In the News

A group of House Democrats that are part of a sustainability coalition on Monday put forward a narrow proposal on permitting reform amid broader talks on how to reshape the country's energy approval process.

House Democrats are trying to line up their vision for permitting reform legislation as some members of the caucus remain resistant to the effort.

Expansion of USDA conservation programs and more research on mushrooms and biochar are among a broad range of policy recommendations in a report from the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.

The coalition's ag task force, led by co-chairs Kim Schrier of Washington and Chellie Pingree, say in a letter to the House Ag Committee that the report identifies "opportunities within the Farm Bill to further tackle the climate crisis."

A House task force on climate and agriculture, led by Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Kim Schrier of Washington State, released a report Thursday recommending policies for the 2023 farm bill to make it as climate-friendly as possible.

"Today we've outlined a blueprint to advance climate-smart agriculture in the next farm bill, and as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I hope to push this plan over the finish line," said Pingree in a statement.

The House Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition's Climate and Agriculture Task Force, chaired by Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Kim Schrier of Washington, today will release a report on policy recommendations for next year's reauthorization of the farm bill to ensure it is as climate-friendly as possible.

"Increasingly our farmers are experiencing the impacts of climate change firsthand," said Pingree.

House Democrats called on their Senate counterparts to take action on stalled party-line climate and social spending legislation yesterday and encouraged the White House to finalize a deal that would invest hundreds of billions in clean energy technology.

Those calls came as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters that talks on the legislation, the stalled "Build Back Better Act," were "alive."

Congressional Democrats are redoubling their push for a sweeping climate bill this Congress, urging President Joe Biden to "do everything" in his power to make a deal as the country braces for a hot and arid summer and the world's atmosphere breaks greenhouse gas records.

House Democrats on Thursday pressed the Senate to consider the climate and renewable-energy elements of the legislation their chamber passed last year — the roughly $2 trillion budget reconciliation bill — before the August recess. There is broad support in the House for those measures, they said.

A coalition of 175 House Democrats is urging President Biden to secure a deal on the climate investments in his budget reconciliation bill, which passed the House in November but has stalled in the Senate for months, according to a letter shared exclusively with The Climate 202.