The COVID-19 relief and spending deal is Capitol Hill's "most significant action on climate and energy in over a decade," according to analysis from the Rhodium Group, an emissions research firm.
Why it matters: The package now heading for President Trump's signature would phase down a potent greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioning and refrigeration.
Officials are warning residents of Big Island, Hawaii, to shelter after the Kilauea volcano, one of the most active in the world, erupted and triggered hazardous gas plumes.
The big picture: Sunday's eruption within the Halema'uma'u crater shot lava more than 165 feet into the air. USGS officials have since described the now-stable crater as a "growing lava lake." The Kilauea volcano's last sequence of eruptions lasted for a month in 2018 and wiped out more than 700 homes, per the National Park Services.
Congress is nearing passage of legislation that phases down a powerful planet-warming gas used in air conditioning and refrigeration, while also extending tax credits for renewable power and carbon capture projects.
Driving the news: Those provisions are part of the bipartisan year-end spending and COVID-19 relief deal moving through Capitol Hill this week, after a compromise on a $900 billion package was finally reached Sunday night.
