Citizens Climate Lobby

	Weekly Briefing, Oct. 18, 2023

Table of Contents:
	Hear from Ben and Jenn
	Take action this week
	Featured: CCL Huntsville
	Upcoming trainings

Get the scoop on the
House Speaker saga

You’ve probably heard about the drama unfolding in Congress over the last few weeks — Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Speaker of the House, and as of right now, this important role still has not been filled.

Ben Pendergrass, CCL’s Vice President of Government Affairs, joined CCL’s October meeting this past weekend to help us understand what's going on. "Republicans are having a hard time coalescing around a candidate to replace Kevin McCarthy," Ben explained. "This really has an impact because the House cannot function without a Speaker, the way the rules are currently written."

If you weren’t able to join the meeting on Saturday, catch up on Ben's remarks and the Q&A on CCL’s YouTube channel. In addition to the Speaker situation, Ben also discussed the prospects for legislative progress on some of CCL’s climate policy priorities between now and the end of the year.

And the landscape in D.C. is always evolving, so this won’t be the last time you’ll hear from our legislative team! We’ve planned a legislative roundtable with Ben and Jenn Tyler, our Senior Director of Government Affairs, as part of our upcoming “Grassroots Rising” virtual conference on Nov. 4.

Register now to attend and get the inside scoop on Congress and climate. You can email Ben and Jenn questions ahead of time to [email protected], or come prepared to ask your questions during the session. See you there!

In other news this week:

• Washington Post sees climate hope in carbon pricing: An editorial from the Washington Post this month notes a handful of encouraging signs on climate. “One glimmer of progress is that more places are starting to price carbon emissions," the editorial board writes.

• EU CBAM keeps making headlines: An in-depth WIRED article about Europe’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) says the policy will “lift carbon pricing up the political agenda for places that probably didn’t pay that much attention before.” We love to see it 🙌

• A discussion of political diversity: On Oct. 23, CCL’s Conservative Outreach Director, Drew Eyerly, and our Diversity and Inclusion Director, Karina Ramirez, will host a joint presentation about political diversity and what that means for us at CCL. It promises to be a unique event and an insightful discussion — all are welcome!

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Post about the conference. We hope you'll join us at our free, virtual Fall Conference coming up in just a few weeks! Once you register to attend, share a social media post to give your friends and family a peek into your climate advocacy.

If you have more time: Plan to join a November lobby meeting. Your local chapter is in the process of planning fall lobby meetings with your members of Congress the week of November 6-10, and they will need people to join the meetings virtually. Get an overview of the process here, and then reach out to your local chapter to ask about participating.

Featured chapter: CCL Huntsville

During CCL's national October meeting this weekend, group leader Debbie Chang shared a few nuggets of wisdom from her group in Huntsville, Alabama, including a special practice they do at the end of each local chapter meeting. (Debbie is pictured above, right, on Capitol Hill with fellow Huntsville volunteers.)

“At the end of each monthly meeting, our chapter members like to give recognitions and share gratitudes,” Debbie says. These sound like, "(Volunteer name), thanks for putting together the event X this month. It was really successful, and I also want to thank volunteers A, B, and C for helping to promote and take sign ups and welcoming folks at the event.” They open the floor up, popcorn style, so anyone can chime in and share.

“The idea is to show people that their contributions, even one that you might take for granted, are noticed,” Debbie says, sending the message: “It’s appreciated, it makes a difference, please keep doing it!” This practice has made a positive impact on the culture of their chapter.

Hear more of Debbie’s advice from the October call, including how to stay consistent and persistent in your CCL work.

CCL has nearly 400 chapters across the country. Find your local chapter today and get plugged in.

Find My Chapter

Upcoming trainings

10/19: Overview and Benefits of the BIG WIRES Act - The BIG WIRES Act has been introduced in the House and Senate and will be a focus of our fall lobbying. Join CCL's Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli to learn how this policy could update and streamline the country’s patchwork energy transmission system, improving reliability and reducing energy costs. Join us!

10/23: Fall 2023 Lobby Training #1: Primary & Supporting Asks - Join CCL's legislative staffers, Ben Pendergrass and Jennifer Tyler, to discuss the meeting asks for our upcoming fall lobby meetings. Join us!

10/26: Fall 2023 Lobby Training #2: Legislative Plan - Get even more details and context for CCL's Fall 2023 Primary and Supporting Asks, as well as guidance for lobby teams as they plan their online meetings. Join us!

Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:

10/24: CCL's Policy Agenda - Learn how Citizens’ Climate advocates for an array of policies, including carbon pricing, that are effective in reducing net emissions and building bridges both in Congress and in our communities. Join us!

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

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