©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.
“There’s a little bit of a mad dash to get this funding applied for and to get the funding by the end of the year.”
— Phoebe Judge, sustainability manager at the University of Nevada, on the state’s efforts to access federal funding to address the impacts of climate change while it is still available, fearing MAGA Republicans in Congress eliminate funding in the FY25 budget fights.
“Farmers want to be a part of the climate solution, and we need to maintain the integrity of this funding so it can reach as many farmers as possible.”
— Representative Alma Adams (NC-12) on House Republicans’ proposed Farm Bill, which would strip away critical climate guardrails on climate-smart agriculture investments secured in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“At a moment when reproductive autonomy is under political attack in the US, climate change is making it even more dangerous to have a uterus.”
— Paige Vega, climate editor at Vox, on the impacts of climate change on reproductive health. Check out these stories to learn more about these impacts.
EPA INVESTS NEARLY $900 MILLION IN CLEAN SCHOOL BUSES: EPA has awarded $875 million to over 530 school districts in 47 states, D.C., and several Tribes and U.S. territories to purchase a total of 3,400 clean school buses. Due to extremely high demand for the program, EPA has awarded approximately twice the amount it had originally planned for this round of funding.
OUR TAKE: LCV Government Affairs Advocate on Climate Change & Clean Energy Darien Davis said, “More than 60% of this award funding will help ensure low income, rural, and Tribal communities — communities historically excluded from investments and impacted by toxic air pollution — are on track to cleaner air and more good paying, clean energy jobs while protecting our planet for future generations. As demand for zero-emissions buses continues to surge, the most recent investments from the Biden-Harris administration are nearly double the amount planned and build on awards announced by EPA earlier this year, so more children across the country have a cleaner ride to school. LCV applauds the Biden-Harris administration for continuing to deliver on their commitments to tackle the climate crisis and ensure communities with low wealth are prioritized in these critical investments.”
CHISPA TAKE: Chispa Senior Director Estefany Carrasco-González said, “The success and demand for the electric school bus funding shows that these investments are a critical step for children across the country to have access to healthier, cleaner rides to school, no matter their income or zip code. Toxic tailpipe pollution harms our children of color and children in low-wealth communities who are already the most impacted by the climate crisis with higher rates of respiratory illness and other health issues. Chispa will continue to organize to ensure all communities, especially communities of color, lead a healthier and cleaner energy future.”
Lee las declaraciones en español aquí.
ICYMI: FIRST “STEEL IN THE WATER” MILESTONE FOR NATION’S LARGEST OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT: Dominion Energy announced that the first wind turbine foundation was installed for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. This is an important milestone in the construction of the 2.6-gigawatt offshore wind project, which, once completed in 2026, will generate enough clean electricity to power up to 660,000 homes.
NEW YORK LAUNCHES FEDERAL ENERGY REBATE PROGRAM: New York has officially become the first state to offer consumers federal energy rebates for energy-efficient home retrofit projects and appliances like heat pumps. This milestone in New York is an important step forward in getting benefits from the President’s affordable clean energy plan into the hands of consumers.
RECORD BREAKING CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT: In the first quarter of 2024, the public and private sector invested a total of $71 billion in the U.S. domestic clean energy industry. This is a record quarterly investment, and up 40% from the same quarter in 2023.
DONALD TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS: Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for purposes of election interference in a verdict issued by the jury in the six-week-long trial on Thursday. The verdict makes Trump the first former president to become a convicted felon. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention.
MONTANA OUTDOOR VALUES ACTION FUND LAUNCHES TV AD CAMPAIGN: Montana Outdoor Values Action Fund, the federal super PAC of Montana Conservation Voters, launched a TV ad campaign taking on U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who has promised to end protections for Montana’s public lands.
MCV TAKE: Montana Conservation Voters Executive Director Whitney Tawney said, “Tim Sheehy has made it clear he doesn’t care about the lands we’ve hunted, fished, hiked and grown up on. Montanans can’t afford another out of touch politician trying to sell off our public lands, we need proven leaders like Senator Tester fighting to protect the public lands we all hold dear.”
