2025 Session Preview

The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators works with an extensive network of state legislators across the country. NCEL provides resources for legislators with individual outreach, various working groups, regional events, and more. Based on our conversations and bill tracking, below are some of the primary environmental policy areas NCEL staff anticipate to see trending in 2025. 

Transmission | Climate Accountability | Clean Energy Deployment | Land Use Conservation & Planning | Outdoor Engagement | Water Scarcity | STORM Act | Plastic Pollution | PFAS | Offshore Energy | Coastal Resiliency | Blue Economy

Climate & Energy

Transmission

Transmission – vital energy infrastructure – brings energy from where it’s produced to where it’s used. Expanding and upgrading the transmission system is essential for maintaining a reliable, resilient, and affordable power grid. States have a unique opportunity to streamline permitting processes, deploy grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), and identify new avenues for transmission development. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, 13 states have introduced 40 pieces of legislation related to transmission. This includes bills regarding existing rights-of-ways, transmission authorities, siting, and permitting, and grid-enhancing technologies. 

Resources:

• Transmission Briefing Book
• Enhancing Existing Transmission Lines Issue Brief
• Wildfires and the Grid Fact Sheet
• Transmission Planning Sign-On Letter and FERC’s Response

Climate Accountability

With the uncertainty of federal funding, states are looking towards policies that hold polluters accountable to fund climate mitigation efforts. Through policies like cap-and-invest and climate superfunds, state legislators can hold polluters accountable while addressing the accompanying increased environmental risk. States across the nation are also considering policies to require companies to consider climate risk in their investments in order to protect constituents from financial threats caused by climate change. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, 16 states have introduced 47 pieces of legislation regarding climate accountability. This covers anti-greenwashing, insurance, disclosures, pensions, contracts, cap and invest, and superfund legislation. 

Resources:

• Climate Finance Briefing Book
• Carbon Pricing Fact Sheet
• Policy Memo: The Washington Climate Commitment Act

Clean Energy Deployment

As legislators work to achieve 100% renewable energy and emission reduction goals, states will invest in and deploy clean energies such as geothermal, solar, wind and battery storage. Pursuit of these renewable and emerging energy technologies can support energy security and efficiency while stimulating economic growth. States are pursuing policies to streamline permitting and siting processes for clean energy projects, create new incentives, and develop the workforce necessary to build out projects.

• Policy Outlook: To date, 27 states have introduced 223 pieces of legislation to promote clean energy deployment. This includes legislation investing in emerging energy technologies, clean energy project siting and permitting, microgrids, virtual power plants, and more. 

Resources:

• Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Fact Sheet
• Community Solar Fact Sheet
• Agrivoltaics Fact Sheet
• Utility Briefing Book

Conservation

Land Use Conservation & Planning

Land and waters are being fragmented at an alarming rate, leading to an increase in wildlife and plants facing extinction. Ecosystems like old-growth forests play an outsized role in carbon sequestration and storage by removing and storing carbon dioxide. Habitat conservation and adaptive, biodiversity-centered land use planning can reduce the continued loss of species while promoting the long-term health of the planet.  

• Policy Outlook: To date, 23 states have introduced 70 pieces of legislation to protect and conserve land. This includes legislation on 30×30 goals, habitat conservation, and habitat connectivity. 

Resources:

• Outdoors as a Climate Solution Briefing Book
• State of the States: A look at how far U.S. state habitat connectivity legislation has advanced and what is working 
• 30×30 Fact Sheet

Outdoor Engagement: Access, Recreation, & Education

There are many health benefits associated with time spent outdoors, however, not all communities have easy access to green spaces. People of color and low-income communities are more likely to live in a nature-deprived area, and state leaders are working to pass policies to close this nature gap. These efforts are supported by the strong economic case for conservation and recreation, which offers economic benefits of at least 5 to 1 against environmental risks.

• Policy Outlook: To date, 33 states have introduced 147 pieces of legislation to increase outdoor engagement. This includes legislation on outdoor recreation, environmental education, green space accessibility, and funding to boost outdoor engagement. 

Resources:

• Outdoors as a Health Solution Briefing Book
• Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook
• Outdoor Opportunity Legislative Toolkit

Water Scarcity

Essential for agriculture, sanitation, industry, recreation, energy, and maintaining natural ecosystems, water is a finite resource. While water scarcity is most commonly associated with the western United States, wells across the country have been running dry as nonrenewable groundwater stores deplete to meet supply. In light of recent immense wildfires, state legislators will continue to pursue sound watershed management policies to promote community resilience, and to protect drinking water supplies and critical habitats.  

