Weekly Briefing: Senators Reach Across Aisle For Bipartisan Climate Talks
May 4, 2022
Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and several of his colleagues in Congress began talks to gauge bipartisan interest in a climate deal. One policy that has been repeatedly mentioned in these talks is a border carbon adjustment mechanism, which is a key element of CCL’s preferred carbon pricing legislation. 
“We’re encouraged to see Republicans and Democrats discussing border carbon adjustments,” said Danny Richter, CCL VP of Government Affairs. “Our top two trading partners, the E.U. and Canada, are already moving forward with border carbon adjustments of their own. It’s smart of Congress to consider this policy, and it could lay additional groundwork for a domestic carbon price.”
In addition to these bipartisan climate talks, there is still an opportunity for significant climate legislation to pass through the reconciliation process.
These climate-focused talks, in addition to the amount of climate concern displayed throughout reconciliation, shows that there is an appetite for climate legislation in Congress. This is an excellent time to urge your senators, representatives, and President Biden to take action on climate and clean energy. Send them a message with our easy action tool!
Send My Message!
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In other news this week: 
- June conference keynote: Dr. Bill Shireman, President and CEO of the business-oriented environmental organization Future 500, will be delivering the closing keynote at CCL’s June conference. Dr. Shireman brings together capitalists, activists, conservatives, progressives, and other groups to overcome challenges that often divide them. Be sure to register so you can hear him at our June conference!
- Nerd Corner: May the Fourth be with you! On this nerdiest of days, CCL’s Research Team is pleased to announce the imminent launch of its fully armed and operational Nerd Corner. The Nerd Corner will be a one-stop shop on CCL Community for nerds and the nerd-curious to engage with the Research Team on the latest happenings in the worlds of climate science, economics, policy, and technology. Join Danny Richter, Dana Nuccitelli, Jonathan Marshall, and Rick Knight for a Zoom launch event on Wednesday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET.
- Danny Richter in Notre Dame Magazine: This past week, Notre Dame Magazine did an alumni spotlight on CCL’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Danny Richter. The article explains that professors at Notre Dame opened Danny’s eyes to the possibility of working in the environmental sector…and the rest is history!
- Citizens’ Climate Radio: In episode 71, Peterson Toscano talks with four South African veterinarians about how climate change affects domestic and wild animals. Listen now!
- Electrifying everything and CCL: In this blog, Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli dives into the details of how expanding electrification can solve various problems, how the campaign can be advanced, and how CCLers can help. Read more here.
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Take action this week 
If you have a little time: Like this tweet about the bipartisan climate talks
CCL recently tweeted about Sen. Manchin’s bipartisan climate efforts, sharing that we support efforts to reduce emissions 50% by 2030. You can like and share that tweet here.
If you have more time: Attend our letter writing Zoom party
Did you know you can write letters to the editor of your local newspaper about climate change? Join CCL’s State and Local Media Coordinator Charlotte Ward for a Zoom party on Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. ET. She will teach you how to write a letter to the editor, give you timely topics to write about, and help you get started writing within the hour. Join here!
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 
Grassroots: Climate Stripes for Earth Day
For the second year in a row, the North Tahoe Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby in California has worked with other environmental groups and local middle schools to bring awareness to climate change.
It all started with Lorenzo Worster, a middle school teacher at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, who realized that climate change was largely absent from chemistry and physics curriculums. Lorenzo was inspired by a photo he came across of a Spanish mural displaying global temperature differences since the industrial revolution. He and his students created their own climate mural out of wood strips and paint on a wall of their school.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteer, Janet Atkinson, saw the mural and approached several schools in the area about collaborating with climate organizations to create a new mural during Earth week. The organizations all worked together to produce the mural pictured above, and another local volunteer wrote about the effort for their local newspaper.
Read the Full Story
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Upcoming Trainings 
5/5: An introduction to CCL's Anti-Racism and Allyship Guide — CCL strives to provide a welcoming space for people from all backgrounds and cultures. Join Karina Ramirez, CCL's Diversity and Inclusion Director, to introduce CCL's anti-racism and allyship guide. This resource guide has been written by staff and volunteers to provide resources to dive more deeply into understanding the importance of anti-racism work. Join us!
5/12: Lobbying 101: The Transformative Power of Citizen Advocacy — Learn about citizen advocacy and hear stories from CCL volunteers who demonstrate building meaningful, long-term relationships with their congressional office. This is Part I in the “Working With Congress” training series, designed to empower you for our annual June lobby meetings. Join us!
Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:
5/10: Grassroots Outreach Basics — Join Dave Cain from the CCL Presenters and Schedulers Action Team Leader, as well as CCL Education & Resilience Coordinator Tamara Staton for a training on grassroots outreach geared at highlighting the best practices for both tabling and presentations. Join us!
To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.
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