Federal
What the New Federal Climate Bill Means for State Policy
This Sunday, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 through the budget reconciliation process. The bill contains many provisions originally included in President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation, including almost $370 billion for climate investments. Overall, the bill has...
Federal Climate Funding Initiatives: What States Need to Know
With the creation and continuing development of several new federal funding initiatives like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Build Back Better, Justice40, and others, many are wondering how state-level climate action will be affected. States looking to secure funding...
Fossil Fuel Industry’s Influence in the 2020 Congressional Elections
For decades, the fossil fuel industry has attempted to influence and stifle the United States’ climate policies at both the federal and state level. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce — the largest dark money, pro-fossil fuel trade association in the...
No Climate, No Deal
In his 2020 campaign, President Joe Biden demonstrated a clear and ambitious proposal to tackle the climate crisis — his famous $2 trillion climate plan. The plan appealed to millions of voters and included critical climate actions such as transitioning...
Two Years Later, Legislators Reintroduce Green New Deal Bills
More than two years ago, on a chilly February day, two of the nation’s most progressive lawmakers made headlines after introducing a resolution calling for a Green New Deal. This resolution — now a household name — laid out a...
Secretary Haaland’s Unique Position to Lead Interior
On March 15, 2021, Representative Debra Haaland was confirmed for Secretary of the Interior in a historic vote. After a lengthy confirmation process the Senate voted in favor of her confirmation by a margin of 51-40. Senate Democrats voted unanimously...
International Climate Policy and John Kerry’s New Role in President Biden’s Administration
Days after President Joe Biden was elected in November, former Secretary of State John Kerry was announced to be the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Kerry will be the first to hold this position in a presidential cabinet, making...
President Biden Increased The Social Cost Of Carbon, But Is It Enough?
For years, economists and climate scientists have worked to attribute a price tag to the pollution driving the climate crisis, known as the Social Cost Of Carbon (SCC). The SCC can be leveraged in policy and decision-making to weigh the...
Administration off to a good start on climate commitments
The United States has a new Commander-in-Chief. Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President last week and environmental advocates breathed a sigh of relief. The inauguration signaled an end to the volatile, anti-science Trump administration, an era under...