Weekly Briefing: Spring Into Action With Fresh Tactics To Pressure Congress

February 23, 2022

In the last few months, Congress has gotten tantalizingly close to passing major climate legislation. CCL volunteers generated tens of thousands of calls and emails to Congress and the President last fall, urging them to pass these policies. But Congress has put the budget reconciliation process on the back burner for the moment, so you may be wondering, “What now?”

Good news: There’s plenty to do. Our job in this time is to keep pushing our elected leaders to honor America’s pledge to reduce emissions 50% by 2030, and a price on carbon is critical to achieving those cuts. With fresh tactics and a surge of energy as we head into the spring, we can pressure Congress to meet that goal when they return to budget reconciliation.

Consider things like:

•     Planning an Earth Week event with your CCL chapter

•     Organizing a sign-on letter from community leaders

•     Giving a climate presentation to a local organization

These types of activities — as well as election-related climate efforts — will all keep the pressure up on Congress to act on climate. Connect with your local CCL group, if you haven’t already, and get involved in ways that fit your interests and schedule. Visit CCL Community to see more ideas for taking action. Let’s build the political will for a livable world!

See More Ideas!

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In other news this week: 

Upcoming March fundraiser: March is just days away, which means we’re nearing the kick-off of our annual March fundraiser! Our goal is to raise $15,000 in new monthly recurring donations before March 31. This year, an anonymous donor will make a $150,000 bonus gift, but only if we meet our goal. Support our powerful, grassroots climate advocacy, and help us unlock this $150,000 bonus gift by signing up to give to CCL monthly today (and, we’ll count your early bird donation toward our goal)!

• What the doctor ordered: The Nevada State Medical Association passed a resolution in support of carbon pricing last month, acknowledging the effects of climate change on public health. Like and share the news here.
• New Energy Innovation Act cosponsor: Rep. James McGovern (D-MA-2) became the latest cosponsor of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act last week. Like and share the tweet here.
• Black History Month: This week, meet four Black environmental artists who advocate for change through their art. Read more here.

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Take action this week  

If you have a little time: Share the Shipping Council’s support

The World Shipping Council released a supportive statement last week regarding carbon pricing. This is a uniquely notable endorsement, as the WSC is the primary trade association for international liner shipping and often works with policymakers. You can like and share that tweet here.

If you have more time: Ask for a community leader’s endorsement

Ask a community leader you know (such as a business owner, local pastor, or state legislators) to write to President Biden, identifying themself as a prominent community member in their message. Their letter should ask the President to make strong climate provisions a priority in budget reconciliation, including a carbon price, so that he can achieve his goal of 50% emission reductions by 2030. If you’re unsure of where to start, here's a training on grasstops engagement.

You can also connect with your nearest CCL chapter to take action in your community, or join one of CCL’s national online Action Teams to take action on specific topics like agriculture, health, faith, and more. 

Browse CCL Community’s Event Calendar to find upcoming events, trainings, and calls you can join.

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Featured Lever This Week 

Media: CCL’s Minnesota LTE project

CCL members across Minnesota have set the bar high for themselves: volunteers plan to get a letter to the editor published in all 87 Minnesota counties by Jun. 11. 

Volunteers Pat Fettes and Katya Gordon have spearheaded this project. "I started volunteering about six months ago," Pat says. "I created a website to have a one-stop shop to get examples of letters to the editor, links to newspapers in every county, and to keep track of the progress we're making."

So far, volunteers have published letters in 49 counties, with 11 other counties that members have committed to covering. Pat says this project lets members of Congress know that it’s not just a few people in Minnesota’s major cities that are concerned about climate, but throughout the entire state.

Pat shared more about the Minnesota LTE project on a recent media support call. If you want to learn more, you can hear her comments around minute 32.

Learn More

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Upcoming Trainings 

2/24: Big Tent Climate Talks — February’s BTCT event will feature a conversation with Kyle Kammien, CCL Senior Business Relations Representative, and Levi Kamolnick, Policy Associate with Ceres, a nonprofit organization transforming the economy to build a just and sustainable future for people and the planet. Additionally, this training will also feature Jason Ye, Associate Director for Outreach, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). Join us!

2/24: Attending Town Hall and Candidate Forums — Join Jennifer Tyler, CCL's Director of Government Affairs, for a training that will review attending town hall and candidate forum plans. Join us! 

3/3: Generating News Coverage — Join CCL's State and Local Media Coordinator, Charlotte Ward, for a training that will explore news coverage in the media and strategies for generating news coverage. Join us!

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

3/1: Communicating With Progressives — Join us for training on how to communicate with progressives about carbon pricing. Join us! 

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