THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – OCTOBER 22, 2021

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:

“We have ‘sacrifice zones’ across our country, where people have made decisions to disinvest in certain areas. And many times those areas are our Black and Brown communities and Indigenous communities, our lower-wealth White community sometimes. So, we have a chance to change that dynamic.”

— Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation, speaking on how lead pipes disproportionately impact communities of color and communities of low wealth across the country.

“Our only fault was being too close to a hog farm. The congregation has had to invest finances and time and energy towards a problem we did not create.”

— Jimmy Melvin, a pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church in the Taylor’s Bridge community in North Carolina, which is surrounded by massive hog farms, in a North Carolina Health News article, “Unchecked growth of industrial animal farms spurs long fight for environmental justice in Eastern NC.”

“Water is life. Water is alive and water has rights. And we all as human beings have the right to have clean water.”

— Rita Capitan, the cofounder of Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) said during a press conference on filing a case with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to address human rights violations from uranium mining in the Navajo Nation.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Yahoo!: Pelosi vows budget will meet Biden’s climate change goal of cutting emissions
Florida Phoenix: U.S. Rep Castor of FL and other climate leaders call for passage of Biden’s historic climate agenda
E&E News: ‘More than one way’: Dems mull options for climate program
NPR: Living on Earth: Biden Infrastructure and the Environment
The Washington Post: Climate 202: Top green groups are launching a six-figure ad campaign
Deseret News: Here’s what Kamala Harris said in Nevada about fighting climate change
The Hill: Nevada becomes early Senate battleground
E&E News: Inside the Senate’s new fiscal 2022 spending bills
The Hill: Democrats say they’re committed to reducing emissions in Biden plan
Elko Daily: Rosen helps introduce bill to ‘stop public land giveaways’
E&E News: Inside the Senate’s new fiscal 2022 spending bills

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:

Independent Record (MT): In favor of tax fairness, and the American Families Plan budget
The Gazette (CO): Colorado poll shows COVID-19’s economic toll on Latinos
Idaho Statesman (ID): I support Boise’s water renewal bond for sustainability and to save ratepayers money
Tri-City Herald (WA): Inslee, Murray plan new report on breaching Snake River dams. ‘We need an answer …’
WBFO – NPR (NY): Could all Buffalo school buses be electric by 2035?
North American Clean Energy (MI): Michigan State University Study: Community Solar Would Create $1.47 Billion Economic Impact, Support 18,500 Well-Paying Jobs
Grist (NY): Meet the rogue birding group blocking wind energy at every turn
The Chestertown Spy (MD): Federalsburg Steel Company to Make Components for Wind Energy Turbines
The Buffalo News (NY): Another Voice: Lead-free drinking water is clear choice for schools
VT Digger (VT): Proposed synthetic turf prompts concerns about more PFAS in Bennington
NC Policy Watch (NC): EPA finally launches major effort to curb PFAS pollution, to mixed reviews about whether it’s enough
Albuquerque Journal (NM): Groups: New Mexico needs to fund more conservation projects
Insider NJ (NJ): New Jersey LCV Applauds $100 million in Green Acres Funding for Urban Parks, Playgrounds, Open Spaces
Los Angeles Times (CA): California Politics: Redistricting gets real

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WE MUST MEET THE CLIMATE TEST TO BUILD BACK BETTER: Congress returned to D.C. this week to discuss the fate of climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act ahead of COP 26 in Glasgow, and members and the president are expected to finalize a deal in the coming days. The science is clear — we are at our “code red for humanity” moment, and we are out of time for inaction. Congress MUST meet the Climate Test to put our country on the path to cut climate pollution in half by 2030, and do it equitably in communities of color and communities of low wealth who face disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis.

OUR TAKE: LCV SVP of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “As Congress returns to D.C., it’s absolutely urgent that they finalize and pass the Build Back Better Act to put the U.S. firmly on track to meet the Climate Test and cut our climate pollution in half by 2030, the goal that President Biden set and that science and justice demand. We remain fully supportive of the Clean Electricity Performance Plan, but under any scenario there are multiple ways for Congress to maximize climate ambition and meet our goals. As our country has been rocked by unprecedented climate-fueled extreme weather events costing precious lives and billions of dollars in the last few months alone, anything less is unacceptable. The vast majority of voters across the country are demanding transformative action on climate, and with international climate negotiations in Glasgow fast approaching, the entire world is watching. The time for Congress to make once-in-a-generation progress on climate, good jobs, and justice is right now.”

…AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AGREE!: On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Senators Cory Booker, Tom Carper, Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Luján, Tina Smith, Ed Markey, Ron Wyden, Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor, and Representatives Andy Kim, Ro Khanna, Donald McEachin, and Melanie Stansbury for an event on Capitol Hill with LCV, Climate Power, and the Climate Action Campaign on the urgency and importance of meeting the goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030. Congress knows that they have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass the Build Back Better Act and make climate and environmental justice investments that will create good-paying jobs, reduce costs for families, and slash pollution — especially in the communities that have historically been left behind. Watch a recording of the event HERE.

CHAIR CASTOR TAKE: Chair Kathy Castor stated, “History is not going to judge us on the price tag. History is going to judge us on our determination to do the right thing at the right time before it’s too late, and that time is now.”

SENATOR MARKEY TAKE: Senator Ed Markey stated, “The Senate must put together a climate package that is something that Joe Biden can say to the rest of the world that we are the leaders and not the laggards, because you cannot preach temperance from a barstool. You cannot tell the rest of the world what to do if you as a country are not doing it yourselves.”

REPRESENTATIVE KIM TAKE: Representative Andy Kim said, “A lot of people ask me, ‘Surely your district is divided on this issue?’ They are not. This district that voted for Trump twice understands the challenges of climate change. It is a district that got crushed by Superstorm Sandy. You might remember the iconic image of a roller coaster in the ocean: that’s my district. … We need the change now. People in my district, Democrats and Republicans, all agree upon a bold climate agenda.”

THE HEARTLAND AT THE HEART OF CLEAN ENERGY: On Thursday, labor and environmental leaders, including LCV President Gene Karpinski, joined Senator Bob Casey for a panel discussion on how the investments outlined in the Build Back Better Act is good policy and good politics for everyone, especially the working families and communities that rely on industry jobs, and the communities of color and communities of low wealth that are disproportionately impacted by pollutants and the climate crisis. Watch a recording of the event HERE.

SENATOR CASEY TAKE: Senator Bob Casey stated, “We’re going to make sure that we take advantage of the remarkable potential in domestic clean energy technology and manufacturing. We’re also going to take advantage of a well-trained, dedicated, and highly-skilled workforce that has grown out of our industrial past…to rebuild both crumbling infrastructure as well as lifting up these communities and making sure that no worker and no community is left behind as we confront and tackle the challenge of climate change…A lot of workers aren’t anticipating some impending doom down the road — a lot of them are feeling it right now.”

BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE TAKE: BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh stated, “Build Back Better can build a clean, equitable economy that mitigates the effects of climate change and provides good-paying, family-sustaining jobs to the workers who will build our clean energy systems, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and manufacture the materials and components we need for a clean future. Doing that can turn around the lives of workers in factory towns across our country by building back better. And these communities will remember who showed up for them—and who did not. Congress needs to get it done.”

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “The climate crisis is smacking us in the face — people see it now every day. They’re living it. We’re experiencing it. It’s right in front of us. [These investments] will help address the racial justice crisis to make sure that forty percent of the investments are made in impacted communities and communities of color that are most affected by the climate crisis.”

NEW REPORT ASSESSING 2030 CLIMATE TARGETS: This week, energy research firm the Rhodium group released a new report that analyzes the pathway to achieving the goals set by the Paris Climate Accord. It clearly states that without bold action, these goals will not be met. These investments are critical and we must build upon them in order to sustain progress on climate issues.

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “Congress has an opportunity right now with the Build Back Better Act to save their constituents $500 a year on their energy bills, create good-paying union jobs, and build a healthy, more equitable clean energy future — all while slowing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. The Rhodium Group’s new report makes it clear that we can still cut our emissions in half by 2030 through swiftly enacting the Build Back Better Act combined with continued bold executive branch and state leadership. President Biden and Congress: The time is now to quickly come to an agreement on the Build Back Better Act that meets the Climate Test with once-in-a-generation investments in climate, clean energy, jobs, and justice.”

NEW ADS TO GET BUILD BACK BETTER TO THE FINISH LINE: As Build Back Better Act negotiations reach a critical point and fossil fuel-interests ramp up their misinformation campaign about the bill and the positions of key Democratic senators, LCV and Climate Power are unleashing new TV ads in Washington, D.C., Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire because, as one ad says, “our very way of life is at risk.” These new ads are the latest addition to more than $40.5 million that LCV and Climate Power have invested in paid media across the country this year to set the stage for historic action on climate through the Build Back Better Act. Watch “The Moment,” running nationally, and see sample state ads, “For Families,” in Nevada and “Innovation,” in Georgia.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Campaigns stated, “Congress has an opportunity right now with the Build Back Better Act to save their constituents $500 a year on their energy bills, create good-paying union jobs, and build a healthy, more equitable clean energy future — all while slowing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. It’s no surprise that fossil fuel-interests are ramping up their false attacks as we near the finish line — the bad news for them is that the Build Back Better Act is overwhelmingly popular in every corner of the country. The time is now for President Biden and Congress to quickly pass the Build Back Better Act.”

CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes stated, “This is our climate moment and it’s time to get this done. There is no question that the Build Back Better Act is our best shot to make the investments we need to finally take on the climate crisis, create millions of good-paying jobs, lower families’ electricity bills by $500 a year and tackle environmental injustice. This is a code red moment, and Congress must seize it and get a bill that passes the climate test across the line.”

NEW ADS IN ELECTRIC CITY: LCV released digital ads in Scranton in conjunction with President Biden’s visit this week, where he highlighted the need for federal climate action, focusing on bolstering support for climate and clean energy provisions of the Build Back Better Act. These ads will urge Congress not to miss this opportunity to take bold climate action by investing in clean energy, high-quality union jobs, and environmental justice. Watch the ads HERE.

DID YOU KNOW?: Scranton is known as “Electric City,” a nickname used since electric lights were first introduced in 1880 at the Dickson Manufacturing Company. In 1886, the United States’ first successful streetcars powered only by electricity began operating in Scranton. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania artist Bill Strobel (@billstro4_art) used this nickname as inspiration for an art activation calling for federal climate action. See photos from the activation HERE.

NEW ADS IN CHARM CITY: Yesterday, LCV released digital ads in Baltimore alongside President Biden’s visit for a CNN townhall, which focused in part on the urgency and need for climate and clean energy provisions of the Build Back Better Act, which has wide support among Marylanders. In a recent survey, Data for Progress modeled 85% of Marylanders would support additional federal investments for clean energy jobs, including the majority of independents and Republican voters. Support was equally as high for other specific issues covered under the plan like removing lead water pipes and expanding clean energy tax credits. Watch the ads HERE.

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: During his speech in Scranton, President Biden stated, “Folks, we’re in a situation now where you see what’s happening. I’ve flown all over this country since coming in. You realize more of our land has been burned to the ground — burned to the ground in the West and in the Northwest than the entire state of New Jersey? Every single square mile in New Jersey — more has been burned down this year — this year — in the West because of climate change and because of electric utilities failing, wires falling.”

GOP ABUSES FILIBUSTER TO SUPPRESS THE FREEDOM TO VOTE: On Wednesday, the Freedom to Vote Act failed to pass the Senate due to a Republican filibuster. Republicans are making it harder for historically excluded communities to exercise their rights to vote while abusing the filibuster to prevent reforming racist legislation. Just this year, at least 19 states have enacted 33 laws that implement barriers for voters, particularly Black voters and voters of color, who voted in record numbers in key battleground states last election. We must get rid of the filibuster. LCV first called on the Senate to eliminate the arcane filibuster rule in June to protect the health of our democracy and environment. In addition, ahead of the Senate’s vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, LCV sent a letter to the Senate from LCV President Gene Karpinski urging senators to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, adding that the vote will be considered for the 2021 National Environmental Scorecard.

OUR TAKE: LCV Advocacy Director for Judiciary and Democracy Doug Lindner stated, “It is alarming and undemocratic that Republicans continue to use the archaic filibuster rule to prevent overwhelmingly popular voting rights legislation from passing the Senate. The Freedom to Vote Act is essential to protecting our democracy, making sure all people can exercise their right to vote, and ending partisan gerrymandering. The communities targeted by voter suppression — people of color, young people, people with disabilities, and indigenous people — also disproportionately bear the burden of threats to our air, water, and climate. While Republican state legislators make it harder for marginalized people to vote, Republican Senators are blocking the Senate majority from protecting that fundamental right. Senate Democrats must step up and eliminate or reform the filibuster in order to get democracy reforms passed including the Freedom to Vote Act, John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and D.C. Statehood. They cannot allow an undemocratic relic of history to keep holding back democracy itself.”

OUR DOUBLE TAKE: LCV’s letter from LCV President Gene Karpinski urging Senators to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, writing, “It’s clear that a healthy democracy and a healthy environment are inextricably linked, and that the clock is ticking for both. When the Voting Rights Act of 1965 came up for a vote in the Senate, it faced a filibuster. At the time, there was sufficient bipartisan support to invoke cloture. While LCV believes democracy should never be a partisan

issue, Republican Senators have used the archaic filibuster rule to stall and stonewall democracy legislation all year. This blockade cannot be allowed to continue. The Senate must eliminate or reform the filibuster without further delay. Today’s filibuster is not a tool of compromise; it is a tool of obstruction. People from all walks of life are waiting for this body to protect their democracy and their environment from unprecedented threats before it is too late. No mere procedural device is worth denying them those protections.”

TODAY AND TOMORROW IN DC — RALLY FOR THE FREEDOM TO VOTE: This week, LCV is collaborating with Public Citizen, Black Voters Matter, DC Vote, League of Women Voters, Drum Majors for Change, Declaration for American Democracy and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda on the Freedom to Vote Relay. The relay highlights the need to pass legislation to protect voting rights for all and to help make the United States a more just and representative democracy. This legislation includes the Freedom to Vote Act, the Washington, DC Admission Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was recently reintroduced in the Senate. Participants will arrive by various modes of transportation from West Virginia to DC today and will participate in a rally tomorrow at the Capitol. See highlights from the event so far HERE and more information on how to join tonight and tomorrow below.

TODAY — CELEBRATE WITH US IN DC!: Today, participants from the relay, activists, and residents will gather at the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl in DC to celebrate the final stretch of the relay before they rally at the Capitol the following day. Sign up for this event and get more information HERE!

TOMORROW — RALLY WITH US IN DC!: On Saturday, October 23, at 11:30 a.m. at the Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon, LCV joins Black Voters Matter, CREW, DC Vote, Declaration for American Democracy, Drum Majors for Change, League of Women Voters, the People’s Agenda, Public Citizen, the Working Families Party of West Virginia, and other activists to rally for voting rights legislation and D.C. Statehood. All are welcome to join and more information can be found HERE!

ELECTRIC VEHICLE DISPLAY: This week, Chispa, along with the Electrification Coalition and Plug in America, co-hosted two electric vehicle display events at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Senate to show an array of light, medium and heavy duty electric vehicles including an electric school bus. Advocates and manufacturers were at the events, discussing the many benefits of electrifying vehicles across the country, including improved air quality, reduced transportation costs, and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. These events were focused on building momentum to Build Back Better and protect the health of communities and combat climate change. See some highlights from the events HERE.

@USDOT TAKE: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, “We have a huge opportunity in front of us. It’s not going to happen on its own, but if we get it right, it will be quick enough, widespread enough and it will be made in America, creating good jobs across the U.S. And it’s up to us not to take our foot off the accelerator and making sure we get that done.”

WH NATIONAL CLIMATE ADVISOR TAKE: White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy stated, “One of the key pieces of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda is supercharging America’s ability to get more EVs on the road, to make them affordable for families and for businesses and to install charging stations all across the country, so that people know they can get where they want to go and back again in the coolest vehicles ever. These are really exciting times. And we have to make sure that we keep working with Congress, because it’s so important that we get the kind of investments we need to build the kind of transportation that is going to be the backbone of our economy moving forward.”

INTRODUCING APPROPRIATIONS: This week, the remaining nine annual FY22 appropriations bills were introduced, which included bills on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. These bills would provide critical investments to establish a Civilian Climate Corps, support management of our national monuments, tackle harmful toxics like PFAS and lead in our nation’s water supply, fund tribal climate resiliency programs, boost environmental justice grants, expand clean air and enforcement programs, increase clean water infrastructure grants, and invest in programs that promote zero emission vehicles, among many others. See our full statement and some of the investments these appropriations bills would provide HERE.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis stated, “These ambitious FY22 appropriations bills are further evidence that Democrats are leading the way on fighting the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, and safeguarding our communities and public spaces all while creating good-paying jobs. These bills would adequately fund the Environmental Protection Agency and Park Service, among other federal agencies, to reverse more than a decade of underinvestment and thousands of staff positions lost and make sure these agencies can deliver on their missions to protect human health and the environment and preserve the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system, respectively. These bills also rescind funding for President Trump’s destructive, racist border wall and put an end to years of harmful legacy riders that have damaged our environment, health, and democracy.”

CLEAN WATER ACT 49TH ANNIVERSARY: In honor of the 49th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, LCV hosted a Q&A on Twitter, asking Congressional leaders what the landmark legislation means to them. These water champions know that clean water is not only essential for survival, but it also has cultural and recreational significance to communities across the country. It is critical that Congress takes bold action to protect this precious resource for all communities, particularly communities of color and communities of low wealth who experience the impacts of polluted water and toxic lead pipes the most.

REPRESENTATIVE MCBATH TAKE: Representative Lucy McBath tweeted, “Water quality affects everyone everywhere, and we must ensure our children and grandchildren have access to the clean water they need to drink and bodies of water to play in for generations to come.”

SENATOR DUCKWORTH TAKE: Senator Tammy Duckworth tweeted, “To build back better, we must remove lead pipes, rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water systems and bring environmental justice to every community.”

CHAIR CARDIN TAKE: Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chair Ben Cardin tweeted, “Congress needs to deliver historic investments in our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure with a focus on upgrading aging infrastructure, addressing the threat of climate change, investing in new technologies, and providing assistance to marginalized communities.”

