In This Issue:

- Energy and Climate Debate

- Congress

- Administration

- Department of Energy

- Department of Interior

- Environmental Protection Agency

- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

- International

- States

- Sustainability

- Miscellaneous

- Excerpt from Energy and Climate Debate:

President Obama released his fiscal year 2016 budget request February 2.

In his $4 trillion budget request, President Obama recommitted to his climate change agenda, offering new incentives for states to reduce their reliance on coal fired power; providing $500 million for the Green Climate Fund, part of a $1.29 billion request for the Global Climate Change Initiative, and the first budget request aimed at achieving President Obama’s multi-year $3 billion pledge toward the fund; investing $400 million to map flood risks; providing $200 million for the Department of Agriculture to plan for extreme weather events, funding for coastal, drought, and wildfire resilience programs; and setting the stage for a budget fight with Congressional Republicans, who have little appetite for climate spending and will spend significant effort working to overturn related regulations, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent Clean Power Plan proposal. The budget makes the case that the United States has already incurred more than $300 billion in “direct costs due to extreme weather and fire alone.”