Climate Policy News You Can Use – Summer 2026 Edition

Dear Colleagues,

We hope everyone is doing well amidst blistering heat waves and wildfire smoke billowing down across the East Coast, reminders of why our work matters now more than ever. EDF’s latest blog speaks directly to this moment, offering practical guidance for staying the course on climate commitments and keeping ambition high even in a turbulent landscape.

As part of streamlining how we share updates and insights, we’ve decided to sunset this standalone newsletter and fold future policy content into EDF +Biz’s wider communications. That said, it’s been an absolute pleasure to deliver timely policy news in this forum. And this work will continue, in a more integrated way that connects policy developments with the broader business and strategy content you may already follow (please reach out to us if you don’t).

Started by the incomparable Victoria Mills, this newsletter has been a great opportunity to dig into pressing policy issues with you all, and that collaboration isn’t going away. Even though we won’t be in your inbox every month under this specific banner, we are still here! We’ll continue to track the evolving policy landscape and partner with you as dynamics and needs change. Please do keep in touch and reach out whenever we can be of help, whether that’s unpacking regulatory developments, shaping advocacy, or thinking through implications for your business.

Before we transition, there are a few key opportunities and updates below.  

Endangerment Finding Litigation

In case you missed it, EDF, along with a broad coalition of health and environmental groups, filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA’s rescission of its greenhouse gas Endangerment Finding and vehicle emission standards. Other groups have joined the litigation as well, and key filings for the case can be found on our legal resources webpage.

If you are concerned about the harmful impacts of EPA’s rescission or would like to discuss further, there is an active opportunity for companies to get involved in a potential amicus brief that expresses support for durable policy and EPA’s authority. Please reach out if you are curious about what your involvement could look like or require, FAQs, and background on the content.

Washington, California, and Quebec take steps towards cap-and-invest linkage

Recently, the governments of Washington, California, and Quebec jointly signed a linkage agreement to unify their cap-and-invest programs into a unified carbon market. Linkage is projected to lead to more stable and predictable compliance costs, facilitating investment in decarbonization and strengthening the durability of these critical sub-national climate programs. Each jurisdiction now needs to complete regulatory steps to formalize and operationalize linkage, with a shared goal of launching a joint auction by the end of 2027. Please reach out if you are interested in engaging with EDF experts to learn more on the regulatory process and opportunities to weigh in on key decisions ahead necessary to make linkage a reality.

Apply to Host a Climate Corps Fellow!

Climate Corps is EDF’s flagship fellowship program, placing trained graduate students inside companies for 10-12 weeks each summer to own complex climate and energy projects that internal teams don’t have the bandwidth to reach. Fellows bring a range of skills and backgrounds, from climate science and policy to finance, communications, and operations, and arrive pre-trained by EDF and ready to contribute from day one.

At a fraction of the cost of a consultant or contractor, hosts get 10-12 weeks of dedicated project work without any of the recruiting, interviewing, vetting, or training burden; EDF handles all of that. Fellows are also supported by EDF throughout the entire fellowship to make sure the project succeeds, which means the host team is never on their own.

Climate Corps is not just a fellowship, it’s a strategic partner in building the talent, momentum, and integration required for enterprise-wide sustainability leadership. For more, please email our colleague Mali’o Kodis.

ICYMI – Things We’re Tracking 

1. NZAA E-Learning: Corporate Climate Action Essentials E-Learning Course  
2. EDF Blog: California’s climate disclosure opportunity: getting it right from day one 

Best, 
Daniel Neff on behalf of the Climate Policy Leadership Team