In the News
Dec 17, 2025
Democrats are continuing to seize on the issue. [SEEC Vice Chair] Democratic Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois is a main co-sponsor of the Cheap Energy Act, which would restore clean energy tax credits, put guardrails around data center development to ensure companies are paying for the electricity they use, and provide energy assistance to millions of households who face electricity and gas shutoffs as their bills mount. Casten said he wanted to put forward a proactive plan for how Democrats would seek to lower bills, to give candidates something to run on.
Dec 04, 2025
The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition endorsed its first slate of bills for the 119th Congress, backing a half-dozen measures that focus on workers' rights and protections. The six bills announced Wednesday include proposals to protect federal employees. The legislation picked by the caucus would also create protections for workers facing climate impacts, such as rising temperatures. The first round of endorsements was put forth by SEEC’s Climate Jobs Task Force, and the caucus plans to endorse further bills in the coming weeks.
Nov 25, 2025
A big bipartisan permitting reform deal may be in the offing in Washington. But getting it done will require taking away one of Donald Trump’s favorite toys: The power to mess with solar and wind permits. “Any deal hinges on the Trump administration providing assurances they’re not going to kill every single clean energy project in existence,” [SEEC Vice Chair] Representative Mike Levin told me on Tuesday.
Nov 18, 2025
The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register and open for public comment for 45 days. EPA and the Army will host two public meetings, both in-person and online. The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, said, “Trump’s Polluted Water Rule will leave us with weaker clean water protections than we’ve had since the 1980s, allowing polluters free rein over our nation’s waters.”
Nov 18, 2025
The new policy statement from members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) sets in-depth priorities for clean energy policies, and shows the coalition moving forward with a shadow climate agenda even as Democrats are the minority party in Congress. Democratic Reps. Kevin Mullin of California and Andrea Salinas of Oregon, who serve as co-chairs of the SEEC's Innovation and Technology Task Force, detailed plans to improve federal investment in clean energy technology.
Nov 15, 2025
The United States is maintaining a presence at COP30, despite the Trump administration declining to send an official delegation to the climate conference in Brazil. Being on the ground at COP is "essential" so delegations can engage with "full strength," Max Frankel, director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Institute, told ABC News. "The reality is that this work will continue with or without America," Frankel said.
Nov 14, 2025
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) arrives in Belém, Brazil, for COP30 today as the sole U.S. federal representative at the United Nations talks. Whitehouse is keeping a packed itinerary, where his office said he will meet with elected officials along with business and global climate leaders. His goal is to show the U.S. public still broadly supports addressing climate change despite Trump abstaining from the negotiations, his office said in a press release.
Nov 14, 2025
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, will be at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil starting Friday. A group of House members affiliated with the chamber's Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) were also unable to go. The affiliated nonprofit SEEC Institute will still have a presence and will support Whitehouse.
Nov 13, 2025
Among the delegation who anticipated being in Brazil was Pelosi, Natural Resources ranking member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and leadership from the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. “The world still needs and wants American leadership, and unfortunately, the consequence of Donald Trump pulling the United States delegation out at the federal level is just that China is going to get a few more of these amazing opportunities,” Huffman said.
Nov 12, 2025
Congressional lawmakers are pushing back on Trump administration plans to end greenhouse gas reporting requirements for top polluters. On Friday, another group of House Democrats affiliated with the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition wrote to Zeldin urging him to maintain the program. That letter, led by [Vice Chair] Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and other SEEC leaders, claimed that EPA was violating congressional directives by ending GHGRP.