This Week In Climate Action

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JUNE 11, 2021

Jun 11, 2021

Courtnee Connon, 727-744-4163, courtnee_connon@lcv.org

Your weekly resource to learn what the environmental movement is saying about the news of the day and the political fight of our generation. Be sure to follow LCV on Facebook and Twitter.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

“No climate, no deal.” 

Senator Ed Markey via Twitter

“We fight for what we love. If we can fall in love with nature more, we’re going to be even more equipped to fight for it and to advocate for it. From a queer perspective, I was taught the outdoors was a place for toxic masculinity and that I was actually unnatural — it’s so important that we continue to eliminate barriers for marginalised people to get outdoors.”

Pattie Gonia, queer environmentalist who recently launched a scholarship program in partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership Scool (NOLS) for LGBTQ+ youth to attend a backpacking course in Utah. See their interview in Vogue article, “Queer Activist Pattie Gonia On How We Can All Find Joy In Nature”.

“I learned firsthand about the injustices and failures of our food system — I needed to shift my focus and my offerings from the capitalist system to land-based ecosystems, make more of an impact in dismantling racism in our food system, and [help] queer and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] folks re-connect to nature, our birthright.”

— Christina Bouza, co-founder and director of Finca Morada, an educational urban farm in North Miami, and Grow Roots Miami, a food justice collaboration that builds free food-producing gardens, in Eater article, “Queer Farmers Are Changing the Landscape”.

“The problem is when people rise up to fight the poison in their neighborhood, the polluters find another marginalized community to dump on. We don’t want this poison in our backyard, or in anyone’s backyard. 

— Richard Moore, co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance and the co-coordinator of Los Jardines Institute in an opinion piece in The Hill, “Environmental justice: From our ancestors to our children”.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

The New York Times: Collapse of Infrastructure Talks Puts Climate Action at Risk
The Washington Post: Gore pressed Biden to stick with climate plans as liberals fear White House is softening its agenda
POLITICO: Biden climate adviser: Infrastructure plan could omit some climate proposals
NC Policy Watch: Biden’s public lands pick wins backing by environmental advocates ahead of hearing
EQ International: Reps. Levin, Ocasio-Cortex Unveil Updated Electric Vehicle Charging Station Legislation
Roll Call: Environmental group’s first Senate picks for 2022 all go to Democrats
AP: Biden moves to restore clean-water safeguards ended by Trump
The Hill: Environmental groups call on members to leave Chamber of Commerce over climate stances
People: Lawmaker Asks Head-Scratching Question About Changing Earth and Moon’s Orbit to Fight Climate Change
POLITICO: Biden pitched a bold climate vision. He may be watching it die in Congress.
WMUR: NH Primary Source: Hassan among environmental group PAC’s first round of 2022 US Senate endorsements

 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: 

LCV’s affiliates are hard at work protecting the environment and fighting climate change in the states. Here’s what people are reading across the country:
San Francisco Chronicle (CA): For environmentalists, California’s Legislature has been ‘a bloodbath’ this year
WUWF (FL): Environmentalists Say DeSantis Should Give Credit To Biden Administration
The News Herald (MI): Biden’s American Jobs Plan builds back better for Michigan
The Morning Call (PA): Your View: Biden’s American Jobs Plan means a healthier, cleaner, more economically sound future for the Lehigh Valley
Vermont Biz (VT): Universal mail-in voting law widely supported in Vermont
Milwaukee Independent (WI): Representative Gwen Moore Joins Clean Energy Advocates in Urging Support for Infrastructure Plan
Black Star News (NY): COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROWING FOR CORDELL CLEARE’S CITY COUNCIL RACE

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FOR THE PEOPLE + ELIMINATE THE FILIBUSTER: In advance of the Senate’s expected move to take up S.1, the For the People Act, towards the end of June, LCV sent a letter to the full Senate urging support for this crucial voting rights and democracy reform bill, which would prevent racist and ableist barriers to the electoral process. Notably, the letter indicated that this vote will definitely be scored in the 2021 LCV National Environmental Scorecard — a departure from standard procedure. Additionally, the letter calls on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster, marking the first time LCV has taken a public position on this archaic Senate rule. We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy, especially when communities most impacted by the climate crisis are unable to fully participate in our democracy. 

