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 public lands and by the Trump administration and innovation in the states.
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“This administration’s disregard for our nation’s spending laws and Congress’ power of the purse has touched every corner of our country.”
— Senators Patty Murray (WA) and Rosa DeLauro (CT) on the Trump administration illegally blocking $410 billion in congressionally appropriated federal funding.
“Instead of unleashing this American economic engine, the Trump administration is deliberately stifling investment, which is raising energy costs for families and businesses, and jeopardizing the reliability of our electric grid.”
— Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper in a new report projecting impacts of Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill on the solar industry.
“Does this sound like a federal government that is prioritizing the American people? This is bizarre, this is unlawful, this is potentially devastating, and we won’t stand by and watch it happen.”
— Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha in a statement on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to pause the 80% completed Revolution Wind project.
INDIANA CONSERVATION KEEPS PRESSURE AGAINST MID-DECADE REDISTRICTING: Indiana Conservation Voters (ICV) joined nine other organizations in delivering nearly 9,000 signatures against mid-decade redistricting to Governor Mike Braun. This follows after three weeks of opposition by ICV and partner organizations, including a rally, digital media campaign, and sustained grassroots mobilization. Recent polling shows a majority of Hoosiers don’t want to reopen the map drawing process, and would rather legislators on the real issues facing their communities.
ICV TAKE: Indiana Conservation Voters Executive Director Megan Roberts said, “Indiana isn’t a playground for electoral shenanigans, and we won’t let Washington outsiders tell us how to run our state. Hoosiers play fair. We believe in honest elections, fair maps and a democracy that works for all of us. These signatures represent that commitment.”
WASHINGTON STATE EXPANDS PROTECTED FORESTS: Washington state’s Department of Natural Resources moved to protect 77,000 acres of “legacy forests.” These forests play a critical role in storing carbon, providing habitats, and maintaining biodiversity. Under the new rule, legacy forests will be protected from logging and will be managed with the goal of conserving the forests for future generations.
WCA TAKE: Washington Conservation Action CEO Alyssa Macy said, “We’ve really treated our natural resources as commodities instead of relatives, and we really must shift our thinking. Because without mature trees, without our forests, without clean water, without clean air, we as humans are not going to exist.”
WISCONSIN COURT UPHOLDS POLLUTION REDUCTION PERMITS: A Wisconsin court upheld a rule requiring large livestock farms to obtain concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) permits. These wastewater discharge permits help prevent water contamination from manure spills and runoff, which can pollute nearby waterways.
WCV TAKE: Wisconsin Conservation Voters said, “BIG WIN! State environmental regulators can require large livestock farms to obtain permits that seek to prevent manure spills and protect state waters.”
MASSACHUSETTS TO BUILD ALL-ELECTRIC, SOLAR-POWERED HIGH SCHOOL: The town of Lexington, Massachusetts plans to build a fully electric, solar-powered high school. The school will feature a 2 megawatt solar battery, 20 electric vehicle chargers, and energy-efficient heat pumps. These systems will improve the community’s energy production and save the town approximately $90 million in costs over 30 years.
LCV PRESIDENT PETE MAYSMITH AND REP. MARK POCAN TALK CLIMATE ACTION: LCV President Pete Maysmith joined Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) on his podcast With Liberty and Justice for Some. In the episode, the two discussed LCV’s electoral work and Environmental Scorecard, rising energy costs and other impacts of Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill, and more.
TRUMP TARGETS PUBLIC LANDS PROTECTIONS: The Trump administration moved to reverse the Public Lands Conservation Rule, which ensures the protection of public lands and waters. This move demonstrates the Trump administration’s dedication to selling off our treasured public lands to Big Polluters and billionaire executives at the expense of our communities, our cultural heritage, and our future generations.
OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick said, “The Trump administration is attempting to reverse a monumental rule that ensured conservation use on public lands in order to continue massive giveaways for Big Oil. Conservation is crucial to ensuring our public lands are accessible, protecting our communities and cultural resources, and supporting the outdoor and public lands workforce. With today’s announcement, this administration is disregarding the years of community input, science, and interests of a broad range of stakeholders and continuing to prioritize Big Oil’s wish list, which will privatize the sell off of our public lands. We are all in to continue to fight to stop the sell off of our public lands.”
TRUMP EPA MOVES TO END GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING PROGRAM: EPA announced its plans to end the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The program, which has been in place since 2010, requires coal-fired power plants, industrial factories, and oil refining facilities to report their pollution from fossil fuels, holding Big Polluters accountable. Without the data from the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, tracking health-and-planet-harming emissions will become exponentially more difficult, stifling efforts to create policy to tackle the climate crisis.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASS NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT: Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill includes several anti-environmental amendments, including attacks on electric vehicles.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RACIAL PROFILING RULE: The Supreme Court overturned a federal judge’s order that banned federal agents from questioning people about their immigration status based on factors like ethnicity. Now, federal agents can target and profile individuals based on their identities.
CHISPA TAKE: Chispa Senior Director Estefany Carrasco-González said, “Our cultura and language are sources of strength and pride in our communities and climate justice work, and should not be weaponized against us. The Supreme Court has practically sanctioned racial profiling in our communities and is now further placing families, workers, and fierce climate champions’ lives at risk. The language we speak, the way we look, where we work, or simply existing as Latinos in our communities, should not grant any agency like ICE the ability to target and profile us. We the people means all of us, not some of us. There can be no second-class citizens in a free America.”
ON THE BLOG: Stay tuned to The Power Source Blog for exciting upcoming content!
ON OUR SOCIALS: It’s back to school season and we’re marking the occasion with one of our favorite pastimes: schooling Trump’s cabinet and untrustworthy Republicans on climate, clean energy, and public lands.
SEPTEMBER 13-21: Latino Conservation Week.
SEPTEMBER 15- OCTOBER 15: Latine Heritage Month.
SEPTEMBER 20: Make Billionaires Pay March and Rally.
SEPTEMBER 21: Sun Day Solar Day of Action.
SEPTEMBER 22: Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown.
SEPTEMBER 30: Government Funding Deadline.
OCTOBER 1: Yom Kippur begins at sundown.
OCTOBER 13: Indigenous People’s Day.
OCTOBER 18: No Kings October Mobilization.
OCTOBER 18: Clean Water Act 53rd anniversary.
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