CCL Newsletter: Sen. Whitehouse Says ‘carbon Pollution Fees Are Getting Real’

September 15, 2021

Signs that carbon pricing could end up in the reconciliation bill continue to be encouraging. The latest indication comes from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s Twitter posts.

Sen. Whitehouse, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee currently drafting climate provisions in the budget reconciliation bill, tweeted on Friday that “methane and carbon pollution fees are getting real in reconciliation.”

The Rhode Island senator also posted this tweet about an op-ed from CCL’s Mark Reynolds that was published in The Hill. You can scroll through CCL’s Twitter feed to see more of Whitehouse’s recent climate tweets.

The flurry of posts from Whitehouse comes on the heels of a leaked report that the Senate Finance Committee is considering a “per-ton tax on the carbon dioxide content of leading fossil fuels... upon extraction, starting at $15 per ton and escalating over time.”

As the Senate moves closer to including carbon pricing among legislative solutions to climate change, now is a good time to ask President Biden to express his support for this essential tool.

Email President Biden
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In other news this week: 

Senate reconciliation draft: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wanted the various committees working on the budget reconciliation bill to release their drafts today, and that was when we hoped to hear whether carbon pricing made the cut. However, as is common with the legislative process, it’s taking a bit more time. As soon as we know something, we’ll send an email alert to all of our supporters.

Jayapal among new cosponsors for H.R. 2307: Three more House members have cosponsored the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. James Langevin (RI-02) and Rep. Barbara Lawrence (MI-14). As chair of the Progressive Caucus, Rep. Jayapal’s endorsement is significant because it could signal growing support among liberals for carbon pricing. Why more cosponsors now? It likely has to do with our recent three-week campaign to contact House members about supporting a price on carbon. The number of representatives who’ve signed on to the bill now stands at 84.

CEPP explained: This week, the House released draft legislation for an incentive plan to cut carbon emissions in the electricity sector, which is known as the Clean Electricity Performance Program. CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna provides a thorough explanation on how the program would work in this post on CCL Community.

Braver Angels workshop: With today's polarized politics, it's a good idea to check in with yourself about how you view people on the "other side." The next "Depolarizing Within" workshop with Braver Angels, taking place this Saturday, can help. Register here.

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Take action this week  

If you have a little time: Check out and share this recent message from Senator Hickenlooper (D-CO) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram supporting a price on carbon. Hickenlooper said, “The thing I’d like more than anything is to get a price on carbon.”

If you have more time: Watch the recording of our September national meeting last Saturday. Our guest speaker was International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Aaron Cosbey, who is an expert on border carbon adjustments.

Join the Citizens’ Climate Legacy Club

Since our founding, we’ve been running a marathon to pass effective carbon pricing legislation. But reversing the effects of climate change goes beyond just this one race — it’s a generational relay that will span the next 100 years. And Citizens’ Climate will continue to carry that baton until we’ve guaranteed a livable world for centuries to come. 

Our Legacy Club members help make that happen. Legacy Club members are those who care deeply about the longevity of our work and have made a gift commitment to Citizens’ Climate Lobby or Citizens’ Climate Education in their estate plan. Members across the country span from young adults to grandparents and from volunteers to staff. They are a source of ongoing inspiration, and you can read some of their stories here. 

If you haven’t already, we invite you to consider joining the Citizens' Climate Legacy Club by making a gift commitment in your estate plan. Please reach out to our planned giving experts at development@citizensclimate.org with any questions. 

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Featured Lever This Week 

Grassroots outreach: phone and text banking 

Over the last few weeks, CCL staff and volunteers have held a series of virtual phone banks and text banks to generate more calls and emails to Congress. We’ve been reaching out to CCL supporters across the country, asking them to contact their senators and representatives about carbon pricing. So far, our dedicated volunteers have sent over 150,000 texts around the country and have made over 120,000 phone calls to key districts and states!

Want to help? There are more phone banks and text banks coming up. Join us to help mobilize the CCL masses and make sure Congress hears our voices.

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Upcoming Trainings 

9/16 and 9/23: Informational Session for Students - In this session, students will learn how CCL can help them take action against climate change, including through internships, fellowships, volunteer and training opportunities. Join us for the 9/16 session here, and join us for the 9/23 session here.

9/16: Budget Reconciliation Q&A w/ Tony Sirna - Join CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna, who will be answering questions about the Senate budget reconciliation process. Join us!

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

9/21: Research Updates w/ Core Volunteer Training - CCL continues to bolster our case with top-notch economic modeling. Join CCL's Research Coordinators Rick Knight and Jerry Hinkle for a special training on research updates. 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:  

Amplifying conservative voices: Drew Eyerly (pictured above, right) came on board as CCL’s Conservative Outreach Director earlier this year. He has noticed that the younger generation of conservatives offers fertile ground for climate advocacy, and he’s working to bring them into CCL. Read more.

Senate consideration of carbon pricing: CCL applauded last week’s discussion on including a carbon price in the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill. Read more.