Weekly Briefing: Capitol Hill Needs Us. Will You Lobby In June?
March 8, 2023
This summer, CCL’s June conference will be returning in person with old friends and new friends alike at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., complete with a lobby day on Capitol Hill. Let’s make an impression on Congress and show them we’re just as passionate as ever about climate policy. Nothing says determination like seeing over a thousand CCLers fill the halls of Congress, advocating for climate action in every office — not to mention that it means a lot to our members of Congress, too.
“Meeting face-to-face in congressional offices makes a huge difference,” said Ben Pendergrass, CCL Vice President of Government Affairs. “Our effectiveness as advocates depends on building relationships, and nothing beats being in the room when it comes to that.”
There are plenty of things to do and learn at our June conference. Hear from speakers such as CeCe Grant, Director of Government Affairs at Dream.Org, and Rachel Kyte, Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Attend Saturday Seminars to increase your knowledge of volunteering skills and tools, such as the ConnectEffect Seminar, the En-ROADS Climate Workshop Seminar, and the Diversifying Your Chapter Seminar. Take the tools you need at this conference to make a difference in your community and in the halls of Congress.
We cannot wait to see you again (or for the first time) on Capitol Hill!
In other news this week: 
• Conservative Conference registration closing soon: It’s not too late! If you’re a right-of-center volunteer interested in attending CCL’s conservative conference on March 28-29, you’ve still got time to register. In addition to lobbying a selected group of Republican members of Congress, you will attend discussions on building political will, outdoor industry and conservation, and permitting reform and nuclear energy. Hear from speakers such as Former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Neil Chatterjee, Director of Climate Solutions at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Tiffany Turner, and Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14).
• Conferences galore: CCL’s state and regional conferences have successfully continued, but there are still a few regional and state conferences left! Coming up over the next few weeks are the Greater Pacific Northwest Regional Conference, the Texas State Legislature Lobby Day, and the California Conference.
• Donate smarter, not harder in March: When you sign up to donate monthly in March, your dollar goes further! If we reach our goal of raising $10,000 in new monthly donations by March 31, we’ll unlock a $100,000 bonus gift. Even the smallest monthly donation makes a big difference. Can we count on you to pitch in?
• CCL signs onto agriculture letter: Last week, CCL joined 644 other organizations in a letter from the World Wildlife Foundation, urging Congress to safeguard climate-smart agriculture and conservation funding in the upcoming farm bill.
• En-ROADS for new policy: CCL’s En-ROADS Engagement Action Team will be meeting on March 9 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT to help fellow volunteers understand CCL’s new policy areas through the lens of the En-ROADS simulator.
• Young Hawaiians take the lead: Young CCLers in Hawaii have been working hard for several months to make their voices heard by local and federal legislators.
• Clean energy, more jobs: CCL Research Coordinator Rick Knight discusses the economic and job benefits that accompany clean energy.
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Take action this week 
If you have a little time: Check out the new Action Tracker update
CCL recently updated our Action Tracker. Now, volunteers can associate each action with one of our policy areas. Did you write a letter about healthy forests? Hold a lobby meeting about permitting reform? Give a presentation about carbon pricing? Now you can specify that policy focus in the Action Tracker when you log actions.
If you have more time: Join our March national call this weekend
Join us this Saturday for our March national call at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT featuring Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox, the President of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). In the quest to find common ground between Republicans and Democrats on climate solutions, communities of faith play an important role in bridging the partisan divide. The Evangelical Environmental Network, whose members are focused on caring for creation, is one of the organizations working in this advocacy space. Hear more from Rev. Hescox this Saturday, March 11. The call will also highlight recent CCL news and upcoming actions you can take for the month.
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Featured Chapter This Week 
The Hawaii Island chapter of CCL has been hard at work alongside other chapters in Hawaii to move the needle on environmental legislation.
“CCL Hawaii had its bi-monthly meeting on February 15 featuring contributions from the Kauai Chapter, Maui Chapter, Honolulu Chapter and the Hawaii Island Chapter,” say Hawaii Island Group Leaders Ron Reilly and Noel Morin. “Participants enjoyed a celebration of our media successes, a tabling event, and partnership with allies on wetland restoration.”
The Hawaii Island chapter also hosted a notable guest speaker Brittany Zimmerman, CEO of Yummet, who talked about carbon capture projects. Additionally, the meeting was attended by Hawaii's newest Congressional Representative Jill Tokuda, and in-district aide Kendra Oishi. Rep. Tokuda shared her experience and first reactions to joining the 118th Congress.
The Hawaii Island chapter plans to continue working alongside the Hawaii Environmental Change Agents (HECA) and their 10 HECA Task Forces to formally support bills the task forces have identified that align with CCL’s policy expansion. Great work, Hawaii Island!
Have you logged your latest activities in the Action Tracker? Tell us what your chapter has been up to lately!
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Upcoming Trainings 
3/9: Raising Funds for CCL & Your Chapter — Sometimes, our dedicated volunteers want to go above and beyond by organizing a fundraising campaign for CCL or its sister organization, Citizens’ Climate Education (CCE). This training will provide an easy, step-by-step guide to raise and manage money in your group for chapter activities and conference scholarships. Join us!
3/16: Reviewing CCL's Presentation Slide Decks — Want to give a climate presentation and not sure where to start? Join CCL's Vice President of Programs Brett Cease and other featured CCL leaders for a review of CCL’s presentation resources. Join us!
Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:
3/14: Understanding Congress Basics — Join CCL Government Affairs Coordinator Hardy Almes for a training that explores the congressional policy-making process, how a bill becomes law, and research from the Congressional Management Foundation on life in Congress. Join us!
To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.
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