Weekly Briefing: CCL Announces New Policy Focuses

June 15, 2022

This week, hundreds of CCLers have been in Washington, D.C., for our annual conference and lobbying push. In her conference kickoff remarks on Sunday morning, CCL Executive Director Madeleine Para updated CCLers on the state of budget reconciliation and what shape our climate advocacy will take next.

First, what is the update on the reconciliation process?

Madeleine draws a parallel between football and politics: the last five yards are always the hardest. We are in what seems to be the last five yards of the budget reconciliation.

“We will keep at it until the final whistle sounds,” Madeleine explains. “We will take the gains we have made in this Congress and continue to move forward toward our mission. Here at CCL, we are building the political will for a livable world.”

So what does building the political will for a livable world look like after the fourth down?

After months of input and in-depth research, two key legislative areas have made their way to the forefront that complement a carbon fee and dividend: building the clean energy economy and pursuing nature-based solutions, starting with protecting and growing forests. The importance of these two policy areas has grown more prevalent following the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, as well as economic factors, such as the war in Ukraine.

For more information on CCL’s next steps in climate advocacy, read Madeleine’s full remarks.

Read Madeleine's Remarks

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In other news this week: 

     •     Revisiting the June 2022 conference: Want to see what all happened at our conference? All available presentations and recordings from the June 2022 conference can be found here.

     •     Carbon fee and dividend vs. carbon tax: As the carbon pricing discussion has picked up speed, politicians, media, and the public sometimes interchange the words “carbon fee and dividend” with “carbon tax.” Read this blog to learn more about the difference.

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Take action this week  

If you have a little time: Check out the #CCL2022 hashtag on Twitter

CCLers have chronicled their June 2022 conference journeys using the hashtag #CCL2022 on Twitter. Check out the highlights by scrolling through tweets with that hashtag here.

If you have more time: Watch the recording of the June national call

If you weren’t able to join CCL’s national call on June 11, you can watch the recording on our CCL YouTube channel! Hear from former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee, who discusses his climate story, supporting carbon pricing, and how we can prepare the grid for the transition to clean energy. Watch the recording here.

Find your CCL chapter | Check out our Action Teams | Browse upcoming events

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Featured Lever This Week 

Thankful for LGBTQ+ environmentalists

Pride month is a time to celebrate all of our LGBTQ+ climate advocates in CCL and the environmental movement. While there are many queer climate advocates that you should learn more about outside CCL, this is also time to recognize one of CCL’s own action teams: the LGBTQIA+ and Allies OUTreach action team. 

Callum Cintron has helped spearhead the inclusion of more queer environmentalists into CCL’s climate advocacy movement. They are a student at Oregon State University who is passionate about social change and climate change mitigation. Striving to make the environmental movement inclusive for people of all communities, their work helps make CCL a welcoming place for all. 

The LGBTQIA+ and Allies OUTreach action team has had a plethora of queer guest speakers such as comedian Sammie James, founder of 500 Queer Scientists Dr. Lauren Esposito, queer cartoonist Maia Kobabe, and author Syan Rose. 

“My work on both teams includes making CCL a more comfortable and welcoming place for people of communities that have not been historically included in the environmental movement,” Callum shares. One project they have successfully worked on was the inclusion of the gender-neutral salutation “Mx.” when contacting Congress.

Read Callum's Story

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Upcoming Trainings 

6/16: Understanding Border Carbon Adjustments — This training with CCL Board member Dr. Ross Astoria will review the basics of border carbon adjustments, how they're viewed constitutionally and in trade legality, and the practical aspects of border carbon adjustment implementation along with its constraints. Discussion of carbon border adjustment mechanisms will be included. Join us!

6/23: Carbon Pricing and the Oil, Gas and Chemical Industries — Join Bill Bray, CCL Texas: The Woodlands group leader and former leader of Team O.I.L., for training on the impact of the Energy Innovation Act on domestic oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. Bill will highlight how carbon pricing policy has the potential to drive massive investments and new job opportunities. Join us!

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

6/21: Engaging With the CCL Community Website — Learn how to use CCL's main websites to get up to speed and identify opportunities for participation with Brett Cease, Senior Director of Education & Engagement. Join us!