Weekly Briefing: 25 Utah Republicans call for carbon pricing

June 9, 2021

In an op-ed published in Salt Lake City’s Deseret News, 25 Utah Republicans endorsed carbon fee and dividend as the best way to bring down the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. Nineteen of these Republicans are current members of the Utah legislature.

The endorsement adds to the momentum building to include carbon pricing in climate legislation currently under consideration in Congress and demonstrates that the policy can generate bipartisan support.

“We believe the best way to cut emissions is with a price signal to the private sector, which lets competition and innovation find the solutions,” the op-ed said. “We support a carbon dividends approach that puts a fee on carbon emissions and returns all the money to the American people in dividend checks.”

The endorsement and subsequent op-ed was initiated by CCL Utah State Coordinator Tom Moyer (shown above in a 2017 meeting with Rep. Mia Love), who’s been working on the project since last November with other Utah volunteers and supporters. He said their aim was to help Sen. Mitt Romney take the next step with carbon pricing legislation. “We know Romney likes the policy,” said Tom. “We just need to show him some support in the state.”

You can spread the good news about this endorsement by sharing CCL’s tweet and Tom’s tweet linking to the op-ed.

Read the Op-Ed
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In other news this week:

Conference kickoff Friday evening: Participants registered for Saturday’s virtual conference — there’s still time to register — will receive an email Thursday about conference logistics, including information about a pre-conference reception Friday evening at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. At the reception, you can log into and explore our new meeting platform, Airmeet. You can mingle in the Lounge with other attendees, check out Action Team booths, and see what sessions you’d like to add to your personal schedule.

CCL is taking over The Hill: Today only (June 9), check out the homepage of The Hill to catch a glimpse of our digital campaign for carbon pricing. This campaign is targeted at congressional agenda setters and influencers and is running all summer. Messages explain the benefits of a carbon price — “Carbon pricing = 50% lower emissions by 2030” and “Carbon pricing means getting back to work,” for example. The campaign is supported by media outreach, and complements the work being done by CCLers across the country. If you miss the chance to see the ads, you can see them in this Community Bulletin post.

Grasstops: Boston endorses H.R. 2307

Last month, the Boston City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to enact the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, joining more than 100 other local governments that have endorsed the legislation. When she introduced the resolution, Councilor Lydia Edwards said, “This urges Congress to move and to help us become more carbon net neutral, and also put money in the pockets of Americans. I think it’s something that we can all agree: that we need more of both.” 

CCL volunteer Matt Lok told the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, “I am delighted that the city council is supporting this bill, making decisions geared towards protecting the environment and improving the long term health of Bostonians.”
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Take action this week 

If you have a little time: Check out CCL’s new page on TikTok! Engage with our funny and informational short videos as we get Gen Z to take action on climate change. Our latest video went viral with 43.7k views, 4.7k likes, and 427 comments so far. Follow us at @citizensclimate.

If you have more time: Join our online national conference this Saturday, June 12, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT to learn how you can encourage Congress to enact carbon pricing legislation. Get details and register here. 
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Upcoming trainings

6/10: June 2021 Lobby Training #2: CCL’s Legislative Plan - Dr. Danny Richter, CCL’s VP for Government Affairs, provides insights on the dynamics in Congress, legislative strategy, and how to talk about endorsements/statements of support most effectively in meetings. Join us!

Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:

6/15: Understanding Congress Basics - As we lobby Congress, it’s good to have an understanding of the legislative process and how a bill moves from introduction to committee to passage. Learn more and RSVP.

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.
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This week on the CCL blog 

CCL’s message to Congress: Thousands of CCL volunteers will meet with congressional offices next week. CCL VP for Government Affairs Danny Richter says the message they’ll bring is that the U.S. needs to implement a price on carbon in order to stay competitive. In a world where more and more nations are imposing a carbon price with border adjustments, failure for the U.S. to price carbon could hurt American businesses. Read more.

ICYMI: Net zero by 2050: Scientists and policy makers have said that carbon emissions need to reach net zero by mid-century in order to avoid catastrophic consequences from climate change. CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna looks at the latest report from the International Energy Agency that says the path net zero presents great challenges, and a price on carbon will be needed to hit the target. Read more.