Climate Change News: Federal

Rep. Donald McEachin (VA-4) recently introduced the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 (HR5221) to set a national goal of achieving net-zero pollution economy-wide by 2050. New York Congressmember Paul Tonko (NY-20) is one of the lead sponsors of this effort. The legislation builds on New York’s Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act by making carbon-neutrality by 2050 a national goal and would enhance pollution-reduction efforts by other governments.

We recently joined 13 other state conservation voter groups for a Fall Lobby Day on Capitol Hill organized by the national LCV. On the agenda was permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and a suite of clean energy proposals ranging from tax credits for renewables to funding for electric school buses.

The Trump Administration is suing California for its cap-and-invest agreement with Canada’s Québec province that would decrease emissions from fossil fuels and limit air pollution. This lawsuit endangers other states’ abilities to implement their own emission-reduction programs and combat climate change.

Last month, the Trump Administration announced the repeal of the 2015 Clean Water Rule (also known as “Waters of the United States”) under the Clean Water Act. These new changes will weaken the protection of the nation's waters by allowing the federal government to reduce the number of waterways it protects.

This summer, the Trump Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a plan to roll back a litany of rules regulating methane emissions. The plans are a serious threat to efforts to combat climate change and can endanger public health.

Earlier this month, President Trump unleashed yet another attack on the effort to head-off climate change by rolling back auto emissions regulations known as California Clean Cars. New York and 22 other states joined California in suing to stop the rollback.

The EPA is looking to weaken the Clean Water Act (CWA) enforcement process by decreasing states’ authority to enforce the law. The proposed changes target states like New York that have used the CWA to block or delay projects that may harm the environment.

Slowly but surely, school districts across the country are initiating programs to introduce electric school buses as a cleaner way for students to get to school.