OUR TAKE ON S1: LCV President Gene Karpinski states, “S. 1 seeks to address issues at the core of a well-functioning nation — that every eligible voter can participate equitably in our democracy, and that the people’s voice, rather than outsized corporate influence, guides our elected officials. For far too long, restrictive voting laws and partisan gerrymandering have silenced voices in our communities, disproportionately impacting people of color, young people, and people with disabilities, and the myriad threats to voting rights in states around the country will only make this worse.”

OUR TAKE ON THE FILIBUSTER: LCV President Gene Karpinski notes, “While the filibuster has been used for good in the past, today the filibuster is not a tool to foster compromise on Capitol Hill. Some of the arcane rule’s most notable uses have been to block legislation that would benefit people of color and other underserved communities across the country.”

MORE FOR THE PEOPLE: On Wednesday, members of Congress and activists rallied at the Supreme Court to show support for S. 1, the For the People Act, and deliver a petition with hundreds of thousands of signers calling on Congress to prioritize and pass S. 1. LCV Voting Rights Director Justin Kwasa spoke at the rally, reminding the crowd that a healthy democracy and a healthy environment are inextricably linked. Communities who face barriers to participating in our democracy — often communities of color and low income communities — are also the most impacted by poor environmental policies that put polluter interests before the wellbeing of people. 

OUR TAKE: At the event, LCV Voting Rights Director Justin Kwasa said, “Look, we only have one Earth and we only have one democracy. And time is running out for both. So, we need to pass the For the People Act so we ensure that we leave a better democracy and better Earth, not only for ourselves, but for our children.”

CAPITO TALKS CRUMBLE: Early this week, President Biden’s infrastructure talks with Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Senate Republicans ended in an irreconcilable deadlock. A bipartisan group of senators are emerging as the president’s next focus  while the necessary outcomes remain clear: we need a transformational investment in infrastructure that centers clean energy, justice and jobs, and we need it now. According to a May 27 Navigator Research poll, 4 in 5 voters support making significant investments in clean energy as part of the economic recovery, and the vast majority of independents (76%), Black Americans (90%), Hispanic Americans (74%), and Asian Americans (77%) support including climate-related initiatives in the American Jobs Plan.   

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “When Republicans in the U.S. Congress show you who they are again and again, believe them. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support for the American Jobs Plan and significant investments in clean energy in even the deepest red states and districts, Senate Republicans are completely out of step and are failing their constituents. It’s time for Democrats to move on, pass the American Jobs Plan ASAP and get millions of people back to work in high-quality jobs while investing in ambitious climate solutions, environmental justice, and clean energy.”  

TRANSPO + WATER INFRASTRUCTURE MARKED UP: This week, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee had a busy week marking up a surface transportation bill, the INVEST in America Act, and a bill that would help address wastewater and stormwater infrastructure shortcomings, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021. These two bills are foundational first steps toward the comprehensive, transformational change our country needs as we pursue the American Jobs Plan. While the surface transportation bill invests significantly in clean transit, including zero-emission buses and passenger rail, this is just the beginning and we need to continue down the road toward the once-in-a-generation American Jobs Plan that centers clean energy, justice, and jobs. And, it’s critical that water infrastructure — as considered by the committee — remains a key priority too. Much of our country’s wastewater infrastructure — pipes, septic tanks, treatment facilities — are breaking down and failing, especially in low-income communities and communities of color, putting people’s health at risk. Now is the time to fix our crumbling infrastructure while addressing climate change, and put people back to work doing so.

OUR TRANSPO TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “We applaud Chairman DeFazio for his leadership on this comprehensive surface transportation bill which will help to move our country toward a pollution-free future while creating good jobs in the process. The INVEST in America Act includes transformative investments that will help maintain and improve public transit, accelerate fleet transition to zero-emission vehicles, and strengthen passenger rail. This is just the beginning – it’s time for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan — the plan that centers climate, clean energy, jobs, and justice and has the backing of labor unions, environmental justice leaders, businesses, and local leaders from across the country. We must seize this opportunity to make once-in-a-generation progress.” 

