Hello and welcome to Climate Change Solutions!

Thanks to everyone who joined EESI last week at the 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum! The day featured back-to-back panels on hot topics like permitting reform, energy affordability, data centers, and building and grid resilience. Leaders of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses—Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.)—and 12 other bipartisan members of Congress discussed their priorities for advancing clean energy. Missed out? No sweat (not even in this heat). Visit EESI’s YouTube page or scroll down for recordings of the entire day.

Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee released its draft Farm Bill. The bill package would create or reauthorize several conservation and forestry programs, streamline permitting processes for wildfire risk management projects, modernize loan programs for farmers, and improve rural water infrastructure. The House passed its version of the Farm Bill (H.R.7567) in April. EESI’s Farm Bill resources—from briefings and articles to side-by-sides and hearing trackers—explain the process, identify key climate programs under the law, and outline challenges and policy solutions for farmers and rural communities. We’ll be tracking the Farm Bill’s progress in Congress, so stay tuned for updates in our weekly legislative Round-Up and in the On the Hill section of Climate Change Solutions.

Agricultural Disaster Relief Bill Heads to President’s Desk: The House passed the Senate’s Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 (S.629) to improve federal disaster relief for U.S. agricultural producers. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led the bill through its Senate passage in March. If signed by the president, the bill will reform the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program by expanding their eligibility criteria and timeframes and increasing the share of costs covered by USDA.

Ocean Monitoring Gets a Win in the Senate: The Senate passed the Saving the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Act of 2026 (S.4822) to block the dismantling of deep-sea monitoring instruments. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the bill as a response to the National Science Foundation’s plan to remove the OOI’s sensors, which provide real-time and publicly accessible data for fishery management and coastal communities on marine climate and weather events.

Cash for Conservation: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and 11 of his colleagues reintroduced the Small Farm Conservation Act (S.4867) to improve small farms' access to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that allows farmers to receive financial cost-share and technical assistance for implementing conservation practices. To learn more about EQIP, check out EESI’s briefing, Conservation Practices from Farms to Forests and Wetlands.

Keeping Geological Data on the Map: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) introduced S.4870 to reauthorize the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). Earth MRI is a U.S. Geological Survey program that helps generate baseline data on geologic hazards, critical mineral, and geothermal resources across the United States. This bill would extend the program’s funding (currently set to expire at the end of September) for another five years and expand research to include natural hydrogen deposits.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for June 15-19 and June 22-26.

Fertile Ground for Reform: A Research Roadmap for Agricultural Nitrogen Pollution
Thursday, July 16
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Online only

Nitrogen is a key component in fertilizer, making it critical to food security. Due to overapplication, only about half of nitrogen fertilizer is actually absorbed by crops, leading to high levels of nitrous oxide emissions and threatening drinking water, ecosystems, and public health. This online briefing will showcase findings from a new research roadmap that identifies opportunities for measuring and reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Panelists will pinpoint areas of innovation and opportunities for reducing nitrogen loss from fields and bringing down costs for farmers. The briefing will also help policymakers identify research and development needs, and highlight the role of federal and state legislatures in improving environmental, economic, and public health across the country. RSVP here.

Impacts of Severe Drought
Friday, July 24
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Online only

Record-low rain and snow in the West this past winter have sparked fears of water shortages that could have ripple effects for economic activity, hydropower generation, and agriculture across the country. EESI’s next Rapid Readout will connect the dots between this year’s drought and the broader multi-year megadrought in the West, and discuss the role of federal policymaking in safeguarding communities from the drought’s impacts and generating long-term solutions. RSVP here.

• Our article on data center water use was cited by several publications, including the World Economic Forum’s Stories series, Alabama Daily News, and the Ohio Capital Journal.