Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
Policy Changes in Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Bill
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership released the bipartisan H.R. 9497 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. Congress has typically passed a WRDA bill every two years since 2014, using it to set national priorities for issues like flood control, navigation, ecosystem restoration, and dam safety.
This year’s proposal authorizes fewer new construction projects than past versions, focusing instead on planning and policy changes. The legislation largely instructs the Army Corps to continue evaluating nature-based and nonstructural approaches to flood management. Rather than relying only on large, engineered structures such as levees or seawalls, these approaches can include restoring wetlands that naturally absorb floodwaters, elevating homes above flood levels, or relocating buildings out of high-risk flood zones.
The legislation also initiates a second phase of planning to identify an additional drinking water source for Washington, D.C., with the goal of improving the capital’s long-term water security.
Millions Committed Towards International Climate Finance
During London Climate Action Week, governments and private stakeholders announced new commitments to help finance climate projects in developing countries. Participants emphasized that many lower-income nations, despite contributing relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions, are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. These countries require significantly more financial support to transition to clean energy and to adapt to worsening climate impacts. Recent reductions in U.S. international aid have created financing shortfalls, for which international institutions have not yet found solutions.
Among the largest announcements, Bloomberg Philanthropies committed $285 million to help expand clean energy infrastructure in developing economies while supporting efforts to counter the influence of the fossil fuel industry. The Climate Investment Funds, an international financing partnership, pledged $250 million each to Brazil and Mexico, with officials estimating the investments could attract more than $5 billion in additional private capital.
Despite this, experts stressed that current funding levels remain far below what is needed. International climate negotiations have established a goal of mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. Achieving that target will require substantial contributions from both private investors and multilateral development banks.
Many developing countries struggle to secure investment because they lack the technical expertise and institutional capacity to prepare projects that investors view as financially credible. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: countries need funding to build that capacity, but their lack of capacity makes it harder to obtain funding. As of 2024, Oxfam International reported that nearly 70% of international climate finance was provided as loans.
While experts agree that public funding alone will not meet global climate investment needs, governments can play a critical role by creating stable policy environments that encourage large-scale private investment.
A Supreme Court Victory for Monsanto
In a 7-2 decision in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed consumers’ ability to sue pesticide manufacturers for failing to warn about potential health risks. The case involved John Durnell, a Missouri resident who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Monsanto’s glyphosate-based Roundup for roughly 20 years. A Missouri court awarded him $1.25 million, but the Supreme Court overturned that ruling.
Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh concluded that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act bars states from requiring pesticide labels that differ from or add to those approved by the EPA. As a result, manufacturers generally cannot be held liable under state law for omitting health warnings the EPA has not required.
Glyphosate remains the most widely used agricultural herbicide in the United States. The EPA has found it “not likely to be carcinogenic,” while the WHO classified it in 2015 as “probably carcinogenic.” EPA’s review remains ongoing.
