Climate Change (generally)
H.R. 6615
Update Type
Committee Name
Committees on Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources
Sponsor Name
Barragán
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Cal.
Update Issue
35
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H5807

would require the Administrator of EPA to carry out a grant program for projects and activities to address climate justice concerns of environmental justice communities.

H.R. 6341
Update Type
Committee Name
Committee on Agriculture
Sponsor Name
Schrier
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Wash.
Update Issue
34
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H4966

would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to covered entities to develop, modify, or implement climate adaptation and climate mitigation proposals on agricultural land.

S. 3282
Update Type
Committee Name
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Sponsor Name
Markey
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Mass.
Update Issue
34
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. S8420

would authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to significant actions that exacerbate climate change and reinforce comprehensive efforts to limit global average temperature rise.

Climate Science and Natural Resource Litigation
Author
Jessica Wentz
Author Bios (long)

Jessica Wentz is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

Date
December 2025
Volume
55
Issue
6
Page
10645
Type
Articles
Summary

Climate change has major implications for sustainable use and conservation of natural resources. Many natural systems are already under severe stress and may be unable to sustain historical use patterns; resource management decisions can also exacerbate or mitigate climate change by affecting the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This Article describes the legal and scientific basis for recognizing agencies’ obligations to assess and respond to climate change, drawing insights from a survey of U.S. litigation involving forests, fisheries, rangelands, and freshwater resources. The cases suggest litigants have been somewhat successful in driving more rigorous assessments of climate change. However, agencies still frequently conclude that climate impacts are too uncertain or insignificant to warrant a response, and courts will generally defer unless the agency has overlooked or arbitrarily dismissed actionable scientific information. This underscores the importance of collaboration among resource managers, legal advocates, and scientists to develop, disseminate, and communicate scientific information that can meaningfully inform these decisions.

H.R. 6185
Update Type
Committee Name
Committees on Foreign Affairs, the Judiciary, Financial Services, Oversight and Government Reform, and Ways and Means
Sponsor Name
Escobar
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Tex.
Update Issue
33
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H4873

would authorize the imposition of sanctions with respect to significant actions that exacerbate climate change and reinforce comprehensive efforts to limit global average temperature rise.

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