Weekly Briefing: It’s Electric ⚡️ August is Electrification Month!
July 31, 2024
Kicking off on Aug. 1, CCL is hosting a full month of outreach about home electrification! Why? Because we want everyone to know there are cutting edge clean energy options available right now — and there are ways to save money on them, too.
CCL volunteers will be out in their communities talking about clean energy upgrades like heat pumps, induction stoves, and more. In partnership with WorkMoney and Rewiring America, we will also educate folks about the cash rebates and tax incentives available when they electrify.
We’ve created new outreach materials you can use to support these conversations, including fliers, presentation slides, and even a dollhouse tabling display. (Shout out to CCL volunteer Elizabeth Strum in New York for the original dollhouse idea!) Head to CCL Community to find all the Electrification Month resources available for you, or watch this new training for the rundown.
As you get out there and talk about home electrification throughout August, be sure to log your conversations on our new Electrification Month campaign page. We’re aiming to have at least 3,000 conversations nationwide. Let’s plug in, power up, and get to work!
In other news this week:
• Bipartisan permitting reform bill passes Senate committee: As we shared last week, a major bipartisan permitting reform bill is now in the Senate, and CCL supports it! The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 will lower emissions, decrease energy costs, and increase energy reliability for people nationwide. It contains many measures that CCL has been lobbying for over the past two years.
After the bill’s introduction last week, sponsors Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) planned to bring it to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for a markup and vote today.
CCL volunteers with senators on the committee jumped into action, generating more than 500 calls to those senators in just a few days. Today, the bill passed the Senate committee in a bipartisan vote of 15-4!
Congress is now heading out for the August recess, where they will be working and campaigning back home in their districts and states. That means things will be quieter on the legislative front for a while. We will keep you posted about the next steps to support this permitting reform bill in the coming weeks and months.
• Keep learning about the bill: On Monday, CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli held an in-depth presentation and Q&A session about the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. Check out that recording to understand the ins and outs of the legislation and hear Dana’s answers to volunteers’ most pressing questions. If you want to go deeper on permitting reform, listen to this week’s episode of the “Good on Paper” podcast, featuring clean energy expert Jesse Jenkins.
Take action this week
If you have a little time: Boost the social buzz about permitting reform. We’ve spotted some good social media threads about permitting reform that we encourage you to read and share. Here’s one from Alec Stapp of the Institute for Progress, and it's full of remarkable charts like this one showing the need for permitting reform. And here’s one from Xan Fishman of the Bipartisan Policy Center, sharing his initial thoughts on the Energy Permitting Reform Act specifically. (Xan was a hit during a permitting reform panel discussion at last year's Summer Conference!)
If you have more time: Plan to attend and ask questions at forums/town halls. During the August recess, members of Congress head home to work and campaign in their districts or states. Forums and town halls provide an excellent opportunity for you to connect with your members of Congress — or with candidates seeking a congressional seat — on the issue of climate change. Check out our July Action Sheet for guidance about how to find these events and ask good climate questions when you get there.
Featured: Meteorologist Outreach Action Team
Local TV meteorologists are uniquely positioned to help the public understand the connection between extreme weather and climate change. As well as being good communicators, they are scientists and trusted messengers to viewers across the political spectrum — which is why CCL’s Meteorologist Outreach Action Team wants to connect with them.
This team has set out to award local meteorologists for outstanding climate communication. The team has created the Climate Coverage Champion Award, which they have awarded to a handful of local meteorologists who are going above and beyond with their climate coverage.
On May 15, Kari Hall, a meteorologist with NBC Bay News in Northern California, received the team’s first Climate Coverage Champion Award from CCL’s San Francisco Bay area chapters. San Mateo volunteer Rob Kahn presented the award, praising Hall for her efforts to impart education on climate change through her on-air weather and news segments, her social media, and her appearances at public events. The team has recently awarded meteorologists in Virginia and North Carolina, as well.
Read about the Meteorologist Outreach Action Team’s efforts in CCL’s recent blog post.
Upcoming trainings
8/1: Home Electrification and Efficiency Opportunities from the Inflation Reduction Act - In this session, CCL's Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli will review the incentives available to homeowners through the Inflation Reduction Act, the benefits of each technology, and details regarding the applicable tax credits and rebates. Join us!
8/8: Hosting A Front Porch Ribbon Cutting - Around the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) this August, Rewiring America and Citizens’ Climate Lobby are teaming up to organize Front Porch Ribbon Cuttings! These are fun events designed to showcase the impact of the IRA by treating homeowners who've installed clean electric machines with the same pomp and circumstance as a big, new manufacturing facility might get upon opening. We want to cut a ribbon in front of heat pumps, EVs, induction stoves, and heat pump water heaters that have been installed across the country thanks to the IRA. Join us!
8/13: Communicating with Progressives - In this session, CCL Texas State Coordinator Bob Hendricks and CCL superstar volunteer Nicole Hammond will share recommendations on talking about carbon fee and dividend and CCL's policy agenda with progressive groups. Join us!
To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.
Nerd Corner Chart of the Week
Trees, especially in warmer tropical and temperate climates, remove methane from the atmosphere
Join the discussion about a new study finding that trees are even more beneficial for the climate than previously thought.
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