Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
President Trump Signs Reconciliation Package, Rolls Back Clean Energy Tax Credits
On July 4, President Trump signed into law the budget reconciliation package that rolls back clean energy tax credits, strips health care and food assistance from millions of people, and provides billions of dollars to unchecked immigration detention and deportation efforts.
Specifically, the bill rolls back historic clean energy tax credits that were passed in 2022 with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, P.L. 117-169). Our network has invested heavily in using and preserving these credits. We lobbied for the passage of the IRA and have been using the tax credits to install renewable energy systems in Quaker meetings and houses. This new law requires wind and solar projects to begin service by 2027 to access the credits while hydropower, nuclear, and geothermal projects have until 2033. It also quickly phases out the electric vehicle tax credit by the end of September 2025. The bill requires any qualified home energy efficiency improvement projects to begin construction by June 30, 2026 to qualify for a tax credit.
With less incentives to produce clean energy, we will simply see less energy for our electric grid and our homes. This will result in a nationwide average increase of 7.3% in household energy bills and a huge reduction in good-paying jobs across the country.
Since January, FCNL lobbied against this legislation, urging lawmakers to: protect healthcare and food assistance, protect clean energy tax credits, and oppose increased funding to detention and deportation. We condemned the passage of this harmful legislation and are deeply concerned about its devastating impacts across the country. Yet, we know that we must continue our persistent, hopeful advocacy for a more sustainable world.
News and Updates
US Skips International Climate Talks for First Time
For the first time ever, crucial global climate negotiations did not include the United States. Governments from around the world gathered in Bonn, Germany last month for the official launch ofthe process leading to this year’s annual U.N. climate conference, known as COP30, hosted in Brazil this fall. But after weeks of speculation, the State Department announced just before the start of the talks that the United States would not be participating.
Many traditional U.S. partners in these negotiations, such as the European Union, were deeply concerned by this news. Others have greeted it with relief because of fears that the Trump administration would sabotage the negotiations.
Since the U.S. government skipped these negotiations, it might also skip COP30. Experts believe that the absence of the U.S. in climate talks could help countries with unfriendly climate policies water down any international agreements. We are troubled by the trends. As climate change only continues to worsen, the U.S. continues to pull back from its leading role in providing international climate assistance to the most vulnerable countries.
Trump Administration Takes Down National Climate Change Report Website
The Trump administration removed the website that hosts National Climate Assessments. The reports, mandated by legislation, have been published every few years since 2000. In April, the Trump administration announced that the funding for the next report - set to be released in 2028 - had been cut. The reports have been essential for researchers, teachers, and the public to see how greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to climate change. The most recent National Climate Assessment – NCA5 – is still available, for now, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) website.
What We’re Reading:
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Vatican Publishes a New Mass on Caring for the Environment | The New York Times
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Trump Administration Acts to ‘Severely Weaken’ a Key Environmental Law | Inside Climate News
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Anna Aguto Program Assistant |
