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The FY26 NDAA includes at least 24 provisions affecting US biodefense, featuring a mix of strategic advancements and institutional losses. Key positive developments include prohibitions on contracting with adversary-owned biotechnology providers to protect multiomic data, the establishment of a DoD Biotechnology Management Office, and the creation of a wastewater surveillance pilot program. Conversely, the act codifies the dissolution of the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center (NCBC) and maintains restrictions on the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) ability to run an enduring bioassurance program. The document also highlights efforts to enhance intelligence sharing on biotechnological threats and the authorization of $137,686,000 for the Biological Threat Reduction Program.

The United States has the potential for significant next-generation geothermal deployment, which could meet 15% of U.S. energy demand growth by 2050. However, the industry faces financing barriers due to slow and uncertain federal leasing and permitting processes, particularly on federal lands. The Clean Air Task Force advocates for increasing the technical capacity of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), implementing evidence-based categorical exclusions for low-impact exploration, and establishing clear permitting timelines to accelerate deployment while maintaining safety and environmental protections.

PARI and TEI support the Public Service Amendment Bill 2023 for its efforts to separate political and administrative roles by transferring operational powers from ministers and MECs to Heads of Department (HODs). While welcoming these changes, the authors argue the Bill lacks sufficient checks and balances for senior appointments and contains ambiguities regarding the overlapping roles of the President, Premiers, and Ministers. They recommend expanding the role of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in merit-based selection and clarifying the grounds for HOD dismissal to align with the Labour Relations Act.

The document outlines New Mexico's legislative achievements in 2025, including the creation of a $210M Community Benefit Fund and new regulatory fees for carbon-dioxide storage wells, while urging the state to address industrial emissions and geothermal investment.

The report finds that South Africa's mining sector is in a state of economic decline, with its share of real GDP falling from 11.1% in 1993 to 4.8% in 2023. It argues that the MPRDA has failed to facilitate growth or efficient regulation, contributing to a 'dried up' project pipeline and a global exploration expenditure share that has stagnated below 1% since 2020. Key constraints include institutional capacity gaps at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), infrastructure failures in electricity and logistics, and a profound trust deficit between government, industry, and host communities. The report recommends urgent amendments to the MPRDA to address regulatory uncertainties, the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining, and the adoption of a new, multi-stakeholder vision for the industry to restore investor confidence.

The Foreign Pollution Fee Act proposes ad valorem charges on imports across 15 broad categories, including steel, aluminum, and solar panels, based on their greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity relative to U.S. production. The author argues the Act is administratively complex and serves as a protectionist tool, noting that it lacks credits for carbon prices paid in exporting countries and imposes onerous requirements for foreign producers to prove lower emissions. While it offers special treatment for low-income countries through International Partnership Agreements (IPAs), the author contends the bill's primary focus is on restricting imports from China and Russia rather than environmental protection.

The Procurement Reform Working Group (PRWG) supports the introduction of the Public Procurement Bill 2023 as a means to simplify South Africa's fragmented procurement legal framework, which currently consists of over 100 pieces of legislation. However, the PRWG argues that the Bill fails to provide clear definitions for 'preferential procurement' and 'public procurement' and grants excessive law-making power to the National Treasury and the Public Procurement Office. The group advocates for the Bill to contain concrete core rules and principles—including open contracting and proactive transparency—rather than relying on subordinate legislation, to ensure the system is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective.

The report examines the legal and social conflicts surrounding Shell South Africa's attempt to conduct seismic surveys off the Wild Coast. It identifies critical gaps between the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), arguing that the 'One Environmental System' created regulatory obscurity. Fieldwork reveals that Shell's consultation process was inadequate, relying on a top-down approach via traditional leaders while excluding fishing communities and ignoring indigenous customs. The document also highlights potential conflicts of interest between the ruling ANC party, its investment arm Thebe Investment Corporation, and Shell, noting that the Makhanda High Court ultimately ruled the exploration right unlawful due to a lack of meaningful consultation.

Bill S-5 introduces the first federal recognition of the right to a healthy environment in Canada and strengthens the framework for managing toxic substances by prioritizing CMRs and PBiT substances. It introduces accountability mechanisms for substance assessments, such as a 'watch list' and mandatory publication of reasons for delays. However, the document argues that further updates are needed regarding citizen lawsuits, national air quality standards, consumer product labelling, genetically modified animals, ocean dumping, First Nations reserve land protections, and plastic waste exports.

