©2025 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, Instagram, and TikTok.
“I’m proud to say that I’ve already cast my ballot for Kamala Harris.”
— Fred Upton, former Republican congressman, in his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for President.
“Losing four years when you’re dealing with climate change is a really serious thing.”
— Todd Searns, lead climate negotiator for the U.S. under President Obama, on the longer term climate effects of a Trump win.
“It’s a long time coming. The generational traumas of families have been going on for over a century. Those traumas continue to be embedded in the Native American people, those families that endured those atrocities, and those children, some that never, ever came home.”
— Cheryle Kennedy, chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, on President Biden’s formal apology on behalf of the United States for its role in separating Indigenous children from their families and placing them in boarding schools.
TREASURY, IRS RELEASE FINAL ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION CREDIT RULES: The Treasury Department and the IRS issued their final rules on the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (45X), which will further accelerate the onshoring of clean energy supply chains, strengthening of domestic sourcing, and expansion of U.S. clean energy manufacturing.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis said, “Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. is booming, and is providing hundreds of thousands of family-sustaining jobs and strengthening energy security that only making our own domestic clean energy can provide. These climate actions are driving investments in communities of color, rural communities, and communities of low wealth, previously overlooked for clean energy investments, allowing all people to benefit from these federal investments. We congratulate the Biden-Harris administration for continuing to implement their historic affordable clean energy plan that is delivering hundreds of billions of dollars of economic investments around the country, cutting pollution, and reducing energy costs for families and look forward to continuing to work with them to build a clean energy economy.”
USDA MAKES ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT IN EMPOWERING RURAL COMMUNITIES: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will invest an additional $1 billion from the Empowering Rural America (known as New ERA) program in rural cooperatives to provide clean, affordable, renewable energy to rural communities.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis said, “Congratulations to the Biden-Harris administration for making yet another major investment for a clean energy future, directed to rural communities, which will help families across the country save money on clean energy, and rural cooperatives keep the lights on with cheap renewable energy and grid enhancing technologies. The administration and Congressional Democrats delivered transformational benefits with their historic affordable clean energy plan, which in just two years has created over 330,000 family-sustaining jobs and leveraged nearly a trillion dollars in private sector and other investments to cut climate and health-harming pollution, fight against the fossil-fueled climate crisis, and advance our domestic competitiveness in the global economy.”
CONSERVATION COLORADO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Climate Campaign Manager Paul Sherman said, “The Biden-Harris administration continues to deliver for rural Coloradans with big investments in affordable clean energy and grid innovations for the rural cooperatives that provide power for millions of consumers. These investments will drive down energy costs for rural homes and businesses, improve the reliability of our grid, and reduce pollution that fouls our skies.”
BOEM COMPLETES ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF OFFSHORE WIND LEASE AREA OFF THE COAST OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its environmental review for six offshore wind lease areas in the New York Bight, which could generate up to seven gigawatts of wind energy, enough to power two million homes. The construction and operation of the lease areas will bring good paying jobs and clean, reliable, affordable energy to New York and New Jersey, and advances the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
BOEM TAKE: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said, “BOEM has collected input from Tribes, Federal and state government agencies, local communities, ocean users, and key stakeholders as part of our comprehensive environmental review. We appreciate the feedback we have received, and we believe our regional approach will provide a solid baseline for future environmental reviews for any proposed offshore wind projects in the New York Bight.”
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ADVANCES DOMESTIC CLEAN ENERGY MANUFACTURING: The Department of Energy selected 14 projects to advance clean energy manufacturing in 15 U.S. coal communities that have been affected by coal mine or power plant closures. The projects will receive a total of $428 million from the advanced energy manufacturing and recycling grant program as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES $3.6 BILLION IN NEW FUNDING TO UPGRADE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA announced an additional $3.6 billion in funding for water infrastructure projects. Combined with the $2.6 billion previously announced, the administration will invest a total of $6.2 billion for fiscal year 2025 to support wastewater management, protect freshwater resources, and ensure safe drinking water nationwide.
ICYMI: LCV FACT SHEET ON CLEAN ENERGY AND TRANSMISSION BUILDOUT: LCV released a summary of Biden-Harris administration and FERC policies and investments that will boost and connect clean energy projects to electricity grids across the country. Learn more about how the administration is enhancing transmission capacity and streamlining permitting efforts in the fact sheet.
LCV ACTION FUND RELEASES 2024 CLIMATE CANDIDATE GUIDE: This week, LCV Action Fund officially launched our 2024 Climate Candidate Guide, a resource for voters to find out which candidates LCV Action Fund and our state affiliates have endorsed on their ballot! And for all the reporters out there, don’t sleep on checking out this user-friendly guide to see everyone we’ve endorsed in races all across the country!
