BRUCE WESTERMAN

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act would create a permanent fund of more than $1.3 billion, given to states, territories, and tribal nations for wildlife conservation on the ground.

Sixteen GOP lawmakers voted against a House bill that seeks to promote public education on the history of Japanese Americans in World War II, including their incarceration in so-called “internment camps.” The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jay Obernolte of California — who is also a Republican — ultimately passed with 406 yeas on Wednesday, while 10 others did not vote. Introduced as H.R. 6434, the bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a “Japanese American World War II History Network” within the National Park Service (NPS).

As Russian troops move deeper into Ukraine, President Joe Biden is taking steps to rein in rising energy costs – even if those moves run counter to his agenda for addressing climate change.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing for a modern counterpart to the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps.

Veteran forester Randy Moore has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the first African American to lead the agency in its 116-year history.

Republican Rep. John Curtis of Utah says that contrary to their image, Republicans care about climate change.

Rep. Kay Granger argues that legislation to boost tree conservation and planting is a better idea than the economy-crushing Green New Deal.

The bill passed mostly along party lines, with eight Republicans joining all but one Democratic lawmaker in voting for the bill. It is one of the largest land protection packages Congress has ever considered and covers almost 3 million acres of public lands, overwhelmingly in Colorado, California, Washington and Arizona. The ideological split over the bill was evident as the congressional delegation from Colorado debated the measure on the House floor. The legislation encompassed bills from Rep. Joe Neguse and DeGette that would affect more than 1 million acres of public lands in the state. “I prefer public lands with many uses," he said.

Our part at home is a lot more than just planting trees. The bill was one of several elements of a broader proposal on climate change introduced by a half dozen House lawmakers on Wednesday. Environmentalists argue that focusing on planting trees or investing in carbon sequestration technology while ignoring emission cuts from fossil fuel use is counterproductive. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change. The American Energy Alliance, a free-market energy industry group, panned Wednesdays Republican proposal as a climate messaging exercise that mimics Democratic proposals.

Our part at home is a lot more than just planting trees. The bill is one of several elements of a broader proposal on climate change introduced by a half dozen House lawmakers on Wednesday. Environmentalists argue that focusing on planting trees or investing in carbon sequestration technology while ignoring emission cuts from fossil fuel use is counterproductive. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change. Planting trees is good of course, but it is nowhere near enough of what is needed, and it cannot replace real mitigation and rewilding nature, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg said in Davos last month.

FILE PHOTO: People plant trees on a sand mine on the dried lake bed of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China, December 11, 2019. Democrats, including all the top presidential hopefuls in this years election, have made proposals for a rapid shift away from fossil fuels to help the United States and other countries avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Environmentalists argue that focusing on planting trees while ignoring emission cuts from fossil fuels is counterproductive. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change. Planting trees is good of course, but it is nowhere near enough of what is needed, and it cannot replace real mitigation and rewilding nature, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg said in Davos last month.