OUR STATES’ TRANSPO TAKE: Five of LCV’s state affiliates also weighed in on the Invest in America Act. To hear what leaders in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Oregon are saying, read more here.   

OUR WATER TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote said, “Thanks to Chair DeFazio and Subcommittee Chair Napolitano for prioritizing environmental justice and climate change in their strong water infrastructure bill that will help provide all communities with access to clean, safe, and affordable water. We’re especially thrilled to see a significant increase in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, increased grants and loan forgiveness for low-income communities and communities of color who have historically borne the brunt of pollution and failing water infrastructure, and funding to help communities invest in green infrastructure and adapt to climate change. Clean water is a basic human right, and this bill is an important piece of delivering on the American Jobs Plan that will improve the health of our communities, tackle the climate crisis, create high-quality, union jobs, and go a long way toward achieving environmental justice.”

PRO-ENVIRONMENT SENATE 2022: This week, LCV Action Fund, which works to elect pro-environment candidates, announced the first round of endorsements in the 2022 election cycle for the U.S. Senate — nine senators in key states.  The endorsements include Senators Michael Bennet, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tammy Duckworth, Maggie Hassan, Patty Murray, Alex Padilla, Brian Schatz, Rev. Raphael Warnock, and Ron Wyden. In 2022, LCV Action Fund is committed to helping re-elect these senators who have done so much to stand up for the environment and public health, and we will spend the next year and a half working to protect and expand the pro-environment Senate and House majorities.

OUR TAKE: LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “LCV Action Fund is all in to defend the pro-environment majority in the Senate, and we are thrilled to support these climate and environmental champions for re-election. We know these leaders will deliver on transformational climate, clean energy, jobs and justice legislation for all communities. It is more important than ever that we have a Congress that listens to science and facts and prioritizes the health and well-being of communities over polluter profits. These senators representing diverse states all across the country have been strong advocates for climate policies centered in equity, and we are so excited to continue working with them to build a clean energy future powered by millions of good-paying union jobs.”

ADS FOR CLIMATE ACTION: This week, a coalition of advocacy organizations including LCV launched a digital ad campaign thanking senators for supporting the Clean Energy for America Act, which would create aggressive tax policies that would drive reductions in the carbon pollution that exacerbates climate change. The tax incentives included in the legislation are a major component of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and are instrumental to the transformational change people all across the country support. See the ads here.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis said, “We applaud Chairman Wyden and Senators Bennet, Brown, Cantwell, Cardin, Carper, Casey, Cortez Masto, Hassan, Menendez, Stabenow, Warren, Warner, and Whitehouse for leading this visionary legislation that will accelerate our transition to clean electricity, transportation, and buildings. It’s time for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan, including these clean energy tax incentives in the Clean Energy for America Act, and deliver on transformational climate, clean energy, jobs and justice legislation for our communities.”

POTUS TO EXAMINE WOTUS: This week, the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that they will start the process to repeal the Trump-era Dirty Water Rule, which has left many streams, wetlands, and other waterways unprotected and thus susceptible to pollution. While it’s critical that the process is underway, it needs to swiftly move forward, as communities — especially Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities — are already bearing the brunt of corporate polluters contaminating their water. 

OUR TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote had this to say, “Today’s announcement is a good first step in delivering on President Biden’s commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to clean, safe water, but the administration must move quickly to dismantle the dangerous Dirty Water Rule. Every day this harmful rule is in effect, it endangers the waterways our communities depend on —  that is unacceptable and must stop now. For too long, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities have borne the brunt of water pollution while corporate polluters enjoy the profits of lax protections for streams, wetlands, and other waters. We appreciate the agencies’ dedication to establishing a new rule based on science with a transparent and inclusive process, and encourage them to move expeditiously to stop the harm to our communities and the environment from the Dirty Water Rule.”

MINIMIZING METHANE: On Monday, President Biden’s Department of Transportation advised oil and gas pipeline operators of requirements to minimize methane emissions from leaks at their facilities, a significant step towards addressing the hazards methane poses to people and our planet. 