LCVAF TAKE: LCV Action Fund Vice President of Political Affairs Craig Auster said, “This is the most important election of our lifetimes and voters need to know which candidates are going to champion climate action, promote environmental justice and protect our democracy. We are excited that LCV Action Fund’s new climate candidate voter guide will help ensure more voters have a trusted tool to find climate candidates up and down the ballot in their states and districts. In the wake of record-breaking climate-fueled heat and devastating hurricanes this year, we’re all in to elect climate champions who will fight for our communities, our planet, and our future generations, not extreme MAGA candidates who deny the science on climate change and are not serious about climate solutions.”
PRESIDENT BIDEN ISSUES APOLOGY TO YOUNG, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES: President Biden today issued a formal apology on the behalf of the United States for the country’s role in mandating the separation of Indigenous children from their families and placing them in federal boarding schools where they were forced to assimilate to White culture. For over 150 years, the country stood by and watched as Indigenous children were physically, sexually, and emotionally abused in these schools.
PRESIDENT’S TAKE: During his remarks to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, President Biden said, “There were generations of Native children stolen, taken away to places they didn’t know, with people they’d never met, who spoke a language they’d never heard… The federal government has never formally apologized for what happened. Until today. I formally apologize, as President of the United States of America. I formally apologize, it’s long overdue.”
VP HARRIS’ COMMITMENT TO CLEAN ENERGY JOBS: Vice President Harris visited Lansing, Michigan last week to speak to UAW workers about her commitment to protecting clean energy jobs. The Biden-Harris administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Plan has created hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs since its passage in 2022.
LCVAF TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “We applaud Vice President Kamala Harris for her unwavering commitment to building on our historic clean energy progress, which has already delivered big federal investments and stimulated a boom in U.S. clean technology manufacturing, including creating over 240,000 electric vehicle jobs across the country. Building the clean vehicles of today and tomorrow here in the U.S. will not only boost the economy, it will also save families on energy costs, fight against the fossil-fueled climate crisis and pollution, and protect our children’s developing lungs, our communities, and future generations.
In stark contrast to Vice President Harris’ plan to move America forward, Donald Trump is committed to carrying out his MAGA Project 2025 agenda, which would cut jobs, increase climate pollution, and roll back critical progress. The choice could not be more clear, and we’re all in for the next 17 days to help ensure Kamala Harris becomes our next climate president.”
LCVVF’S LARGEST EVER ELECTORAL INVESTMENT JUST GOT EVEN BIGGER: LCV Victory Fund announced an updated investment of $155 million for the 2024 election cycle. This expanded investment comes after a summer of extreme weather, demonstrating the urgency of climate action. LCV Victory Fund initially committed $120 million to defeat Trump and elect climate champions, but was able to expand its efforts thanks to increased donor support.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Pete Maysmith said, “The stakes of this election could not be higher, which is why we are investing more than ever. Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans have continuously shown us that they are out for themselves and will prioritize Big Oil over the health and safety of our families, communities, and environment. Over the past several months, voters across the country have felt the very real impacts of climate change whether it be extreme heat in Arizona or the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and they understand that the Harris-Walz ticket is the only administration that will tackle the climate crisis head on.”
LCV VICTORY FUND RELEASES $1 MILLION PRESIDENTIAL AD: LCV Victory Fund released a new $1 million ad that is designed to engage young women in North Carolina and Georgia, where Trump campaigned this week. It contrasts Trump’s spreading of misinformation and climate denialism with Harris’ commitment to tackling the climate crisis. The ad highlights the impact of extreme weather, particularly hurricanes while pointing out Trump’s rollback of environmental protections during his presidency.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns Pete Maysmith said, “These extreme weather disasters have put a tragic exclamation point on the stakes of this election. In the final 14 days of the election, voters are getting turned off by Donald Trump’s continued denial of the realities of climate change and his lies about the government’s response to Hurricane Helene. This ad shows voters that there is only one candidate in this race who will look out for them and their families and work to tackle the climate crisis and that’s Kamala Harris.”
LCV VICTORY FUND UNVEILS NEW HOUSE ADS: LCV Victory Fund announced new ads that feature four key races, Ohio’s 13th House District, Michigan’s 10th House District, New York’s 17th House District, and New Mexico’s 2nd House District. These new ads expand LCV Victory Fund’s House campaign to over $19 million across 28 races and address various issues, including corporate greed, Social Security, and abortion rights.
