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Issue Category: Chispa

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JULY 23, 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:

“Even though for generations Latinos have continued to prove they are essential to the United States, sites that commemorate Latino heritage are disproportionately excluded when it comes to officially designated heritage and conservation sites.”

— Manuel Galaviz, anthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin who co-authored Hispanic Access report, “Place, Story, and Culture: An Inclusive Approach to Protecting Latino Heritage Sites,” showing that, “Less than eight percent of national historic landmarks represent the stories of women, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other underrepresented groups.”

“I did not understand the environment. I knew that plastic bags were bad for the environment. Mostly what I knew is white folks were trying to save the whales. But then I understood that it impacted just the way I’m breathing today. It became personal, and it became a fight for me.”

— Attribution WHYY article, “EPA takes up environmental justice complaint against Philly’s permit for SEPTA power plant in Nicetown.”

“The Latino community has a long history of conservation traditions and deep connections to the land. This #LatinoConservationWeek, we commit to center their voices and ensure Latino leadership continues to be vital in our work at @Interior.

— Interior Secretary Deb Haaland tweeted in honor of Latino Conservation Week.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Teen Vogue: The Climate Change and Infrastructure Crises Are Interconnected
School Transportation News: The Benefits of Electric School Buses, V2G for Low-Income Communities
Politico: Biden’s dueling crises: Cuba and Haiti

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:

CBS News Now (NV): Local leaders honor Rep. John Lewis with candlelight vigil on 1-year anniversary of his death
Concord Monitor (NH): Letter: Support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act
Flagler Live (FL): DeSantis Rebuffs Calls for Red Tide State of Emergency, Accusing Environmentalists of ‘Politicizing’ Issue
Out In Jersey (NJ): Jack Ciattarelli stands by his anti-LGBTQ comments in New Jersey governor race
Indy Week (NC): This Young Environmental Activist is Vying for the Raleigh Council District A Seat
E&E News (MT): BLM nominee expected to squeak through committee vote today
Willamette Week (OR): After Oregon’s Heat Wave, State’s Leading Environmental Groups Call for Transportation Overhaul
Water Well Journal (MI): NGWA Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Test Your Well Water Act

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LATINO CONSERVATION WEEK: Last Saturday kicked off Latino Conservation Week, a week to support and celebrate the Latino community getting outdoors and engaging in events to protect critical natural resources. Chispa participated in a virtual event with Hispanic Access Foundation today, where environmental justice advocates, including Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente, celebrated Madre Tierra, reflected on successes, and discussed the ongoing fight to protect our lands and waters. In addition, Chispa, along with Green 2.0, will release a blog post tomorrow from Vicente uplifting Latina leaders in the environmental movement. Latinos have been leading communities in the fight for conservation for decades — this week, we celebrate and honor their voices. See more events for Latino Conservation Week HERE.

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente writes, “To me celebrating Latino Conservation Week also means continuing to advocate for climate justice solutions that will help to protect the environment for our communities and generations to come. As part of Chispa, our teams are working across the country to create awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and addressing climate change. With record-breaking heat waves, fires, flooding, and other natural disasters, it is imperative that we work with communities to create climate resiliency and fight for climate justice.”

GUIDANCE FOR JUSTICE40: This week, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy released interim guidance for implementing the Justice40 Initiative — which would direct 40 percent of climate and clean energy investments to the communities who need it the most. For too long, communities of color and communities of low-wealth have been excluded when policies are made — the Justice40 Initiative ensures that critical resources go to communities who are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and excluded from access to resources.

CO-AUTHOR TAKE: The co-authors of the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform, a coalition of environmental justice and national environmental organizations, issued a joint statement, stating, “With this strong directive to federal agencies, President Biden has begun translating his vision of securing environmental and economic justice for disadvantaged communities into reality on the ground. His Justice40 Initiative has great potential to deliver public health, economic and environmental benefits to communities overburdened by pollution, racial and economic inequality. It can help unravel systemic racism by making investments that address environmental, climate, racial and economic injustices that have plagued low-income people and communities of color for decades. We look forward to seeing federal agencies fully and effectively implement the White House guidance government-wide, so millions of people across the country living on the frontlines of toxic pollution and harm from climate change can count on a healthier, safer and prosperous future.” 

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “Thanks to President Biden for his commitment to directing 40 percent of climate and clean energy investment benefits to communities of color and low-wealth communities who are harmed the most from the legacy of toxic pollution. This is an important step toward the equitable and just implementation of the Justice40 Initiative across the federal government and would not be possible without the environmental justice leaders who have been leading in the decades-long fight to dismantle environmental racism and ensure that all communities can thrive. We are thrilled to see this historic guidance and look forward to continuing to work with this administration, Congress, and environmental justice leaders to deliver these long overdue investment benefits to advance environmental and economic justice for the most disadvantaged communities.” 