OUR TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote stated, “We’re thrilled to see this important step towards curbing dangerous methane emissions from the Biden administration that is good for workers and our communities. Today we are one step closer to protecting people and the planet from toxic methane — a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about 25 percent of the climate change we are experiencing today. Reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production will go a long way towards dismantling environmental racism and improving public health, especially for those living on the frontlines of drilling operations.”

@BLM CONFIRMATION HEARING: This week, Tracy Stone-Manning, environmental advocate and executive at the National Wildlife Federation, sat before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for a confirmation hearing to become the next director of the Bureau of Land Management. Her confirmation would be a welcome, stark contrast to the Trump administration’s acting BLM director, the racist opponent of public lands William Perry Pendley who put polluters over people and rolled back critical environmental protections for our nation’s federal lands.

STONE-MANNING TAKE: During Tuesday’s confirmation hearing, Stone-Manning stated, “I think my career has shown the only way to get things done in the country, and specifically in the West, is to work together. ” 

JUSTICE FOR VIEQUES: Chispa Communications Intern Gaby Blanco wrote an op-ed for Latino Rebels about President Biden’s commitment to environmental justice and holding corporate polluters responsible — and what that means for Vieques, an island that is a part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The island was a U.S. military testing site for decades and has left residents with extremely high rates of cancer and respiratory problems. The question that Blanco seeks to answer: What happens when the polluter is the U.S. military?

OUR TAKE: In the op-ed, Chispa Communications Intern Gaby Blanco said, “The people of Vieques have been denied justice for too long, paying the price of environmental racism with their health and their lives.  It is time for the United States to finally acknowledge its sins and rectify the harm it caused to the health of thousands of Puerto Ricans. As President Biden says: The time for environmental justice is now.”

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LETTER: A coalition led by more than 100 student groups and supported by more than 25 organizations, including LCV, sent a letter to members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, calling on them to leave the lobbying organization unless it ends its climate hypocrisy and efforts that actively obstruct climate progress. Senators Mazie Hirono, Jeff Merkley, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, joined the orchestra of voices supporting this initiative. 

COALITION TAKE: In the letter, the coalition writes, “This letter is addressed to large corporate members of the U.S. Chamber who have taken more aggressive public stances on addressing the climate crisis than the U.S. Chamber. If your companies are committed to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change, you must not allow your membership dues to continue funding lobbying efforts that run counter to your values.”  

ART ACTIVATION PREVIEW: Next Tuesday, June 15, LCV and 51 for 51 will unveil a new mural in Northwest D.C. in support of D.C. statehood. Mural artist Cesar Maxit and 51 for 51 Lead Organizer Jamal Holtz will join LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa to speak about the ways D.C.’s admission as the 51st state will help ensure that, for the first time in our nation’s history, every voter can equitably participate in our democracy. More than half of D.C.’s 700,000 residents are people of color, and many have experienced environmental racism for generations — yet they do not have a vote in Congress to fight the climate crisis or respond to other crucial issues. The mural is the latest art installment around the District showcasing the local power of the past and present statehood movement amid growing calls for statehood in Congress — coming from President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, and a record 46 senators. 

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

PROGRESS IN CO: In Colorado, lawmakers reached a much-awaited deal on important legislation that will set greenhouse gas emissions standards, making progress toward achieving targets in the state’s 2019 Climate Action Plan. The legislation also creates an ombudsman for environmental justice, giving Coloradans a clear arbiter for reported impacts of pollution, especially in communities that have often been excluded from the decision making process. When Governor Jared Polis signs the legislation into law, Colorado will strengthen its climate roadmap and be further on track to meet its goals — which recent modeling shows the state needs in order to succeed.

CONSERVATION COLORADO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Executive Director Kelly Nordini said, “Coloradans who are bracing for another summer of climate change-driven wildfires, drought, and bad air quality know that climate action can’t wait. The bill that the legislature sent Governor Polis is progress – it will require emissions reductions from some of the state’s largest pollution sources and enact strong environmental justice provisions. More will need to be done to put us on track to meet our climate goals, and we urge Governor Polis to sign the bill.”

A CLEAN ENERGY PERSPECTIVE IN CO: This week, Christopher Campbell, senior project manager with Atlasta Solar Center and an electric vehicle consultant with SunRabbit Clean Transport in Grand Junction wrote an opinion piece in The Daily Sentinel. Campbell highlights the opportunity that Congress and the White House have to invest in people and communities that are often disenfranchised by including clean energy and well-paying jobs in a sweeping infrastructure package. 

