LCV is fighting every day to create a brighter, safer, healthier future for people and the planet.
LCV is fighting every day to create a brighter, safer, healthier future for people and the planet.
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, communities across the country are raising the alarm about data centers. The Trump administration is continuing its attacks on offshore wind, and we’re looking out for who’s putting people over polluters in the upcoming election.
Be sure to follow LCV on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and TikTok.
“It’s been energizing to knock doors on behalf of the climate. Data centers especially come up more than any other issue at the doors, and it’s motivating to see the Democrats being on the right side of such an important topic.”
– Diamond West, Pennsylvania canvasser, on conversations with voters during Climate Week of Action.
“John Sununu has said it out loud. He said that this race is important to Donald Trump’s agenda and to protect the gains that Donald Trump has made for the American people. Now I don’t know what those gains are because if you’re paying 1,000 bucks to fill up your home heating oil tank, or $6.50 to put diesel in your car for every gallon, or housing costs that are through the roof, you’re not feeling like you’re winning right now.”
– Rep. Chris Pappas, Democratic New Hampshire Senate candidate, on Face the Nation discussing his opponent, John Sununu’s ties to Big Oil and the Trump administration.
“I remember an older woman who seemed very concerned for the future, for her grandchildren, and watching some of those anxieties dissipate as we talked through the work we’re doing and reasons to be optimistic.”
— Henry Groseclose, canvasser for the Montana Conservation Voters Bozeman field team, on discussions with neighbors about the impact of conservation priorities in communities.
“All residents, all business owners, no matter who you are in Phoenix, Arizona, are paying too much for utilities. With the rising utility rates and the potential increase of another 14% from APS on utility bills, it’s a real question if running a small business is even possible anymore.”
– Koral Casillas, co-owner of Monsoon Market and Strip Mall, in a Chispa Arizona video about rising electricity bills and the importance of the upcoming Arizona Corporation Commission election on local communities.
VIRGINIANS CALL FOR STATEWIDE DATA CENTER MORATORIUM: About 200 Virginians gathered to protest AI data centers at the March for a Moratorium in Alexandria, Virginia. Attendees called on state leaders to pause new data center development until protections are put in place to address the energy demand, water use, pollution, and community impacts of these facilities and ensure greater transparency. This march was the first of eight planned events as part of a two-week campaign launched by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, Virginia LCV, and partners.
VALCV TAKE: Virginia LCV Northern Virginia Field Manager Jordan Seurattan said Virginians are “tired of a system where Big Tech can do whatever they want without consequence – building data center after data center in community after community while we pay higher energy bills, breathe dirtier air, and watch our drinking water go down the drain.”
NEW JERSEY UTILITIES OMIT RECORDS ON ENERGY DECISIONMAKING REQUIRED BY LAW: After 2025 state legislation required utilities to publicly disclose their votes in decision-making proceedings at the regional grid operator, regulators on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities found that all four of the state’s electric utilities submitted incomplete and deficient reports. The law was passed to help ensure greater transparency into decisions that directly impact New Jerseyans’ bills and create more accountability for electricity providers, who were ordered to explain whether their votes furthered the state’s “goals of prioritizing the affordability, reliability, and sustainability of electricity production, consumption, and conservation.” The regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, has come under increasing scrutiny as energy prices continue to rise, and advocates are calling for governance reform.
NEW JERSEY LCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Interim Executive Director Allison McLeod said, “In a time when New Jersey families are struggling to keep up with rising electricity bills, it is unacceptable that not one of the state’s four electric utilities was fully transparent about their votes on decisions that impact our energy, our reliability and our bottom line. Ratepayers are being asked to shoulder the costs of a regional energy system over which they have little visibility or control. These decisions can have lasting consequences for household budgets, and customers deserve to know whose interests their utilities are representing. Transparency and accountability aren’t optional when families are struggling to afford the cost of keeping the lights on.”
NEW YORK APPROVES TWO UTILITY-LED THERMAL ENERGY NETWORK PILOTS: The New York Public Service Commission approved two utility-led thermal energy network pilots in Haverstraw West and Buffalo under the Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act. The initiatives will use less energy than traditional fossil fuel heating and cooling systems, cut harmful air pollution, save ratepayers money, and create hundreds of union jobs.
NYLCV TAKE: New York LCV President Julie Tighe said, “Today’s approval is a major win for New York’s clean energy future. Thermal energy networks can help us cut pollution from buildings, create good-paying union jobs, and deliver cleaner, more efficient heating and cooling to New Yorkers. We applaud Governor Hochul for her leadership and the Public Service Commission for giving these two innovative projects the green light and demonstrating that New York is ready to lead on the next generation of clean energy solutions.”
TRUMP ATTACKS OPERATING OFFSHORE WIND FARM: The Trump administration is seeking to reevaluate a key permit for Revolution Wind, a $6.2B offshore wind project off the coast of Rhode Island that came online earlier this year and is already supplying clean energy to the grid. The 704-megawatt wind farm will generate enough clean energy to power over 350,000 homes at full operation. As utility bills and electricity demand continue to rise, the permit challenge threatens a major source of affordable and reliable clean energy for New England communities, and marks another baseless attack on offshore wind by the Trump administration.
WATER CONSUMPTION OF PROPOSED MONTANA DATA CENTER UNDER SCRUTINY IN MULTI-YEAR DROUGHT: Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality is taking public comments on plans to drill a well for a planned 5,100-square-foot data center, which could use 150,000 gallons of water daily during construction and 20,000 gallons daily afterward. Montana Conservation Voters is urging the Montana Legislature to conduct a more thorough review on the well and consider a data center moratorium until state protections are in place regarding transparency, water use, electricity use, and other community concerns.