AD ALERT IN OHIO!: This week, President Biden joined CNN for a national townhall focused on his administration’s progress over his first six months. Alongside his visit, the League of Conservation Voters launched a digital ad campaign in Ohio targeting Cincinnati and surrounding communities to support a recovery package that focuses on climate, clean energy, high-quality union jobs, and environmental justice. The campaign will focus on ensuring climate action is a top priority as Congress and the White House negotiate on an infrastructure and economic recovery package.

EXTREME WEATHER: This week, LCV and Climate Power hosted an in-person event with members of Congress and experts, constituents, and advocates across the nation who are on the front lines of exacerbated extreme weather due to the climate crisis. Speakers included Senators Michael Bennet, Catherine Cortez Masto, Chris Murphy, Tina Smith, Ron Wyden, and Representatives Sean Casten and Joe Neguse. Devastating wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, and heatwaves are displacing and killing some of our most at-risk communities, including communities of color and low-wealth, people with disabilities, and seniors who too often lack access to critical resources. We are undeniably seeing some of the worst weather and largest wildfires on record in recent years, with extreme weather seasons starting earlier and ending later than before. Watch the full event HERE, and see more on speakers HERE.

BENNET TAKE: Colorado Senator Michael Bennet stated, “For anybody who thinks [the climate crisis] is all speculative or somehow far out into the future, this is having a profound effect in lost lives today in Colorado and is having a dramatic effect on our economy today and that’s why the state of Colorado is reacting to it.”

CORTEZ MASTO TAKE: Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto stated, “Scientists have long predicted a hotter planet and more extreme weather conditions and now these changes are here…There is an opportunity here really for all of us to work together but we have to recognize this extreme weather; listen to the scientists, understand what is happening and plan for it.”

MURPHY TAKE: Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy stated, “It pains me that my twelve year old has to spend time thinking and worrying about what adults are going to do to save his planet, in his mind the entire infrastructure bill should be about climate because he knows the implications for him and his generation if we do nothing.”

SMITH TAKE: Minnesota Senator Tina Smith stated, “I’m still working to take transformational steps to address our present climate crisis. We have to take action now and for me this is personal, my grandson Ari is just a little over a year old and I want him to remember snow in Minnesota. I want him to live in a world that is safe, that is healthy for everyone and where there are opportunities widely shared.”

WYDEN TAKE: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden stated, “These are not your grandfather’s fires, they are vastly more powerful, they’re weather-changing and my biggest fear is the prospect that this year in the West we will have multiple big fires all across the West at exactly the same time, challenging resources in what is really an unprecedented fashion.”

CASTEN TAKE: Representative Sean Casten, from Illinois’ Sixth District, stated, “Every single one of us in this town has a twisted arm because we pat ourselves on the back so hard for doing what politically possible — our children and our grandchildren don’t give a damn. They care that we do what is scientifically necessary and that is the challenge that we have, we have a moment to do it but make no mistake, we do not have anymore moments, we have exhausted the capacity of the atmosphere to absorb heat, the capacity of the oceans to absorb heat and we’ve exhausted all the time we’ve got on the calendar. We got one play left folks.”

NEGUSE TAKE: Representative Joe Neguse, from Colorado’s Second District, stated, “These extreme weather events for communities in my district and for communities across the country are inescapable, they are getting worse and forcing first responders, firefighters, and families to use every tool they have to respond and to survive these extreme weather events. It is time for Congress to take bold action to protect our communities, to protect our country and ultimately to protect our planet.”

STONE-MANNING TO THE FLOOR: This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the nomination for Tracy Stone-Manning, environmental advocate and executive at the National Wildlife Federation, as the director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — drawing a stark contrast with 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. Our nation needs an environmental champion to lead the BLM; it’s time for the Senate to confirm Stone-Manning without delay.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “LCV is thrilled that Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination is moving forward and we hope the Senate will swiftly confirm her as BLM Director. Stone-Manning has spent her career working collaboratively to conserve and protect public lands, increase access for outdoor recreation, and ensure that local communities benefit from our public lands. She is uniquely qualified to lead the BLM, bringing 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. Especially after the chaos from agency leadership in the last four years, the BLM needs to restore balance to its lands stewardship and ensure these unparalleled natural resources endure for future generations. Under Stone-Manning’s leadership, the BLM will harness the power of our public lands in the fight against climate change and play a key role in implementing President Biden’s ambitious climate and conservation agendas.”

PFAS ACTION: This week, the House passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill which will direct federal agencies to quickly regulate PFAS and begin cleanup of sites polluted by these toxic chemicals. PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’, have been linked with a myriad of health problems such as weakened immune systems and cancer. Earlier this week, LCV president Gene Karpinski sent a letter urging representatives to pass this legislation and take an important step in assuring communities are no longer exposed to these dangerous chemicals.

