Weekly Briefing: After Lobby Day, Congress is listening
August 6, 2025
Just a few weeks ago, CCL volunteers held 402 lobby meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. We know we made a big impression on Congress, with at least 10 lawmakers posting about our visits on social media in the days following our visit.
And now, we’re seeing that they didn’t just notice us — they listened to us.
One of our Lobby Day asks was for lawmakers to reject guidance from the White House that might try to further restrict tax credits for clean energy like wind and solar.
About a week later, Politico reported that a “handful of Senate Republicans are escalating their pressure on the Trump administration to back off its efforts to strangle new solar and wind energy projects.”
The story names Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Sen. John Curtis of Utah — and CCL volunteers met with all of those offices, or the members themselves, on July 22.
This week, Sen. Chuck Grassley joined Sen. Curtis in placing a hold on several Treasury Department nominees because of the agency’s expected clampdown on tax credits for wind and solar energy. CCLers met with Sen. Grassley on July 22, too.
It’s great to see this example of members of Congress following through on this key part of our primary ask!
This is why we show up in a respectful, nonpartisan way. This is why we work consistently to build more common ground in Congress. Our advocacy brings climate action and clean energy policy closer within reach. Let’s keep at it.
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In other news this week
CCL will submit formal comment to EPA: You might have seen headlines or social media discussion about the EPA planning to get rid of the “endangerment finding.” This is a 2009 declaration saying that planet-warming greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, pose a threat to public health, and it empowers the EPA to regulate those greenhouse gases because they endanger human health or welfare.
Without the endangerment finding, the EPA may not be allowed or able to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from sources like power plants or vehicle tailpipes, as they have done for years.
The EPA’s proposed rollback of the endangerment finding is open to public comments until September 15. CCL National will submit a formal comment during this period.
“The EPA is defying Congressional effort and intent here by reinterpreting the law,” explains Dana Nuccitelli, CCL’s Research Manager, in a CCL Community post. “We at CCL want to support Congress' efforts by submitting this formal comment, which will make that point.”
Learn more about the endangerment finding in Dana’s recent article for Yale Climate Connections.
Take action this week
If you have a little time: Tune into CCL’s August monthly meeting. This Saturday, CCL hosts our August monthly meeting for volunteers and chapters all around the country. Tune in virtually on Zoom on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT to hear highlights from our recent conference keynote session with bestselling author and Good Conflict co-founder Amanda Ripley. We’ll also walk through our August Action Sheet and send messages to Congress about climate and clean energy funding. Don’t miss it!
If you have more time: Engage your Members of Congress locally. In August, Members of Congress are home from D.C. and working in their local offices. They also may be hosting town halls, appearing at community events, or otherwise engaging with folks back home. This creates a great opportunity for you and other local CCLers to grow your relationship with lawmakers and their staff, and to build your reputation in our community. Check out our August Action Sheet for ideas and guidance.
Featured chapter: CCL Lorain County - See their feature here!
Upcoming trainings
8/9: August monthly meeting - Each month, CCL hosts a virtual meeting for our chapters and volunteers nationwide. Our meeting for August takes place this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. See you there!
8/13: Live Informational Session - CCL holds a live informational session every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, helping new volunteers understand what CCL does and how we do it. Plan to join us next week, or invite a friend who cares about climate change and wants to get involved.
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