WASHINGTON, October 27, 2025 — I’ve written a fair amount about how what we are seeing at the Federal level is nothing short of a withering assault on all our priorities and a bad deal for the American people. These actions are creating higher bills, fewer jobs, dirtier air and water, and serious health consequences for the American people. Since my last update to you, we’ve seen new harms: efforts to stall permitting for the nation’s largest solar project—the Esmerelda 7 project in Nevada—attempts to cancel grants to “blue states,” including those that support transmission build-out, and efforts to hollow out the federal workforce under the guise of the government shutdown. We cannot abdicate our responsibility to call those out.
But I’m tired of writing about the assault we are under, and I suspect you may be tired of reading those sorts of updates. So here are three things that I am hopeful about:
- It didn’t get a lot of headlines, but yesterday the Fix Our Forests Act, which would bring significant protection to people threatened by catastrophic wildfires made more dangerous by the climate crisis, passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee with strong bipartisan support. EDF’s support for the bill was referenced by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Amy Klobuchar, as being a reason for her yes vote. Clearing the Senate Agriculture Committee is an important step, and the Fix Our Forest Act is now much more likely to be absorbed into a larger “must pass” spending measure and becoming law. EDF Action will continue to work to advance this important measure.
- I had the pleasure of seeing Amanda Leland in conversation with two Texas fishermen, Buddy Guindon and Scott Hickman, twice over the past two weeks. Amanda and Jamie Workman’s new book, Sea Change, demonstrates not only that solutions exist that can benefit the environment and the economy at the same time, but also demonstrates that positive change is possible if you take the time to meet people where they are and don’t assume that someone who is opposed to you is your enemy or adversary. Hearing Buddy talk about voting twice against catch shares—the system that ultimately helped fishermen and fish stocks thrive—resonated deeply with me. If you haven’t already, Sea Change is well worth reading.
- After our last board meeting, a number of folks from our board and staff travelled together to Paramus, New Jersey, to knock doors for gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill and other pro-climate candidates for the New Jersey State Assembly. It was a glorious early fall afternoon, and I appreciated the opportunity to talk directly with voters, hear their concerns, and spend time with other EDF Action members as we build community by participating in our Democratic process together. With less than two weeks left until important gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, I’m looking forward to spending lots more of my time knocking doors down the stretch. I always feel a little less stressed about the world after I’ve finished a canvassing packet. If you’re interested in joining me or us in supporting pro-climate candidates in person, please reach out directly to me or to Jeremy Pittman at jpittman@edfaction.org.
Thank you for providing all of us with an opportunity to fight for the things we most care about. I’m grateful for it.