Encouraging State-level Climate Progress
Carbon pricing is seeing some encouraging movement at the state level! Here’s a peek at some recent successes and ongoing efforts.
By Jamie DeMarco, CCL State Level Carbon Pricing CoordinatorCarbon pricing is seeing some encouraging movement at the state level! Here’s a peek at some recent successes and ongoing efforts:
Virginia’s Clean Economy Act
Virginia recently passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act through both chambers of its legislature. This bill requires 100% renewable electricity by 2050 and sets big targets for offshore wind. The bill also includes language that will allow Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon pricing model in the northeast.
CCL volunteers in Virginia worked to share information on the General Assembly green legislation, so that individual CCL members could use their constituent skills to engage with their state lawmakers.
The passage of this bill makes it clear that strong climate legislation and the idea of putting a price on carbon pollution are no longer limited to certain areas of the country, like California or the northeast—they’re spreading to the south and becoming the new norm. Read more about Virginia’s bill here.
Hawaii’s carbon pricing bill
Hawaii is working hard to put a price on pollution! SB 3150 is a piece of legislation that will enact a steadily rising fee on fossil fuels, reaching $70 by 2030, and it will give a tax rebate to low & middle income Hawaiians.
Local CCLers are working to advance this bill, which has already passed through several committees in Hawaii’s legislature.
You can learn more about this bill in this great article from Climate XChange.
West Virginia works together
There’s also some encouraging bipartisan work happening in West Virginia. This month, lawmakers in the Senate unanimously passed a bill to expand the state’s solar capacity.
“We have been blessed with an abundance of natural resources,” one Republican said. “We need to add solar to our inventory.”
Congratulations to all our volunteers and allies working hard to advance meaningful climate policy at the state level!
Recent Posts
March 27, 2024 Last week, we told you about an anti-carbon tax resolution up for a vote in the House. In just 48 hours, CCL volunteers jumped into action to call members of Congress more than 1,250 times and encourage them to vote no. Unfortunately on Friday, the House passed that resolution by a slim margin, with a handful of Democrats joining most ...
more
March 20, 2024 It’s a busy week on Capitol Hill! Today, attendees at our Conservative Climate Leadership Conference and Lobby Day are holding dozens of volunteer lobby meetings with Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate. They’re ready to make a big impact after hearing yesterday’s informative training sessions and powerful guest ...
more
March 13, 2024 Registration is now open for CCL’s 2024 Summer Conference & Lobby Day! Called “ Making Moves and Moving Congress, ” this annual conference and lobby day is CCL’s flagship event. It takes place June 8-11 this year in Washington, D.C. It’s clearer than ever that being able to find common ground with each other brings us closer to the climate ...
more
March 6, 2024 Lobbying works. It’s why corporations spend billions of dollars on it every year. We don’t have corporate billions — but with your help, we can raise the funds we need to make lobbying work for the planet, not for profit. Starting now, you have the opportunity to quadruple your impact: All new and increased monthly donations started in ...
more