Hello and welcome back to Climate Change Solutions!

We’re back from our holiday hiatus, refreshed and wielding new resources about climate solutions from around the country—including methane emission solutions for cattle farms and holistic wildfire resilience efforts in Colorado. And, if you’re looking for a refresher on key committee happenings on the Hill in 2025, we’ve got you covered with a breakdown of the year’s climate, energy, and environmental hearings. Scroll on for details.

Our first Congressional briefing of the year is in two weeks! Join EESI and the Federation of American Scientists on Tuesday, January 27, in the Russell Senate Office Building, Room SR-385, for a briefing about emerging wildfire solutions and federal policy strategies for putting these solutions into practice. RSVP here, and don’t forget to stick around for our reception.

Moo-vement in the Field: Strategies for Reducing Methane Emissions from Cattle 
[7 min. read]

If you eat meat or dairy, your dinner plate is ground zero for a potent climate threat: methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more powerful than carbon dioxide. Discover how innovative solutions—from livestock diet additives to manure management—can offer a fast path to emissions mitigation. [click for more]

Federal Waters Bill Takes a Victory Lap: The President signed the Modernizing Access to our Public Waters (MAPWaters) Act of 2025 (P.L. 119-62) into law. Reintroduced by Reps. Blake Moore (R-Utah), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), MAPWaters improves data collection on the recreational use of federal waterways and promotes public access to federal waters.

Marine Debris Bill Reels in a Win: The President also signed the Save Our Seas 2.0 Marine Debris Infrastructure Programs Reauthorization Act (P.L. 119-65), originally led by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in the Senate and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) in the House. The law reauthorizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s marine debris programs. To learn more about marine debris, check out EESI’s recent article, “Reeling in Ghost Gear.”

Great Lakes Fishery Bill Swims into View: The Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act (P.L. 119-67) became law. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Reps. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) introduced the bill to provide continued funding to the U.S. Geological Survey for research on and protection of the Great Lakes’ native fish populations and habitats.

Solar and Battery Bill Charges Up: The President signed the La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act (P.L. 119-68). Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) had reintroduced the bill to permit the transfer of federal lands to Arizona’s La Paz County for solar energy development. The project is expected to create more than 700 jobs, and the resulting solar park will have enough solar and battery storage capacity to power about 75,000 homes.

We track all environmental, energy, and climate legislation and hearings happening on Capitol Hill. See the full legislative trackers for December 15-19, December 22-26, December 29-January 2, and January 5-9.

Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy
Tuesday, January 27
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (reception to follow)
Russell Senate Office Building, Room SR-385, and online

Communities nationwide are experiencing longer wildfire seasons and more intense, destructive wildfires, which cost the United States up to $424 billion annually and displace tens of thousands of people. One year after the catastrophic wildfires that blazed through southern California, this briefing, hosted in partnership with the Federation of American Scientists, will explore emerging solutions to tackle the wildfire crisis and the federal policy strategies for getting these solutions into the field. RSVP here.

Latest Media Coverage

• EESI’s article on the water use of data centers has earned more media coverage, including mentions in Time Magazine, The Hill, WCHS, WITL, The Cool Down, and The Daily Yonder.
• Yahoo Tech quoted our fact sheet on commercial aviation emissions in an article on a new, less fuel-intensive method for deicing plane wings.
• Clean Technica cited our energy efficiency topic page in an article on the energy efficiency labor force.