Looking Ahead: Advancing Habitat and Climate Progress After the Budget Bill

The just lately handed complete budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, created consequential setbacks in some areas like local weather progress, and concurrently maintained safeguards for our nation’s public lands and investments in habitat conservation on working farms and ranches. Whereas provisions of the price range reconciliation invoice will considerably remodel funding for conservation and clear vitality packages within the close to time period, our crucial work continues to make sure coverage progress in advancing Audubon’s priorities and bending the curve on migratory fowl declines throughout the hemisphere.

From federal appropriations to the Farm Invoice and past, the months forward provide necessary alternatives to form insurance policies that profit each birds and other people:

Habitat Conservation: Federal Public Lands. Maintaining public lands entire is barely a part of placing good habitat conservation into motion, and it’s doubtless that proposals of public land gross sales will return sooner or later. Additionally, nonetheless wanted are sturdy investments in accountable administration, efficient restoration, and supportive stewardship packages. By the upcoming federal appropriations course of, the place Congress units the price range for federal companies, there are alternatives to champion funding and assist of packages and companies charged with successfully stewarding our pure assets. Making progress with advancing Audubon’s FY26 bird budget stays a high precedence within the months forward.

Habitat Conservation: Alaska. In Alaska, locations like Teshekpuk Lake and the Arctic Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain face strain from mandated lease gross sales. These are areas of world significance for migratory birds and continued engagement is important to guard these fragile ecosystems from increasing improvement.

Habitat Conservation: Wings Over Working Lands. For conservation-forward agricultural investments, all eyes are on the reauthorization of the Farm Invoice.  A brand new Farm Invoice with up to date packages and incentives is crucial to make sure ranchers, farmers, and foresters have instruments that reward habitat restoration and bird-friendly practices. Audubon is working throughout the aisle to construct assist for key habitat incentive programs to incorporate in a 2025 Farm Invoice.

Local weather Options: Renewable Power. There stays robust bipartisan public assist for renewable vitality, regardless of the ultimate invoice eliminating lots of the incentives that helped catalyze clear vitality markets. Whereas renewable vitality stays among the many most reasonably priced vitality obtainable on the grid, the provisions from the reconciliation invoice threat slowing U.S. progress at a pivotal second. States like New York, with robust clear vitality targets and coverage, are more likely to paved the way, however federal assist is critical to make sure momentum for clear vitality continues over the following decade and past. Audubon will proceed to press for insurance policies that assist the deployment of renewable vitality and transmission infrastructure via the federal appropriations course of and the upcoming reauthorization of the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act.

As Congress continues its work to advance federal funding and necessary coverage, Audubon stays centered on pushing forward the policies that science and expertise present are greatest for birds, individuals, and our communities.