A new NEMWI research brief titled "Current Legislative Initiatives in Energy Finance and Efficiency" analyzes H.R. 2 --" The Moving Forward Act" and former Vice President Joe Biden's July 14th speech on Energy Policy. The research brief is the fifth and final report in the NEMWI series, "Could Renewable Energy be a Key Driver for Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Shutdown?"  

The report is authored by Senior Fellow for Energy Policy Richard Corrigan and Research Intern for Energy Policy Cotter McCarthy. The Moving Forward Act, a comprehensive infrastructure package, was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 1st. The research brief focuses on policies within the bill that establish financial incentives for renewable energy investment and improve energy efficiency in existing buildings and homes.

The research brief "Current Legislative Initiatives in Energy Finance and Efficiency" can be found here.

President Donald Trump last week signed the Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 1957) into law. The bipartsian bill, which was passed by large margins in both the House and Senate, is considered a major victory for the land conservation community.

More specifically, the bill permanently reauthorizes and funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), while also providing it with $900 million annually from federal offshore oil and gas revenue. The bill also creates a five-year, $9.5 billion trust fund to address an estimated $20 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects at national parks and other public lands.