OUR TAKE: Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote stated, “Today’s House bipartisan passage of the PFAS Action Act is a crucial step towards addressing toxic PFAS contamination and protecting the health of all communities across the country. Chemical companies have known for decades the risks that PFAS pose to our health and conspired to hide this information from the public– it is time to finally hold them accountable for the damage they have caused to our health and the environment. We applaud Representative Debbie Dingell and other champions in Congress for fighting to ensure our federal government takes the actions necessary to stop the flow of these dangerous chemicals and clean up contaminated sites. We urge the Senate to quickly pass this legislation and the Biden administration to use all its authority to address PFAS pollution so that all communities can have access to clean, safe water and a healthy environment.”

NO MORE LEAD: Representatives Paul Tonko, Jan Schakowsky, Dan Kildee, Gwen Moore and Henry Cuellar, along with over 100 other House members, signed a letter calling for congressional leadership to fund the removal of all lead service lines. Lead-contaminated water is toxic at any level, especially to children, and a new report from NRDC estimates that as many as 12 million lead pipes may be in service across the country in every state, supplying drinking water to 22 million people.

OUR TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote stated, “Too many communities, especially low-wealth communities and communities of color, have to worry if the water coming out of their tap is poisoning their families with toxic lead. Access to clean, safe drinking water should not be determined by someone’s race, zip code, or income; and with Congress poised to make significant investments in our infrastructure, now is the time to finally replace all of these dangerous lead pipes. We are incredibly grateful to Representatives Tonko, Schakowsky, Kildee, Moore, and Cuellar for their leadership and to all the members of the House who are fighting to provide the full $45 billion necessary to eliminate the more than 10 million lead service lines across the country. We urge Congress to deliver this full funding and protect our children and communities from toxic lead, once and for all.”

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

BUILDING BACK BETTER IN CA: This week, U.S. Representative Katie Porter wrote an opinion piece for Teen Vogue, “The Climate Crisis and Infrastructure Crisis are Connected,” highlighting her work with California League of Conservation Voters to hold elected officials accountable and fight for the future of our planet. Our nation can build back better with this “once in a generation opportunity” to make bold infrastructure investments and create clean energy jobs while tackling the climate crisis and environmental injustice. 

PORTER TAKE: Representative Katie Porter wrote, “When making policy, do we move toward electric vehicles or continue to rely on gasoline-powered cars? Do we invest in renewable energy or keep propping up Big Oil? Do we right the disproportionate harm of climate change on communities of color or do nothing? How we choose to modernize our infrastructure can safeguard our environment if done right, or it can harm our environment if done wrong. Too often our elected leaders do not take action when it would provide the most help: before a crisis occurs. We’ve seen this broadly with climate change, and specifically with natural disasters. There’s currently no single agency in charge of reviewing what went wrong during a disaster event and what can be done better next time.”

 

COMING UP:

July 17- July 25: Latino Conservation Week
July 28: Virtual Townhall with Senator Warnock
August 3: Virtual Townhall with Representative DelBene
August 1 – September 17: Congressional Recess
August 9 – September 10: Senate Recess

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JULY 16, 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:

“You might waste all your time trying to get an approval letter and still not get a loan. The package is so thick and so intimidating, it’s not something you are accustomed to doing.”

— Travis Cleaver, a Black farmer in Hodgenville, KY, one of countless Black farmers facing racist lending discrimination, in Politico article, “Black farmers seek more than debt relief.” 

“Us being in a poor area… I mean, what can we do? A company like that with money… we don’t got money to fight against it and it seems like we don’t got no one fighting for us. Not the state, no one.”

— Andrea Macklin, speaking on experiencing disrupted sleep and respiratory issues from the wood mill bordering his backyard in the predominantly Black community of Northampton County, North Carolina in CNN’s article, “How marginalized communities in the South are paying the price for ‘green energy’ in Europe.”

“[Portland State University Professor Vivek Shandas] went to the working class parts of Portland, parts of Portland where the highest concentration of people of color, historically, have been disinvested. So not a lot of sidewalk, not a lot of tree covers, a lot of it exposed to sun, and a lot of concrete that just absorbs the sun’s radiation. He found a reading of 121 degrees in the poorest neighborhoods in Portland.”

— Sergio Olmos, speaking on the disproportionately deadly impacts of extreme heat in The Daily episode, “The Heat Wave That Hit the Pacific Northwest.” 

