<[link removed]> ConservAmerica Senior Advisor Quill Robinson had fun backpacking and fishing in the Pacific Northwest recently! August is a quiet time for Washington, DC. The city, which mostly follows the heartbeat of Congress, stops to take a breath when Congress adjourns for its yearly summer recess. Soon September will hit, full speed ahead. And this year, it looks like it may run full speed right into a wall. As Congress starts to make its way back to town over the next couple of weeks – first the Senate, then the House – the priority will be government funding. With the fiscal year ending September 30, the yearly threat of a government shutdown takes center stage yet again. Last year <[link removed]> , Sen. Manchin (D-WV) held out on a funding vote as he angled for much-needed permitting reform. He eventually pulled his highly anticipated reform proposal off the table to avoid a shutdown, though he continues to advance <[link removed]> the cause. This year things seem a bit more complicated, as some House members have stated they will oppose a Continuing Resolution (CR), the temporary funding bill that avoids a shutdown. A CR gives members extra time to work through the twelve appropriations bills that need to be passed - time that Speaker McCarthy says they need, but that they may not get. Like most everyone else, we will be following these developments closely. Another bill that seems unlikely to meet its September 30 deadline is the extension of the Farm Bill, the spending bill that governs agricultural policy. According to <[link removed]> Roosevelt Conservation Caucus <[link removed]> co-chair Sen. John Thune (R-SD), though the bill will most likely not make the deadline, it will hopefully get a short-term extension and be done by the end of the year. Earlier this year we hosted a webinar on the Farm Bill, which you can watch here <[link removed]> . We want to take a moment to remind our readers that we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on the generous support of donors like you. With your help, we can continue to provide leadership on environmental and conservation issues based on the principles of free markets, property rights, and personal responsibility. If you support the work we do, please consider making a one-time or recurring monthly donation. You can click here <[link removed]> to donate. With continued hot and steamy temperatures here in the Northeast, it certainly doesn’t feel like summer is coming to a close. But we all know Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer days, and we wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. Until next time! August Highlights <[link removed]> Webinar Replay: Rethinking How We Recycle <[link removed]> Recycling has always seemed like the easy, intuitive way for each of us to do our part, but the system may not be as easy, or as straightforward, as it seems. On Thursday, August 17, ConservAmerica hosted a webinar on recycling. Titled Rethinking How We Recycle: Bottle Bills and Beyond, the webinar featured expert panelists Philip Rossetti, Resident Senior Fellow at R Street, and Scott Breen, Vice President of Sustainability at the Can Manufacturers Institute. We also heard from Hannah Flygare, who recently authored a report <[link removed]> about renewable energy and battery waste management in the U.S. Click below to read more about the webinar and to view the replay. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica Releases Report on Renewable Energy and Battery Waste Management in the United States <[link removed]> As the world works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the infrastructure needed for wind, solar, and electric vehicles is being built at record rates. Before long, a wave of solar panels, wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will reach the end of their useful life. Nevertheless, despite growing demand for the critical minerals such as copper, lithium, silver, and cobalt used to build these renewable technologies, there seems to be little analysis about the dynamics of recycling. With that in mind, ConservAmerica released a new report recently titled Renewable Energy and Battery Waste Management in the United States. Click through to read the full report. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Commentary: With a unique alignment of interests, now is the time to address methane emissions <[link removed]> The following OpEd by ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer appears in Utility Dive <[link removed]> . A few weeks ago, the Biden administration convened <[link removed]> what it characterized as the “first ever White House Methane Summit” and announced a new cabinet–level task force to focus on accelerating the reduction of methane emissions. The meeting took place against the backdrop of an ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency effort to finalize its new regulations on methane emissions detection and control from oil and gas operations. Like many other current regulatory initiatives, this one may appear on its face to be a highly partisan and divisive issue — with dueling comment letters, for instance, from Senate Republicans <[link removed]> and Democrats <[link removed]> . And the fact that the White House didn’t invite any industry representatives to its gathering also didn’t help that perception. However, there is actually more alignment on the issue of curtailing methane emissions than many realize. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica Comments on Proposed EPA Rule Targeting Power Plants <[link removed]> ConservAmerica has joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the National Lime Association, the Aluminum Association, and the American Chemistry Council in submitting comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to proposed regulations targeting fossil-fueled power plants emissions along with the repeal of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. "It’s important to acknowledge the potential that the two technologies that EPA points to as essential for the implementation of its rule - carbon capture and storage and hydrogen co-firing - can have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Todd Johnston, Vice President, for ConservAmerica. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica Celebrates Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act <[link removed]> When it comes to the beauty and greatness of our country’s national parks, it's easy to be captivated by the stunning and diverse landscapes, the proximity they allow us to wildlife, and the fun and relaxation they offer all visitors. However, maintaining and preserving these natural treasures, with their aging infrastructure, requires significant effort and resources. August 4 marked the third anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This landmark piece of legislation strengthened the multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation economy by permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund <[link removed]> (LWCF) and by establishing the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund <[link removed]> (LRF). Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Commentary: ‘Love of Home’ Environmentalism; Better climate policy begins with awe for America’s natural heritage. <[link removed]> The following OpEd by ConservAmerica Senior Advisor Quill Robinson appeared in The Dispatch <[link removed]> . The late English philosopher Roger Scruton made a case for environmentalism that would leave many modern environmentalists—as well as their critics—scratching their heads. In his 2012 book Green Philosophy: How to Think Seriously About the Planet, he claimed that “conservatism and conservation are two aspects of a single long-term policy, which is that of husbanding resources and ensuring their renewal.” Scruton argued that the human desire to protect the environment stems not from a hatred of deodorant or fossil fuel executives, but from a feeling of oikophilia, a “love of home” which compels us to conserve the natural contours of the particular place to which we belong. It’s a vision of conservation that is largely absent, but desperately needed, in America today. Read More <[link removed]> Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation. With your help, we can continue to provide leadership on environmental and conservation issues based on the principles of respect for free markets, property rights, and personal responsibility. Donate <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Follow us! ConservAmerica, 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington DC, United States Unsubscribe <[link removed]>