REPRESENTATIVE TONKO TAKE: Representative Paul Tonko tweeted, “Clean water is a human right. Every American deserves to know their drinking water is safe & have access to America’s beautiful lakes and rivers.”

EPA ROADMAP TO ADDRESSING PFAS: This week, the EPA released their PFAS Strategic Roadmap — an important first step to addressing toxic PFAS pollution, which negatively impacts the health of communities across the country, especially communities of color and communities of low wealth across the country that are disproportionately exposed to pollution. See LCV’s full statement and reactions to this announcement from advocates, community leaders, and elected officials HERE.

OUR TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote stated, “The steps outlined in EPA’s new PFAS Roadmap are an important start to addressing the toxic PFAS contamination that has impacted the health of communities across the country for too long. We’ve known for decades that PFAS pose significant dangers to our health, and yet, our government has been slow in acting to eliminate PFAS from our food, water, air, and lands.

As the administration looks to implement an all-of-government approach to tackling the growing PFAS crisis, we urge the EPA, and branches of government like the Department of Defense, Food & Drug Administration, and Federal Aviation Administration who have so far failed to take sufficient action, to move as swiftly as possible to finally deliver the protections our communities need and go even further to eliminate the use of these dangerous chemicals and hold polluters accountable for the damage they’ve caused.”

MOVING TO PROTECT THE BOUNDARY WATERS!: This week President Biden initiated a mineral withdrawal process that would begin a two-year moratorium on mineral leasing and permitting and allow for a review of potential environmental impacts of proposed mining that would put at risk America’s most visited wilderness area. The review could serve as a basis for a 20-year withdrawal.

OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “It is great to see the Biden administration take these critical steps towards protecting the Boundary Waters. Mining companies should not be allowed to pollute America’s most visited wilderness area and put at risk the vital outdoor recreation jobs, clean water, and wildlife habitat it provides for the communities of northeast Minnesota. We look forward to the Biden administration’s environmental review and are confident it will demonstrate that this watershed should never face the risk of toxic mining.”

VP SEES WATER CRISIS AT LAKE MEAD: This week, LCV released a digital ad campaign in Southern Nevada for Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Lake Mead in Nevada, highlighting the unprecedented drought and need for federal climate action. Her visit focused on bolstering support for climate and clean energy provisions of the Build Back Better Act. These ads urge Congress not to miss this opportunity to take bold climate action by investing in clean energy, high-quality union jobs, and environmental justice. Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, supplies drinking water for roughly 25 million people across the West. At around 1,067 feet above sea level and 35% full, the Colorado River reservoir is at its lowest since the lake was filled after the Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930s. Water rationing and cuts have already begun across Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado throwing the future for farmers, ranchers, and smaller cities and towns into question. See the ads HERE.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s visibility and mobilization field program met a major benchmark this week by knocking on over 300,000 doors across 12 states and D.C. to talk with people about the Build Back Better Act and its critical climate provisions. See LCV’s latest video lifting up this important milestone. Through our canvassing, we’ve recruited over 18,000 people to take action, 14,500 households to place a sign in their yard, and 11,325 businesses to display support. Organizers hosted honk and waves, including outside of the Cannon Office Building before a press conference hosted by LCV, Climate Power, and CAC to drum up visibility for climate action. In addition to visibility, we’ve collected 3,360 petitions and directed 1,800 constituent calls into congressional offices in favor of the Build Back Better Act.

CHISPA TEXAS LAUNCH: ¡La Chispa familia está creciendo! Join us in welcoming Chispa Texas to the Chispa Family! Based out of the coastal bend of Texas, an area that is heavily affected by pollution, extreme weather and rising sea levels, the Chispa Texas team is ready to fight for climate justice. Please show your support by following them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and sharing their amazing work with any Tejanos you know!

VA ELECTIONS: With election day fast approaching, Virginia LCV-PAC is increasing their investment to protect the current pro-conservation trifecta in Richmond. The total investment in Virginia races has been $2.4 million, spent on field work, digital campaigns, mail campaigns, and other voter outreach efforts. With all of the important progress made in the state over the past two years on the line, VALCV-PAC is doing their part to let Virginians know the urgency of voting to protect this majority.

VALCV TAKE: VALCV-PAC Campaign Director Michael Town stated, “This election is absolutely consequential to ensuring Virginia keeps moving forward on climate action, environmental protection, and a just clean energy economy that benefits all Virginians. Glenn Youngkin just said he isn’t smart enough to know what causes climate change – we can’t afford four years of his leadership in Richmond. That’s why we are upping our investment this cycle to re-elect Terry McAuliffe and secure a pro-conservation House of Delegates.”

SPOTLIGHT ON CHISPA NEVADA: Chispa Nevada was featured on page 22 of el Concilio Hispano Media Group’s Southern Nevada Hispanic Heritage Magazine! The piece talks about Chispa NV’s work and highlights their mission to build the power of Latinx families to fight for a more just and healthier future in Nevada.

CHISPA NV TAKE: Chispa NV’s Program Director Rudy Zamora said, “We believe that our community deserves to live with dignity. We need transformational and systematic change in order to create a world that is equitable, inclusive and just.”

ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND LABOR JOIN FORCES IN MONTANA: As Montana Conservation Voters continues pushing for the American Families Plan federal budget, they are joined by labor groups that are pointing out the benefits this budget will have for working families.Leaders from both camps teamed up to write an op-ed in the Helena Independent Record, highlighting the provisions that will put the country on a path to meet the climate test while creating good-paying, union jobs. That is why it is urgent this plan passes through Congress and is signed by President Biden.

MCV TAKE: MCV’s Whitney Tawney and SEIU 775’s Jacquie Halt wrote, “It’s not every day that union members and environmentalists team up, but the American Families Plan federal budget gives us a lot to agree on. It will make taxes fairer, create jobs, mitigate climate change, and improve education and health care”.

CALIFORNIA CONTINUES CRACK DOWN ON OIL DRILLING: Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a new rule to further curb oil and gas extraction in the state by requiring a 3,200 ft buffer zone between new oil wells and communities — the largest in the country — and increased pollution regulations for existing wells within that distance. The announcement follows Newsom’s executive order earlier this year to ban new fracking permits by 2024. Currently over 2 million Californians live within 2,500 feet of an oil and gas well, and 5 million are within 1 mile.

CEV TAKE: Mike Young, political and organizing director for California Environmental Voters, said, “We applaud Governor Newsom for proposing a draft rule that will create a buffer zone between oil drilling sites and homes and schools. He is showing how California can lead the way by pushing for the largest setback in the country. This is a precedent setting moment!”

COMING UP:

OCTOBER 22: Freedom to Vote Relay Celebration
OCTOBER 23: Freedom to Vote Relay Rally
OCTOBER 26: 30th Anniversary of the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – OCTOBER 15, 2021

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:

“It’s just empty words without action. What’s next? We have to move to action. We are here as Salmon People, and the salmon are going extinct. What are we doing to be a good ancestor? We are writing history in this moment. Everything we do, whether on the salmon issue, or climate change, we are writing the future.”

— Alyssa Macy, citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon, and Washington Conservation Voters CEO and LCVEF board member, speaking during a gathering on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“All them people over there got flooded. And so all of them left.”

— Willa Billings, a resident of Fair Bluff, North Carolina, whose house and entire community was severely damaged after flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and again from Hurricane Florence in 2018 in The Daily podcast episode, “Which Towns Are Worth Saving?”

“We move for the price on the rent, how much it’s going to cost us. But we don’t think about how it’s going to hurt us or our families.”

— Columba Sainz, coordinator for Mom’s Clean Air Force (Ecomadres), speaking on impacts on her daughter’s respiratory health after moving into a community near an airport and bus parking lots in an Arizona Republic article, “New EPA report confirms what South Phoenix’s residents of color know: Climate change discriminates.”

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

The Hill: Moderates split over climate plans in Democrats’ spending package
Politico: Dems torn between wooing and badgering the Biden agenda holdouts
Ocean County Breeze: Rep. Lowenthal (D-CA-47) wants new offshore drilling bans in the Democrats’ Building Back Better Act
The Sag Harbor Express: Climate Corner: Hope (The Pessimist’s Guide)
Washington Post: Group close to McConnell to spend $10 million attacking vulnerable Democratic senators on domestic spending

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:

The Nevada Independent (NV): Extreme heat in Nevada is a daily reminder that climate change is a current threat | Opinion: Dina Titus
Patch (DC/AK): Ice Sculpture Along The Anacostia Shows Effects Of Climate Change
Seattle Times (WA): ‘We are the land’: Indigenous Peoples’ Day gathering at Lummi Nation celebrates survival
MLive (MI): Line 5 opponents criticize Canada’s treaty maneuver, ask Biden to reject move
Independent Record (MT): Ryan Zinke is a critical threat to Montana’s public lands
Earth.com (WA): Washington voters want dam removal to save salmon
Patch (CA): CA Oil Spill: Oiled Birds Die, SHIP Act, Fallout In Spill’s Wake
LA Opinion (CA): Local economy, in addition to the environment, will be affected by the oil spill that occurred in Huntington Beach
WITN (NC): Energy bill gets pushback from environmental groups
Politico (CA): Newsom assails ‘those damn platforms’ in new fight against oil drilling
Albuquerque Journal (NM): How can New Mexico pay for conservation?
Transportation Today News (MI): Biden endorses electric vehicle tax credit

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HONORING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY: Monday marked the first time a U.S. president has formerly recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a long overdue acknowledgement of communities who are continuing to fight for their lands after generations of broken treaties and promises. Leadership from Indigenous leaders and activists resulted in the recent restoration of protections to the Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument after the Trump administration scaled them back. But as we saw at this week’s demonstrations at the Department of the Interior, there is still much work to be done to restore and protect Indigenous lands. Indigenous communities are some of the most impacted by the climate crisis and pollution, and are also fierce leaders in calling for climate action. LCV state affiliate The Alaska Center, Native Peoples Action, and Indigenous activist of Cup’ik descent Sophie Swope unveiled a new video highlighting the impact of the climate crisis on Indigenous Alaskans. The video was projected on a 9,000 pound ice sculpture of a salmon jumping out of water (see more on the art activation here and in our state highlights below!👇). View the video, “Inextricably linked to this land: Our Home. Our future. Our Alaska,” HERE and see photos from the installation HERE.

ALASKA YUP’IK MEMBER TAKE: Andrea Wuya, who is from a Yup’ik community, spoke on the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on critical resources for Indigenous Alaskans, stating, “Some of these things are irreversible, and to see that the number of our salmon population decrease due to climate change is scary because you think of the generations after us, and how are they going to sustain themselves out here?”

SECRETARY HAALAND TAKE: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland ran the Boston Marathon in honor of her ancestors on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, writing, “I run because my ancestors gave me this ability…On this special day, I will run for missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and their families, the victims of Indian boarding schools, and the promise that our voices are being heard and will have a part in an equitable and just future in this new era. I will run for Tom Longboat, Tarzan Brown, and Patti Dillon because they paved a path for me.”

LATINX HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUED: This week, LCV and Chispa continue to honor Latinx Heritage Month, with Chispa closing out the month with highlights from state partners who have hosted and participated in events across the country over the last few weeks. The fight for Latinx communities continues, and Chispa will be hosting events in DC next week to bring attention to the opportunities that a transition to clean vehicles provides (see more in our Electric Vehicle Display Preview below!👇)

LATINX ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE: On Friday, The Latino Climate Justice Framework Project, a coalition of Latinx and Hispanic organizations, that includes Chispa, called for Congress to include climate and justice priorities focused on Latinx communities in the Build Back Better Act. Latinx communities are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and pollution, and are too often excluded from community investment opportunities — community voices must be centered in the Build Back Better Act to ensure that resources go to the most impacted communities.

COALITION TAKE: The coalition wrote in the letter, “Latinx communities are on the frontlines of climate change. We live in geographies with high exposure to climate hazards and are overrepresented in industries that make us susceptible to their impact, such as the agricultural and construction sectors—both vulnerable to increasing incidence of extreme heat days and wildfire smoke.”

GREEN LATINOS TAKE: GreenLatinos Founding President and CEO, and LCV Board Member Mark Magaña stated, “Our communities have suffered from a history of environmental racism that has historically and purposefully placed polluting industries in our communities, and also placed [us] financially only able to get housing in areas of high risk — high risk of flooding, high risk of hurricanes, high risk of tornadoes, high risk of heat and drought.”

TO BUILD BACK BETTER, WE MUST STOP LEAVING COMMUNITIES BEHIND: ICYMI, last month, the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform, of which LCV is a founding member, released a statement calling for full inclusion of environmental justice priorities in the Build Back Better Act. Historically excluded communities, including communities of color and communities of low wealth, continue to disproportionately suffer from the impacts of the climate crisis and environmental injustice — Congress must make the investments necessary for transformative change in all of our communities. See the priorities that will help ensure that justice is given to communities who need it the most HERE.

COALITION TAKE: Signatories of the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform wrote, “Congressional leaders have a critical opportunity to join forces with President Joe Biden to turn the tide against climate change, economic inequality, and environmental injustice. Black, Latino, Indigenous and other communities in the United States have for too long been on the front lines of our nation’s most dangerous environmental and health hazards. Oil refineries, power plants, ports and waste incinerators are just a few of the many industrial facilities that pump billions of pounds of pollution into the air and water. These are disproportionately sited in communities of color, leading to higher rates of cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, neurological issues and other life-threatening health problems for the people living there. This undermines these communities’ ability to participate equally in the economy and live safe, healthy and prosperous lives.”

OUR TAKE: LCV tweeted, “We can’t fight the climate crisis without fighting environmental injustice and racism. We can’t #BuildBackBetter without prioritizing marginalized, low-wealth, and communities of color previously left behind.”

GOODBYE, OFFSHORE DRILLING: The California oil spill is only the latest example of the dirty and dangerous impacts of fossil fuel production. The House Natural Resources Committee is highlighting the dangers and offering solutions to the risks of offshore drilling — they held a mark-up of offshore reform bills, an oversight hearing, and will hold a field hearing in Orange County this coming Monday. There is strong and growing support in Congress to seize the opportunity to address one of the issues raised from this most recent oil spill by including language in the final Build Back Better Act to block new leasing for offshore drilling off the West Coast, East Coast, and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, which the House Natural Resources Committee included in their portion of the Build Back Better Act.

HELLO, OFFSHORE WIND: This week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland laid out a blueprint for offshore wind leasing as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. We are in our “code red for humanity” moment — we cannot wait to build the infrastructure to put our country on the path to a clean energy future, and these bold plans put us one step closer to that future. See how our state affiliates responded when the Biden-Harris administration approved the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project earlier this summer HERE.

@INTERIOR TAKE: Interior Secretary Haaland stated, “The Interior Department is laying out an ambitious roadmap as we advance the Administration’s plans to confront climate change, create good-paying jobs, and accelerate the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future. This timetable provides two crucial ingredients for success: increased certainty and transparency. Together, we will meet our clean energy goals while addressing the needs of other ocean users and potentially impacted communities. We have big goals to achieve a clean energy economy and Interior is meeting the moment.”

ROADMAP TO BUILD A RESILIENT ECONOMY: Today, the Biden-Harris administration released a roadmap outlining the risks of the climate crisis and how to build a resilient economy. In addition, it highlights the urgent need for Congress to take action to address the climate crisis through the Build Back Better Act. Our communities, especially communities of color and communities of low wealth, are already seeing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on their economy, with some communities at risk of disappearing altogether.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “The Biden-Harris administration is absolutely right — as we saw this summer when climate-fueled extreme weather impacted 1 in 3 people in the country, costing billions of dollars — the climate crisis is a direct threat to our communities and our economy. This roadmap builds on the whole-of-government approach necessary to protect our economy and all communities, especially communities of color and low-wealth communities that have long borne the brunt of fossil fuel pollution. We applaud these executive actions, but they must be coupled with transformational climate, jobs, and justice legislation. The Biden-Harris administration and so many Democrats in Congress are working tirelessly to make that happen. It’s past time for Congress to finalize, pass, and send the Build Back Better Act to President Biden’s desk. With international climate negotiations fast approaching, the world is watching. Let’s get this done.”

PUBLIC HEARING ON CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS: This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held a hearing for its proposal for “Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2024-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks,” where environmental justice advocates, climate activists, public health officials, and other proponents of the proposal gave testimony on how Obama-era clean car standards will help drivers save money and reduce vehicle pollution.

OUR TAKE: LCV Government Affairs Advocate Darien Davis stated, “The transportation sector is the largest source of emissions and needs bold action to accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles across all types…Ultimately, the strongest possible CAFE rule would help grow the share of new zero emission vehicles sold to approximately 60-75% of new car sales by 2030. Once again, I urge this administration to set the strongest possible fuel economy standards by finalizing Alternative 3. Simply put: these standards are practical and help to maximize the deployment of electric vehicles.”

ICYMI — INTRODUCTION OF AMERICAN ENERGY WORKER OPPORTUNITY ACT: Last week, Senators Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, Sheldon Whitehouse, Tina Smith, Michael Bennet, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, and Tammy Baldwin introduced the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act, which would invest in workers in a transition to a clean energy economy. This investment would help provide essential benefits to workers, increase wages, and allow workers in polluter industries access education and training grants. We need workers to transition to a cleaner future, and the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act will help invest in and train workers already in the energy industry, in addition to investing in future workers.

BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE TAKE: BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh stated, “As our nation’s energy system transitions, it is absolutely vital that we do not leave workers and communities behind. These are the workers that have powered our nation for generations and we owe it to them to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed in the clean economy.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “The transition to a clean energy future means we cannot leave behind those workers who have played such a crucial role in powering our homes and communities for decades. These workers, their families, and their communities must be supported to take advantage of the millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy that will be created by passage of the Build Back Better Act. We believe this bill helps us achieve this, and thank Senators Brown, Casey, Whitehouse, Baldwin, Bennett, Duckworth, Smith and Warren for their leadership on this important issue.”

