There’s a lot of climate and energy news out there. Inside the Greenhouse is here to help you sort through it all. Every month, we highlight the most significant developments in Congress and beyond on the climate crisis, clean energy, environmental justice, and more.
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In his budget request for Fiscal Year 2024, President Joe Biden included roughly $5 billion to assist developing countries struggling with climate disasters. This is just under half of the $11.4 billion that the president pledged in 2021 to provide annually by FY2024.
Republican lawmakers, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (LA) and Kevin Cramer (ND), are beginning to discuss the prospect of imposing a tariff on imported goods based on their carbon content.
On Jan. 27, the House passed the Strategic Production Response Act (H.R. 21), which would prevent the Department of Energy from using more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Biden administration presents a plan to increase the number of federal lands available for oil and gas drilling leases.
The 117th Congress wrapped up its work at the end of December. Over the course of the two-year session, lawmakers passed several key climate-forward bills.
Rep. Donald McEachin (VA-04), a staunch advocate for environmental justice, passed away on Nov. 28. He first took office in 2017 and worked tirelessly to ensure that infrastructure projects would not disproportionately harm low-income communities and people of color. In honor of Rep. McEachin’s legacy, lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis sent a letter to House Democratic leadership on Nov. 30, urging them to pass the Environmental Justice for All Act before the end of the year.
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, began on Nov. 6 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and will last until Nov. 18. Representatives from each UN nation are discussing climate change mitigation, adaptation, and how to address the crisis through foreign assistance.
In return for his support for the Inflation Reduction Act, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) promised Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) a vote on permitting reform. Permitting is the process for getting federal approval for energy projects.
Following its August recess, Congress returned to Washington D.C. this week to address the issue of permitting reform for existing energy infrastructure projects.
It has been a long time in the making, but the Senate finally passed a historic bill that meaningfully addresses climate change.
Late last month, the Supreme Court ruled on a 6-3 basis to constrain the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate emissions from the power sector. Many climate advocates consider the decision to be a blow to the administration’s efforts to address the growing climate crisis.
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