January Newsletter

We have even more planned for this year! You can expect more conservation roundtables, conferences, and dinners in 2020.

 

Monthly News

 

Jan 23: WOTUS Rollbacks

For decades, the EPA and Corps have ignored the Clean Water Act and the U.S. Constitution to regulate almost every water imaginable, culminating in the Obama Administration’s WOTUS rule that took the disrespect for the rule of law to a new level. To its credit, the Trump Administration is trying something different with its new final rule on navigable waters: it is trying to actually follow the law.

Read the full article from The Heritage Foundation.


Jan 21: Republicans’ New Climate Plan 

Trees, plastics and favorable tax policy are at the core of House Republicans’ new push on climate change.

Read more at Axios


Jan 21: 1 Trillion Trees

U.S. President Donald Trump told a packed forum in the Swiss resort of Davos his country will join the one trillion trees initiative launched at the World Economic Forum, which has chosen sustainability as its main theme.

Read more at Reuters


Jan 15: Save Our Seas 2.0 

The U.S. Senate has voted unanimously to pass the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, legislation introduced by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life.

Read more at Waste 360.


Jan 9: EPA Regulation Changes

Today’s proposal would modernize the environmental review process.  The proposed rule would make commonsense changes to establish a presumptive two-year time limit for Environmental Impact Statements; require federal agencies to request information from applicants and the public earlier in the process; increase coordination by agencies to reduce delays; avoid duplication by facilitating use of documents required by other statutes or prepared by state, tribal, or local agencies; and ensure that the regulations reflect current, modern technologies.

Read the full White House remarks here


Jan 8: Reed Bill 

Reed’s bill would prevent wind and solar projects that receive existing incentives such as the Investment Tax Credit or Production Tax Credit from using the new subsidy. But it would benefit technologies that complement renewables, such as energy storage, which can provide backup power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

Read the full article at Washington Examiner


Jan 7: Emissions Reduction 

Coal-fired power generation fell by a record 18% year-on-year to its lowest level since 1975. An increase in natural gas generation offset some of the climate gains from this coal decline, but overall power sector emissions still decreased by almost 10%. 

Read the full article at The Rhodium Group.

 

From Our Blog

 

Save Our Seas 2.0 Act

On January 9, the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act unanimously passed out of the full Senate. The bill, sponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), will tackle

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Brent Fewell: Climate Contrarians Are Sometimes Right...

Those who are steeped in the science and folklore of climate science know of the important work of Dr. Judith Curry, President of Climate Forecast Applications Network (CFAN) and former Professor and

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