Weekly Briefing: Another successful Conservative Lobby Day

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Apr. 22, 2026

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Happy Earth Day! CCLers know April is our busiest time of the year for outreach and recruitment. While chapters have been hosting tabling events, presentations, film screenings, and more, this April also marks the first time our Conservative Lobby Day has coincided with Earth Month.

After a successful online Conservative Climate Conference on Saturday, conference attendees took their message to Capitol Hill yesterday during a virtual Lobby Day. This Lobby Day is specifically reserved for right-of-center CCLers to lobby Republican members of Congress, providing a space for open dialogue around a conservative point of view.

Volunteers’ primary ask for Congress, as presented by CCL VP of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler and Congressional Liaison Director Mindy Ahler at the conference, was for lawmakers to strike a deal around permitting reform and unlock U.S. energy innovation.

Our citizen lobbyists cited existing bipartisan momentum around permitting reform and detailed how reforms can build energy infrastructure faster, lower costs, and strengthen reliability. They also presented the new transmission bill draft text from Senators Hickenlooper and Padilla as a strong starting point for a bipartisan transmission framework.

To prepare, attendees went into these meetings after a full day of educational conference sessions, including a keynote from former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chairman Neil Chatterjee. Neil’s session provided perspective on permitting reform and why it’s necessary to meet America’s growing energy costs.

"If we are going to successfully meet this surge in demand for power while maintaining affordability and reliability, we’re going to need every available electron,” he said. "We’ll need energy efficiency, demand response, grid-enhancing technologies… There's a real opportunity to do smart energy policy here, and it does really start with federal energy permitting reform."

Chatterjee went on to emphasize the role of Republicans coming to the table in bipartisan negotiations for a comprehensive bill, which he believes we’re already seeing in some of the energy bills coming out of this Congress.

"We’ve become trapped in this mode that when it comes to energy, if you're for fossil fuels you're of the political right and if you're for clean energy you're of the political left,” he said. “And that is just a silly, outdated way of thinking."

Take a look at some of the posts from this week’s Conservative Climate Conference & Lobby Day and share them with your network.

Spread the word

In other news this week:

Summer conference: ICYMI during our April meeting, registration is officially open for CCL’s Summer Conference and Lobby Day! Join us July 26-28, 2026 in Washington, D.C., for jam-packed days of education, connection, and lobbying on Capitol Hill. Congress is coming to the table on policies that could support clean, affordable energy. Register before the May 21 Early Bird deadline to make sure you have seat at that table, too.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Share our Earth Day post. It’s the best day of the year! This month, many CCL staff and volunteers alike have been extremely moved by the photos, videos and remarks coming from the Artemis II crew on their journey to the moon and back. Share our Artemis II-inspired Earth Day post on Facebook, X, Bluesky, or Instagram to spread the good Earth Day vibes to your crew.

If you have more time: Tell us your ‘Aha!’ moments from BRIDGE. Help us learn from your experience using CCL's BRIDGE training program in real conversations. This short reflection survey is designed to ask you about a moment where the skills or information you've learned in BRIDGE meaningfully enhanced a conversation you were having. With your responses, CCL can better understand what’s working, where people are getting stuck, and where meaningful shifts are happening. Thanks in advance for sharing!

Upcoming trainings

4/23: CCL’s Theory of Change: The Three Conditions for Congressional Action (BRIDGE Training #4) - Now that we understand the Moral Foundations Theory, we’re moving into BRIDGE Unit 2 and applying our knowledge to our relationships with Congress. In this training, you’ll learn how climate progress becomes possible when your Member of Congress experiences the conditions necessary for change—and how your chapter’s actions intentionally build those conditions. Join us!

4/26: Summer Conference: Information Session for Youth & Parents - Youth (ages 13-17) and their parents who want to learn more about attending CCL's Summer Conference & Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. are invited to join this virtual information session. You’ll hear from students about this empowering experience and what it has meant for them. We'll also share how the conference and lobby day are organized, how the registration process works, information on travel logistics, and some fundraising ideas to consider. Join us!

4/27: Inclusion Workshop - Women's Health & Reproductive Rights - Environmental change can limit access to healthcare, especially for vulnerable populations. This Diversity & Inclusion Action Team workshop will examine how climate change affects reproductive health. Our presenter will demonstrate how these impacts are unevenly distributed, highlighting environmental injustice and emphasizing the importance of environmental policy in protecting reproductive health. Join us!

To see other events and CCL trainings, visit the Live Events Calendar on CCL Community.

Posted by Elissa Tennant on Apr 23, 2026 12:00 AM America/Los_Angeles