ICYMI — MONUMENTAL RESTORATION: ICYMI, last week, the Biden administration fulfilled its promise to restore protections to the sacred lands of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments, where protections were mostly or entirely removed. Bears Ears contains cultural and natural heritage for five tribal communities who make up the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (BEITC) — the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni — who have and continue to lead the protection and preservation of these sacred spaces from corporate pollution and environmental racism. See our blog from LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel on how the restoration of the Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments are a crucial next step for conserving 30% of our nation’s lands and waters by 2030.

BEITC MEMBER TAKE: Shaun Chapoose, chairman for the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee and BEITC member, stated, “President Biden did the right thing restoring the Bears Ears National Monument. For us the Monument never went away. We will always return to these lands to manage and care for our sacred sites, waters and medicines. The Monument represents a historic opportunity for the federal government to learn and incorporate our tribal land management practices. Practices that we developed over centuries and are needed more now than ever. President Biden was right to reinforce the action taken by President Obama almost five years ago. We battled for this Monument because it matters.”

SECRETARY HAALAND TAKE: Interior Secretary Haaland stated, “It’s about this administration centering the voices of Indigenous people and affirming the shared stewardship of this landscape with tribal nations. The president’s action today writes a new chapter that embraces Indigenous knowledge, ensures tribal leadership has a seat at the table, and demonstrates that by working together we can build a brighter future for all of us.”

FREEDOM TO VOTE RELAY PREVIEW!: In advance of the Senate’s vote on the Freedom to Vote Act next week, LCV is collaborating with Public Citizen, Black Voters Matter, DC Vote, League of Women Voters, Drum Majors for Change, Declaration for American Democracy and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda for the Freedom to Vote Relay. The relay will highlight the need to pass legislation to protect voting rights for all Americans and help make the United States a more just and representative democracy. This legislation includes the Freedom to Vote Act, the Washington, DC Admissions Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which was recently reintroduced in Congress. The relay will take place October 20th – 23rd, with participants travelling by various modes of transportation from West Virginia to DC. See Senators Amy Klobuchar, Jeff Merkley, Alex Padilla, Tim Kaine, and Raphael Warnock discuss why our democracy needs the Freedom to Vote Act HERE.

CELEBRATE WITH US IN DC!: On Friday, October 22, participants from the relay, activists, and residents will gather at the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl in DC to celebrate the final stretch of the relay before they rally at the Capitol the following day. Sign up for this event and get more information HERE!

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “A healthy environment and a healthy democracy are inextricably linked. It is no coincidence that the communities most affected by climate change and pollution are the same Black, Brown, Asian-American, Native, disabled, and immigrant communities that are targeted by voter suppression. We’re proud to join fellow conveners and marchers from West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to call on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC Statehood, and fight for a healthy, functioning democracy where all people can participate freely and equitably.”

ELECTRIC VEHICLE DISPLAY PREVIEW!: Next week, Chispa will be hosting two electric vehicle display events to show an array of clean vehicles and to discuss the advantages of going electric. On Wednesday, October 20th, from 9am-1:30pm EST, the Electrification Coalition and Plug in America will host an Electric Vehicle Display at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and on Thursday, October 21st, from 9am-3pm EST, Chispa is partnering with the Senate Auto Caucus and other activists to host an Electric Vehicle & Charging Infrastructure Static Display. Advocates and manufacturers will be at the events, discussing the many benefits of electrifying vehicles across the country. These benefits include improved air quality, reduced transportation costs, and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Register for the Wednesday event HERE and the Thursday event HERE!

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

INDIGENOUS ALASKANS CALL ON A FROZEN CONGRESS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE: In advance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, LCV state affiliate The Alaska Center, Native Peoples Action, and Cup’ik Indigenous activist, Sophie Swope, unveiled a new video, “Inextricably linked to this land: Our Home. Our future. Our Alaska,” which was projected onto a 9,000 pound ice sculpture of a salmon jumping out of water to highlight how the climate crisis is impacting Indigenous Alaskan communities. This art activation sends a clear message to legislators in Washington, DC that it’s time to listen to the voices of Indigenous peoples and invest in communities so that they can continue their way of life and future generations can thrive for years to come.

ALASKAN ACTIVIST TAKE: Sophie Swope, of Cup’ik descent from Mamterilleq Bethel, Alaska stated, “Climate change is challenging the traditional ways of life and hurting my community. The numbers of fish in our rivers — specifically salmon — are declining, and hunting and harvesting trails are not freezing properly. We can’t keep compromising our climate and polluting our waters, lands, and community health…Let’s listen to those most impacted by the climate crisis and pollution who have for too long, not had a seat at the table. There is a world of opportunity here now, we just need our leaders to take bold steps forward and pass legislation that will support our future and address environmental injustice.”

THE ALASKA CENTER TAKE: The Alaska Center Communications Director Leah Moss stated, “For too long, extractive industries have polluted our communities, our climate and our economic health in Alaska. It’s time that our leaders invest in the long term health of Alaskans and invest in the vibrant future that clean energy jobs and a commitment to climate justice could make possible. We are at a pivotal moment to Build Back Better and we must act now before climate change destroys more communities in our state. We need policy makers to take bold action on climate that helps Alaskans thrive, not just survive.”

NATIVE PEOPLES ACTION TAKE: Executive Director of Native People’s Action Kendra Kloster stated, “Indigenous peoples have stewarded the lands and waters across this nation since time immemorial. Having our voices at the decision-making tables with projects that directly impact our ways of life is imperative. “There is vast opportunity and potential for economic growth in our Tribal communities and regions when our Indigenous voices are part of the processes that affect our people, lands, waters and all relations. Our ways of life are on the line – the time is now for investments toward climate justice solutions in partnership with Indigenous people.”

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s organizers on the ground continue to knock on doors and build support for climate action across the country. So far, our field team has knocked on over 290,000 doors, made nearly 420,000 calls, and mobilized over 10,500 businesses across 12 states to support climate action and clean energy jobs! 💪 See people across the nation share why they want climate action now, and read stories from climate advocates across the country HERE.

PUBLIC HEARING ON REDISTRICTING IN MICHIGAN: This week, Michigan LCV Education Fund and partners hosted a virtual event to provide updates on the latest opportunities to engage with Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Special guest experts Loida Tapia of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Quentin Turner of Common Cause Michigan spoke with participants on making their voice heard to help ensure fair district maps for the next 10 years.

ICYMI — SCHOOL BUS WIN IN NYC!: Last week, the NYC City Council voted to transition our nation’s largest school district to 100% electric school buses by 2035. This is another example of how the country is moving away from fossil fuels towards clean, emission-free vehicles. As activists work to accelerate this transition, this is a major victory, especially for communities in NYC benefitting from decreases in air pollution.

NYLCV TAKE: At a recent rally in support of electric school buses, New York LCV President Julie Tighe said, “We need electric school buses! They are the cleanest alternative with 70% less GHG emissions and zero tailpipe emissions. Our students go to school to learn and instead we put them at risk when we send them to school in diesel buses.”

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS FOR LATINX COMMUNITIES IN NEW JERSEY: In New Jersey, climate activists are committed to addressing the barriers that make it harder for Latinx communities to be involved in the climate justice movement. New Jersey LCV Campaigns Director Patty Cronheim released an opinion piece with Atlantic Climate Justice Alliance Founder Maria Sanitago-Valentin, highlighting how trust must be built between climate activists and the Latinx community by confronting language and economic barriers in their outreach strategy. Black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues, it is important that their voices are at the forefront of this movement.

NJLCV TAKE: In their piece, New Jersey LCV Campaigns Director Patty Cronheim and Atlantic Climate Justice Alliance Founder Maria Sanitago-Valentin wrote, “Factors that stem primarily from language and economic barriers often keep Hispanics from becoming involved with the environmental causes that impact their daily lives. If we don’t want environmental engagement to remain primarily the province of white privilege, we need to break down the barriers that make it difficult for people to get involved.”

CALLING OUT ATTACKS ON PUBLIC LANDS IN MONTANA: Montana Conservation Voters is calling out the blatant lies from former Congressman and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Zinke is currently running ads claiming that he is supportive of protecting Montana’s public lands, while his votes and actions say otherwise. Activists are letting the public know that Zinke has sold out to oil and gas companies, putting profits above Montana’s public lands and people.

MCV TAKE: In the Helena Independent Record, Montana Conservation Voters Board Chair Jock Conyngham wrote, “The truth is that Zinke has — through his statements, actions, votes and policies — joined the assault on America’s public lands and the strong drive to transfer or sell the lands that support out hunting, fishing, and outdoor culture.”

COMING UP:

OCTOBER 18: House Natural Resources Committee Field Hearing in Irvine, CA on the offshore oil disaster
OCTOBER 18: 49th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act
OCTOBER 19: Climate Action New Hampshire: Road to COP26 Event
OCTOBER 20: US DOT Electric Vehicle Display
OCTOBER 21: Electric Vehicle & Charging Infrastructure Static Display
OCTOBER 22: Freedom to Vote Relay Celebration
OCTOBER 26: 30th Anniversary of the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – OCTOBER 8, 2021

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:

“There are agricultural workers who go to work, get paid at piece rate, and the faster you work, the faster you fill up barrels, the more you get paid. It’s in direct conflict with what you’re supposed to do if you’re experiencing a potential heat illness. Then, the worker goes home, and they have a residence where they don’t have access to a cooling system or maybe they don’t have electricity, so they don’t have access to a fan or a cooling system.”

— Ana Padilla, executive director of the University of California, Merced, Community and Labor Center in a PBS article, “What will it take to keep workers from dying of heat? Enforcement and trust, advocates say.”

“This is not the time for regressive voting policies. It is time to make voting as easy as possible for eligible voters, especially those in hurricane-prone regions. Unwillingness to do that means that some people, namely people of color, will be unable to participate fully in the franchise of voting.”

— Nsé Ufot, founding member of the Black Southern Women’s Collective and executive director of the New Georgia Project, writing how, “Without Intervention, The Climate Crisis May Result In Voter Suppression.”

“You’ll notice in Black and Brown communities in New York City and across the country that major sources of pollution tend to be concentrated in those communities.”

— Blaze Jones-Yelling, an environmental justice professor at John Jay College, who spoke to community members during trolley tours to raise awareness about environmental racism in New Rochelle.

“Creating equitable access to the outdoors for people of color and addressing environmental injustice requires conversation and collaboration.”

— Interior Secretary Deb Haaland tweeted after speaking at a virtual event with Latinx and Hispanic elected leaders and conservationists.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

USA Today: Hailing from coal country, Sen. Joe Manchin could determine how Joe Biden confronts climate change
E&E News: Farm groups fear being left behind as budget bill shrinks
WisBusiness: U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Introduces bill to empower fossil-fuel workers to train, find jobs in changing energy industry

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:

New York Times (AZ): Kyrsten Sinema Wants to Cut $100 Billion in Proposed Climate Funds, Sources Say
Nevada Public Radio (NV): With much to discuss, immigrant rights groups gather in Las Vegas
NJ.com (NJ): Barriers keep Hispanics from becoming involved with environmental causes | Opinion
Sun Journal (ME): Kathleen Meil, Grant Provost and Mary Kaszynski: Build Back Better: Common ground is common sense
NJ.com (NJ): The defeat of the PennEast project is a long-awaited victory | Opinion
River Reporter (NY): Money Flowing into the Delaware
NC Capitol (NC): ‘Bold step’: Bipartisan support for energy bill as some worry over costs, ‘ambiguities’
Farm And Dairy (OH): Ohio House passes bill to deregulate ephemeral streams
Daily Kos (NY): The Right To Life, Liberty and A Clean Environment.
The Spokesman (WA): Poll finds most Washington voters support plan to breach Snake River dams

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LATINX HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES: LCV and Chispa continue to honor Latinx Heritage Month — this week, Chispa released a new video showing how some of our youngest generation already know that we can’t wait to take action for our communities and our planet. Children who rely on public transportation to get to school suffer from aggravated lung health and increased risk of asthma attacks — a leading cause of school absences — and disproportionately impacts educational opportunities in communities of color and communities with low wealth. See the video, “Children Are The Future,” HERE, and see Chispa’s latest petition to call on Congress to take immediate action on the climate crisis for communities who have been historically excluded HERE.

OUR FUTURE GENERATION’S TAKE: The children in the video represent children across the nation that simply want to breathe clean air and drink clean water. They know the importance of taking action to save the planet because they will be the ones affected the most as the crisis continues to get worse year after year — they know, “we need everyone’s help to fix our planet.”

CA OIL SPILL DISASTER SPURS SUPPORT FOR BLOCKING NEW DRILLING: Last weekend, a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California leaked over 126,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean — a devastating event for the already fragile ecosystem, local communities, and local fishing economy. Extreme weather, which is exacerbated by the fossil fuel industry, has made dangerous pipelines even more precarious — 55 oil spills were reported within two weeks of Hurricane Ida. These spills are disastrous for not only our planet, but also for the communities already on the frontlines of the climate crisis, who are too often communities of color and communities with low wealth. Congress must take action to include provisions banning new offshore drilling in the Build Back Better Act to help prevent future disasters. Read our memo from LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel highlighting the climate champions who are taking the lead to put people over polluters HERE.

SENATOR PADILLA TAKE: Senator Alex Padilla tweeted, “We’ve seen time and time again how damaging offshore oil spills are to our coastal ecosystems as well as to our economy. We have the power to prevent future spills—that’s why I’m committed to ending offshore drilling.”

REPRESENTATIVE PORTER TAKE: Representative Katie Porter stated, “Big Oil’s offshore drilling puts the health of our communities, our local economies, and our planet at risk. Cleaning up this spill is not enough; we need to stop these disasters from happening in the first place.”

REPRESENTATIVES MIKE LEVIN, ALAN LOWENTHAL, AND 77 COLLEAGUES’ TAKE: “Dead birds and dead fish are already washing ashore, local beaches have been closed, boaters are being asked to stay away, and all fishing is curtailed for the area. Oil pollution threatens the more than $2 billion in wages and $4.15 billion in gross domestic product generated by the marine economy in Orange County,” members wrote in a Dear Colleague letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer. “We urge you to retain the offshore oil and gas related provisions in the Build Back Better Act, including the provision that invests in the long-term protection of coastal communities by ending new federal oil and gas leasing off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico […] Congress has a crucial opportunity to end new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Build Back Better Act. We are confident your leadership will help us pass a budget that invests in protecting our coastal communities.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “Offshore drilling harms coastal economies and communities, wildlife, and our climate. With the Build Back Better Act, Congress has the opportunity to make investments to prevent future oil spill disasters, act on climate at the scale that science and justice require, create good-paying jobs, and reduce costs for families. We strongly support the calls by a large and growing segment of Congress to invest in coastal communities by retaining provisions in the final Build Back Better Act to ban new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico.”

MONUMENTAL RESTORATION!: This week, the Biden administration fulfilled its promise to restore protections to the sacred lands of Bears Ears, which the Trump administration reduced by 85%, Grand Staircase-Escalante, which was cut by nearly half, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments, where protections were entirely removed. Bears Ears contains cultural and natural heritage for five tribal communities who make up the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (BEITC) — the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni — who have and continue to lead the protection and preservation of these sacred spaces from corporate pollution and environmental racism. Check out our blog from LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel on how the restoration of the Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments are a crucial next step for conserving 30% of our nation’s lands and waters by 2030.

BEITC MEMBER TAKE: BEITC member and Hope Tribe Vice Chairman Clark W. Tenakhongva stated, “Thank you, President Biden and Vice President Harris for upholding your commitment to restore Hommuru (the Bears Ears monument), which is the birthplace of many Hopi and other Native peoples. Through this action, the history of our people, our culture, and religion will be preserved for future generations.”

CHAIR GRIJALVA TAKE: House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva stated, “It’s time to put Trump’s cynical actions in the rear-view mirror, restore rightful protections, and restart the Bears Ears co-management arrangement with the tribes who have held this place sacred since time immemorial.”

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “We stand in solidarity with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition who came together to advocate for the creation of the Bears Ears National Monument and celebrate this important step toward fulfilling their vision for safeguarding their sacred sites and ancestral lands. President Biden’s moves restore health and economic protections to the communities that live and work near these lands and waters and provide economic certainty to other communities that rely on national monuments to power their outdoor recreation and tourism businesses. Thank you to Secretary Haaland for her detailed review of the cultural, historical, and scientific importance of these national monuments. This is exactly the type of whole of government approach required to achieve racial justice, respect for Tribes, and address the climate crisis, while rebuilding a more equitable economy and creating good-paying jobs.”

RESTORING NEPA!: This week, the Biden-Harris administration’s Council of Environmental Quality proposed a rule to restore some key provisions for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that the previous administration gutted in their 2020 rule. This move is an important first step to reinstituting meaningful environmental review in the consideration of major projects and is an important action to protect the health and hear the voices of all communities, especially communities of color.

CEQ CHAIR TAKE: Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory stated, “The basic community safeguards we are proposing to restore would help ensure that American infrastructure gets built right the first time, and delivers real benefits – not harms – to people who live nearby. Patching these holes in the environmental review process will help reduce conflict and litigation and help clear up some of the uncertainty that the previous administration’s rule caused.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis stated, “Today, the Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory is taking an important first step toward restoring environmental protections in the consideration of major projects – a critical action for advancing environmental justice. We look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that NEPA analyses take climate impacts and cumulative health effects into account when considering and assessing infrastructure projects and their potential alternatives. For far too long, climate change pollution and the effects of multiple harmful sources of contamination on communities have been ignored, and this proposed rule would help make sure these concerns are addressed, and alternative approaches seriously explored, so that we truly can Build Back Better.”

JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT HEARD!: On Tuesday, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) was reintroduced in the Senate by Senator Patrick Leahy, and on Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing regarding the advancement of the bill. In this hearing, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke presented evidence of voter discrimination and strongly urged the Senate to advance and pass the bill, which would restore the critical voter protections from the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy — it is imperative that the Senate takes up and passes both the VRAA and the Freedom to Vote Act, to ensure an equitable redistricting process and free and fair elections in 2022. This year, at least 19 states have enacted 33 laws that make it harder for people to vote, particularly Black voters and voters of color, who voted in record numbers in key battleground states last election.

BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE TAKE: Brennan Center for Justice Vice President for Democracy Wendy Weiser submitted oral testimony for the hearing, stating, “States have piled voting restriction upon voting restriction, passing new ones as soon as old ones are struck down, in what amounts to legal whack-a-mole. For instance, the new Georgia and Texas voter suppression laws, the worst in the country, come after years of earlier voting hurdles in those states. Safeguarding our democracy and protecting voting rights is one of the most sacred responsibilities this body has. The House has passed this bill. It’s now up to the Senate to act — without delay — to pass both the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.”

COMPETES ACT INTRODUCED: On Thursday, Senator John Hickenlooper introduced the Competitive Onshore Mineral Policy via Eliminating Taxpayer-Enabled Speculation (COMPETES) Act, which would prevent leasing of taxpayer-owned public lands to oil and gas companies for diminished rates. Currently, these public lands are leased and managed for oil and gas production and are not managed for outdoor recreation or conservation purposes — which takes opportunities and benefits away from local communities.

SENATOR HICKENLOOPER TAKE: Senator John Hickenlooper stated, “Non-competitive leasing encourages speculation on public lands at taxpayers’ expense. Westerners lose out when large swaths of land are set aside for speculation instead of conservation or recreation.”

COCO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Deputy Director Jessica Goad stated, “Public lands are critical to our fight against climate change and will be a solution to solving the crisis. The practice of leasing public lands for drilling at bargain basement prices in a noncompetitive process directly conflicts with our national climate and conservation goals. We’re thrilled that Senator Hickenlooper is leading this effort. The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management must advance reforms to the oil and gas program to align our dual climate and conservation goals and the U.S. Senate should pass this good bill right away.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Government Affairs Advocate Ben Alexandro stated, “For too long oil and gas industry CEOs have reaped the benefits of a broken leasing system that is rigged in favor of oil industry executives and leaves our public lands, waters, and communities to pay the price…These lands could be opened for conservation, recreation, as well as other uses, and provide invaluable benefits to communities across the country including protecting public health, clean water, and air. We applaud Senator Hickenlooper for his leadership in proposing the COMPETES Act and urge Congress to include common sense reforms like this in the final Build Back Better Act to make oil and gas companies pay their fair share for exploiting taxpayer-owned resources.”

THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION IS NOW!: This week, Climate Power hosted an installation calling on Congress to Build Back Better, kicking things off with a night display of climate advocates emphasizing that we are in a “code red for climate.” Our communities can no longer wait for action — we need Congress to pass the full Build Back Better Act to put our nation on the path to clean energy while creating jobs and addressing the climate crisis and environmental injustices.

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo tweeted, “The time for bold climate action is NOW. It is costing lives, livelihoods and our health. We have the solutions and the public support. NOW is the time to pass the #BuildBackBetter Act with the investments that science and justice require.”

BIDEN IN MICHIGAN: On Tuesday, President Biden travelled to Michigan to speak on how investments in the Build Back Better Act are critical to creating jobs and economic growth for working families while putting our country on the path to address the climate crisis. Michiganders have seen the devastating impacts from the climate crisis and crumbling infrastructure firsthand — see stories our field team heard from Michiganders below and HERE.

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: President Biden stated, “Our infrastructure used to be the best in the world, literally not figuratively. Today, according to the world economic forum, we rank 13th. … All those investments that fueled a strong economy, we’ve taken our foot off the gas. These bills are about competitiveness versus complacency. They’re about opportunity versus decay. They’re about leading the world or continue to let the world pass us by, which is literally happening.”

MICHIGANDER STORIES: Michiganders from Plymouth to Lansing to Holland have shared their concerns about extreme weather, climate injustice, and the overall health of the planet and they are stepping up by calling their representatives and demanding climate action now. And as President Biden heads to the Great Lakes State to talk about the importance of passing the Build Back Better Act with all of the current climate provisions intact, the people of Michigan are on his side and agree with the need for bold climate action. See more stories from Michigan HERE and highlights from stories from advocates across the country HERE.

IN LANSING: Nicole was forced to leave her home in Flint, Michigan because of the water crisis. Now, with the state of the climate and the amount of chemicals going into our water, she fears others will share this same fate.

IN PLYMOUTH: Kathleen is frustrated that her children and her children’s children will most likely have to inherit a climate crisis even though we’ve known about climate change for over a generation now. Kathleen has been conscious of the need to slow the effects of climate change since she first voted when she was 18, and she hopes that her representatives in Congress will take action in a truly transformative way now to address the climate crisis while also addressing our infrastructure needs.

IN WARREN: Ken is concerned about the need to improve drinking water and ensuring all communities in Southeast Michigan have equal access to clean, safe, affordable water. He used to live in Flint, giving him a personal understanding of the importance of this issue. He hopes Congress takes action on environmental issues now.

FREEDOM TO VOTE RELAY PREVIEW!: LCV is collaborating with Public Citizen, Black Voters Matter, DC Vote, League of Women Voters, Drum Majors for Change, Declaration for American Democracy and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda for the Freedom to Vote Relay later this month, which will highlight the need to pass legislation to protect voting rights for all Americans and help make the United States a more just and representative democracy. This legislation includes the Freedom to Vote Act, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which was recently reintroduced in Congress (see above!). The relay will take place October 20th to October 23rd, with participants travelling by various modes of transportation from West Virginia to DC.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY PREVIEW!: In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, Chispa will be centering Indigenous climate activists at the forefront of the fight for protecting people and the planet. Indigenous communities are some of the most impacted by the climate crisis and pollution, and are also fierce leaders in calling for climate action and adapting to changes exacerbated by the climate crisis. See accounts for 7 Indigenous climate activists to support and follow on Twitter below!

Tara Houska @zhaabowekwe
Dallas Goldtooth @DallasGoldtooth
Princess Daazhraii Johnson @ArcticDaazhraii
Bernadette Demientieff @bernademientief
Winona LaDuke @WinonaLaduke
Jade Begay @_jadebegay
Dr. Elizabeth Hoover @bluefancyshawl

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

INDIGENOUS ALASKANS CALL ON A FROZEN CONGRESS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE PREVIEW!: LCV state affiliate The Alaska Center, Native Peoples Action, and an Alaska based Indigenous activist, Sophie Swope, will unveil a new art installation on Saturday, October 9 in Washington DC. A video will be projected on a 9,000 pound ice sculpture depicting salmon in the Diamond Teague Park along the Anacostia River beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. AK. The event, in advance of Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, is a message to Congress to share the ways that Indigenous Alaskans are deeply impacted by the climate injustice and the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, a crisis that needs federal action now. The installation features testimony from Alaska Native peoples facing the calamitous economic, health, and communal impacts of climate change through short films captured by Alaskan videographer Chris Ho. RSVP with Mika Hyer at mhyer@lcv.org.

NYC IS ON BOARD WITH ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES!: This week, The New York City Council passed Intro 455-A to transition the city’s school bus fleet to entirely electric buses by 2035. This victory will help children breathe cleaner air while creating more clean energy jobs, and addressing the disproportionate impacts of fossil fuel pollution from transportation on environmental justice communities.

NYLCV TAKE: NYLCV President Julie Tighe stated, “The New York League of Conservation Voters applauds Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Member Daniel Dromm, and City Council for getting on board the electric bus! Today, we pushed forward important legislation to switch the largest school district in the country to clean electric school buses, a landmark measure Mayor de Blasio’s committed to earlier this year. This has been a priority for the League for several years, and we’re thrilled to see climate action that will reduce transportation emissions and keep our children healthy. Thank you to all the Council Members that have advocated for the bill and all our partners in the NYC Clean School Bus Coalition that have contributed to creating a cleaner, healthier future for all of New York City’s children. We look forward to Mayor de Blasio signing this important bill in the coming days.”

DEFENDING IMMIGRANT RIGHTS IN NV: This week, immigration and refugee rights organizations gathered in Las Vegas at the 2021 National Immigration Integration Conference. Among the topics discussed was the urgency to pass the Build Back Better Act to address the infrastructure needs of immigrant and refugee communities and the disproportionate effects they face from the climate crisis.

CHISPA NV TAKE: Chispa Nevada Program Director Rudy Zamora stated, “Climate change is important to everyone in Nevada, but in particular immigrants. We have to make sure that the air that we’re breathing is clean; most of the immigrant communities and low-income families live in areas of the state that are the most polluted. We have DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), we have TPS (temporary protected status), we have other things, but none of those are a clear pathway to citizenship. And there’s so many people in this country that deserve a pathway to citizenship. I myself was a (DACA) dreamer at one point, and I’m fortunate enough to be a citizen now, but DACA is just the initial step.”

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s organizers on the ground continue to knock on doors and build support for climate action across the country. So far, our field team has knocked on almost 270,000 doors, made nearly 380,000 calls, and mobilized over 9,500 businesses across 11 states to support climate action and clean energy jobs! 💪 See people across the nation share why they want climate action now, and read stories from climate advocates across the country HERE.

ACTIVISTS CALL FOR CLIMATE ACTION AT AXNE TOWN HALL: In Iowa’s third congressional district, residents showed up to Rep. Cindy Axne’s town hall to voice their concerns about the climate crisis and demand action. Representative Axne reiterated her support for the Build Back Better Act and urged the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass the legislation, which makes major investments in green energy job creation and puts the country on the path to be carbon neutral by 2050.

ICYMI, CROP ART ACTIVATION IN NJ: In case you missed it, last week, local artist Suki Dewey, along with New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, organized a community crop art activation to call for immediate climate action. Dewey and New Jersey LCV made a statement by spelling out the word “NOW” in a soybean field — there is no time to waste when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Action must be taken now, our people and planet cannot wait. See photos and video of the crop art from Dewey HERE.

ARTIST TAKE: Local artist Suki Dewey stated, “These fields are my canvas and with this installation I wanted to simply underscore the urgency of this very moment. It is clear that we need climate action and we need it NOW. And I hope my art, thanks to the help of community activists, can serve as a reminder to voters, members of Congress, everyone — we have no time to waste. Our planet is on fire. We need Congress to boldly move forward to address the climate crisis at the scale that science and justice demands.”

NJ LCV TAKE: New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak stated, “At a time when New Jersey is seeing the effects of climate change firsthand we want to thank members of Congress who are taking action to fight climate change, particularly those who are committed to passing President Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Residents in New Jersey whose homes have been damaged by flooding need to know that Washington stands with them and is doing everything it can to build a green energy future. The time for action is now.”

BUILDING BACK BETTER IN MAINE: Maine Conservation Voters teamed up with local labor and veteran groups to call on Maine’s federal delegation to support the Build Back Better Act alongside the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. Not only would this legislation make major investments in Maine’s infrastructure, but it would also create green energy jobs and protect our planet — delivering the bold climate action we need. The bill also has provisions that would benefit VA hospitals and other investments to bolster the economy.

MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS TAKE: In a joint op-ed the groups released, MCV Director of Policy Partnerships Kathleen Meil and representatives from both a local union and VoteVets said, “A more sustainable planet, thriving economy, and stronger communities are just a few votes away from becoming a reality. We urge Maine’s entire federal delegation to support the Build Back Better Act alongside the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. We have the power to truly transform our nation with these pivotal bills. We hope they see it that way, too”.

VICTORY! PLUG PULLED ON PENNEAST PIPELINE IN NJ: After seven years of fighting the proposed PennEast pipeline, landowners and activists achieved a major win when the developers officially canceled the project. The pipeline would have stretched from Northeastern Pennsylvania to New Jersey, disrupting hundreds of miles of land, threatening the health and safety of local communities and the environment. Activists, including New Jersey LCV, have been on the forefront of this fight pressuring legislators to deny permits and encouraging the public to express concerns about the project.

NJLCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Executive Director Ed Potosnak wrote an op-ed stating, “The PennEast project was unneeded and unwanted. This project would have damaged the lands and polluted the water in the impacted communities, and significant natural resources, historic sites, pristine protected streams and endangered species would have been at risk.”

WASHINGTONIANS SUPPORT RESTORING SALMON RUNS: Washington Conservation Voters released a new survey showing that a majority of Washington state voters support plans to restore vital salmon runs in the area. These efforts would breach the Lower Snake River dams, allowing the local salmon to flourish. In May, the Nez Perce Tribe released a study highlighting the catastrophic impacts of dams on salmon runs in the Snake River Basin which threaten the salmon population to extinction and go against promises to the Tribal communities who rely on them.

NEZ PERCE TRIBE TAKE: Last month, the Nez Perce Tribe announced the launch of the Salmon Orca Project, which calls on the Biden administration to take action to support replacing dams along the snake river. Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Samuel Penney stated, “We are battling for the future of a sacred way of life for many in our region. The United States and native nations signed treaties-treaties that were to ensure the existence and protection of salmon in perpetuity. But, our salmon are going extinct. Treaties have not been honored. As a result, our people and our culture and our very way of life face extinction. That’s why we stand united as Tribal Nations and call on the Biden Administration to honor the treaties made between our sovereign nations. We call on this Administration to work with us to replace the Lower Snake River Dams. And we call on the Administration to do so now, not tomorrow or two years from now. The time to act is now.”

WCV TAKE: Washington Conservation Voters CEO Alyssa Macy stated, “What we learned from this is that voters across Washington are adamant that they do not want salmon to go extinct.”

RAMPING UP FOR VIRGINIA’S ELECTIONS: This week, VALCV PAC announced significant campaign ramp-up in final weeks of 2021 race, including major investments in mail, digital, and field campaigns to ensure that Virginia’s current conservation majority is protected and progress will continue being made to pass pro-environment policies that improve the quality of life for all Virginians.

VALCV PAC TAKE: VALCV PAC Campaign Director Michael Town stated, “This election is absolutely pivotal to protecting and building on the incredible progress we’ve made in recent years addressing the climate crisis, transitioning to a clean energy economy, and safeguarding our environment. We are committed to doing everything we can to win on Nov. 2, which starts with letting voters know exactly what’s at stake for clean air, clean water and Virginia’s future.”

COMING UP:

SEPTEMBER 15 – OCTOBER 15: Latinx Heritage Month
OCTOBER 9: Alaskans for Climate Justice Ice Installation
OCTOBER 11: Indigenous Peoples Day
OCTOBER 20-23: Freedom to Vote Relay

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – OCTOBER 1, 2021

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:

“Having this electric school bus is confirmation that things happen because the community has power. Once the community knows there is power, they will exercise that power.”

— Teo Argueta, speaking in LCV and Chispa’s film produced in partnership with the Redford Center, “Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands).”

“If you don’t have air conditioning or you can’t run it because you don’t have that kind of financial resources and that coping capacity, and let’s say you have a preexisting health condition…and in your neighborhood that’s five or six degrees hotter than other neighborhoods around you. That could be a lethal difference in terms of temperatures.”

— Vivek Shandas, a professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University on a Living Downstream podcast episode, “Degrees Of Injustice – The Social Inequity Of Urban Heat Islands.”

“Since they put a hog farm a quarter of a mile from where I live, we can’t drink the water or hang out our clothes. I don’t even wear white clothes anymore because when you wash them, they turn yellow.

— Elouise Stokes Jacobs, a resident of Waycross, North Carolina, speaking at a commissioners meeting during a public comment period on air and water pollution issues.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Yahoo!News: Biden’s climate change agenda hangs in balance as Congress debates budget
AP: On climate change, Biden $3.5T plan making up for lost time
The Hill: Labor, environmental groups in new ad press lawmakers for bigger package
Bloomberg Law: ‘Disruptive’ Shutdown Seen as Crippling EPA Powers and Economy
E&E: Greens target Sinema with ad campaign over spending bill

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:

Fayetteville Observer (North Carolina): Opinion: Why a clean energy future sets Fayetteville up for success
Blue Ridge Public Radio (North Carolina): NC Coalition Forms To Advocate For Offshore Wind Energy Projects
TAPinto (New Jersey): PennEast Company ‘Ceases All Future Development’ of Fracked Gas Pipeline that Threatened County’s Public and Private Lands

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LATINX HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES: LCV and Chispa continue to honor Latinx Heritage Month — this week, Chispa participated in Drive Electric Week, hosting an electric school bus event with Generation 180 and World Resources Institute (see more on Drive Electric Week below 👇). Chispa also highlighted the power of community action with a film produced in partnership with the Redford Center, “Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands).” Additionally, Chispa National Communications and Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez was featured as one of NETA Collaborative’s Latinx Systemic Disruptors for her leadership, storytelling, and filmmaking in the fight for climate justice, centering Latinx communities and communities of color who are on the front lines of the climate crisis and environmental racism.

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Communications and Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez said her heroes are, “mujeres/women who have paved the way for me, for us, and for future generations to be able to say who we are and what we want loud and proud.”

‘SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH PEOPLE’S LIVES’: Earlier this week, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans blocked a bill to fund the government and avoid financial catastrophe from a U.S. government default. While a government shutdown was averted on Thursday night, Senate Republicans must stop playing politics while lives are on the line.

OUR TAKE: Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis stated, “While Democrats work through legislation to rebuild our country and address the interwoven crises of the coronavirus pandemic, economic inequality, racial injustice, and climate change, Senate Republicans are playing politics with people’s lives. Mitch McConnell’s utter disregard for struggling families and refusal to fund recovery efforts following an unprecedented summer of climate change-fueled extreme weather disasters is beyond shameful. Congress must act swiftly to raise the debt ceiling, deliver relief to suffering communities, maintain critical government services, and invest in a safer, healthier, and more equitable future.”

$4 MILLION AD INVESTMENT FOR BBB!: This week, LCV and Climate Power announced an additional $4 million paid media investment in key House districts, thanking members for their support and encouraging others to back the Build Back Better Act with popular climate provisions. Experts warn the window is closing to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis, and the Build Back Better Act is our best opportunity to take transformative action. We need all hands on deck now to ensure the final package meets the “Climate Test” and to push it across the finish line. New TV ads will run in the following representative’s districts: Representatives Stephanie Murphy, Josh Harder, Kathleen Rice, and Scott Peters. New innovation-focused digital ads will run in these representative’s districts: Representatives Sharice Davids, Haley Stevens, Angie Craig, and Steven Horsford. Additional resources will also be invested in previously announced TV and digital ads in more than 20 key districts. See the full list of ads HERE and read our full checklist to see how the current Build Back Better Act measures up to LCV’s priorities HERE.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Campaigns Pete Maysmith stated, “Polluter CEOs might have deep pockets for false advertising, but science and the public are on the side of climate action. Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the climate crisis in a way that also helps address economic and racial equity — and their constituents are demanding that they pass the Build Back Better Act now.”

CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes stated, “This is a code red moment that requires Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act that meets the Climate Test. The crisis is disrupting lives in every part of the country. Thankfully, members have the opportunity to pass the Build Back Better Act, including climate investments that will create jobs, reduce energy costs for families, and build a more just and equitable nation. The case for climate action is backed by people in every corner of America, now it’s time for Congress to finish the job.”

NEW ADS FOR CLEAN BUSES!: On Wednesday, Chispa and electric school bus partners released a new bilingual, six-figure digital ad buy in nine key states to thank members and to call on Congress to support clean rides for kids in the Build Back Better Act. The digital ad campaign brings attention to the consequences of polluted air from dirty school buses, which aggravates lung health in children and increases the risk of asthma attacks — a leading cause of school absences — and disproportionately impacts educational opportunities in communities of color and communities with low wealth. The ads support Representatives Tony Cárdenas, Jahana Hayes, and Frank Pallone, and Senators Alex Padilla, Tom Carper, Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez-Masto, and Patty Murray for their leadership on electric school buses to help our kids breathe clean air, Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper for helping advance the Build Back Better Act and encouraging them to fight for clean buses, and to urge Senator Kyrsten Sinema to take action now to support the Build Back Better Act and clean school buses for kids. See example ad for Sinema HERE and a full list of released ads HERE.

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente stated, “About twenty-five million children ride dirty diesel school buses to and from school. These buses are putting the health of millions of children at risk, especially Black, Indigenous, and Latinx children who already bear an unfair burden of air pollution. Congress must act and support funding for electric school buses. By prioritizing our children’s health, we can start to build a more just and equitable clean energy future that invests in the health and sustainability of our communities. Our children, our communities have a right to breathe clean air.”

CHISPA DOUBLE TAKE: Chispa National Communications and Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez stated, “Our mission is to prioritize the health of kids and we know we can do that by getting more electric school buses out on the road.”

TALKING BBB WITH SPEAKER PELOSI + HOUSE MEMBERS: On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, LCV, and Climate Power hosted a press event on the importance of taking bold climate action and passing the Build Back Better Act. Speakers included House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor, Representatives Lauren Underwood, Sharice Davids, Mikie Sherrill, Susie Lee, Haley Stevens, Steven Horsford, and LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfield. The speakers highlighted the urgent need to pass the Build Back Better Act with ambitious investments in America’s clean energy future. Their message was clear: Congress must invest in climate, clean energy, justice, and jobs at the scale that science and justice demand. Watch the full event HERE.

SPEAKER PELOSI TAKE: Speaker Nancy Pelosi closed out the event by reiterating the emissions reductions goals that must be met through the Build Back Better Act to act on climate at the scale that science and justice demand, stating, “Our goal is to pass this legislation, our goal is meet the standards — 50% by 2030, 100% by 2050, and to do so in a way that is a model for the world. We fully intend to do it.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfield made clear, “We must cut climate pollution in half by 2030 and we must transition to 100% clean energy once and for all. It is so unacceptable that nearly one in three people in this country this summer alone have experienced climate fueled extreme weather — this has to stop. The time for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act and send it to President Biden is now.”

TALKING CLEAN TRANSPORTATION @EPA: On Tuesday, LCVEF hosted an event with climate advocates to deliver public comments to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and call for the boldest and strongest clean car standards possible. Speakers included former EPA Administrator and current LCV Board Chair Carol M. Browner and President and CEO of Hip Hop Caucus and LCV Board Member Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., along with several other climate advocates, who highlighted the importance of strong standards as an environmental justice issue, pointing out that low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by tailpipe pollution. Watch the full event HERE.

FORMER EPA ADMINISTRATOR TAKE: Carol M. Browner, former EPA administrator and Board Chair for the League of Conservation Voters stated, “The science is telling us we need to act now to reverse the threat climate change represents for our health, environment, and economy. We need the strongest possible standards to drive the change we need in the transportation sector to reduce pollution and save consumers money at the pump. We look forward to working with Administrator Regan to go even further and set the strongest possible clean car standards. The stakes have never been higher and the opportunity has never been greater.”

HIP HOP CAUCUS TAKE: Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO and LCV Board Member Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. stated, “Climate change is a public health and a civil rights issue that poses a particular threat to communities of color and low-income families, who are often hit the hardest by climate change and carbon pollution. It is the responsibility of our leaders in Washington to not only protect the environment, but to protect the people in harm’s way and to bring the economic benefits of clean energy and clean transportation to underserved communities.”

DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK: This week, as we noted at the top, Chispa participated in Drive Electric Week, hosting an electric school bus event — “Communities in the Driver’s Seat” — with Generation 180, and World Resources Institute. Chispa Arizona Organizing Director Masavi Perea highlighted that persistence from communities has driven change that is creating cleaner air for kids. In addition, Chispa highlighted the power of community action with a film produced in partnership with LCV and the Redford Center, “Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands)”.

CHISPA AZ TAKE: Chispa Arizona Organizing Director Masavi Perea stated, “We can make a change — right here, right now.”

HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT: On Monday, the House Budget Committee completed its markup of the Build Back Better Act, bringing the legislation one step closer to becoming a reality. The latest report on the climate crisis makes it clear — this is our “code red for humanity” moment — Congress must take this once-in-a-generation opportunity to fully invest in the infrastructure to put our country on the path to 100% clean energy, create clean energy jobs, and address the climate crisis and environmental injustices in all communities.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “We applaud Chairman Yarmuth and other committee chairs, members, and leadership for prioritizing the transformational legislation we need for climate, clean energy, justice, and jobs in the Build Back Better Act. These popular investments are critical to cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 and Congress doing its part to meet the Climate Test. Congress must swiftly finalize, pass, and send to President Biden the Build Back Better Act, which will create a more clean, just, and equitable future for all. Climate change’s impacts are already harming communities across the country. Now is the time to seize this once in a generation opportunity to tackle climate change in a manner that addresses the inter-related crises of racial and economic inequality.”

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY: Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day, where LCV and Chispa programs across AZ, FL, NV, NC, PA and VA participated in voter registration special events at college campuses, community redistricting meetings, and online community gatherings like Civics con Chispa in NV. We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy — registering to vote is a critical step for communities to be heard at the ballot box. See Chispa Nevada’s video encouraging people to check their voter registration and register to vote HERE. See LCVEF Voter Resources HERE.

WE ARE HOME: In response to the Senate parliamentarian rejecting the Democrat’s second proposal to include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the reconciliation package, immigrant advocacy group We Are Home released a statement calling on Democrats to take immediate action. Millions of immigrants who have already lived here for decades, working and investing in our nation’s economies in some of the most low-paying and dangerous jobs critical to our nation, need a path to citizenship. The same systemic inequities and institutionalized discrimination that fuels environmental injustices also oppress the immigrant community.

TRIBES SPEAK ON BEARS EARS: Tribal leaders from the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, which includes the Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni, sent a letter to President Biden calling for the restoration and expansion of the Bear Ears National Monument’s boundaries after the previous administration significantly downsized the protected area. The letter highlights the spiritual, cultural, and environmental importance of the area and urges immediate action citing the potential for vandalism, desecration, and looting from tourists. See Washington Post’s article HERE.

OUTDOORS FOR ALL ACT: On Wednesday, the Outdoors for All Act was introduced, which would guarantee funding for projects that support outdoor spaces in communities historically excluded from funding opportunities, particularly in communities of color, urban areas, and communities with low wealth. Studies show that “urban heat islands,” areas without green spaces, can be up to 15 to 20 degrees hotter during the day than temperatures in outer areas with natural vegetation — and with the record-setting extreme temperatures we’ve seen this summer, it is only expected to get worse. The latest climate report makes it clear — we must take every action to combat the climate crisis, and green spaces in urban areas can help lower urban heat island temperatures, lower energy costs, and save lives.

OUR TAKE: LCV tweeted, “Green spaces are vital to communities; they’re places to recharge mentally, connect with people, and can even cool down neighborhoods. We’re proud to support @RepBarragan & @SenAlexPadilla’s #OutdoorsForAll Act, which will help ensure that all communities have access to nature.”

SEN. PADILLA TAKE: Senator Padilla stated, “No matter your zip code, everyone should have access to outdoor space in their community. Having grown up in Los Angeles, I know all too well how people living in urban areas often lack adequate park space, an injustice that negatively impacts our communities and our environment. The Outdoors for All Act would invest in new parks and open spaces—and upgrade existing ones—to bring nature’s benefits to urban residents’ doorsteps. Improving park access will provide benefits like shade, tree cover, and clean air that are critical as we grapple with the intensifying effects of the climate crisis.”

REP. BARRAGAN TAKE: Representative Barragán stated, “By passing the Outdoors for All Act, we make it crystal clear that funding for urbans parks is here to stay. Far too many low-income communities and communities of color lack access to a nearby park or green space. Green spaces are crucial for the health and well being of our communities. By preserving the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, we will provide much needed urban parks funding for underserved communities throughout our country.”

@BLM CONFIRMED: This week, Tracy Stone-Manning, environmental advocate and executive at the National Wildlife Federation, was confirmed as the director of the Bureau of Land Management — drawing a stark contrast to the Trump administration’s anti-environmental acting directors who put polluters over people and rolled back critical environmental protections for our nation’s federal lands. Earlier this week, LCV sent a letter to the Senate, urging senators to support Stone-Manning’s nomination.

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “Stone-Manning is uniquely qualified to lead the BLM. She will bring important professional experience to this role after serving as the former director of Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality, a congressional staffer, and a senior policy advisor at the National Wildlife Federation. As an outdoorswoman and recreationist, she is also personally invested in the stewardship of our public lands and resources.”

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s organizers on the ground continue to knock on doors and build support for climate action across the country. So far, our field team has knocked on over 243,000 doors, made nearly 375,000 calls, and mobilized 9,000 businesses to support climate action and clean energy jobs across 11 states! 💪 See our new video highlighting why people across the nation want climate action NOW, and our mid-recess recap HERE.

CLIMATE ACTION SPOTLIGHT: LCV Youth Digital Organizer Aida Amirul wrote a blog series highlighting LCV Climate Action volunteers who are helping lead the next generation to take action — read about Renada, a hair stylist by day and an environmental justice activist by night. See our last climate action spotlights on New Hampshire volunteer Maddy HERE and Climate Action Nevada intern Jezreel HERE!

NEW REPORT: UNION JOBS IMPROVE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY!: NRDC released a new report this week, “United: Union Jobs Improve the Clean Energy Economy,” detailing how union workers are shaping the clean energy economy, producing better outcomes for both workers and the environment. Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in a clean energy economy and the workforce needed to Build Back Better while addressing the climate crisis and environmental injustice in communities. Read the full report HERE.

STEELWORKERS UNION TAKE: United Steelworkers Organizing Director Maria Somma stated, “As union workers, we care about the communities we live in. We certainly believe that stronger labor standards will lead to better standards for all Americans. Giving workers a fair and speedy way to join a union and continue to expand high-quality good paying jobs must be a part of taking action on climate and transitioning to a clean energy economy.”

REP. RYAN TAKE: Representative Tim Ryan stated, “Our unions are positioned to lead the way as we transition to the clean energy economy of the future. We know that climate change is a dangerous and growing threat to our children, our families, and our economy. The Build Back Better Act takes a direct aim at addressing climate change while strengthening our communities and economy by investing in clean energy jobs, technologies, and initiatives — while putting workers first.”

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

LATINX HERITAGE MONTH IN THE STATES: ICYMI, our Chispa state partners have been taking over Chispa’s social media, highlighting what #LatinxHeritageMonth means to them! Make sure to follow Chispa on twitter to stay up to date with these highlights and more!

CHISPA MARYLAND: In her highlight, Chispa Maryland Social Media Fellow Maria Vicente stated that she is proud of her heritage and of strong Latinxs such as her mother who made so many sacrifices to give her family a better life.

CHISPA NEVADA: Chispa Nevada staff, including Program Director Rudy Zamora, National Organizing Director Astrid Martinez, Senior Organizer Rodrigo Gonzalez, Civic Engagement Director Guillermo Barahona, and Organizer Juan Carlos Guardado, were also highlighted.

CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE MIDWEST: This week, the governors of Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin announced a bipartisan effort to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations on major highways throughout the Midwest. This partnership is an important step in moving away from fossil fuel-powered transportation and meeting the increasing demand for EV infrastructure. Additionally, over 100,000 new jobs in the utility sector will be created, bolstering local economies with new clean energy jobs.

🎨ART ACTIVATIONS: Across the country, communities are joining with local artists to demand climate action, justice and clean energy jobs at the scale that science requires. This is our now or never moment with the critical opportunity provided by the Build Back Better Act as the the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report recently declared a “code red for humanity”.

IN MAINE: This week, Maine Conservation Voters worked with artist Katie Runde to create a chalk art activation in Skowhegan Farmers’ Market, highlighting the need for climate action in Maine. See the finished art piece HERE, and see the work in progress HERE.

IN NEW JERSEY: This week, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters organized a community crop art activation with local artist Suki Dewey to call for climate action NOW. By spelling out the word “NOW” in this soybean field, both Dewey and New Jersey LCV hope to bring attention to the fact that there is no time to waste when it comes to addressing the climate crisis — action must be taken now. See images from the event HERE.

PUBLIC LANDS DAY IN NV: Climate Action NV joined partners Chispa NV, Nevada Conservation League, Battle Born Progress, and NV Voters Alliance for a public lands day event at Mountains Edge Regional Park, where they spoke to community members about the need to protect our public lands and pass bold climate legislation. The organizations gathered petition signatures urging Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto and Representatives Lee and Horsford to continue fighting for climate investments in the Build Back Better Act.

COMING UP:

SEPT 15- OCT 15: Latinx Heritage Month
SEPT 25 – OCT 3: National Drive Electric Week

LCV, Chispa, and The Redford Center Partner to Build Community Power Through New Short Film Series

Washington, D.C. – During National Drive Electric Week, The Redford Center, in collaboration with the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and Chispa, is lifting up the launch of an exciting new series of short films showcasing community power in a collective call for civic engagement around clean transportation to build a safer, more just future.

About Power the Vote: Community Power
As part of The Redford Center’s Power the Vote civic engagement initiative, this new series, titled Community Power, showcases local activists, storytellers, and culture-makers as the visionary leaders needed to build the movement towards a future rooted in environmental justice and regeneration.

Community Power highlights how investing in clean energy, and specifically clean transportation, provides the opportunity to cut harmful air pollution threatening our health and livelihoods, support people and communities who are too often left behind, and create millions of jobs that modernize our transportation and energy infrastructure. Through the power of storytelling, Community Power films will spotlight community voices and their stories of collective power to enact lasting change.

“Every day is an opportunity to speak up, better our communities, and breakthrough to a healthier, more equitable future,” said Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center. “As filmmakers who prioritize stories of progress and solutions, we see these wins more than most. The families and local organizers in Maricopa County, Arizona featured in our first Community Power film have counterparts all over the country. They are proof that collective actions can lead to big victories, but they need and deserve far more support. It’s an honor to collaborate with LCV and Chispa on this series, as we use stories to inspire communities everywhere to push for clean transportation in the name of justice, jobs, and the right to breathe clean air.”

About the Films:

Short films in the Community Power series will be released by The Redford Center over the coming months, spotlighting local, clean transportation stories from states across the U.S. Each film will invite the public to become civically active on issues of clean energy, justice, and jobs, and feature stories that shift perceptions on what it means to be an environmentalist and a voter.

The first film in the series, Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands), was released in August.

Directed by Pita Juarez, Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands) tells the story of Teo Argueta, a community organizer, and a group of local mothers who unite to connect the issues of clean air and dirty buses with local health impacts, and specifically childhood asthma. In Phoenix Arizona’s Maricopa County, one of the most polluted counties in America, more than 1 in 9 children suffer from asthma. And every day approximately 25 million children across the country ride school buses, exposing them to diesel exhaust that emits dangerous pollutants into their developing lungs, causing respiratory illnesses, aggravating asthma, and exposing them to cancer-causing pollutants. Teo and the local mothers remind elected officials that polluting buses should not endanger the young people of Maricopa County in their daily pursuit to access education. Together, they achieve an important and historic victory in the fight for children’s right to breathe clean air – Arizona’s first 84 seat electric school bus.

Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands)

Directed by Pita Juarez

A film by The Redford Center

Produced by Mango Skies

Run time: 3:08 minutes

“Too often we’ve seen stories about BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) communities being told by white filmmakers, while we – the community – have been demanding visibility, equity, and access to the documentary film industry for years,” said filmmaker and Chispa LCV National Communications and Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez. “It’s time that filmmakers of color have a seat at the table and are supported by the industry to center our stories told by us. As the country is reckoning with racial and environmental justice, there is an opportunity to tie together our narratives to show how systemic these experiences of environmental injustice are, and accordingly, how intersectional our solutions must be. This year, I was fortunate to join The Redford Center and experience this opportunity with other amazing filmmakers who also shared those same values on clean energy and environmental justice.”

Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands) can be viewed at this link and below.

ABOUT THE REDFORD CENTER:

Co-founded in 2005 by Robert Redford and his son James Redford, The Redford Center uses the power of storytelling to galvanize environmental justice and regeneration. Its cross-cutting programs support environmental storytellers and invest in impact-driven narrative strategies. By amplifying and changing the conversations around environmentalism, The Redford Center aims to engage a much broader and more diverse population in the movement. It has produced three award-winning feature documentaries and 30+ short films, supported 75+ film and media projects with grants and other services, inspired 400+ student films, and dispersed more than $8 million to fiscally sponsored projects. Redford Center film impact campaigns have halted the construction of dirty coal plants, reconnected the Colorado River to the Sea of Cortez, and helped accelerate the clean energy revolution in America. To learn more, visit RedfordCenter.org or follow The Redford Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube.

ABOUT LCV:

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) builds political power for people and the planet. LCV influences policy, holds politicians accountable and mobilizes communities. This is how we fight to build a world with clean air, clean water, public lands, and a safe climate that are protected by a just and equitable democracy.