CAMPBELL TAKE: Astla Solar Center Senior Project Manager and SunRabbit Clean Transport Electric Vehicle Consultant Christopher Campbell recognized, “We need bold action. We have a unique opportunity to lead, immediately, while we can still make a difference…That requires leadership by Congress to pass the largest climate package possible.”

OFFSHORE WIND IN NC: In a new executive order, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper directed the state to harness the economic benefits of offshore wind and invest in the associated clean energy and manufacturing job opportunities, ranging from building out the supply chain, to installing equipment, to operating wind facilities. The order establishes goals for offshore wind that will help the state reach its Clean Energy Plan commitment to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050, meaning the order will both bring good jobs to the state and healthier, cleaner air for its communities.

CLASSIC CAR LOOPHOLE CLOSED IN NV: Clean air advocates celebrated this week when Governor Steve Sisolak signed into law a bill that would reduce smog pollution from “Classic Cars” — a key measure to reduce transportation pollution that is hastening climate change and harming Nevadans’ health, particularly in low-income and Black and Brown communities. The bill also directs Clark and Washoe Counties to create programs to help vehicle owners whose vehicles will not be able to pass smog checks, either by repairing those vehicles or helping them access newer, cleaner cars. 

CHISPA NV TAKE: Program Director for Chispa Nevada Rudy Zamora had this to say, “AB 349 was a crucial step forward not only to reduce smog pollution that plagues low-income communities of color, but also to put in place programs to bring cleaner transportation to our communities. As Nevada transitions to electrified transportation, we cannot move forward without increasing access to low- and zero-emission cars and trucks for the Nevadans most harmed by environmental pollution. We thank Governor Sisolak for promptly signing this bill into law, and we look forward to working with Clark and Washoe Counties to help more Nevadans get cleaner cars.”   

NCL TAKE: Executive Director for Nevada Conservation League Paul Selberg said, “Nevada’s transportation sector is the top source of greenhouse gas pollution in our state. Cars and trucks that go unchecked for smog emissions can contribute heavily to a warming climate and air pollution that threatens public health. Removing, repairing, and replacing polluting vehicles will reduce our emission levels and put Nevada on track to meet our climate goals. We thank Governor Sisolak for signing this bill to protect our climate, health, and economy.”

LABOR + CLIMATE LEADERS UNITE IN VA: This week, Lee Francis, deputy director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and Roxana Mejia, government and political affairs director for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 51, wrote an op-ed published in the Virginian-Pilot supporting the ways the American Jobs Plan is poised to simultaneously invest in clean energy — and thus combat the climate crisis — while providing Virginians good-paying, union jobs. As Francis and Mejia put it, “The American Jobs Plan is about revitalizing the American spirit, in a way that provides opportunity and dismantles obstacles to prosperity.”

LABOR + CLIMATE TAKE: In the op-ed, Virginia LCV Deputy Director Lee Francis and IUPAT District Council 51 Political Affairs Director Roxana Mejia said, “As negotiations in Washington continue, with some claiming the AJP is too broad and too bold, we urge Congress to rise to the occasion, seize this opportunity to retool our economy, create new jobs, and give working Americans the chance to thrive, instead of delivering just another pothole bill.”  

🌟SPECIAL RECESS REPORT PART II:  While the Senate returned to Washington, the House remained in recess this week, meaning many lawmakers are still home in their districts where they are engaging with constituents to highlight and understand the ways local communities will benefit from prioritizing clean energy, justice, and jobs in the American Jobs Plan. Last week we highlighted events across the country, and below, read about events that have happened this week.  

SUPPORT FOR AJP IN MI: On Tuesday, Representative Debbie Dingell, White House Council on Environmental Quality Director of Public Engagement David Kieve, and Michigan Alliance for Justice in Climate Manager Ryan ‘Rei’ Fielder joined Michigan LCV to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts and opportunity to take action on climate change and build a clean economy that works for everyone.

