LTE & Op-ed Workshop to Defend Clean Energy Tax Credits

The Senate is moving forward on their version of a budget reconciliation bill that could drastically cut clean energy tax credits. CCL wants to protect those tax credits. We have been emailing, calling, and meeting with members of Congress about this for months. Now it's time to take the conversation public in local media all around the country!

Join this special workshop with Charlotte Ward, CCL's Communications and Media Manager, to learn everything you need to know to write an effective letter to the editor (LTE) or a full op-ed about the tax credits. After a quick overview and training, you'll spend 20 minutes of focused time writing your LTE or personalizing our op-ed template during the call.

Log your training automatically: https://community.citizensclimate.org/log_training?sf_id=a5yUP000000AHfVYAW

Resources from this training
Slide deck
Agenda

Skip Ahead in the Video
Below is a “skip-ahead” guide to key sections of the video, so you can jump right to what you need. All times are in minutes:seconds from the start.

• 00:00 – 00:30 Welcome & Speaker Intro

  Charlotte Ward is introduced as CCL’s Communication & Media Manager.

• 00:30 – 01:20 Session Overview & Objectives

  What we’ll cover tonight—why energy tax credits matter and how to turn that into an effective letter.

• 01:21 – 03:47 Slide 1: “What’s at Stake”

  High-level impact of the clean energy tax credits—national, state, and local.

• 03:48 – 05:13 Letter-Writing Exercise—“State What We Stand to Lose”

  Instructions for drafting the opening of your letter: framing the stakes.

• 05:14 – 07:59 Resource Demo: IRA Spreadsheet

  How to use CCL’s “Defend the IRA” spreadsheet to pull district-specific data.

• 08:00 – 10:00 Accessing & Interpreting Your District Data

  Quick tour of filtering by state/district and pulling the figures you need.

• 10:01 – 12:29 Example Letter Walk-Through

  Step-by-step review of a model letter—tone, structure, and personalization tips.

• 12:30 – 14:59 Personalization Strategies

  How to weave in your own story or local examples to make your ask more compelling.

• 15:00 – 18:40 Finding & Contacting Your Member of Congress

  Overview of CCL tools (Zoom lobby portal, Action Network) and best practices for submission.

• 18:41 – ~25:00 Q&A Session

  Live answers to common questions, troubleshooting your data or draft.

• 25:01 – 30:00 Additional Comms Best Practices

  Tips on timing, follow-up, and leveraging social media to amplify your letter.

• 30:01 – 34:57 Closing Remarks & Next Steps

  Key takeaways, where to find more resources, and how to stay engaged with CCL.