Danny: Roller coaster of legislative process no cause for panic
In the past week, news outlets have reported several twists and turns about climate provisions being negotiated in the budget reconciliation bill. CCL VP for Government Affairs Danny Richter provides some perspective to calm your nerves in a new video. Late last week, the New York Times reported that Sen. Joe Manchin is likely to cut the Clean Electricity Payment Plan (CEPP) that was the cornerstone of legislation to reduce carbon emissions. “This has a lot of people speaking in apocalyptic terms,” said Danny. Although the CEPP would have helped reduce carbon emissions, Danny points out that there are other measures, such as tax incentives and a price on carbon pollution, that will achieve the 50% emissions reductions by 2030 that the U.S. has committed to. The conversation has turned even more to carbon pricing over the last few days. The New York Times reported, following news of Manchin’s desire to drop the CEPP, that Democrats are gravitating to a carbon tax to achieve emissions reductions. However, concerns arose yesterday when Manchin said, “the carbon tax is not on the board at all right now." “He's just saying it hasn't been discussed. He's not saying that it's dead on arrival, so I really wouldn't worry too much about this statement,” said Danny. In wrapping up, Danny suggests several actions: Writing letters to the editor, emailing President Biden and helping with CCL’s phone banking and text banking. Get the full briefing on the latest developments with the reconciliation bill and what it all means in Danny’s new video.
In other news this week: About that legislative roller coaster: CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna had some encouraging words about the latest developments surrounding climate measures in the reconciliation bill. In a post on CCL Community, Tony explains how provisions that include a carbon price can reach the goal of 50% emissions reductions by 2030. In a second post, he puts Manchin’s remarks about carbon pricing in more context, and he clarifies that the door is still open to the policy. Editorial backs carbon price for reconciliation: CCL volunteers in Santa Rosa generated a big endorsement for carbon fee and dividend in the Press-Democrat this week. In a lead editorial, the newspaper said the reconciliation bill should include the carbon pricing policy because it is “a strategy that promises to reduce emissions, promote new technologies and put money in people’s pockets to offset the cost.” Braver Angels workshop this weekend: Braver Angels is hosting a workshop this Sunday, Oct. 24, at 12 p.m. ET called "Bridging the Divide on Climate Solutions Workshop." While most Americans understand that climate change is real, they disagree about how to solve it. "Bridging the Divide on Climate Solutions" teaches communication skills that will allow people to talk more constructively with each other about solutions to climate change. Register here. Book Q&A with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe: Join CCL on Oct. 27, as well as world-renowned climate scientist and CCL Advisory Board Member Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, for a CCL-exclusive one-hour conversation about her new book “Saving Us.” Join us! |
