With carbon pricing still in play, volunteers gather for CCL’s fall conference
With carbon pricing still under consideration in the Senate version of the Build Back Better Act, Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers gathered for a virtual conference last weekend. The conference kicked off a week of lobbying congressional offices to include a price on carbon in the reconciliation bill that House and Senate leaders hope to pass in the weeks ahead. CCL volunteers have scheduled 268 Senate and House meetings this week. During the conference, CCL VP for Government Affairs Dr. Danny Richter laid out the organization’s legislative strategy and where things stand with the reconciliation process. Noting Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s recent statement that carbon pricing has 49 of the 50 Senate votes needed for passage, Danny told volunteers, “While Sen. Whitehouse’s vote count is very encouraging, politicians have been known to get weak knees from time to time. In the Senate, your job is to be a knee brace for those politicians to strengthen the resolve of Senate Democrats. Let them know their constituents still support this and want to see it included in the final package.” The conference, Grit and Gratitude, was viewed by 1,843 attendees online and featured keynote speaker Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist, writer and co-creator of the climate initiative The All We Can Save Project. Dr. Johnson shared the concept of a Blue New Deal, a plan that recognizes that we must include the ocean as a key solution to the climate crisis. She also offered advice on how CCL can build better relationships with the climate justice movement. You can watch her conversation with CCL President Madeleine Para on CCL Community. Participants at the conference also heard from Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy and author of “Saving Us.” She had just returned from the UN climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, and spoke about the agreement that was reached during CCL’s conference. “Never before has the UNFCC’s agreement specifically called out fossil fuels, and this one does. It calls for the elimination of subsidies for fossil fuels, which are astronomical.” Plenaries and workshops from the conference can be viewed on CCL’s YouTube channel.
In other news this week:
- CCI at COP26: Citizens’ Climate International had a major presence at the COP26 UN climate meeting in Glasgow, with 23 team members accredited to attend the conference. During CCL’s conference on Saturday, CCI Executive Director Joe Robertson and CCL Southeast Regional Coordinator Solemi Hernandez gave an update on the UN conference just as delegates were signing off on the COP26 agreement. Check out CCI’s report about COP26 and photos from the conference. Joe will give a presentation about COP26 in a Citizens’ Climate University session on Dec. 2.
- Where does the reconciliation bill stand? A House vote may soon take place on the Build Back Better Act, legislation moving through the budget reconciliation process that only requires a simple majority for passage in the Senate. Among other things, the bill contains sweeping measures to address climate change. House leaders are waiting for a report from the Congressional Budget Office, expected later this week, before voting on the measure. One complication is that the CBO score may reveal a gap between spending and revenue that would have to be addressed.
- Meanwhile, in the Senate... Once the House passes its version of the Build Back Better Act, attention turns to the Senate, where negotiations are expected to take several weeks. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he hopes to deliver the bill before Christmas. Although the House version does not contain a price on carbon, the policy is still under consideration in the Senate. Should the Senate bill include carbon pricing, the House is expected to pass the Senate version.
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