Citizens Climate Lobby

Ag Committee approves Growing Climate Solutions Act; Braun, Stabenow and Coons featured in bipartisan webinar Thursday

	Weekly Briefing, April 28, 2021

Table of Contents:
	Diversity of cosponsors
	Take action this week
	Featured lever: Grasstops
	Upcoming trainings
	This week on the CCL blog

Diversity well represented among cosponsors of

Energy Innovation Act

Diversity is one of Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s core values as we “seek out, support, and elevate people whose voices may not have been fully heard.” It’s been very gratifying, therefore, to see diversity reflected in the members of Congress who are cosponsoring the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, CCL’s preferred climate legislation.

Introduced April 1 by Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-22), the bill now has 40 cosponsors. Six of those cosponsors are in the Congressional Black Caucus, eight in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, 13 in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (including Chairwoman Rep. Judy Chu, CA-27, pictured above), and 34 in the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.

Explaining why she supports a price on carbon, Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-17), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said, “Taxing carbon really is the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions, while providing the needed resources which we need to address the costs of unchecked carbon. Carbon taxes will offset the massive societal costs of unchecked carbon emissions, and I think we should support it."

Check out our latest blog to see all the cosponsors who are members of these caucuses and read some of the things they’ve said about climate change and carbon pricing.

READ AND SHARE THE BLOG

In other news this week:

Bipartisan climate conversation: At 11 a.m. ET this Thursday (April 29), the Climate Solutions Foundation is hosting a discussion with Republican and Democratic members of Congress about ways to work together to solve climate change. Speakers include Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Find out more and register here to attend.

Growing Climate Solutions Act on fast track: Introduced on April 20 with broad bipartisan support, the bill to help farmers and foresters access carbon credit markets was passed just two days later in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. “This brings us one step closer to providing more opportunities for farmers and foresters to lead in addressing the climate crisis,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the committee, said in a press release.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Check out our latest Instagram reel in which “President Biden” hears the various reasons why a price on carbon needs to be included in his proposal to address climate change. Like and comment on the reel or share it to your Instagram story.

If you have more time: Join our webinar with Sierra Club National Campaign Director Mary Ann Hitt, who co-edited the book “All We Can Save.” Hosted by CCL’s Book Study Action Team, the webinar is at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on May 5. Learn more and add to your own calendar.

You can also connect with your nearest CCL chapter to take action in your community, or join one of CCL’s national online Action Teams to take action on specific topics like agriculture, health, faith, and more.

Browse CCL Community’s Event Calendar to find upcoming events, trainings, and calls you can join.

Grasstops: Outdoor enthusiasts endorse bill

CCL volunteers in Wisconsin went the extra mile to get an unusual endorsement for the Energy Innovation Act. The state has a Conservation Congress, which lets residents provide input to their Department of Natural Resources on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. Once a year, residents can vote on a number of outdoor issues. The process for getting a resolution placed on the state-wide ballot is very complicated, but CCL volunteers throughout the state worked to include a question asking if the Conservation Congress should “endorse and encourage” the U.S. Congress to enact the Energy Innovation Act.

Volunteer Tom Wilson reports that of the 8,515 residents who had an opinion, 59% voted “yes.” Much of the participation in the referendum comes from rural areas where constituents typically vote more conservative. Tom said the results show you can’t make assumptions on people’s positions based on political affiliation or stereotypes. “People who hunt, fish, trap and farm may not have a lot of truck with urban 'environmentalists,' but they do pay close attention to their environment and many recognize the dangers we face and the value of common-sense solutions.”

If you’re inspired to get an endorsement like this, CCL provides trainings on grasstops community outreach.

CHECK OUT THE TRAININGS

Upcoming trainings

4/29: How to Host Online Zoom Meetings - Zoom offers lots of tools to run an online meeting smoothly. Learn more about using those tools to get more out of your virtual gatherings. Join us!

5/6: CCL’s International Work — Updates from Around the World - Wondering what CCL is doing to advance carbon pricing and citizen engagement in other parts of the world? Cathy Orlando, CCL’s International Program Director, will fill you in. Join us!

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

5/4: Economics of Carbon Fee and Dividend Policies - Get a better understanding of CCL’s preferred climate solution and how it works. Learn more.

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

This week on the CCL blog

The Black Birder movement: On the latest episode of Citizens’ Climate Radio, Tykee James, Government Affairs Coordinator for the National Audubon Society, talks about the creation of Black Birders Week — coming up at the end of May — which was created to bring more visibility to a thriving community of Black birdwatchers. Read more.

Businesses see value of carbon price: CCL recently hosted the Business Advocates for Carbon Pricing conference, an event for business owners, many of whom have endorsed the Energy Innovation Act. “Business support is critical to that policy’s success,” said CCL’s Senior Business Relations Representative Kyle Kammien. The aim of the event was to help business leaders become advocates for carbon fee and dividend. Read more.

Postcards to the president: In a campaign to let President Biden know about the effectiveness and popularity of carbon pricing, CCLers have sent hundreds of postcards to the White House. See what some of them had to say in this post. Read more.

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