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) is a USDA Forest Service initiative designed to mitigate climate change and increase wildfire resilience through science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest landscapes. The program focuses on sequestering carbon, reducing hazardous fuel loads, and restoring critical habitats. Funding is provided through the Farm Bill and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with specific legal requirements for project eligibility, including a minimum landscape size of 50,000 acres and a collaborative development process involving diverse stakeholders. Since its inception, the program has reduced wildfire risk on 4.5 million acres and planted 224,000 acres of forest.

The memorandum outlines a series of legislative amendments to the South African tax regime. Key proposals include a ramp-up of the carbon tax rate to US$30/tCO2e by 2030, the extension of energy efficiency and electricity price neutrality incentives until 2025, and the introduction of an excise duty on vaping products. It also addresses technical corrections in retirement fund transfers, insurance accounting under IFRS 17, and VAT registration for foreign suppliers.

The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on the Climate Change Bill, 2022. The submission argues that the Bill is insufficient to address the climate emergency and lacks the urgency, ambition, and enforcement mechanisms necessary to meet South Africa's international obligations under the Paris Agreement and protect constitutional rights.

The report argues that PL No. 2374/2020 would harm the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code by granting unjustified amnesty to a small group of medium and large landowners. It highlights that such a change would necessitate the re-analysis of approximately 378,000 rural property registrations (CAR), delaying environmental regularization and setting a dangerous precedent for renegotiating the legal timeframes of consolidated rural areas.

The document details discussions within the TRAN committee on two key legislative files: the AFIR and RED II. For AFIR, members debated the inadequacy of previous charging station targets, the need for higher power outputs, and the role of LNG in heavy-duty transport. Regarding RED II, the committee discussed increasing the renewable energy share to 40% by 2030, the controversial inclusion of low-carbon fuels, and the prioritization of electrification for road transport versus synthetic fuels for aviation and maritime sectors.

The document examines Senator Carlos Fávaro's legislative report which favors PL 510/2021 over PL 2633/2020. The authors argue that the proposed changes primarily benefit medium and large land occupants by extending the time frame for land occupation, simplifying titling procedures through self-declaration for larger areas, and weakening environmental safeguards. These changes are seen as incentives for illegal deforestation and land grabbing, particularly in the Amazon, while offering no benefits to small-scale farmers.

The report analyzes the regulatory framework for forest compensation in Brazil, finding that most state laws are outdated and prioritize raw material supply over ecosystem services. It recommends updating legislation to align with the 2012 Forest Code, adopting 'no net loss of habitat' principles, and improving the transparency and governance of restoration funds and monitoring systems.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzed a new substitute text for PL nº 2633/2020 proposed by Deputy Bosco Saraiva. While the analysis notes improvements in the consultation of public agencies and the requirement for an active Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), it warns that environmental safeguards remain ineffective. Specifically, the document argues that the bill fails to force the regularization of environmental liabilities, potentially rewarding those who committed environmental crimes, and creates an unjustified benefit for properties up to 6 fiscal modules by easing requirements for the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) or Conduct Adjustment Agreements (TAC).

The CLEAN Future Act of 2021 proposes a national goal of a 100% clean economy by 2050, with an interim target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 from 2005 levels. The legislation emphasizes 'climate federalism' by requiring states to develop emissions-reduction plans, and it integrates environmental justice through grants and increased air quality monitoring in burdened communities. Key sector-specific proposals include a Clean Electricity Standard requiring 100% zero-emissions power by 2035, over $100 billion for transportation electrification, and significant investments in building energy efficiency and industrial decarbonization. However, the document notes the bill lacks a national emissions cap for non-electricity sources and a mandate to phase out the sale of polluting vehicles.

The briefing analyzes the transition from Provisional Measure MP nº 910/2019 to Bill PL nº 2633/2020, concluding that the proposed environmental safeguards are ineffective. It argues that relying solely on the verification of environmental fines and embargoes allows illegally deforested areas to be titled without requiring the regularization of environmental liabilities, effectively rewarding environmental crimes. The authors suggest that the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) should strategically integrate land and environmental policies to ensure compliance with the Forest Code.

The document examines the legislative process of Brazil's new Concessions Law bill, highlighting gaps in environmental licensing, feasibility studies, and investor liability. It argues that the current draft maintains ambiguity regarding the Preliminary Environmental License and fails to mandate Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) before bidding. The authors recommend that sector regulations define licensing responsibilities to increase predictability, that EVTEA be a prerequisite for greenfield project bidding, and that provisions limiting investor environmental liability be removed to avoid judicial conflict and align with the National Environmental Policy Act.