MCV TAKE: Montana Conservation Voters Political Director Molly Bell said, “We’re now in what is the sixth year of drought in parts of Montana, and we really need to be careful about how we are using water and reviewing water quality and making sure that we’re being good stewards of that resource. The county commission is really starting to take notice now and legislators are starting to take notice. It’s become an issue that, thanks to the good work of the volunteers and community members, it’s become unavoidable for politicians.”
COLORADO REVIEWS FIRST MAJOR PROJECT UNDER NEW WETLAND PROTECTIONS: Colorado is reviewing the city of Aurora’s proposed $600 million Wild Horse Reservoir project, which would store 93,000 acre-feet of water to help meet future water demand as rivers shrink because of climate change. This is the first major project subject to new state rules protecting wetlands and streams no longer shielded by the federal Clean Water Act.
CONSERVATION COLORADO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Water Campaign Manager Sabrina King said, “As the federal government continues to roll back [protections], Colorado is going to need to step up. This is an incredibly important milestone for Colorado. All eyes are on this application.”
LCVVF RELEASES “ENERGY COSTS AND CORRUPTION TANKING REPUBLICATIONS IN FINAL STRETCH” MEMO: With just three weeks until Election Day, LCV Victory Fund is ramping up programming across the country to meet voters where they are to let them know which candidates have clear plans to lower utility costs, and which have sided with Big Oil, monopoly utilities, and corporate interests. This week, LCV Victory Fund is also taking a look at a new analysis from Cook Political Report, stories from the field, and sharing ads that dropped on the airwaves this week. Read the full roundup here.
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TAKE DATA CENTER AND ENERGY AFFORDABILITY FIGHT TO AZ, MI, PA & VA SWING DISTRICTS FOR CLIMATE WEEK OF ACTION: LCV, EDF Action PAC, NRDC Action Fund, and Sierra Club hosted grassroots canvassing events across the country in support of pro-environment candidates, including events with Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Will Lawrence (MI-07), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Dr. Amish Shah (AZ-01). All four candidates have committed to protecting constituents from data centers that are driving up energy costs.
LCV VICTORY FUND LAUNCHES $1.4 MILLION AD CAMPAIGN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE RACE: LCV Victory Fund launched $1.4 million in digital ads and mail in New Hampshire’s Senate race targeting former Senator John Sununu. The campaign focuses on Sununu’s ties to Big Pharma and Big Oil, highlighting how those same corporate interests are spending millions to help re-elect him to the Senate. The mail program also calls out Sununu’s alignment with Trump’s agenda.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Sara Schreiber said, “There’s a reason John Sununu earned a spot on our ‘Dirty Dozen’ nearly twenty five years ago during his first time around, and he never got any better. In the Senate he chose corporate supporters over Granite Staters every time, so it’s no surprise he ended up as a corporate lobbyist. Energy costs are already too high in New Hampshire and John Sununu simply can’t be trusted to stand up to Trump’s reckless agenda that is causing those costs to go even higher.”
LCV VICTORY FUND LAUNCHES $770K MAIL PROGRAM IN MAINE SENATE RACE: LCV Victory Fund launched a $770,000 mail program focused on Susan Collins’ record of siding with President Trump. Collins was named to this year’s Dirty Dozen list after an unprecedented reversal of her environmental record, which fell from a 100% score on the LCV National Environmental Scorecard in 2008 to a 0% in 2024. Collins also supported the “Big Ugly Bill,” which eliminated the tax credit for heat-pump installations and other clean-energy incentives. The mail program highlights how Collins’ votes in the Senate have resulted in higher costs across the board for Maine residents.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Sara Schreiber said, “Susan Collins has had multiple chances to stand up for Mainers and help lower costs, but she has turned her back on Maine to repeatedly side with President Trump and Big Oil. Mainers deserve a leader like Troy Jackson, who will put Maine first, protect our environment, and work to lower costs by prioritizing clean energy solutions.”
LCV VICTORY FUND LAUNCHES $3 MILLION AD PUSH IN TEXAS SENATE RACE: LCV Victory Fund launched a $3 million digital ad campaign focused on Ken Paxton’s record of corruption and prioritizing personal financial gain over the people of Texas. The ad will run on YouTube, CTV and online video platforms in the Houston and Dallas media markets through November 3, alongside door-to-door canvassing in support of James Talarico.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Sara Schreiber said, “Corruption is a major concern for voters this year, and Ken Paxton is simply too corrupt for Texas. From bribery to impeachment, Ken Paxton has repeatedly and shockingly shown just how far he is willing to go for his wealthy donors. Texans need a leader like James Talarico who will put people first, instead of prioritizing his own financial gain.”
ON THE BLOG: Stay tuned for exciting new content, coming soon to the Power Source blog!
ON OUR SOCIALS: Thinking about voting early? We’re giving it a thumbs up. And there’s no shortage of reasons to head to the polls: Trump and congressional Republicans are threatening to cut into an ancient carving older than Stonehenge for border wall construction and driving up gas prices and energy bills around the country. We also marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day by celebrating Indigenous leadership in protecting public lands. Plus, we rounded up some Good Climate News you may have missed this week.
OCTOBER 18: Clean Water Act 54th anniversary.
OCTOBER 24: National Vote Early Day.
NOVEMBER 2: Comment period closes on EPA’s proposal to eliminate standards for climate pollution from power plants.
NOVEMBER 2: Comment period closes for the Census Bureau’s proposal for numerous changes to the Residence Rule in the 2030 Census that would undercount various communities.
NOVEMBER 3: ELECTION DAY.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters