Weekly Briefing: 4.8k Calls Urge Congress To Pass Inflation Reduction Act
August 3, 2022
In a stunning turn of events, news broke last week that Sen. Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reached an agreement on the inclusion of climate policy in the 2022 budget reconciliation bill. 
In a statement last week, we announced that CCL is “enthusiastically supportive of this massive slate of climate policies.” Our volunteers and staff have spent the last 12 months pushing Congress to be as ambitious as possible on climate policies in this reconciliation package. Many others in the climate movement did the same. It seems that Senate Democrats have heard our call and delivered.
Now called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the reconciliation package will put the U.S. on a path to about 40% emissions reduction by 2030. The chart above, from CCL’s research team, showcases the expected emissions cuts based on new estimates from several trusted modelers.
This means that the time is ripe for CCLers to contact Congress and urge the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. Since we launched this campaign on Friday, CCLers have already made over 4,800 contacts to Congress, and we'll keep going until the legislation passes. If you have a Democratic member of Congress, contact them in support of the Inflation Reduction Act. If you have all Republican members of Congress, you can help by sharing the campaign with friends and family with Democratic representation.
Your persistence in the face of uncertainty has brought us to this historic moment for climate action. It’s time for the final push.
Contact Congress, spread the word!
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In other news this week: 
- A heartfelt thank you from CCL’s Executive Director: Madeleine Para reminds us that in this whirlwind time of climate legislation, there are many ways to advance CCL’s work. One of these ways is through becoming a Climate Guardian donor. Read more here.
- Donations make conference attendance possible: To make sure that conference attendance is inclusive and accessible, Citizens’ Climate offers Diversity and Conservative scholarships that are made possible through donations. Read volunteer Bruce Morlan’s story to hear more about the impact that your donations make.
- CCR Ep. 74: Speaking with five different guests, podcast host Peterson Toscano explores how climate change and extreme weather affects the LGBTQ+ community. Listen now!
If you have a little time: Share CCL’s tweet about Kentucky floods
Climate change amplifies extreme weather and natural disasters. As extreme weather causes deadly flooding in Kentucky, it’s important to contact your member of Congress to vote yes on the Inflation Reduction Act, and to like and share this tweet to spread awareness. By urging your member of Congress to make a change, we work to avoid worsening disasters like this.
If you have more time: Write an LTE in support of the Inflation Reduction Act
A letter to the editor is an easy way to have a big impact in your local newspaper and on your members of Congress as they prepare to vote on the Inflation Reduction Act. LTEs are typically no more than 250 words, and usually take 30 minutes or less to write. Half an hour’s effort can make a decade’s worth of difference as you submit LTEs in support of this unprecedented legislation. You can find more tips and resources for writing an LTE in our “How To” blog here.Find your CCL chapter | Check out our Action Teams | Browse upcoming events
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Featured Lever This Week 
California CCL chapter hosts candidate climate forum
As CCLers make climate an election issue for the 2022 midterms, the San Mateo county chapter of CCL went a step further by hosting a Zoom candidate climate forum.
One Republican and three Democrats were vying for the seat of Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-14), who announced that she wouldn’t be running for reelection. The four candidates, Emily Beach, David Canepa, Gus Mattammal and Kevin Mullin, each emphasized what they would do to address climate from their own political perspectives.
Bob Steele, a San Mateo County chapter member and congressional liaison for California’s District 14, says, “We had 345 advanced registrations on Eventbrite, of which 145 actually attended. We have had over 400 views of the forum recording that was posted on YouTube.”
The chapter’s hope is that voters who have attended or viewed the forum will be better able to choose a candidate who has the climate and the environment as a central focus.
“We found the candidates to be well informed about climate issues and very responsive in their answers,” Bob shared. “Climate is a major issue in our area, and we feel that the candidates' positions on climate issues rank high on the list of what our local voters take into account when deciding who to vote for.”
Read the full story
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Upcoming Trainings 
- 8/4: Exploring CCL Youth's Climate Classroom — Come learn about the flexible, multi-disciplinary curriculum CCL offers for students to learn about climate change. Join us!
- 8/4: The Climate Benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act — Join this training about all the energy and climate items in the Inflation Reduction Act, how much it will reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and the health benefits of the cleaner air that will result from the bill's provisions. Join us!
- 8/11: A Fresh Take To Giving An Introductory Presentation To CCL — Attend this webinar to see a new presentation slide deck that helps introduce people to CCL. We'll help you prepare for your own presentation and demonstrate the new slides in action. Join us.
Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:
- 8/9: Grassroots Outreach Basics — Join this training on grassroots outreach highlighting the best practices in preparing 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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