• Policy Outlook: To date, 26 states have introduced 121 pieces of legislation to manage  water scarcity. This includes legislation on agricultural water use, groundwater management, and watershed health.

Resources:

• Water Briefing Book
• Water Scarcity: What it is and what states can do

Environmental Health

STORM Act 

State legislators will enact legislation to use funding from The Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act (STORM Act) – a grant that establishes hazard mitigation assistance funds – to address increasingly extreme weather events. Funding expires in FY 2026 and states are working to fully utilize the funding opportunity. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, 10 states, DC, and one tribal government have received STORM Act funding, one state was approved but declined funding, five states have passed legislation to access STORM Act funding but have not yet been selected, and three states have introduced legislation to begin the process. 

Resources:

• Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program
• States Will Continue to Push Environmental Action Forward in 2025

Plastic Pollution

State leaders will continue to address the global plastic pollution crisis through comprehensive policy strategies such as extended producer responsibility (EPR), deposit return systems (DPR), single-use bans, and other policies that reduce and eliminate plastics–associated with endocrine disruption and other adverse health effects–at the source.

• Policy Outlook: To date, 16 states have introduced legislation to reduce plastic pollution. This includes bottle bills, extended producer responsibility, single-use plastic and polystyrene bans, anti-preemption, and labeling legislation. 

Resources:

• Zero-Waste Policy Roadmap for a Plastic-Free Future
• Plastic Pollution Briefing Book
• Plastic Pollution Policy Options

PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals used in a plethora of consumer products including non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, food packaging, and water-repellent clothing. However, studies show PFAS is associated with harmful health effects including organ damage and cancer. States across the nation are working to restrict and eliminate the use of these toxic chemicals. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, at least 25 states have introduced at least 100 pieces of legislation to address the impacts of PFAS.

Resources:

• PFAS Fact Sheet
• PFAS Policy Options

Oceans

Offshore Energy

To help meet clean energy goals and protect coastal communities and economies, states have introduced legislation to halt offshore drilling in state waters and support renewable energy projects like offshore wind. Experts predict that the clean power industry is projected to invest $65 billion by 2030, supporting 56,000 U.S. jobs. Despite these advancements, there is still uncertainty regarding the short-term viability of offshore wind projects following recent Executive Orders which halt new offshore development, permitting, and financing. Regardless, states are still introducing legislation to reaffirm offshore wind clean energy goals and invest in critical sectors like manufacturing, turbine installation, and port construction.

Before leaving office, the Biden Administration signed memoranda to permanently ban drilling in 625 million acres of ocean. The Trump Administration has issued an Executive Order to rescind these bans, although the legality of such reversals is unclear. As a result, states are also introducing legislation in support of and in opposition to offshore drilling bans. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, six states have introduced multiple pieces of legislation to promote offshore wind energy development. States are also introducing legislation to ban or expand offshore drilling operations in state waters.

Resources:

• Offshore Wind Fact Sheet
• Offshore Wind FAQ

Coastal Resiliency

Increasingly severe weather events combined with sea level rise and ocean acidification pose great threats to the economic and physical well-being of coastal communities. State legislators are addressing these threats by creating Resiliency Offices or adjacent positions at the state level. States are also introducing legislation to increase investments into long-term resiliency projects, marine conservation efforts, and collaborating with Tribal communities to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge to promote healthy ecosystems.  

• Policy Outlook: To date, 8 states have introduced 19 pieces of legislation to advance coastal resilience. Legislation includes, but is not limited to, topics such as coastal conservation, adaptation planning, nature-based solution implementation and shoreline restoration projects. 

Resources:

• Coastal Resilience Policy Options
• Coastal Hazards and Risks Fact Sheet
• Ocean Acidification Fact Sheet

Blue Economy

The sustainable blue economy includes sectors and services that are dependent on the ocean and coastal waters like fishing, tourism and recreation, and renewable energy generation. State legislators are introducing bills to support working waterfronts, invest in marine workforce development and apprenticeship programs, decrease port emissions, improve permitting for aquaculture projects, and more. 

• Policy Outlook: To date, 7 states have introduced 15 pieces of legislation aimed at fostering the blue economy. 

Resources:

• Blue Economy Policy Options