Who won the budget fight?
Republicans and Democrats are taking a victory lap over the final fiscal 2024 spending bills, which would bring budget cuts to the EPA and some Interior Department programs but largely spare the Department of Energy. Congress is expected to vote on the spending package this week, including the Energy-Water and Interior-Environment bills, Manuel Quiñones, Andres Picon, Kevin Bogardus and Michael Doyle report. The measures do not include most of the policy riders and deep cuts conservatives pushed for over the past few months. Republicans are touting a 10 percent cut to the EPA's budget, but the bulk of that comes from shifting the Superfund program to mandatory spending. The contamination cleanup program will get less money from annual appropriations and more from oil and chemical excise taxes that Congress revived in recent years. Exclude Superfund money, and the cut to the EPA's base funding is approximately 4 percent. Agencies at the Interior Department, like the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service, did see hefty cuts. However, Democrats consider them minimal in comparison with the dramatic reductions first sought by Republicans. Kerry's farewell tour
After three years as America’s top climate diplomat, John Kerry will leave his role as climate envoy Wednesday. In the first of a series of one-on-one interviews, the former secretary of State told Sara Schonhardt he thinks he can have more impact outside of a government role. Kerry hasn’t ruled out options for his next step. He says he’ll continue to advocate for President Joe Biden and his climate laws throughout the 2024 campaign and find ways to get larger countries to address emissions faster. Legal battleground in the Everglades
Environmentalists are worried a legal feud between one conservationist group and its former scientist will complicate efforts to restore the Everglades from over a century of drainage and pollution, writes Robin Bravender. Tom Van Lent was sentenced to 10 days in jail for contempt and has declared bankruptcy as a result of a lawsuit from his employer of 17 years, the Everglades Foundation. The conservation group with wealthy backers sued Van Lent, alleging he swiped “trade secrets” and deliberately purged data belonging to the foundation. The legal battle has created tensions in Florida’s environmental community, as some belong to groups that get grant funding from the foundation, and others are worried how the drama will impact restoration efforts. | 
