivarria said, “Our communities in Arizona need strong champions like Adelita Grijalva who have a proven record of fighting for communities of color and low-wealth communities who suffer the most from extreme weather, pollution, and environmental injustice. After years of her strong record fighting for local communities, public lands, and environmental justice in Arizona, Adelita will fight for the people as our rights are under attack. We’re excited to support her candidacy to continue to protect our communities and our future generations.”
GRIJALVA TAKE: Adelita Grijalva said, “I’m honored to have the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. Their unwavering leadership in the fight for bold environmental justice and climate action is an inspiration. As we confront the climate crisis, I’m committed to partnering with LCVAF to push for policies that protect our planet, hold polluters accountable, and ensure that every community – especially those long burdened by environmental harm – has access to clean air, safe water, and a sustainable future.”
ON THE BLOG: As we bid farewell to Earth Month, we’re celebrating the best climate news stories from the past several weeks with a new round-up on The Power Source blog. We also published April’s Top 5 Stories Worth Reading, featuring the election of environmental and democracy champion Susan Crawford to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, new LCV President Pete Maysmith’s speech at the Hands Off! rally in Washington D.C., increased voting access in New Mexico, clean building milestones in Boston and Chicago, and LCV investments in future climate and democracy leaders across the country.
ON OUR SOCIALS: 100 days of Trump, 100 days of chaos, and 100 days of attacks on democracy, civil rights, clean energy and more.
MAY 11: Mother’s Day.
MAY 26: Memorial Day.
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