Dear NRDC Action Fund Supporter,

I write to you on my first day as the new president of NRDC and the NRDC Action Fund.

Given the enormous challenges we face — and the unprecedented need for swift action — I'm hitting the ground running alongside my 700 NRDC and NRDC Action Fund colleagues.

NRDC's and the NRDC Action Fund's ability to respond effectively is exactly why I took this job. When I ran the EPA under President Barack Obama, NRDC and the NRDC Action Fund challenged our agency more often, and more strategically, than any other organization. I was on the receiving end of some "love letters" from NRDC's lawyers and policy experts. They knew how to hold our feet to the fire.

I'm proud to be part of that team today — fighting the Trump administration's appalling rollbacks of our fundamental environmental protections.

We've got our work cut out for us: a species extinction crisis ... contaminated drinking water in cities and rural communities ... oil and gas companies pushing for unfettered access to our land and water ... dangerous rollbacks of safeguards protecting us from air pollution and toxic chemicals ... attacks on science — and scientists — that undermine our institutions and the truth.

And no challenge is more dire than climate change. And the planet's alarm bells are deafening: 2019 was one of the hottest years on record. Wildfires in Australia are burning at an unprecedented rate and the western fire season in our own country is getting longer and more severe. Thawing permafrost and melting ice in a shockingly warm Arctic and Greenland have scientists very worried about accelerated warming and sea level rise.

So there could be no worse time to be facing an administration full of climate deniers, anti-environmentalists, and pro-polluter industry insiders.

But I see 2020 as the year we jumpstart a decade of breakthrough action on climate change. There can be no regrets. We must make 2020 the year we do all that we can do to spark transformative action on climate and clean energy, to protect and sustain the natural resources we need to survive, and to save the special places we call home. And here's what NRDC and the NRDC Action Fund are doing:

• Courtroom Action: As I write this, NRDC's team of skilled and passionate litigators have filed 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, winning 92% of resolved cases. In my book, that shows just why NRDC is the best. We know how to get hard things done. And we will continue taking the Trump administration to court, whenever it breaks the law in pursuit of big polluter profits.
• Winning in 2020: The elections — possibly the most consequential in our lifetime — are just around the corner. And the NRDC Action Fund is dramatically ramping up get-out-the-vote activities and building its ground game to defeat Trump, maintain the pro-environment majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and replace senators who have been some of Trump's biggest pro-polluter allies.
• Rapid Response Grassroots Mobilization: We'll be mobilizing our over 3.1 million NRDC and NRDC Action Fund supporters like you to oppose rollbacks of environmental protections — when and where you're needed most. Taking action online and engaging on social media will be critical — but we'll also be calling on you to show up, make face-to-face connections, and get phones ringing at the White House and on Capitol Hill to make Trump and Congress feel the heat.
• Going Beyond the Beltway — Locally and Globally: The action isn't only in Washington, D.C. Cities and states are leading the way, especially on climate change and clean energy. NRDC and the NRDC Action Fund are doubling down on our local focus. And with a growing team in China, India, and Latin America, we're driving climate action around the world.
• Bringing New People to the Fight: One of our biggest priorities is recruiting millions more people to this cause. Climate change impacts everyone and climate action needs everyone. We must expand our connections ... to young people whose future depends on it ... to communities of color, which are all too often impacted first and worst by the climate crisis ... to the majority of Americans, across all 50 states, who support clean energy solutions over dirty fuels of the past.

One thing we won't be changing is our commitment to our members.

Members, supporters, and activists like you provide the resources we need to carry on the fight. And your contribution goes beyond dollars — you give your time writing letters, signing petitions, calling legislators, showing up at meetings and rallies, and so much more. You drive our mission, and for that we are so thankful.

So, as I begin my first day on the job, I am inspired, energized and determined. I'm thrilled to be part of this team and Iook forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you as we take up the challenges that await us in 2020. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gina McCarthy
President, NRDC and NRDC Action Fund