In the News
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.
The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition is launching a new task force today focused on natural climate solutions and the restoration of oceans and public lands, according to details shared exclusively with The Climate 202.
Democratic leaders in the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) criticized the United States Postal Service for its plans to purchase a predominantly fossil fuel-powered fleet rather than investing in electric vehicles.
As President Joe Biden's signature climate and economic bill stalls in the Senate, House Democrats are launching three new climate-focused task forces to get more momentum on the issue.
The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition today will formally launch three task forces focused on tackling key aspects of the climate crisis, The Climate 202 scoops this morning.
The move by the coalition, a group of more than 70 climate-conscious House Democrats, comes as President Biden's Build Back Better proposal remains stalled in the Senate.
SEEC's list of priorities includes a mandate for the electricity sector to utilize 100% clean energy by 2035.
The list also calls for a 10-year extension on several clean energy tax credits; in 2020, the SEEC asked for one-year extensions in the context of pandemic-related stimulus and for five-year extensions more broadly.