ILLINOIS SETS STRONG PROTECTIONS FOR CARBON CAPTURE: Illinois passed new regulations to establish some of the strongest carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) protections in the country. The law sets stringent safeguards for carbon sequestration sites – including holding operators to higher standards than EPA requirements to protect groundwater – establishes a “do no harm” mandate for polluting facilities attempting to capture carbon, and places a moratorium on CO2 pipelines for two years, or until the federal Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration finalizes the long-awaited safety and oversight rule. Governor JB Pritzker announced he will sign the bill into law.
IEC TAKE: Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said, “While there are certainly difficult compromises in SB 1289, the protections secured in the bill are a significant victory and should be put in place immediately. We are committed to the ongoing work needed to protect our most precious drinking water sources and to increase landowner protections through future legislation. We are grateful for the Office of Governor Pritzker for their efforts to achieve strong environmental protection in this bill.”
ALASKA LEGISLATIVE WINS FOR CLEAN ENERGY: Alaska passed legislation allowing community solar and establishing a green bank, top priorities of the Alaska Center who have advocated for years to push these bills across the finish line. If signed into law, these bills would expand access to the environmental and cost-saving benefits of community solar and provide important funding for clean energy and climate mitigation projects. Read the Alaska Center’s blog post recapping the 2024 legislative session for more.
AK CENTER TAKE: Regarding community solar, the Alaska Center Co-Executive Director Chantal de Alcuaz said, “The Alaska Center understands firsthand the need for this Community Energy reform. We’ve heard so many times through our Solarize programs: What if I’m a renter? What if I can’t personally afford a solar installation? Finally, all Alaskans on the Railbelt will be able to subscribe to community energy installations and benefit from low-cost renewable power. Alaskans can decide to access or create Community Energy — and this gets us closer to a more equitable energy environment, where clean energy is available to all Alaskans.”
COLORADO GOVERNOR SIGNS A LAW ON WATER PROTECTIONS: Yesterday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB24-1379, “Regulate Dredge & Fill Activities in State Waters,” into law to restore clean water protections for Colorado’s streams and wetlands, which lost federal protections after the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA last year. Conservation Colorado was proud to be part of the fight to help ensure every community has access to clean water. Check out Protégete Colorado’s Instagram post from the bill signing!
COALITION TAKE: The Protect Colorado Waters Coalition said, “We are grateful to Governor Polis for taking a necessary and meaningful step today to protect Colorado’s wetlands and waterways from degradation, pollution, and destruction that could have disastrous consequences on Coloradans’ drinking water, wildlife habitat, and our ability to mitigate against the threat of flooding.”
NEW JERSEY LCV ADVOCATES FOR OFFSHORE WIND: New Jersey LCV and partners in the New Jersey Wind Works coalition turned out supporters to a hearing for the proposed Atlantic Shores offshore wind project. The event, held by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, is part of the state permitting process to approve the construction of necessary transmission lines that will bring clean energy from offshore wind to the electricity grid.
NEW JERSEY LCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Campaigns Director James Thompson said the transmission lines and turbines are critical to reducing pollution and addressing the “existential threat” of climate change. “Places like Newark and Camden and Trenton, even other suburbs around the state, have been affected by poor air quality because of the burning of fossil fuels that has happened over decades and decades and decades.”
ON THE BLOG: Earlier this month, LCV’s America Fitzpatrick and Leah Donahey took a trip to southern California to visit the proposed Chuckwalla monument. Learn more about their trip and the campaign to protect Chuckwalla in a new post on The Power Source Blog. And, celebrate the end of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with this spotlight on AANHPI environmental champions in Congress! Lastly, don’t miss this month’s Top 5 blog post, where we cover California’s clean energy milestone, fair and equal access to the polls, federal action to protect people and the planet, public land protections, and LCV Action Fund endorsements.
ON OUR SOCIALS: We’ve got a headache, but it’s not stopping us from celebrating the confirmation of President Biden’s 200th lifetime federal judge or uplifting House Agriculture Committee democrats fighting back against Republicans’ proposed Farm Bill. And, it’s officially SCOTUS season, so we’re bringing you a great explainer on a not-so-great decision and reasserting our call to #ExpandtheCourt and pass a binding code of ethics for Supreme Court justices.
THIS MONTH: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
THIS MONTH: Jewish American Heritage Month.
JUNE 1: First day of Pride Month.
JUNE 19: Juneteenth.
©2024 League of Conservation Voters