house
Credit: Kristina Blokhin/Big Stock Photo
House passes controversial spending bill cutting EPA funds
House Republicans passed a $38.5 billion spending bill that significantly reduces funding for clean energy and climate programs.
In short:
- The bill proposes a 20% cut to the EPA's budget, reducing funds for science and environmental justice programs.
- It includes conservative policy riders, expanding mining, increasing oil and gas leases and blocking climate initiatives.
- Many provisions are unlikely to survive bicameral negotiations after the November elections.
Key quote:
“Rather than making sound investments to protect our air and water, preserve our national parks and ensure the environment we all share and live in remains clean and protected, the majority’s bill benefits the most egregious polluters and climate science deniers.”
— Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee
Why this matters:
The bill's cuts to the EPA could hamper efforts to address climate change and environmental justice. Reductions in funding may affect public health, particularly in low-income and rural communities.
Keep reading...Show less
Newsletter
Congress moves to enhance mining rights on federal land
A bipartisan bill expanding legal rights for mining companies on federal lands has passed the House and is progressing in the Senate.
Esther Frances, Megija Medne, and Phillip Powell report for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act passed the House with bipartisan support and now awaits Senate approval.
- The bill aims to overturn a 2022 court decision that restricted mining waste dumping on federal lands without a valid mineral claim.
- Environmental and Indigenous groups argue the legislation threatens sacred lands and critical environmental protections.
Key quote:
“It makes no sense on its face, that a mining company can dump toxic waste on areas where they have no claims on public land.”
— Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity
Why this matters:
The proposed legislation could significantly weaken environmental safeguards and legal precedents protecting public and Indigenous lands from unregulated mining activities. Federal lands are often home to unique ecosystems and wildlife, and increased mining activities could lead to habitat destruction, water contamination, and increased carbon emissions.
Keep reading...Show less
Photo by Larry Tseng on Unsplash
Report shows without changes, push to meet climate goals could add $10K to $23K to median single-family home cost
A new report shows that measures the state has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings could also increase home costs during a widespread housing crisis.
What happens when a Black enclave is built by Big Oil
A century after the oil industry attracted Black families to Beaumont, Texas, residents are left battling a climate, housing, and health crisis.
Newsletter
Trump's climate denial shapes House GOP backbench
Climate politics are becoming a feature of Republican culture warriors, with some of the most aggressive attacks coming from the party's newest members.
Republican House Science chair seeks to make NOAA an independent agency
NOAA plays an outsized role in American daily life, since it is responsible for forecasting the weather and issuing warnings for severe storms. The agency also regulates fisheries and runs some of the top climate change research centers in the world.
Newsletter
Meet the top House recipients of oil and gas money
Most are Republicans. Two serve in leadership positions. And many have seats on House committees that wield outsize influence on energy and climate policy.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
