This legislative session was a doozy!

Traditionally, election years are quiet affairs in the Alabama Legislature. Legislators want to get down to Montgomery, pass budgets quickly, and get back out on the campaign trail. They typically try to avoid controversial topics and deliver some meaningful wins for their constituents.

I say traditionally, because that was definitely not the case in 2026! Big-money lobbyists from Montgomery and DC, whose purse- and puppet-strings are controlled by powerful interests (including some from outside our state) had other ideas. They packed committee agendas and House and Senate calendars with a multitude of bills to benefit the special interests that pay them. Unfortunately, some legislators chose to listen to them over the people of Alabama.

SB 71, a harmful bill that prevents ADEM from using the best available science to protect Alabamians from toxic chemicals and carcinogens, passed but not without huge public opposition. ARA and our members and partners worked hard  to prevent this bill from becoming law. We convinced legislators to offer amendments that would lessen the negative impacts of this bill, and got others to filibuster during floor votes.

In the end, politics won over people and public health and legislators chose special interest groups like Manufacture Alabama, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Council of Alabama over the voices of dozens of doctors and thousands of regular Alabamians who sent emails, made phone calls, and took the time to meet with their elected officials in person to ask them to fix this ill-considered legislation.

That is not the end of the story, though.

Environmental issues garnered far more public engagement and media attention during this legislative session than they have in decades.  ARA and our environmental partners created a groundswell of opposition from Alabamians all over the state and political spectrum. That kind of interest in what is going on in our legislature makes it harder for special interest groups in Montgomery to hide their methods from the public. People are connecting the dots between the bad decisions made in our statehouse and boardrooms in Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York, and overseas. Bringing these dirty deals into the sunlight will make it harder for special interest groups to find legislators willing to do their bidding.

We also saw some incremental progress on a variety of environmental issues, including data centers.

The Legislature passed a bill addressing our state’s overly generous tax incentives for this emerging industry. HB 399 brings our state’s tax abatements for data centers in line with our incentives for other industrial projects. The Legislature also passed SB 270, which requires data centers to pay for certain electrical infrastructure upgrades related to these often-times resource-intensive projects. While neither of these bills address all of the concerns Alabamians across our state have raised, they both represent good first steps at regulating hyperscale data centers.

We Dare Defend Our Rights.
The most inspiring thing that I witnessed this session was every day Alabamians living up to the motto inscribed over the doors of the statehouse: Audemus jura nostra defendere – We Dare Defend Our Rights. I have never seen this level of interest in environmental issues during a legislative session in the 10+ years I’ve lived in Alabama, and I have never seen as many people paying close attention, and figuring out who really calls the shots in Montgomery. That gives me a lot of hope! In Alabama, the political decisions that affect 5 million peoples’ lives are often made behind closed doors, and the people that inhabit those smoke-filled rooms don’t often like it when people start paying attention.

What’s up ahead in 2027.

As we say goodbye to the old statehouse, which will be demolished after this legislative session, we’ll also be saying goodbye to our current Governor and Lieutenant Governor, who are term-limited. We’ll likely see at least a few new faces in the Legislature in 2027. The more they hear from you, their constituents, that Alabama’s environment is important to them, the more likely it is they can stand up and defend our rights to a safe, clean, and healthy environment.  

If you would like to reach out to your elected officials but are not even sure where to start, we’d love for you to consider our ALSTARs program this fall! Now in its third year, Alabama’s Special Trained Advocates for Rivers (ALSTARs) is an informal training program for ARA members and allies who are interested in learning more about legislative advocacy and building long-term relationships with their elected officials. We are building this team of ALSTARs to be our go-to advocates when we need to talk with elected officials at the state and local level about important matters related to river protection, clean water advocacy, and other important environmental issues. Click here to learn more.