Over the last 50 years, LCV has grown into a potent political force for protecting our planet and everyone who inhabits it. LCV has built a powerful national movement with more than 30 state affiliates (together, the Conservation Voter Movement) and grassroots and community organizing programs across the country working for a more just and equitable U.S. democracy, where people—not polluters—determine our future.

ABOUT CHISPA:

Chispa is a grassroots community organizing program building the power of Latinx and communities of color in the fight for climate justice. The Chispa approach is an approach born out of Latinx and BIPOC communities putting solutions on the table, making our community’s political power seen, heard and felt by decision makers across the nation and in the six states – Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Nevada, and Maryland – where Chispa programs are underway. It is more important than ever to ensure that our families have a strong voice in the decisions and policies that impact their communities and the environment that we all depend on. Moreover, it is imperative that the environmental movement better represents the diversity of our nation, and reflects the solutions necessary to confront the legacy of environmental injustices that disproportionately impact BIPOC and Latinx communities.

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:

Pita Juarez: Director of Community Power Arizona: En Nuestrxs Manos (In Our Hands) and National Communications and Creative Strategies Director, Chispa LCV
Ana Loaiza-Compean: Community Organizer, Chispa AZ
Dulce Juarez: Co-Director Chispa AZ
MEDIA CONTACTS:

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

Emily Motill, The Redford Center / R&CPMK
emily.motill@rogersandcowanpmk.com, 203-733-6009

Hannah Edelman, The Redford Center / R&CPMK
hannah.edelman@rogersandcowanpmk.com, 954-806-0170

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LCV’s Chispa Announces New Digital Ad Campaign Thanking and Calling on Congress to Support Clean Rides for Kids in Build Back Better Act

Bilingual digital ads support members of Congress for their leadership on electric school buses and urge legislators to take action to invest in clean rides for our kids and help them breathe cleaner air.

Washington, D.C. — Today, Chispa and electric school bus partners released a new $400,000 digital ad buy in nine key states to thank members and to call on Congress to support clean rides for kids in the Build Back Better Act. The digital ad campaign brings attention to the consequences of polluted air from dirty school buses, which aggravates lung health in children and increases the risk of asthma attacks — a leading cause of school absences — and disproportionately impacts educational opportunities in communities of color and communities with low wealth. The ads support Representatives Cárdenas (CA-29), Hayes (CT-05), and Pallone (NJ-06), and Senators Padilla (CA), Carper (DE), Warnock (GA), Cortez-Masto (NV), and Murray (WA) for their leadership on electric school buses to help our kids breathe clean air, Senators Bennet (CO) and Hickenlooper (CO) for helping advance the Build Back Better Act and encouraging them to fight for clean buses, and to urge Senator Sinema (AZ) to take action now to support the Build Back Better Act and clean school buses for kids.

“About twenty-five million children ride dirty diesel school buses to and from school,” said Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente. “These buses are putting the health of millions of children at risk, especially Black, Indigenous, and Latinx children who already bear an unfair burden of air pollution. Congress must act and support funding for electric school buses. By prioritizing our children’s health, we can start to build a more just and equitable clean energy future that invests in the health and sustainability of our communities. Our children, our communities have a right to breathe clean air.”

WATCH: “CleanRide4Kids” (Sen. Sinema, AZ)

Ads will run collaboratively with California Environmental Voters, Chispa AZ, Chispa NV, Protegete CO, Jobs to Move America, Moms Clean Air Force, Sierra Club NJ, and Sierra Club WA in nine states and districts, including:

Spanish

Example ad script from AZ (Sen. Sinema) below.

“CleanRide4Kids” (Sen. Sinema)
Communities of color in Arizona are being affected everyday by poor air quality.
Our children and families have a right to healthy communities and investments in electric school buses can help reduce pollution, fight the climate crisis and create green, family-sustaining jobs.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, now is the time to fight for our communities and tackle climate change.
Call and urge Sen Sinema to join the movement for a clean ride for kids!

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THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

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:

“La tierra nos habla / Mother nature is talking to us / Her forests are angry with burning flames / her rivers that used to form an orchestra with strong currents are now silent / volcanoes have awakened / we are only guests in this space.”

— GetLit’s Vanessa Tahay performing her poem Bridges at LCV’s Climate Watch Party on Wednesday.

“Central Florida showed that we were not prepared…At that time, 100,000 [Puerto Ricans] arrived — we do not clearly know today how many have stayed, but there are many, many more than the official numbers sometimes say. They have this awareness that ‘we are climate change refugees’ and things could have been done differently.”

— María Revelles, director of Chispa Florida, speaking on the devastating impacts Puerto Ricans are still experiencing four years after Hurricane Maria.

“We know that there are certain communities that are disproportionately impacted. It’s more than a feeling. It’s data that points to and demonstrates how this is impacting low income communities. But unfortunately you don’t have to read the science to know that climate change is real, too many people are seeing and feeling it and living it as a real experience.

— EPA Administrator Michael Regan, speaking with Axios on “Hard Truths: Environmental Justice and the U.S. Government.”

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

New York Times: This Powerful Democrat Linked to Fossil Fuels Will Craft the U.S. Climate Plan

Bloomberg: Ad Blitz Promoting Budget Package to Target Returning Democrats

Bloomberg Law: ‘Big Deal’ Rule Slashing Climate Pollutants FInalized by EPA

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:

Energy Central (New York): N.Y. Gov. Hochul Announces Major Green Energy Infrastructure Projects to Power New York City

MLive (Michigan):Michigan 2022 budget deal includes millions for water infrastructure

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REMEMBERING REPRESENTATIVE BOEHLERT: LCV mourns the passing of former Representative and LCV Board Member Sherwood Boehlert, a committed environmental champion who spent decades of his career fighting to protect our lands and waters, putting people and science over politics time and time again. See more from Boehlert’s career in the Observer-Dispatch here.

OUR TAKE: LCV Board Chair Carol M. Browner and LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “The world needs more leaders like Sherry Boehlert. He was a true environmental leader and a champion for climate action, for protecting national forests and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and for public health for decades. As the Republican Chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, he followed the science — not politics — in deciding policy. After he retired from Congress, Sherry was an important and valued member of our board, including serving as Vice Chair, and we will deeply miss him. Our thoughts are with the Boehlert family as we all mourn this loss.”

MISTREATMENT OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS: Across the globe, political violence and climate change-fueled extreme weather are leaving people no choice but to abandon the places that they call home. This week, our nation has watched thousands of Haitians, desperate to find relief in the United States, sleep under a bridge at the Texas border. And, in these moments of desperation, we watched Border Patrol agents meet refugees not with the compassion and care they deserve, but with painful disrespect and appalling violence. In the near term, the administration can care for these people by providing asylum and ending expulsions through Title 42. And in the long term, tackling the climate crisis — an underlying cause of this displacement — is our moral obligation.

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “The inhumane treatment of Haitian people seeking refuge from political violence and natural disasters — both made worse by climate change — is simply unacceptable and must end now. These horrific actions must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. Climate change will only continue to fuel these crises, particularly for regions with high rates of poverty, altered climate conditions, food, water and housing instability, and a high risk of further disaster. Our government should be offering protection to Black refugees and asylum-seekers, not contributing to their further oppression. As an immediate step, we are calling for the Biden administration to secure these people’s wellbeing by providing asylum, and immediately ending expulsions through the use of Title 42.”

LATINX HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES: Chispa continues to honor Latinx Heritage Month — on Monday Chispa highlighted that Puerto Ricans are still suffering from the impacts of Hurricane Maria, four years after the deadly storm. Puerto Ricans continue to experience power outages almost daily and thousands of homes are covered in tarps — leaving communities vulnerable in the event of another extreme weather event. Additionally, in case you missed it, Chispa National Communications & Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez spoke at an event with Chispa Maryland, Sierra Club, and Eco Moms last week to celebrate Latinx leaders and discuss how environmental injustices disproportionately impact Latinx communities. Watch the event HERE (password: 0KKr6Z*@). Chispa will also feature Chispa state affiliates in a weekly series throughout the month, see the calendar HERE and stay tuned with updates on Chispa’s Twitter page.

CHISPA TAKE: During last week’s event, Chispa National Communications & Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez stated, “[Mothers] are worried about the environment because they know it is the air their children breath everyday, especially when we talk about buses, if you can’t take your children to school buses are the only way to get them there”

LCV PRIORITIES IN THE BBBA: Today, LCV shared a checklist detailing which of our priorities are currently included in the House’s draft of the Build Back Better Act. It is crucial that we set our nation firmly on the path to cut climate pollution in half by 2030 in a just and equitable way so that we can avoid the worst effects of climate change — and as the checklist reveals, the Build Back Better Act is the climate legislation we need. If the Budget Committee approves this legislation tomorrow, we will be one step closer to a more clean, just, and equitable future for all. Read the full checklist HERE.

THE PEOPLE DEMAND CLIMATE ACTION NOW!: This week, LCV National Field Director Jennessa Agnew wrote a memo that recounts the reasons people across the country support climate action now. Since June, LCV’s field program has been on the ground talking to voters and businesses, knocking on over 215,000 doors, and over 12,000 households and 8,000 businesses are displaying “Climate Action Now” signs in their neighborhoods. And while the climate crisis means something different to each of them, one theme remains the same: they want to see climate action in Congress, and they want to see it now. Read the stories HERE.

CLIMATE ACTION WATCH PARTY: This week, LCV hosted a Climate Action Watch Party with elected officials and environmental advocates, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, actress and advocate Connie Britton, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, LCV Board Chair and former EPA administrator Carol M. Browner, LCV Board Member and former U.S. Representative Donna Edwards, LCV President Gene Karpinski, LCV SVP of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld, and poets from Get Lit. Speakers highlighted the urgent need to take action on the climate crisis and to make the bold investments outlined in the Build Back Better Act, especially in communities of color and communities of low wealth who are too often on the front lines of the climate crisis. Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make the transformational investments in climate, justice, and jobs necessary to pass the Climate Test — cutting our emissions by at least 50% by 2030, and putting our nation fully on the path to 100% clean energy. Watch the event recording HERE.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MUST REMAIN IN BBB: This week, the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform signatories released a statement in response to committee markups on the reconciliation package, calling for full inclusion of environmental justice priorities in the Build Back Better Act. For too long, historically excluded communities, including communities of color and communities of low-wealth, have suffered disproportionately from the impacts of the climate crisis — Congress must make the investments necessary for transformative change in all of our communities.

COALITION TAKE: The coalition wrote, “The environmental justice provisions in the House committees’ bills — including environmental and climate justice block grants; funding to reduce greenhouse gases and local pollution; increased monitoring of toxic air pollution in front-line communities; solar projects that serve low-income households; and investments in healthy ports, pollution-free heavy-duty vehicles, affordable housing, climate resilience, and much more — must remain in the final bill voted on by the full House and Senate. The best way to Build Back Better is to stop leaving communities behind.”

SUPPORT THE CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS IN BBB: This week, 68 members of the House sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to express their support for a $30 billion investment in a new Civilian Climate Corps. Investments to fully fund a Civilian Climate Corps will create millions of clean energy jobs and build infrastructure that is resilient to increasing extreme weather events, especially in historically excluded communities, and puts our country on the path to 100% clean energy.

MEMBER TAKE: The 68 members of Congress wrote, “Fully funding the CCC will provide employment opportunities that will reduce climate impacts on communities and mitigate the crisis, while prioritizing investments in historically disadvantaged groups. The devastating effects of climate change will continue increasing in frequency, extremity, and range. Congress has a unique opportunity to fund and support a new Civilian Climate Corps and to invest in enlisting Americans from all walks of life in preventing and responding to this continued threat.”

NEW POLL!: This week, LCV and Climate Power released new poll results from Hart Research, showing majority support for the Build Back Better Act in key states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Across the country, communities are seeing the impacts of climate change with increased extreme weather events and temperatures, crumbling infrastructure, and evidence that we can’t wait to act on the climate crisis. See highlights below and full poll results HERE.

KEY FINDINGS:

- Significant majorities of voters across these five key states support the Build Back Better Act after hearing a brief description of it, including that it would cost $3.5 trillion spread over 10 years
- Voters do not want to cut the cost and scope of the legislation.

ENVIRO WINS IN THE NDAA: Last night, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill included significant protections for public lands, provisions to keep our communities safe and healthy, and will help to fight the climate crisis. Specifically, funding for cleaning up dangerous PFAS chemicals and reforms to limit air and water pollution are important victories for the health and safety of our communities, especially for military members and their families. And the inclusion of amendments to protect millions of acres of public lands — including sections of the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, Grand Canyon Protection Act, and Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act — will help communities access parks and public lands, safeguard national treasures and nearby tribal communities from dangerous mining operations, and protect vital ecosystems and wildlife corridors.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Government Affairs Advocate Ben Alexandro said, “We commend Chairman Smith and House leadership for ensuring that we are using every opportunity to tackle the climate crisis, such as this defense bill that includes protections for our public lands, safeguards for our clean air and water, and funding for important climate research and resiliency efforts…As we look to a conference with the Senate, we urge negotiators to pass a final package that preserves these critical provisions that invest in healthy and safe communities, tackle climate change, and protect our public lands and waters from Big Polluters.”

HYDROFLUOROCARBONS BE GONE!: The Biden administration announced a rule to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 85% over 15 years, as authorized in a bipartisan bill passed last year. HFCs, which are commonly found in refrigerators and air conditioners, are powerful greenhouse gasses known as super-pollutants that contribute to the climate crisis and its impacts like heat, floods, wildfires, drought and extreme weather. By phasing down these dangerous pollutants, the administration is putting peoples’ health and wellbeing ahead of polluters, and showing the world that our country is ready to lead the fight against climate change.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis said, Today brings another example of how the Biden-Harris administration is using their all of government approach to tackle climate change by slashing emissions of super-pollutant HFCs and driving innovation and clean tech jobs here in the U.S….From the ‘code red for humanity’ IPCC report to devastating extreme weather and long-standing environmental and racial injustice and economic inequality, it’s never been more urgent or more important to act on climate.”

SUPPORT REPEAL OF ARCTIC REFUGE DRILLING: On Wednesday, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva, and Representatives Jared Huffman and Diana DeGette led a letter signed by 60 House Democrats, urging President Biden to support the inclusion in the Build Back Better Act of the repeal of the oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to buy back the leases issued in January of this year. While the Biden-Harris administration has suspended new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge, we’re counting on the administration to insist on the inclusion of this provision in the final Build Back Better Act to restore protections for the Arctic Refuge, an area that’s sacred to the Gwich’in people.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT FOR CLIMATE: On Wednesday, President Biden announced that the U.S. will increase its international climate finance commitment — putting the United States back on track as a climate leader on the global stage. The latest IPCC report makes it clear — this is a “code red for humanity” and we must fight the climate crisis at home and across the globe.

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “As climate-fueled extreme weather rages across the planet, harming one in three Americans just this summer, it is critical that the United States is a global leader in the climate fight. We applaud the Biden Administration for building on their strong international commitment to fighting climate change by increasing support for climate finance around the world. Increasing the U.S.’ annual international climate finance commitment to $11.4 billion would help us support countries around the world meet our Paris Agreement goal of keeping temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

LAURA DANIEL DAVIS HEARD: This week, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources considered the nomination of Laura Daniel Davis to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management. As a long-time public servant at the Department of the Interior, Davis said she had gained “a bird’s eye view of the Department, and a deep respect for its 70,000 employees,” and she went on to describe how she would approach the challenges the department faces, saying, “they demand leadership that listens first, address underlying inequities, and strives for balanced, bipartisan and collaborative solutions.”

OUR TAKE: Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “Laura Daniel Davis would be an excellent addition in the Biden administration to serve as the next Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Davis’ two decades of experience focused on public lands conservation and thirteen years in the Interior Department make her extraordinarily well equipped to realize this administration’s ambitious agenda to build forest resiliency, restore our lands, improve partnerships with Tribal communities and landowners, diversify our nation’s energy portfolio, and expand accessibility to the outdoors for all. We can’t wait for Laura Daniel Davis to work alongside Secretary Deb Haaland, and we hope the Senate will move swiftly to confirm her as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management.”

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s organizers on the ground continue to knock on doors and build support for climate action across the country. So far, our field team has knocked on nearly 220,000 doors, made nearly 2,000 calls, and mobilized over 8,000 businesses to support climate action and clean energy jobs across 11 states! 💪 See our video highlighting 150k doors knocked HERE, and our mid-recess recap HERE.

CLIMATE ACTION SPOTLIGHT: LCV Youth Digital Organizer Aida Amirul wrote a blog series highlighting LCV Climate Action volunteers who are helping lead the next generation to take action — read about Jezreel, a champion for social change for Climate Action Nevada. See our last climate action spotlight on New Hampshire volunteer Maddy HERE!

75 LEGAL SCHOLARS ON CLIMATE DISPLACEMENT: In a letter to the Biden administration, 75 legal scholars and experts called on the White House to use its executive authority to provide relief to those displaced by climate change. They say, “As a free and prosperous country, it is our duty to offer protections to peoples displaced by climate change, especially given the United States’ outsized role in causing climate change.”

BIG OIL SUBSIDY REPORT: A report from Friends of the Earth, Oxfam America, and BailoutWatch highlights the overseas tax loopholes that the twelve major oil and gas companies, also known as the “Dirty Dozen,” have been taking advantage of in order to rake in an additional $86 Billion. In addition to this, they’ve been receiving over $120 billion in subsidies from the U.S. government. The report also focuses on how these companies have launched an intense lobbying effort since President Biden has made promises to roll back subsidies and close tax loopholes for oil and gas companies. According to the report, the House bill meets this promise to a certain extent, but advocates are pushing for the final bill to go even further and eliminate all subsidies so that the billions of dollars given to big oil and gas can be used to invest in initiatives that will invest in clean energy and put the US on a path to meet President Biden’s imperative climate goals.

