Rollercoaster and more - Ukraine, Inflation, IPCC, SOTU, Ted Deutch, and Reconciliation

There is so much going on right now it is enough to make your head spin. I’m hoping I can help make some sense of all these news items that are affecting our work right now.

Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certainly a tragedy and a geopolitical nightmare. It also has implications for climate change and the transition to clean energy. For a CCL take on the topic you can see Executive Director Madeleine Para’s Op-Ed that is available on Community for volunteers to submit to local papers. She makes the case that this only adds an extra urgency to a shift away from reliance on fossil fuels and there are some good talking points there that you might use in LTEs or in conversations with friends and family. 

Unfortunately, responding to Russia’s invasion is taking a lot of energy from both the Biden administration and from Congress and that means less attention on climate action. This, along with the Supreme Court nominee, funding the government, and other issues, will likely push action on reconciliation to April. It will be very important soon to make sure our members of Congress turn their attention back to climate, so be prepared for another mobilization push if one is needed to jump start that process.

IPCC Report

You’ve probably also seen the latest IPCC report which covers the current and expected impacts from climate change. I won’t sugar coat it — it’s a little grim. But it is also clear from the report that we can still make a difference and reduce those impacts if we take action and reduce emissions. For more on the report you can read our blog post from our Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli, and his piece at Yale Climate Connections. We should definitely be amplifying the report in general, as well as lifting up Dana’s post on twitter. Dana was also quoted in this E&E News article on the report.

State of the Union

President Biden’s State of the Union address mentioned climate change but it was not nearly as prominent as one might have expected, even with the crisis in Ukraine. It was interesting to see how he wove it into the issues of jobs and inflation, touting the potential for families to save money on energy costs. It’s clear that inflation is a big issue politically right now which is why it’s good to have talking points ready on how carbon fee and dividend would affect inflation (in a nutshell - the effects would be small).

Now is still a good time to let the President know that climate change is a priority for you. And even better to get new folks to write the President so we can keep the pressure on for climate action.

Rep. Ted Deutch Retiring

You may have also seen the news that Representative Ted Deutch is retiring in October of 2022. He has been a great champion of climate action and carbon pricing, starting the Climate Solutions Caucus in 2016 and being the lead sponsor on the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in 2018. He will be sorely missed.

With 94 cosponsors on the bill CCL is confident that we can find a new lead sponsor in the new congress in 2023. For now, please don’t ask your member of Congress to be lead sponsor. Our DC team will be working on that issue and there are many nuanced issues to consider in that process.

In the meantime this should not change our existing advocacy for carbon fee and dividend to be part of budget reconciliation, or our support for the EICDA.

Supreme Court - West Virginia vs EPA

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in West Virginia v. EPA, a case about the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions. Analysis here from Washington Post or here from Vox. This case could make it much harder for the EPA, and other agencies, to create regulations, which would make it difficult for the executive branch to regulate climate emissions (and possibly other regulations). This makes it all the more important and urgent for Congress to pass clear and strong climate policy that is not subject to court challenges. Which brings us back to reconciliation…

Reconciliation and Manchin

Senator Joe Manchin floated some ideas for what a reconciliation bill could look like that he would support. The Washington Post quoted Manchin saying “Absolutely, we have to go forward with our climate solutions. I’m all for that." In simple terms he is proposing revenue from prescription drug savings and tax reform, which could then be used to reduce the debt and pay for climate programs. I see this as encouraging news for the climate, though it will still take a fair bit of negotiations to get Democrats on board with such a proposal. It also leaves open the possibility for revenue raising climate provisions like a methane fee or revenue neutral provisions like a carbon fee and dividend. 

Formal negotiations have not started on this plan but we are hopeful they can begin soon. This makes it a great time to hold events in-district or take other measures that focus our members of Congress on climate and how much their constituents want action now. As it says in our 2022 Chapter Action Plan, “The spring and summer are the most important times to show support for climate action, since Democrats seem most likely to return to budget reconciliation as the summer approaches.”

Now is a great time to get into action as well as plan for actions you can take in April and May!