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119-hr-6185119th Congress

Targeting Environmental and Climate Recklessness Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would create a system of targeted sanctions on foreign actors who drive climate change, illegal deforestation, or threaten environmental defenders. It would give the President specific tools to punish and deter environmental harms abroad while encouraging international cooperation and finance to address the causes.

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  • Foreign companies and individuals: Would let the President target people and firms that cause large greenhouse gas emissions, permit illegal deforestation, misrepresent environmental impacts, finance harm, or act on behalf of those actors. Available penalties include visa bans, blocking property, and other measures under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) Section 235.
  • Environmental defenders and affected communities: Would explicitly cover threats or displacement of land and community rights and would apply the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act framework to environment-linked corruption and abuses.
  • U.S. enforcement and policy tools: Would require the Secretary of the Treasury to fund and staff the Office of Foreign Assets Control to implement these rules, expand use of the Global Magnitsky authorities, and use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act framework for penalties. The bill includes exceptions for intelligence, law enforcement, United Nations headquarters activities, and narrowly defined imported tangible goods.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Human-rights oversight for environmental sanctions

If enacted, the bill would direct the U.S. to consider Global Magnitsky human-rights sanctions for corruption and abuses tied to environmental harm. It would identify environmental advocates, investigators, and people displaced by environmental change as groups to protect. The President would also have to consider reports from top congressional leaders and credible NGO or foreign-country information before imposing sanctions.

Sanctions for climate and deforestation

If enacted, the bill would let the President sanction foreign people who cause large greenhouse-gas emissions, illegal deforestation, or who knowingly misrepresent environmental harms. Sanctions could block property in the United States, use emergency sanctions laws, and bar or revoke visas. The bill would let the U.S. target people who act for, fund, or control those actors. It would also set definitions for terms like "deforestation" and list narrow exceptions such as intelligence activities and importation of goods.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16]

TX • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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