Weekly Briefing: Read To Hit The Road? 2024 Policy Opportunities & Chapter Plans
January 17, 2024
This past Saturday, CCL held our first monthly meeting of 2024. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces from our chapters all around the country!
On the call, we reviewed our 2024 Policy Roadmap. This new resource is a high-level overview of the climate policy opportunities CCL sees for the year ahead, based on our chosen policy areas and our Government Affairs team’s insights about the political landscape.
The first road sign on the map is about pushing for a package of clean energy permitting reform legislation — an effort that is already underway with 7,516 messages to Congress since last week. (Have you sent yours?)
We’ll keep you posted throughout the year on how to make an impact in each area noted on the roadmap. The best way is by preparing your chapter to grow and build even more strength this year.
You can kick off that important work by creating your 2024 Chapter Action Plan, which was another major feature of Saturday’s meeting. Creating an action plan for the year will help your chapter feel organized, focused, and effective. It will also make it easier for new volunteers to know what you’re up to and how to plug into your efforts.
If you couldn't join us on Saturday, watch the recording for a walkthrough of the roadmap and action plan process. Let’s make some incredible things happen this year.
In other news this week:
• Calling all climate conservatives: Applications are now open for our annual Conservative Climate Leadership Conference and Lobby Day, happening March 19-20 in Washington, D.C. If you’re politically right of center, come meet other like-minded people and discuss practical solutions to stop the pollution that's overheating the planet. Then, spend a day speaking with Republican Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill about what they can do to help.
• Get clear on carbon tariffs and CBAMs: There has been lots of exciting movement on CBAMs and carbon tariffs lately — the Clean Competition Act, the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, the FAIR Act, and related policy ideas like the PROVE IT Act. How can you keep it all straight? How do they stack up compared to each other? CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli broke it down in a new training and blog post.
Take action this week
If you have a little time: Help the PROVE IT Act pass through committee. The PROVE IT Act is scheduled to be marked up in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee tomorrow. If you live in one of the 19 states with a Senator on the committee — that’s Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming — call your Senator TODAY and ask them to support the bill! We created an easy action tool with a provided script for you. If you’re not in those states, like or comment on this social media post to show support for the bill.
If you have more time: Kick off your election season activities. With the Iowa caucus taking place earlier this week, the 2024 election season is officially underway. This year, CCL will be hosting weekly phone banks in partnership with the Environmental Voter Project (EVP), and we are kicking it off with a special phone bank next Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Nathaniel Stinnett, Executive Director of EVP, will be there to share about EVP's methodology and their plans for this election year. Then we will get trained and start making calls to get environmental voters out to vote in rapidly approaching primary elections.
Featured chapter: CCL MN Northland
When snow started falling across much of the country last week, CCL’s MN Northland chapter in Minnesota knew it was their time to shine. They sprang into action to pull off the year’s first Snowman Protest.
Eight chapter members mobilized to Duluth City Hall and built more than 100 miniature snow people, who “protested” in support of climate action. Chapter member Harmony Fisher, who spearheaded the effort, says, “It was a rush to grab supplies and organize enough people to get a great turnout, but it turned out fantastically.”
Check out the chapter’s slideshow of photos showing their snowmen up close, complete with their protest signs saying, “Snow folk support winter joy and climate policy,” “Act on climate,” and more. The event caught the attention of the local news, earning great coverage in the Duluth News Tribune!
The snowman protest isn’t all the chapter is up to, either. They’re also working to get solar energy on local schools, activate climate voters, and promote clean energy technology alongside other regional climate groups. “This broad array of activities allows our chapter members the opportunity to use their skills and passion to work towards creating political will for climate action on federal, state and local levels,” says chapter co-leader Michael Overend.
Stay warm, CCL MN Northland!
Want to host your own Snowman Protest? Our toolkit includes everything you need. Snowman Protest Toolkit
Want your chapter to be featured? Share your info and photos with us.
Upcoming trainings
1/18: Election 2024 - Helping Climate Voters Elect Climate Champions - In 2024, CCL wants more climate voters to vote, and we want climate to be a key issue for every candidate in every election. We'll discuss options for CCLers to engage during the 2024 elections locally and nationally. Join us!
1/23: Clean Energy Transition AMA w/ Dr. Jesse Jenkins - What questions do you have about the clean energy transition? Join superstar researcher Dr. Jesse Jenkins (pictured above), lead author of the Net Zero America study and Princeton Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, for an Ask Me Anything where he will present his ground-breaking climate research with Princeton's ZERO lab and take your questions. Join us!
1/25: Farm Bill Legislative Overview - Join CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Pendergrass to learn how we expect the Farm Bill process to look this year, what CCL's priorities will be within the package, and how you can work with your members of Congress to help ensure that the climate provisions are maintained. Join us!
To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.
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