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY PREVIEW: Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day! We know that we can’t have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy. LCV recognizes the unfortunate reality that too many people have been disenfranchised by racist barriers to voting in many parts of the country. This is why we are working to eliminate these barriers by fighting for a democracy rooted in racial justice and equity through mobilizing young people, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color to participate in the democratic process.We will be amplifying this message on social media and work to support our partners on the ground in their effort to get more people registered and involved in the democratic process. We will also use this occasion to further push for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act so that voting rights are protected nationwide. Voter Resources can be found here

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

NEW ENGLAND OFFSHORE TURBINE TOUR: The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) hosted a boat tour out to the Block Island Offshore Wind Farm with Ørsted — the wind developer — and state legislators including the Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano. ELM has been working to promote and gain support for their priority offshore wind bill and facilitates a coalition — New England for Offshore Wind — to advocate for wind development across the region. Under the turbines, House leadership unveiled their plans and priorities for moving offshore wind forward in this legislative session, including investment funding and economic development. There are currently 2 planned offshore wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts.

REP. ROY TAKE: Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committee Chair Jeff Roy said, “These are exciting times for Massachusetts and exciting times for clean energy. I’m delighted that we have a Speaker who is focused on leading the way and I’m happy to be a part of that team. I can’t wait to do this trip in 2 years off the coast of Massachusetts.”

BUILD BACK BETTER WITH JUSTICE40: Since President Biden first introduced his Build Back Better agenda, environmental justice leaders and racial justice organizations across the country have called on Congress to pass bold climate action. In op-ed pieces, at events, and in statements they have repeatedly made clear that climate disasters and a legacy of pollution shaped by environmental racism are devastating frontline communities. This is why we need Justice40, an initiative that would direct at least 40% of Build Back Better investments to communities hardest hit by pollution and climate change, and center at-risk voices in the legislative process to ensure we all share the benefits of a new clean energy economy. See highlights from opinion pieces HERE.

TELLING THE STORIES OF AVI KWA AME IN NEVADA: Avi Kwa Ame (Spirit Mountain) is an important spiritual landmark for ten Indigenous tribes in Southern Nevada. This mountain and the surrounding landscape are essential to the way of life of these tribes and is a space for recreation, culture and wildlife. Currently, only a portion of this land is protected from large-scale development but advocates have launched a campaign to establish the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, which would protect all of the land within this sacred area. Learn more about this campaign, which receives support from 62% of Nevadans in a poll out this week, and how to support the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument HERE.

CLEAN ENERGY STUDIES FROM COAST TO COAST: Two new studies focusing on the economic effects of clean energy investments in both Appalachia and Arizona were released this week. In RMI’s analysis, they found that Appalachia will be among the biggest benefactors from a clean energy grid. According to their projections, the area’s capacity to sustain major solar and wind projects would allow it to gain the highest lifetime revenues from transitioning to a 90% carbon-free grid by 2035. Similarly, an ASU study found that Arizona’s economy would benefit tremendously from passing the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act through budget reconciliation. This includes an estimated growth of $115.6 billion in Arizona’s GDP, over 99,000 new jobs, and an additional $3,300 in disposable income that Arizonians will be saving on their energy bills. The evidence clearly shows that climate action not only creates healthy communities, it also creates a robust economy where every corner of the country will benefit.

IN NEW JERSEY: NJ LCV teamed up with artist Anthony Cappetto over the weekend to create a chalk activation and host a community event with Representative Andy Kim. The congressman gave a moving speech to community members discussing the recent flooding and extreme weather events in New Jersey, and the need for immediate climate action. See the chalk piece in progress HERE.

IN CALIFORNIA: California Environmental Voters (formerly CLCV) collaborated with artist Cece Carpio and team to create a mural at Fort Mason Center Farmers Market in San Francisco. The piece depicts a California forest, half of it on fire, with a text overlay that reads “Code Red for Humanity” to highlight the urgency of the moment we are in. See the piece and artists HERE.

⚡COMMUNITIES POWER UP⚡: In coordination with LCV’s state affiliates and partners, we held events and town halls in key states and Congressional Districts, demanding that Congress tackle the climate crisis and invest in a dual-track package for clean energy, justice, and jobs.

IN OREGON: Over the weekend, OLCV hosted a town hall with Representative Blumenauer. Blumenauer discussed how the climate pieces are the most important to him in the Build Back Better Act, describing this as our big moment on climate.

IN VIRGINIA: Virginia LCV hosted an offshore wind tour and press conference with Representative Elaine Luria, where she discussed her commitment to clean energy jobs in Hampton Roads.

COMING UP:

SEPT 15- OCT 15: Latina Heritage Month

SEPT 25 – OCT 3: National Drive Electric Week

SEPTEMBER 25: National Public Lands Day

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

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:

“It’s the idea that disabled lives are unimportant and disabled lives are invisible. It doesn’t matter if where we live makes us even more unhealthy.”

— Daphne Frias, a Latina activist and organizer for youth with disabilities in a GreenBiz article, “Why environmental justice research needs to include disability.”

“If our environmental movement, and our clean energy sector are not diverse, we risk the strength, durability, and effectiveness of the movement. We need everyone’s valuable perspective and talents because there’s no moving forward if we leave anyone behind.”

— U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, speaking during the “Indigenous Leaders on Justice and Transforming the Environmental Movement” event this week.

“We should be expanding voting rights. We travel the world talking about democracy but here at home we are suppressing it.”

— Martin Luther King III, speaking at the Finish the Job: For the People Rally, calling on the Senate to protect our Freedom to Vote.

“I am so excited we have this once-in-a-generation opportunity with the American Rescue Plan dollars the city has received, with the efforts the Senate and the House are doing around Build Back Better. We will be able to make investments in climate resilience.”

— Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, speaking on her recent meeting with President Biden during his trip to Idaho to discuss wildfires in the state and actions Boise is taking to combat climate change.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

C-SPAN: Heather Reams and Sara Chieffo on Climate Change and Democrats’ Spending Bills
National Journal: Wednesday Q+A with Tiernan Sittenfeld
Politico: ‘We will have a really long, long memory’: Greens calling businesses’ bluff on climate change
Politico: Schumer vows Dems will deliver aggressive climate provisions
E&E News: Climate, energy groups spending $33M to boost reconciliation plan
Houston Chronicle: With Democrats and oil companies joining forces, has carbon capture’s moment arrived?
Yahoo News: Student coalition blasts Chamber of Commerce over climate change, opposition to Biden’s budget bill
NPR: Congress Is Debating Its Biggest Climate Change Bill Ever. Here’s What’s At Stake
Politico: Biden’s fork in the Alaskan road
E&E News: Reconciliation bill would slash emissions. But by how much?

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:

Miami Herald (FL): Last time, Florida lawmakers didn’t play fair in redistricting. Can they do better now? | Opinion
12News (AZ): As Biden administration pushes for more solar, SRP votes to expand gas plant
Syracuse (NY): Hochul signs bill mandating zero-emission cars by 2035
Idaho Statesman (ID): ‘Serious global warming problem’: President Biden visits Boise as wildfires ravage West
Morristown Green (NJ): Morristown church launches climate ministry with butterflies and chalk
Governing (NJ): Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Is a Boon for Labor Unions
RealVail (CO): In Colorado, Biden pitches infrastructure spending to combat climate change
NJ Spotlight News (NJ): Will Ida’s death count be a warning?
The Detroit News (MI): State wants to end mediation with Enbridge over future of Line 5

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LATINX HERITAGE MONTH: This week, Chispa kicked off Latinx Heritage Month by launching their website. Additionally, Chispa National Communications & Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez spoke at an event with Chispa Maryland, Sierra Club, and Eco Moms to celebrate Latinx leaders and discuss how environmental injustices disproportionately impact Latinx communities. Chispa will also feature Chispa state affiliates in a weekly series throughout the month, see the calendar HERE and stay tuned with updates on Chispa’s Twitter page.

FREEDOM TO VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE: On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, and Joe Manchin introduced the Freedom to Vote Act, which will hold up major pillars of the For the People Act. Our nation cannot wait to pass legislation to protect voting rights for ALL voters. Just this year, at least 18 states have enacted 30 laws that implement barriers for voters, particularly Black voters and voters of color, who voted in record numbers in key battleground states last election — the Senate must act swiftly to pass this critical legislation to protect access to the ballot box for voters in all communities. Watch the livestream from the Finish The Job: For the People rally, where advocates and elected officials discuss the newly released Freedom to Vote Act HERE.

CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER TAKE: Frank Smith, an organizer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s wrote in an opinion piece, “Activists throughout the country have done their jobs. We showed up for our most sacred right: to vote. Now, it’s up to the Democratic Congress we elected to do the rest. Eliminating the filibuster is the only way to get this done.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Civic Engagement Matt Davis stated, “The Freedom to Vote Act is a critical step forward to ensuring free and fair elections in the United States following months of delay and obstruction by Republican Senators utilizing the archaic filibuster rule. The communities targeted by voter suppression — people of color, young people, those who have a disability, and indigenous people — also face the burden of environmental harms that threaten our air, water, and climate. The Senate must prioritize protecting our democracy by swiftly taking up and passing the Freedom to Vote Act and returning power to the overwhelming majority of people in this country who want to see meaningful action on climate and clean energy.”

TALKING BUILD BACK BETTER WITH MEMBERS + SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: On Monday, LCV, Climate Power, and Climate Action Campaign hosted a rally for climate action in front of the Capitol where the sky was hazy from wildfires in the West. Speakers included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senators Ben Ray Luján, Tim Kaine, Tina Smith, Martin Heinrich, Tammy Baldwin, Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Peter DeFazio and Sean Casten, and was moderated by LCV’s Tiernan Sittenfeld. The speakers highlighted the urgent need to pass the Build Back Better Act with ambitious investments in America’s clean energy future. Their message was clear: Congress must invest in climate, clean energy, justice, and jobs at the scale that science demands before it’s too late. Watch the full event HERE.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER TAKE: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated, “We can’t let this moment pass by. It’s our time to act.”

MARK-UP WRAP-UP: With the House committees’ successful conclusion of mark-ups for the Build Back Better Act on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Wednesday deadline, and ahead of the expected House Budget Committee final mark-up, LCV created a wrapped up this step in the process highlighting the advancement of our priorities from each committee. The impacts of the climate crisis make it clear — our communities need Congress to pass the Climate Test and make the transformational investments for our nation to Build Back Better — now is the time and failure is not an option.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “We applaud Democratic committee chairs, members, and leadership for prioritizing the transformational legislation we need for climate, clean energy, justice, and jobs during the committee mark-up process. We are thrilled to see so many climate, conservation, and environmental justice provisions included that are critical to cutting climate pollution in half by 2030. We urge Congress to pass the Climate Test and swiftly finalize, pass, and send the Build Back Better Act to President Biden, which will create a more clean, just, and equitable future for all. Communities across the country are experiencing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, and this is our once in a generation opportunity to address it in a way that also addresses racial and economic inequity in this country and rewards work not wealth. Failure is not an option.”

TALKING BUILD BACK BETTER WITH LCV SVP: On Wednesday, the National Journal released their interview with LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld, where she discussed LCV and Climate Power’s $20 million climate action campaign in key states across the nation.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “The needs are so great but so are the opportunities to rebuild our economy in a way that is more fair and more equitable and more just and that works for regular people across this country, rather than catering to big corporations and especially to corporate polluters…For us, this package really needs to meet the climate test that we and many other organizations have laid out, which is putting our nation firmly on the path to cutting climate pollution in half by 2030. And we have to transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy once and for all.”

NEW AD ALERT!: LCV released new six-figure digital ads this week in the home states and districts of key Senate and House committee chairs who are instrumental to ensuring the investments in the Build Back Better Act meet the Climate Test, advance innovation in the clean energy sector and put the U.S. on track to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 — the goal that President Biden set and science and justice require. Watch sample digital ad: “Innovation” (House Rules Committee Chairman Representative Jim McGovern — MA-02).

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis stated, “Past successes tell us that investing in new clean energy technologies is one of the best things we can do to create good jobs for regular people right now while reaping long-term benefits and a healthier planet for decades to come. We are grateful to these Senate and House committee chairs for doing the critically important work of drafting and advancing federal climate and clean technology investments in the Build Back Better Act so that we can use the power of American ingenuity to create the clean technology jobs of today and tomorrow.”

PATH TO CITIZENSHIP IN RECONCILIATION AND EXTENDING PROTECTIONS FOR TPS HOLDERS: On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee favorably passed language in their markup of their Build Back Better Act provisions that would provide a pathway to permanent residency for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, farmworkers and essential workers. A new report from the Center for American Progress estimates, state-by-state, the immigrants who would qualify for an earned path to citizenship under the Build Back Better Act, a major step for millions of immigrants who have already lived here for decades, working and investing in our nation’s economies in some of the most low-paying and dangerous jobs critical to our nation. The Center for American Progress and the University of California, Davis’ Global Migration Center have previously estimated that providing citizenship to these groups would add $1.5 trillion to U.S. GDP, create 400,000 new jobs, and raise the annual wages of all Americans by an average $600 over the next decade.

NEW REPORT! PLASTICS DRIVE CLIMATE CHANGE: This week, GreenPeace released a new report, “The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies are Fueling Big Oil’s Plastic Expansion,” which highlights how major global companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé are driving Big Oil’s expansion of plastic production, threatening climate and communities across the planet. We can’t wait to act on plastics — environmental champion Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a bill last month to set a $0.20 per pound fee on virgin plastics to help reduce the climate impacts and devastating environmental contamination and harm from plastics and make recycled plastics more price-competitive.

WHITEHOUSE TAKE: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse stated, “Plastic pollution chokes our oceans, hastens climate change, and threatens people’s well-being. On its own, the plastics industry has done far too little to address the damage its products cause, so this bill gives the market a stronger incentive toward less plastic waste and more recycled plastic.”

🏈FROM THE FIELD🏈: LCV’s organizers on the ground continue to knock on doors and build support for climate action across the country. doors! So far this recess, our field team has knocked on over 193,000 doors, made over 310,000 calls, and mobilized over 7,000 businesses to support climate action and clean energy jobs across 11 states! 💪 See our video highlighting 150k doors knocked HERE, and our mid-recess re-cap HERE.

CLIMATE ACTION SPOTLIGHT: LCV Youth Digital Organizer Aida Amirul wrote a blog series highlighting LCV Climate Action volunteers who are helping lead the next generation to take action — read about Maddy, an all-star youth activist with LCV who finds passion at the intersection of public health and climate justice for Climate Action New Hampshire.

OPEN LETTER TO CEOS: Yesterday, LCV, in addition to over 30 environmental advocacy, faith, and environmental justice organizations, released an open letter to CEOs of businesses who have signed onto “Still in” pledges and publicly announced commitments for climate action. The letter calls on these CEOs to distance themselves from efforts to sabotage and gut the critical climate investments in the Build Back Better Act — this country’s once in a generation opportunity to pass the Climate Test and make the transformational investments needed to tackle the climate crisis and environmental injustices while creating clean energy jobs for a clean energy future.

COALITION TAKE: The coalition of environmental advocacy and environmental justice organizations, including LCV, wrote, “Shoulder to shoulder with other local and institutional leaders, you signed a pledge to ‘support these policies at the national and local level, and place climate considerations at the core of our own institutions: how we do business, how we invest, how we govern, how we educate, how we serve.’ Now, we are writing to you at a defining moment for our country and the planet. We have a question for you, and you have a choice to make: Are you still in?“

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

CLIMATE & EQUITABLE JOBS ACT PASSES IN ILLINOIS: On Wednesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act into law, after years of advocacy. The legislation was originally put forward in the early spring, but last minute requests derailed its passing and led to long negotiations to develop the final version. This ambitious and nation-leading legislation will commit Illinois to carbon-free power by 2045 and includes important equity and economic justice provisions.

IEC TAKE: Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said, “This is a story about the power of people and the environmental movement in Illinois standing up to big fossil fuel and utility companies–and winning. The passage of this bill is proof that years of education, advocacy and movement building have secured a strong climate action majority in the Illinois General Assembly.

VICTORY IN CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom remains in office after Tuesday’s failed recall election. Californians responded strongly in favor of Newsom, sending a strong message to state Republicans who were behind the recall effort.

CLCV TAKE: CLCV CEO Mary Creasman stated, “This is a victory for California, our values, and our future, and we are grateful that the progressive community came together to defeat the Republican recall. It is an incredible relief that California’s environmental policies and climate actions are safe for the time being, but this recall has been a distraction that has only taken resources and attention away from solving the climate crisis. California is still suffering through escalating wildfires, historic drought, extreme heat, and more. None of that has gone away, and our state is still in a climate emergency. Voters across the state and party lines want their leaders to prioritize the climate crisis, and this sentiment was further echoed by the clear rejection of this recall. Now it’s time to get to work; our state is still in crisis.”

BOISE GOES BOLD ON CLEAN ENERGY: Mayor Laren McLean announced Thursday that Boise will achieve it’s 100% clean energy goal by 2023 — seven years ahead of schedule. In 2019 the city adopted a plan to transition entirely to clean energy by 2030.

CVI TAKE: Conservation Voters for Idaho Program Coordinator Ryan McGoldrick said, “The City’s announcement that they will achieve their 100% clean electricity goal seven years earlier than their original commitment date demonstrates how workable clean energy is for Idaho communities. Three out of four Idahoans are now living in communities that benefit from city, county, or utility clean energy commitments.”

📢VOICES AROUND THE NATION📢: Over the past several weeks, community members and environmental advocates across the country wrote opinion pieces weighing in on how the Build Back Better Act can help fight environmental injustice, mitigate increasingly extreme weather, and address impacts of the climate crisis on communities.

IN FLORIDA: This week, Florida Conservation Voters Civic Engagement Director Jalisa Giles wrote an opinion piece for the Miami Herald about the redistricting process in Florida. She emphasizes the importance of a fair redistricting process that keeps communities with shared culture and values in the same districts so that their policy desires and needs — especially in regards to climate action — are represented by their legislators.

FCV TAKE: With Republicans in charge of the redistricting process, they have an opportunity to split communities up for their own electoral gain. Florida Conservation Voters Civic Engagement Director Jalisa Giles hopes this is not the case and writes, “Our state legislators should comply with the Fair Districts provisions in our state constitution, which were approved by 63% of Florida voters. These laws prohibit the Legislature from drawing districts to favor themselves or their parties. The amendments also ensure that lawmakers cannot draw districts to diminish the rights of minority voters.”

IN IDAHO: This week, Rialin Flores, the Executive Director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, wrote an opinion piece for the Idaho Statesman about the devastating effects climate change is having on Western cities. The increase in droughts, wildfires, and diminishing air quality make it clear — immediate climate action is needed.

