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Common Ground: Where Environment and Energy Policies Find Consensus on Capitol Hill
An analysis of 393 environmental and energy bills introduced in the first quarter of 2026 reveals that 45% were bipartisan. Bipartisan bills showed a higher rate of legislative advancement (22%) compared to non-bipartisan bills (15%). The highest level of consensus was found in oceans and biodiversity, where approximately 67% of bills were bipartisan. Other areas of strong cooperation include disaster management, wildfires, and permitting reform. The report notes that successful bipartisan legislation often focuses on concrete economic impacts or specific, narrow scopes and typically avoids using the terminology of climate change. In contrast, energy bills were less bipartisan, with Republicans focusing on deregulation and Democrats on clean energy tax credits, although specific technologies like geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, and waste-to-energy maintain bipartisan support.
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Document type: Report
4 US Congress Bills Related to Carbon Border Adjustments in 2023
The briefing analyzes four 2023 U.S. Congressional bills: the PROVE IT Act, which focuses on emissions intensity data; the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, which proposes fees on imports exceeding U.S. emissions averages; the Clean Competition Act, which suggests charges for both domestic and imported goods exceeding benchmarks; and the MARKET CHOICE Act, which proposes a broad carbon tax with border adjustments.
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Document type: Briefing
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM (CRP) Program Description
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a USDA initiative that pays agricultural producers to remove environmentally sensitive land from production to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce wildlife habitat loss. The program includes various initiatives such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the Farmable Wetland Program, with specific acreage caps ranging from 24 million to 27 million acres between 2019 and 2023. In 2021, the USDA highlighted the program's climate impact, estimating a reduction of 12 million metric tons of CO2e per year, and introduced incentives to further increase enrollment and mitigation potential.
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Document type: Fact sheet
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM (EQIP) Program Description
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and nonindustrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns. It supports practices that improve water and air quality, increase soil health, and mitigate climate change. Funding is provided through the 2018 Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, with specific allocations for livestock production and wildlife habitat. The program includes sub-initiatives like Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) and the EQIP Cover Crop Initiative to foster innovative conservation approaches and carbon sequestration.
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Document type: Briefing
Financial Services and Markets Bill Report Stage, House of Lords
Global Witness advocates for the adoption of Amendment 91 to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which would mandate due diligence for UK financial institutions to stop the funding of illegal deforestation. The document argues that voluntary frameworks like the TNFD are insufficient and that the UK financial sector currently poses a significant risk to global forests, with an estimated $16.6 billion provided to businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020.
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Document type: Statement
AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE (AMA) Program Description
The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program provides financial aid to agricultural producers in 16 specific US states to manage financial risk through conservation, marketing, and crop diversification. Administered by the NRCS, AMS, and RMA, the program is permanently authorized at $10 million per fiscal year and covers up to 75 percent of the cost for conservation practices like agroforestry and cover crops to mitigate climate change.
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Document type: Fact sheet
RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM (RESP) Program Description
The Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides zero-interest loans to entities like electric cooperatives and green banks. These entities then offer low-cost financing to rural consumers for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electrification projects, with repayments made via utility bills. Between FY 2019 and FY 2022, the program awarded between $69.6 million and $107.3 million in loans annually, leveraging discretionary funding authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Regulating Forest Compensation for Legal Deforestation in Brazil
This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio analyzes federal and state legislation regarding forest compensation for legal deforestation in Brazil. It examines how the 2012 Forest Code regulates conservation on private lands and identifies significant gaps in state-level implementation, technical criteria, and monitoring systems.
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Document type: Report
The recovery budget for agriculture
The document analyzes the distribution rules for the EU's €7.5 billion recovery budget for agriculture, specifically the new Article 58a of Regulation (EU) 1305/2013. It argues that the 'non-regression principle' and other spending thresholds are insufficient to ensure environmental progress, as they include non-ecological payments and allow Member States to prioritize socio-economic investments over green ones. The author concludes that the framework encourages 'business as usual' and fails to align with the European Green Deal.
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Document type: Briefing
PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL
The briefing identifies 56 bills attempting to modify Brazil's Forest Code, highlighting seven that pose significant risks to native vegetation. These proposals include allowing exotic fruit trees in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), permitting livestock grazing in Legal Reserves, and reducing Legal Reserve percentages in the Legal Amazon. The document also explains the legislative process and digital tools for public participation to help society monitor and oppose these environmental setbacks.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level
The document outlines the U.S. federal government's approach to climate adaptation as a risk-management strategy. It details the economic impacts of extreme weather in 2012, analyzes key legislation like the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 and the proposed SAFE and STRONG Acts, and reviews executive orders from the Obama administration. Additionally, it summarizes the adaptation roadmaps of federal agencies including the USACE, USDA, DOD, DHS, and EPA, while noting a continuing need for a coordinated national adaptation strategy.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Appendix D. Summary of Key Climate Related Votes in Congress
The document lists key climate-related votes in the U.S. Congress between 2003 and 2011 used to determine if legislators support or reject climate science. In the House, votes on the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, and various amendments regarding EPA authority and intelligence estimates were used. In the Senate, criteria included votes on the Climate Security Act, the Climate Stewardship Act, and resolutions concerning the EPA's Endangerment Finding and global warming pollution limits.
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Document type: Report
WRI Summary of The American Power Act (Kerry-Lieberman Discussion Draft)
The American Power Act (APA) proposes a comprehensive US framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a mandatory cap-and-trade system, targeted emission reduction goals, and strategic investments in clean energy. The bill establishes a phased-in cap on covered gases, starting in 2013 and reaching an 83 percent reduction below 2005 levels by 2050. It includes specific provisions to expedite nuclear power development, deploy carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and provide financial assistance to consumers and workers during the transition to a low-carbon economy. The APA also addresses international climate activities, including the use of international offsets and border adjustments to prevent carbon leakage.
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Document type: Executive summary