Statement: Weatherization funding takes advantage of the ‘cleanest energy’
President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Wednesday $3.16 billion in new funding through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) for residential energy upgrades.
Statement: EPA acts responsibly by relaunching climate science and policy website
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency reinstated its website centered on climate science and policy on Thursday. This information was removed from the EPA website by the previous administration. This relaunch is a strong signal that the Biden administration will restore the role of science in protecting our communities and public health.
Statement: U.S. officially rejoins the international Paris Agreement
WASHINGTON -- The United States officially rejoined the international Paris Agreement on Friday. The act brings America back into a key accord aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions.
Environment America had called on Biden to prioritize rejoining the Paris Agreement on his first day in office in the "First Things to Fix" report. The report presented 20 actions for the Biden administration to undertake in early days of office to undo the Trump administration’s rollbacks of environmental laws and protections.
Statement: Task Force on Climate Change recommendations provide valuable roadmap to 100 percent renewable energy
MADISON -- Gov. Tony Evers’ Task Force on Climate Change released its report on Wednesday, outlining 55 recommendations to both reduce global warming emissions and transition to a carbon-free future. The task force, made up of scientists, state elected officials, and tribal, youth, industry and nonprofit leaders, among others, determined that failing to take climate action carries a far higher cost than accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy.
Statement: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service punts on decision to list monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act
"It’s horrifying that the monarch’s population has fallen so low; it’s great to hear that the Fish and Wildlife Service, after conducting an ‘intensive, thorough review,’ agrees that the monarch deserves new protections. And it’s absurd that the agency is punting on any sort of plan to protect this important species."
Statement: Dual EPA rollbacks weaken clean water protections against toxic coal waste
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two proposals today to roll back clean water protections against waste from coal-fired power plants. The first proposal would overhaul wastewater rules, drastically weakening safeguards that prevent utilities from discharging toxic pollutants like arsenic, lead and mercury into America’s waterways. The second proposal would significantly extend closure dates for coal ash disposal sites, allowing utilities to continue storing toxic coal debris in ponds that can leak or overflow, for decades.