CVI TAKE: Despite the ongoing crisis, Conservation Voters for Idaho Executive Director Rialin Flores says there is a lot to be optimistic about when it comes to climate policy. “Local leaders across the West are already advancing policy solutions for a clean energy future — creating bold climate action policies, investing in clean energy infrastructure, and ensuring no communities get left behind.” She goes on to say we must urge Congress to also take bold action, starting with passing the Build Back Better Act.

IN MAINE: Citizens’ Climate Lobby Portland Chapter’s Volunteer Co-chair Peter Dugas and Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science and Director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University Michael E. Mann teamed up to write an opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald. Their piece looks at possible solutions to decrease carbon emissions and calls on Maine’s U.S. senators to take action. They discuss one of these possible solutions, carbon pricing, from a global perspective. “The U.S. is one of only two industrialized nations without carbon pricing (and Australia, which had it, is much further along). The pressure to join the carbon pricing world will only increase as businesses look to remain competitive in an increasingly carbon-priced world. Starting in 2023, the EU, the U.K. and perhaps Canada will impose border carbon tariffs on imports from countries without carbon pricing.”

🎨ART ACTIVATIONS: Across the country, communities are joining with local artists to demand climate action, justice and clean energy jobs at the scale that science requires. With the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report declaring a “code red for humanity” and the opportunity provided by the Build Back Better Act, this is our now or never moment.

IN MONTANA: Montana Conservation Voters teamed up with local artist Terri Porta at three local businesses in Montana this week. Additionally, they held a press conference with Helena Mayor Wilmont Collins, highlighting the impacts of climate change in Montana, ranging from devastating wildfires and smoke, to extreme heat and drought, in addition to Yellowstone National Park’s significant snowfall decline in recent decades.

IN NEW JERSEY: Local chalk artist Anthony Cappetto worked with New Jersey League of Conservation Voters to create chalk art installations highlighting the urgent need for climate action in New Jersey, as we most recently saw with the devastation of Hurricane Ida resulting in tornados, flash flooding, and widespread power outages in New Jersey.

⚡POWER UP FOR RECESS!⚡: This week, we continued LCV and Climate Power’s Climate Action Now: Great American Build nationwide August recess tour. In coordination with LCV’s state affiliates and partners, we held events and town halls in key states and Congressional Districts, demanding that Congress tackle the climate crisis and invest in a dual-track package for clean energy, justice, and jobs. See our mid-recess wrap-up HERE.

IN GEORGIA: Georgia Conservation Voters hosted a round table with solar industry members across 11 different companies and Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux. Participants discussed opportunities to support and boost the solar industry at both the federal and local level to put our country on the path to clean energy and Building Back Better.

IN ILLINOIS: Illinois Environmental Council hosted a digital town hall with Representative Lauren Underwood, focused on the bold investments necessary to build a clean energy future with clean energy jobs while taking action on the climate crisis and environmental injustices in our most impacted communities.

UNDERWOOD TAKE: Representative Underwood stated, “The most important thing we can do right now to create good clean energy jobs is to pass these bills.”

IN MICHIGAN: Michigan LCV hosted a press event with SEIU, Michigan United, and Detroit Action to highlight new Data for Progress poll results in Michigan. Speakers included Representatives Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, and Brenda Lawrence, in addition to Climate Power National Political Director Donavan McKinney and Michigan’s Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.

IN MICHIGAN AGAIN: Michigan LCV joined a digital panel with labor partners and Representative Andy Levin on the intersection between labor and the environment.

LEVIN TAKE: Representative Andy Levin tweeted, “When we say clean energy, we really do mean clean. No gas. No oil. No coal. But that also means supporting our workers and communities who have relied on these industries for centuries.”

IN NEVADA: Nevada Conservation League and CAC hosted a press conference with Representative Dina Titus, Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, and Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts, calling on Congress to address the increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events plaguing Nevada by supporting the ambitious climate and clean energy investments included in the Build Back Better Act.

TITUS TAKE: Representative Titus stated, “I’m fighting in Washington for the Build Back Better Act to meet the urgency of this moment. I am hopeful that all of my colleagues in Congress will join me in fighting for a budget that both protects Nevada’s future growth and lays the foundation for new clean energy jobs in Las Vegas.”

IN OREGON: Oregon LCV hosted a Youth Town Hall with Senator Ron Wyden this week, with over 90 youth participating. Wyden discussed some of the impacts the state and the nation are seeing, making it clear that “climate change is a wrecking ball.”

COMING UP:

SEPT 15- OCT 15: Latina Heritage Month
SEPTEMBER 19: Anniversary of Hurricane Maria
SEPT 25 – OCT 3: National Drive Electric Week
SEPTEMBER 25: Public Lands Day
SEPTEMBER 28: National Voter Registration Day
SEPTEMBER 30: Government funding expires

Racial and Environmental Justice Leaders: we must invest in our communities and pass full Build Back Better Act

Since President Biden first introduced his Build Back Better agenda, environmental justice leaders and racial justice organizations across the country have called on Congress to pass bold climate action. In op-ed pieces, at events, and in statements they have repeatedly made clear that climate disasters and a legacy of pollution brought on by environmental racism are devastating frontline communities. Which is why they have called for passing Justice40, ensuring at least 40% of these investments go to communities hardest hit by pollution and climate change and centering at-risk voices in the legislative process to ensure we all share the benefits of a new clean energy economy.

Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots a Boston based environmental justice organization in a joint piece with Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley in Boston Globe:

“The same investments and coordination must be made to address the climate crisis. Bold climate investments at all levels of government are not optional, and they must be made now. We must finally make investments that center people over profits, and communities like Chelsea, East Boston, and other Black, brown, and predominantly immigrant neighborhoods must be prioritized.”

María Revelles, Executive Director of Chispa Florida, a community-based organization that aspires to build the power of low-income, Latino, and communities of color throughout the state of Florida calling for bold climate action and passing Build Back Better Act in El Nuevo Herald (both Spanish and English version):

“If there is a population in Florida directly impacted by global warming, it is Latinos, for whom the impact of the increase in temperatures is not only a concern for the future, but also a reality of the present.”

Deborah Dicks Maxwell, President of the New Hanover County NAACP and serves on the boards of directors of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation and Cape Fear River Watch highlighting urgent need for Congress to act in Wilmington Star News:

“President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative seeks to correct long-standing inequities in pollution impacts by targeting 40% of clean energy and clean water investments toward communities that have historically borne the brunt of pollution and climate change. Congress can change the future for our communities by making needed investments to clean up toxic chemicals, replace every lead water pipe in the nation, lower power bills by weatherizing homes, and create family-sustaining jobs.”

Alicia Scott, Just Energy Manager for Partnership for Southern Equity and Brionté McCorkle, Executive Director for Georgia Conservation Voters in the Atlanta Voice:

“Marginalized communities stand to benefit in ways most of us have only dreamed were possible. Biden’s agenda also presents an opportunity to repair our broken infrastructure, while dramatically cutting power bills for those communities with the greatest energy burdens, many located in Georgia. The Build Back Better Act is finally the type of legislation that can truly create a more equitable energy future for all.”

Thoai Nguyen, CEO of SEAMAAC, an immigrant and refugee rights advocacy organization based in South Philadelphia, alongside Josh McNeil, Executive Director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania highlight need for climate action and investments in frontline communities in Philadelphia Inquirer:

“Because of a legacy of systemic racism and exclusion, it is crucial that our community, and others that have been on the front lines of environmental injustice, receive the direct benefits of these investments. At least 40% of the total investments to fight climate change should flow to low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color, as the current plan stipulates.”

Georgia justice leaders at Climate Action Now tour in Atlanta Georgia:

Stacey Abrams, Founder of Fair Fight Action: “We can’t wait any longer. I’ve been waiting for over 30 years to see us reach this moment. If we claim our power and we do our part, we will invest in a future that sees us and serves us all.”

Ashley Renne, an environmental activist and sustainability expert: “The climate crisis is bankrupting families that can’t afford to fix their homes from floods and fires. It’s hurting all of us. It’s putting people’s lives at risk. Farmers’ crops are wilting. Workers are having to suffer through sweltering temperatures, and kids? Kids are having to fight through diesel fumes just to get to school. That ain’t life.”

Daniel Blackman, an environmental justice and public health advocate: “[The Build Back Better Act] is a once-in-a-generation type of bill. This can lift people out of poverty, it can help us to fight climate change. This is literally the first generation that can end poverty, but the last generation that can end the climate crisis.”

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

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:

“We are a force of nature. This is a battlefield of morals and you are armed with the truth and the truth is a flame, you cannot extinguish. People have done it before, and we’ll do it again. We will demand federal voting rights until we have them. So don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t give out. You are the dream, and this is our moment to make it true.”

— Martin Luther King III, speaking at the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington over the weekend.

“Our access to the natural resources and food security has been everything for our sovereignty. When you take the people away from the bayou you’re literally taking them away from their ability to feed themselves. Plus, at the end of the day, you can’t run from climate change.”

— Monique Verdin, a member of the United Houma Nation who working with the community group Another Gulf is Possible in Vox article, “Why Hurricane Ida has been so devastating to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.”

“When you talk about the disparities in which the kinds of risks and vulnerabilities in terms of people being able to evacuate, or people being able to somehow be protected in terms of having resources…The disasters will make the inequalities that we know in our society even more visible, and climate change will create more marginalized communities and more vulnerable communities.”

— Dr. Robert Bullard, the “father of environmental justice,” in Slate interview, “America Is Segregated, and So Is Pollution”

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Roll Call: Climate groups launch $1M ad campaign aimed at six battleground Republicans
Successful Farming: Green, Farm Groups offer their plan for conservation spending in reconciliation bill
Cape Charles Mirror: Rep. Luria Supports John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
E&E News: Democratic governors push for climate programs in reconciliation

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:

El Nuevo Herald (FL): Rebuilding Better: Clean Energy That Benefits Our Latino Communities | Opinion
AZ Central (AZ): Arizona just passed laws that make it harder to vote. We’re suing to stop them
Energy Central (MI): Elected officials, nonprofits call on utilities to do more to avoid outages
Insider NJ (NJ): After Turbulent Day at Gottheimer’s Office, A Win for Infrastructure
The Nevada Independent (NV): From buses to clean water to cheaper housing, Nevadans weigh in on how to spend billions in federal aid
Press Herald (ME): Maine Voices: The Maine reason we must act on climate, enact carbon cashback
Florida Politics (FL): When it comes to Florida politicians and the environment, a myth is as good as a mile

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MARCH ON WASHINGTON: Saturday was the 58th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington, where advocates marched across the nation to demand our elected officials pass federal voting rights protection. There’s no healthy environment without a healthy democracy and in state legislative sessions this year, 48 states have already introduced, prefiled, or carried more than 389 bills to restrict or limit voting access. These bills were intentionally written to suppress the record numbers of Black and Brown voters who turned out in 2020 — we must protect access to the ballot box for voters. LCV was proud to unite with March organizers as partners in the DC march and co-hosts of the Las Vegas event.

KING TAKE: Yolanda Renee King, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 13 year-old granddaughter, stated during Saturday’s March, “The torch is being passed to us and it’s time for our generation to wake up the world so we can stop talking about the dream and start living the dream. We will be the generation that earns and wins our freedom once and for all.”

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski joined in the day’s events and had this to say: “58 years ago, Dr. King led the March on Washington — this weekend, I am proud to march alongside the more than 250 social justice organizations that continue to fight for an end to current-day voter suppression tactics and to give power to the people once and for all. We will never achieve environmental justice if the communities most affected by climate change and pollution are not represented in our democracy. Together we march and demand that Congress denounce voter suppression, ensure fair, easy access to the vote for all, and finally give the 700,000 majority Black and Brown residents of D.C. a vote in Congress — it’s time for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and D.C. Statehood.”

NEW AD ALERT!: This week, LCV and Climate Power launched a new seven-figure ad campaign in six U.S. House districts held by Republicans where constituents are suffering from the devastating impacts of climate change. The television and digital ads show just how out of touch these members are with the reality on the ground in their California and Florida districts on the frontlines of the climate crisis. These ads are the latest effort in LCV and Climate Power’s historic summer of climate advocacy. In August so far, LCV and Climate Power have already invested $14 million in national, state, and district level paid media campaigns; LCV organizers have knocked over 140,000 doors, distributed almost 10,000 ‘Climate Action Now’ yard signs, and garnered support from nearly 5,000 businesses across the country; and LCV and Climate Power have held over 35 events with key Members of Congress, Biden administration officials, state and local elected officials, labor unions, environmental justice partners, and more.

CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes stated, “Florida and California citizens are on the front lines of the climate crisis and their Republican elected officials must treat it as the existential threat it is. Climate change is happening right now. It’s disrupting lives and threatening livelihoods. Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress refuse to act. There is no more time for denial and any leader who stands in the way of climate action will be held accountable by voters.”

OUR TAKE: LCV SVP of Campaigns Pete Maysmith stated, “These Republicans’ decision to oppose popular and necessary action on climate and clean energy puts their constituents who are already experiencing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis in even greater danger. From the ‘code red for humanity’ IPCC report to devastating extreme weather and long-standing environmental and racial injustice and economic inequality, it’s never been more urgent or more important to act on climate at the scale that science and justice require.”

WATER CRISIS AT LAKE MEAD: This week, LCV launched a new ad campaign highlighting the Lake Mead crisis and the growing threat climate change poses to water supplies. The campaign will target communities in Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado hardest hit by water shortages, drought, and rising temperatures. Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, supplies drinking water for roughly 25 million people across the West. Currently, the Colorado River reservoir is at its lowest since the lake was filled after the Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930s. Water rationing and cuts have already begun across Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado throwing the future for farmers, ranchers, and smaller cities and towns into question — the Build Back Better Act could help provide billions in drought relief, funding to upgrade water treatment facilities, and protections for critical drinking water, in addition to fighting the root cause of the drought – climate change. See Nevada’s ad HERE.

BUDGET RESOLUTION MARKUP IN HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: This week, the House Natural Resources Committee began a markup on its portion of the Build Back Better Act. We’re thrilled that the process of developing the Build Back Better Act has kicked off with robust investments that will strengthen our economy and create jobs by leveraging our public lands and waters into assets in the climate fight, and making access to nature more equitable. It’s past time to make polluters pay their fair share and to invest in clean energy and our public lands to address the climate crisis. Hurricane Ida’s devastation, resulting in over a million people without power, and deaths throughout the nation is a somber reminder that we cannot wait to take action on the climate crisis — especially for those most vulnerable to extreme weather events.

NEW FROM CAP: This week, Center for American Progress released a new brief examining climate-fueled extreme weather trends in the U.S., and how it will continue to cost taxpayers billions. The brief shows how the number and the severity of extreme weather events is increasing — and how these events disproportionately impact historically marginalized communities, including communities of color and communities of low wealth. It’s clear from these recent climate reports, including the latest IPCC climate report, that our communities and our planet can no longer wait for climate action. Read the full brief HERE.

CAP TAKE: The CAP report concludes, “Climate change will only continue to exacerbate extreme weather disasters. The United States will continue to see an increase in frequency, intensity, and cost of these disasters if leaders do not take bold action. Congress has the opportunity to make a huge leap forward in addressing the planet-warming, storm-fueling greenhouse gas emissions that have spurred or worsened so many of these billion-dollar disasters. By enacting the full scope of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, Congress can make aggressive and meaningful investments in climate action. Science indicates that the international community only has a few years left for impactful action. The time is now.”

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

RESTRICTIVE VOTING IN AZ: In an opinion piece from Alejandra Gomez, co-executive director of LUCHA – Living United for Change in Arizona, Vianey Olivarria, state co-director of Chispa Arizona, Carolina Rodriguez Greer, state director of Mi Familia Vota, and Reginald Bolding, co-executive director of Arizona Coalition for Change wrote on the ramifications of restrictive and racist voting restrictions in Arizona. Last month, voting rights advocates including Chispa AZ, Mi Familia Vota, Arizona Coalition for Change, and Living United for Change in Arizona filed a lawsuit in the state’s federal district court, challenging two new voter suppression laws that would harm voters of color and other marginalized Arizonans by removing voters from voting lists and restricting the amount of time allocated to fix mail-in ballot issues.

🎨ART ACTIVATIONS: Across the country, communities are joining with local artists to demand climate action, justice and clean energy jobs at the scale that science requires. With the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report declaring a “code red for humanity” as Congress develops the Build Back Better Act, this is our now or never moment. See photos from this week’s activations in Napa, Scranton, and Oceanside HERE.

⚡POWER UP FOR RECESS!⚡: This week, we continued LCV and Climate Power’s Climate Action Now: Great American Build nationwide August recess tour. In coordination with LCV’s state affiliates and partners, we held events and town halls in key states and Congressional Districts, urging Congress to tackle the climate crisis and invest in a dual-track package for clean energy, justice, and jobs. See last week’s August recess recap HERE.

IN COLORADO: Conservation Colorado partnered with the Blue Green Alliance on a clean transportation press event with Senator Hickenlooper, Governor Polis, and Representative Neguse at Union Station.

IN GEORGIA: Georgia Conservation Voters hosted an event with Congresswoman McBath and over 40 environmental advocates, local elected officials, faith leaders, solar installers and health care professionals at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in Dunwoody, Georgia to talk about the Build Back Better agenda and the benefits that federal climate investments can bring to Georgia’s 6th district.

IN NEVADA: Nevada Conservation League hosted a press conference focused on extreme weather impacts. Speakers included local elected leaders, faith leaders, and other local officials.

IN NEVADA AGAIN: As children across Nevada head back to school, Senator Cortez Masto joined Chispa Nevada, Nevada Conservation League, Climate Action – Nevada, and Moms Clean Air Force – Nevada for a virtual conversation on her efforts in Congress to increase funding for school districts to improve energy efficiency measures and transition to clean, electric school buses.

IN WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Conservation Voters hosted a press conference with Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, County Supervisor Tom Friberg, and small business owner Marissa Michalkievicz, advocating for President Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

COMING UP:

SEPT 25 – OCT 3: National Drive Electric Week
SEPTEMBER 28: National Voter Registration Day
SEPTEMBER 30: Government funding expires