Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis. 

FCNL Welcomes Paul Aversa to the Energy & Environment Team!

Paul Aversa Headshot

We are thrilled to have Paul Aversa as this year’s program assistant for sustainable energy and environment. Paul previously interned in the legal sector, assisting attorneys in conducting environmental crime and justice investigations at the U.S. Department of Justice, administered the appropriations outreach process at Holland & Knight, and performed research on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) as a Sustainable Food & Farming Fellow at Earthjustice. Please join us in welcoming Paul to the team!

Race to Funding the Government, and Climate Assistance, Before Oct. 1

Congress is once again nearing a fiscal cliff which could lead to a government shutdown. Recently, the House pushed through a government funding extension (commonly called a “continuing resolution”) that was quickly voted down in the Senate. Senate Democrats then put forward a bill that, in addition to extending funding for the government, would have also extended key healthcare subsidies due to expire and reasserted Congress’ power of the purse. That bill was also voted down, deepening the stalemate between the two sides less than a week before the September 30 deadline.

As we often say here at FCNL, a government shutdown would be a disaster for everyone, but especially for the most vulnerable folks here at home and abroad. For the climate, a funding lapse would block critical international climate assistance from flowing to the communities in the Global South that most need support in adapting to the climate crisis. We’re continuing to push for Congress to pass a bipartisan funding bill that extends government funding and ensures no unnecessary delays in getting climate assistance out the door. Any government funding bill must include binding legislative measures that reassert Congress’ power of the purse and guarantee federal funds are fully and directly delivered to the initiatives to which Congress has designated them.

FCNL Advocacy Teams around the country are meeting with congressional offices this month to urge them to protect international climate finance in the FY26 appropriations bill with strong safeguards to ensure Congress’ appropriations are fully implemented. Find your nearest Advocacy Team and get involved at FCNL.org/AdvocacyTeams!

News and Updates

Administration Is Attempting to Block Maryland’s First Offshore Wind Project

In a motion filed with the U.S. District Court in Maryland, the Interior Department asked a judge to revoke approval for a major offshore wind project near Ocean City, Maryland. The 114-turbine, 80,000-acre project is slated to begin construction over the next few years. Administration officials argue that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management made an “error” when assessing the turbines’ impacts on other activities like search-and-rescue operations and commercial fishing in the region.

This move by the administration marks a major setback to an industry already under significant pressure. The wind industry is racing against a narrowing window to secure clean energy tax credits. More than a decade in the making, the Ocean City windfarm was projected to deliver power to over 700,000 homes in a state already struggling with skyrocketing energy demand.

EPA Plans to Scrap Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to end a program requiring large greenhouse gas polluters to publicly disclose the role their facilities play in driving climate change. The program began in 2009 and covers emissions from 47 source categories at 8,000 facilities across the country. Ending the program would be a major blow for scientists studying how best to address greenhouse gas pollution from major facilities. This is, unfortunately, just the latest in a string of proposals that EPA has made in recent months to pull back from its mandate to safeguard the country from climate change and the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.

What We’re Reading:

Daren Caughron

Daren Caughron

Legislative Manager, Sustainable Energy and Environment

Daren is FCNL’s legislative manager for sustainable energy and environment. He lobbies Congress to support action to respond to the climate crisis and prevent the further degradation of our communities and our planet.

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