LCVVF TAKE: LCV Victory Fund Vice President of Paid Communications and Elections Megan Jacobs said, “With just two weeks until Election Day voters in these key districts need to know that there is a clear choice this election. MAGA Republicans in the House are more concerned with appeasing Big Polluters and Big Corporations than protecting the health and safety of our families, communities and environment. We need leaders in Congress that are going to lower costs, protect access to clean air and water and create high-paying jobs.”
ICYMI: LCV VICTORY FUND WEEKLY UPDATE: LCV Victory Fund released a memo with updated information on the field and paid media programs. Read the full memo for more.
ICYMI: LCV VICTORY FUND HIGHLIGHTS CRITICAL STATE AND LOCAL RACES: LCV Victory Fund released a memo highlighting the most important state and local races to protect our environment and democracy. States have always been at the forefront of the fight against climate change – because of state and local climate action, 40% of the country now lives in a place committed to 100% clean energy. For more details about the state and local races across the country that are major priorities for LCV Victory Fund’s state affiliates, check out the full memo.
DIRTY DOZEN IN THE STATES NOW INCLUDES WASHINGTON BALLOT INITIATIVE: Washington Conservation Action added a state ballot initiative, WA 1-2117, to the Dirty Dozen in the States, making it the first time a ballot initiative has been included on our list of the 12 worst state and local candidates across the nation. The ballot initiative is one of the biggest attacks on clean energy in the country, and is attempting to roll back Washington’s climate progress by repealing the state’s landmark 2021 Climate Commitment Act – the nation’s strongest cap-and-invest law – and preventing state agencies from capping air pollution.
ICYMI: CHISPA TX HOSTS PEOPLE’S HEARING ON LNG: Chispa Texas held a People’s Hearing on the Environmental Justice Impacts of LNG, which allowed community members from Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania to provide testimony as the Department of Energy reviews data for LNG export license applications.
CHISPA TX TAKE: Chispa Texas Program Director Elida Castillo said, “DOE needs to hear from frontline community members and communities experiencing environmental injustice who are directly impacted by LNG early on to inform their analysis. What we heard during the hearing is regular folks who see that within a few years, the cities where they could once fish and enjoy their lives and homes are now overrun with LNG pipes, facilities, and tankers. Allowing LNG to expand even more means the sacrifice of their communities in the form of poisoned waterways, worse air, toxic flaring, and many more consequences they are experiencing every day to their health, environment, quality of life, economy, and safety.”
MARYLAND SENATOR SEEKS TO CLEAN UP STATE RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO: Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson plans to introduce legislation in 2025 to remove waste-to-energy incineration from the state’s renewable portfolio standard. This action comes after community concerns over air pollution from trash incinerator facilities in Baltimore and Montgomery County. Senate President Ferguson’s support may increase the bill’s chance of passing.
MLCV TAKE: Maryland LCV Executive Director Kim Coble said, “We are thrilled to see Senate President Ferguson take this step towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for Maryland. For years, Maryland LCV has supported community-led advocacy asking for the removal of trash incineration from our state’s renewable energy standards. This move not only supports our climate objectives but also addresses environmental justice concerns. By redirecting resources to genuine renewable energy sources like wind and solar, we’re investing in healthier communities and a more resilient Maryland for everyone.”
NYLCVEF ENCOURAGES EARLY VOTING WITH ART INSTALLATION: Tonight, New York LCV Education Fund is hosting an art installation with the Chinese-American Planning Council, People for the American Way Foundation, and the Center for Artistic Activism’s Art for the Polls 2024 in Brooklyn to encourage residents to vote early. Learn more about the installation on Instagram.
IDAHO APPROVES FIRST SOLAR FARM ON STATE LAND: The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners approved the first wind and solar farm on state endowment land. The project will generate an estimated 300 megawatts of combined solar and wind power and provide clean, affordable electricity to residents of eastern Idaho and northern Utah. Endowment land generates revenue for beneficiaries, including public schools, and the clean energy lease is estimated to generate up to $300 per acre, a significant increase from the land’s current revenue of 59 cents per acre from grazing leases.
ON THE BLOG: We’re less than two weeks out from the election, and we’re bringing you the 5 steps to take to get ready to vote and make your voice heard on November 5th!
ON OUR SOCIALS: In a shocking twist, it turns out Donald Trump is a climate denier and a threat to our democracy! Good thing we’ve got a mighty team of field organizers knocking on doors to turn out support for Harris … but when we asked the Gen Z employee to make a social video about them this is what we got?
OCTOBER 29: Vote Early Day.
NOVEMBER 5: Election Day.
NOVEMBER 11: Veterans Day.
NOVEMBER 28: Thanksgiving Day.
NOVEMBER 29: Native American Heritage Day.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters