Weekly Briefing: Conference Registrations Close This Monday!

May 15, 2024

This Monday is the final day to register to join us in D.C. June 8-11. Join us to make sure that volunteer lobbyists outnumber corporate lobbyists on Capitol Hill. And in case you missed it, we just announced Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder & Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project as a keynote speaker. He joins a stacked lineup of leading voices in climate advocacy who will educate and inspire you to take your work as a citizen lobbyist to the next level. 

Help us counter the influence of paid lobbyists on the Hill and show Congress and their staff that climate policy is a top priority. We’ll see you in D.C.!

Register Now

In other news this week:

• Meet CCL’s New Executive Director:  After a search process spanning several months and hundreds of candidates, the governing boards of Citizens’ Climate Education and Citizens’ Climate Lobby are excited to announce Rachel Kerestes as the organizations’ new incoming Executive Director. She will succeed acting Executive Director Mark Reynolds this summer. We know volunteers will be eager to get to know Rachel, so we invite you to tell her your stories and ask her your questions here. Then, plan to join CCL staff for a meet and greet call with Rachel on the evening of July 2.

• New transmission rules from FERC: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) passed two new transmission rules this week. Order 1920 requires transmission providers to plan for their region's electrical transmission needs at least 20 years in the future, and update those plans every five years. Order 1977 confirms FERC's authority to issue permits, and also requires the transmission project developers to create community and tribal engagement plans. Read CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli’s perspective on the two new rules here.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Help spread the word about our Summer Conference: Making Moves and Moving Congress. Go to our “Spread the Word'' webpage on your laptop, tablet or phone, and share, repost and comment on some of the Summer Conference posts you find there. When you comment and share, be sure to add a note about your own experience with CCL and our past conferences!

If you have more time: If you weren’t able to attend live, watch the recording of CCL’s May meeting, featuring Sara Eyassu, CCL’s Mountain West Climate Advocacy Fellow, who led a showcase of work from our student leaders and CCL youth climate advocates across the nation. We also went over our May actions and highlighted last-minute information before our Summer Conference next month.

Featured: Catholic Action Team

Our Catholic Action Team has been doing amazing work in the climate and creation care space! The team hosted a fantastic virtual event in late April featuring speaker Dan DiLeo, a moral theologian and director of the Justice and Peace studies program at Creighton University. He specializes in Catholic social teaching and climate change. CCLers were joined by members of other groups from all over the U.S. and Canada, including Catholic Climate Covenant, the Laudato Si' Movement, and the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests.

Dan recently published an article for the National Catholic Reporter called “Every Bishop Should Decarbonize His Dioceses, And Other Catholics Can Help.”He presented on this topic, sharing how Catholics can lobby their bishop to reduce their emissions diocese-wide.

The team recently saw their efforts pay off, as one of the keynote presenters from CCL’s Catholic Climate Conference in 2021, Bishop John Stowe, from the Lexington, Kentucky diocese, just announced his diocese pledged to reach net-zero emissions. The decarbonization efforts will span across its 59 parishes as well as schools and other institutions in the heart of Appalachian coal country. Watch the full presentation from Dan DiLeo here, and learn more about the Catholic Action Team and its amazing work below! 

Want to chat with the Catholic Action Team about organizing an event like this? Join the conversation on CCL Community.

Upcoming trainings

5/16: Summer Media Opportunities - CCL’s State & Local Media Coordinator Charlotte Ward will guide attendees through this training about upcoming media opportunities, including ideas for generating local media coverage for volunteers attending our Summer Conference & Lobby Day. Join us! 

5/20: Summer 2024 Lobby Training #1: Primary & Secondary Asks - CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Pendergrass and Senior Director of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler will present CCL's Summer 2024 Primary and Secondary Asks and guidance for lobby teams as they plan their June 11 meetings on Capitol Hill. Join us! 

5/21: Understanding Congress Basics - Have a question about the legislative process in Congress? Join CCL staff to walk through a training that explores the details of the congressional policy-making process, how a bill becomes law, and research from the Congressional Management Foundation on life in Congress for both staff and lawmakers. Join us!

5/23: Summer 2024 Lobby Training #2: Legislative Plan and Q&A - CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Pendergrass and Senior Director Jenn Tyler will provide up-to-the-moment insights on the dynamics in Congress and how we can most effectively use our time in upcoming lobby meetings to support our agenda. Join us!

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

Nerd Corner Chart of the Week

Renewables provided 30% of global electricity for the first time in 2023

Join the discussion about the growth in clean energy around the world.