REP. DINGELL TAKE:  Representative Dingell said, “Combating climate change and reviving our economy go hand in hand, this comes in many forms, including investing in clean energy, maintaining our manufacturing leadership in the auto industry by going electric…and ensuring everyone has access to safe and clean energy.”

KIEVE TAKE: White House Council on Environmental Quality Director of Public Engagement David Kieve said, “The American people no longer buy into the false construct that you can either choose to do what’s right for the planet or what’s right for the economy.  They understand that the jobs of the future are in clean energy.”

FIELDER TAKE: Michigan Alliance for Justice in Climate Campaign Manager for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition Ryan Fielder said, “Right now we have a once in a generation chance for Congress to pass a transformational economic recovery package that puts over 15 million people to work and have family-sustaining union jobs across the country.”

SUPPORT FOR AJP IN NV: On Thursday, Chispa Nevada and Nevada Conservation League joined Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Representative Steven Horsford, Governor Steve Sisolak, State Senator Chris Brooks, Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, and other environmental leaders for a discussion about the ways the American Jobs Plan will benefit Nevada, particularly the Latinx community, by expanding access to clean energy infrastructure and creating good paying jobs while addressing environmental injustices. The panel highlighted Nevada’s clean energy leadership and underscored that the American Jobs Plan would complement the clean energy investments already underway while helping to drive the state’s economic recovery. Check out Granholm and Sisolak’s Twitter praise of the events here and here.

@ENERGY TAKE: Secretary of Energy Granholm said, “There is a significant investment in workforce development to make sure that these jobs are really careers not just one-off jobs…I feel like our hair is on fire in making this happen quickly. People are out there hurting, and they need assurances.” 

GOV. SISOLAK TAKE: Governor Sisolak said, “Nevada is the geographical center of the Western United States, we stand poised to be the keystone in the next chapter of the western electrical grid — a chapter that is cleaner and more resilient in the face of climate change.”

REP. HORSFORD TAKE: Representative Horsford said, “One of the sectors that shows tremendous potential and has for a while is the clean energy economy…I want to ensure that, as we create these jobs, we do it for all Americans — including Black, Latino, Asian American and tribal communities who, far too often, do not experience the same opportunities as their counterparts.”

CHISPA NV TAKE: Rudy Zamora said, “A lot of our families, our children, suffer from asthma. I myself am a parent of a six-year-old child who is asthmatic and has gone into respiratory failure and cardiac arrest … that is a story that is in our communities day in and day out. That’s what we want to fight … to ensure that our communities have healthy clean air to breathe and have a healthy community to live in.”

NCL TAKE: NCL Deputy Director Verna Mandez said, “What’s really good about the American Jobs Plan and Senate Bill 448 is that it emphasizes meaningful and targeted outreach to Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities and also ensures our workforce is equipped for the new jobs of the future.”

SUPPORT FOR AJP IN VA: On Thursday, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger joined  Virginia LCV Organizer Bridget McGregor and Sigora Solar Chief Policy and Development Officer Karla Loeb for a clean energy town hall.  The panelists highlighted the federal investments that are pushing our country to become a leader on climate action, clean energy infrastructure, and innovation — like Sigora Solar’s clean energy installations in Spanberger’s district. 

REP. SPANBERGER TAKE:  Representative Spanberger said, “The path to combatting the climate crisis is not just paved with good intentions but also really practical ones and beneficial ones for our communities and for our economy.” 

SIGORA SOLAR TAKE: Sigora Solar Chief Policy and Development Officer Karla Loeb said, “When we start talking about clean energy jobs, we’re not just talking about the panels that are going in on your roofs or being installed in agricultural fields — we’re talking about office jobs, we’re talking about finance jobs, legal jobs, customer service jobs, sales jobs. You name it, the clean energy industry — the solar industry — employs all types of people.”   

COMING UP:

ALL OF JUNE: Pride Month

ALL OF JUNE: National Immigrant Heritage Month

June 15: LCV and 51 for 51 will unveil a new mural in support of D.C. statehood 

June 16: Senate Energy Committee hearing on various lands bills, including Senator Bennet’s Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act.

June 19: Juneteenth – a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States that, as Vann R. Newkirk II wrote, “celebrates liberty in America as it actually is: delayed”

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