Senate Budget Bill Delivers a Blow to Clean Energy, but Public Lands Sell-Off Averted

WASHINGTON (July 1, 2025) – The U.S. Senate at the moment handed its federal funds invoice, laws that would have an enduring influence on our nation’s means to halt the decline of migratory birds throughout the hemisphere. If enacted, the invoice would lead to a big setback in U.S. manufacturing and deployment of utility-scale wind and photo voltaic by eradicating present tax incentives. That is anticipated to result in rising power costs for American households and companies by an estimated 9% within the subsequent yr alone.  The ultimate invoice prevented inclusion of language that may have set new precedent for promoting off public lands, however mandates oil and gasoline lease gross sales in essential hen habitat of Alaska’s western Arctic.

“These actions will undermine utility-scale wind and photo voltaic power, unduly burdening one in every of our most cost-effective power era sources, which has spurred 400,000 new jobs and $441 billion in investments over the past two years,” stated Felice Stadler, vp of presidency affairs on the Nationwide Audubon Society. “We’re presently seeing record-high investments in wind and photo voltaic, which this laws threatens to upend, resulting in American households and companies paying extra in power payments and placing well-paying clear power and manufacturing jobs in danger. Whereas we respect the efforts of a number of lawmakers to melt the blow of this laws on the clear power sector, regrettably they fell quick.”

“We’re happy to see the language requiring gross sales of public lands faraway from the ultimate invoice and thank the Senators who publicly advocated for safeguarding our nation’s public lands, however we’re upset that mandating oil and gasoline lease gross sales in Alaska’s fragile ecosystems stay,” Stadler added. “Our nation’s birds and the pure sources upon which all of us rely requires investing in conserving our lands and concurrently investing in clear power to deal with the 2 major drivers of migratory hen decline throughout the hemisphere: local weather change and biodiversity loss.”  

Within the weeks main as much as the Senate’s passage of the invoice, Audubon engaged with 1000’s of its members, supporters, state and native chapters, and different companions to advocate for public lands and clear power.

About Audubon 
The Nationwide Audubon Society is a number one nonprofit conservation group with 120 years of science-based, community-driven influence, devoted to defending birds and the locations they want, at the moment and tomorrow. Birds are highly effective indicators of our planet’s well being, performing as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and encourage motion. Audubon works throughout the Western Hemisphere, pushed by the understanding that what is nice for birds is nice for the planet. By a collaborative, bipartisan method throughout habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives significant and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 employees and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing pressure dedicated to making sure a greater planet for each birds and folks for generations to return. Study extra at www.audubon.org and on Fb, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety. 

Media Contact: Jeff Billington, jeff.billington@audubon.org