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Washington Post: Democratic group pledges $10 million in ads to support Biden agenda, as outside support grows
American Trucker: Five good things that happened in trucking
The Hill: Labor, environment groups push Congress for ‘bold’ manufacturing investments
Politico: Bernie Sanders steers climate agenda from Budget perch
Bloomberg: Groups Seek $2.1 Trillion in Climate Spending in Next Bill
Politico: Morning Energy: The Biden-Brussels dilemma
Washington Post: Meet the conservatives who want to fight climate change — their way
CBS DFW: Watchdog Groups Join Democrats To Pressure Majority Leader Schumer To Act On Voting Bill
E&E: Bernie Sanders steers climate agenda from Budget perch
Longmont Leader: Hickenlooper’s bill to reduce EV costs passes Senate

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:

Downtown Devil (AZ): Nonprofit seeks more civic engagement for Phoenix Latino voices
MLive (MI): Vice President Kamala Harris talks vaccines and voting rights in first Michigan visit
Herald-Tribune (FL): Floridians would be hurt by a Florida Power & Light rate hike
Anchorage Daily News (AK): Alaska’s young people can’t wait around for change
Town News (ME): Maine lawmakers move to reduce drinking water contamination
Tampa Bay Times (FL): DeSantis action puts Pinellas in the hunt for two land preservation grants

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INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL: This week, Senate Budget Committee Democrats announced their deal on a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package — a critical step that must serve as the floor, not the ceiling, for bold investments in clean energy, jobs, and justice. We’re seeing the impacts of the climate crisis every day, particularly in historically excluded communities, including communities of color and communities of low wealth, who are the most impacted by environmental injustices from polluters, unsafe water from outdated lead pipes, and infrastructure that is unprepared for extreme weather. Earlier this month, we witnessed a deadly heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and wildfires raging across a dozen states in the West. We can’t wait to make transformational investments to act on climate — and voters agree. See June 2021 polling from Hart Research that finds climate action, including significant clean energy and infrastructure investments, has overwhelming support from key voting blocs, including young voters and Biden turnout voters.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “This deal is a vitally important development to help ensure that Congress delivers on the president’s Build Back Better and American Jobs Plan. Kudos to President Biden, Majority Leader Schumer, Budget Committee Chair Sanders and all the Democratic members of the committee for their leadership on this deal. Given the enormity of the climate crisis, environmental injustice, and economic inequality, it’s critical that this agreement serve as the floor — not the ceiling — for transformational investments in clean energy, jobs, and justice. It is imperative that these investments cut our emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and put our nation fully on the path to 100% clean energy powering our grid, new cars and buses, and buildings by 2035.”

+ADS TO BUILD BACK BETTER: Following the Senate Budget Committee’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure announcement, new TV and digital ads were released in Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey and Wisconsin this week as part of LCV’s newly launched $10 million ad buy with Climate Power to amplify electeds in 16 states who are showing support for clean energy investments, justice, and jobs. The ads will air on national cable and in the appropriate states, all urging Congress to take immediate, bold climate action to create millions of good-paying, union jobs in the clean energy sector, prioritize environmental justice for communities of color most harmed by toxic pollution, and confront the climate crisis. Our nation has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act on climate and invest in clean energy infrastructure while addressing environmental injustices — Congress can’t wait to act. Read more on the new $10 million Great American Build ad campaign, including a list of all of the states and districts, HERE.

VIRTUAL CLIMATE RALLY WITH NEGUSE: This week, LCV hosted a virtual rally with Representative Joe Neguse and advocates across the nation to discuss what’s at stake if we don’t make once-in-a-generation transformative investments in clean energy jobs and infrastructure that will help address the climate crisis and environmental injustices. Now more than ever, we need Congress to address the urgency of the climate crisis by investing in clean energy jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, and prioritizing environmental justice.

NEGUSE TAKE: Representative Neguse stated, “The stakes couldn’t be higher — everyday we wake up to news of yet another extreme weather event. When is enough, enough? When will we be fed up enough with the headlines of subways flooding in New York and wildfires raging in Arizona to decide that we are going to muster the political will necessary to act on climate and to save our planet? We are on the precipice of taking significant steps to finally help save our planet and make the largest investments in climate action at the federal level in the history of our country.”

CLEAN BUS CHATS WITH CÁRDENAS: This week, LCV, Chispa, and California LCV were joined by Representative Tony Cárdenas for a virtual event to discuss the health, environmental, and community benefits of transitioning dirty diesel-fueled school buses to clean, electric buses. Cárdenas recently introduced the Clean Commute for Kids Act with Representative Jahana Hayes, Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Raphael Warnock. The bill would authorize $25 billion to rapidly transition the nation’s school bus fleet to clean, electric buses over ten years, prioritizing communities most impacted by air pollution, particularly communities of color and communities of low wealth, and including labor protections for workers.

CÁRDENAS TAKE: Representative Cárdenas stated, “Every day, millions of children in our nation breathe in toxic emissions from diesel school buses and develop health and respiratory problems as a result. The Clean Commute for Kids Act prioritizes our communities, especially those of color, by cleaning up pollution and replacing old diesel buses with new, cleaner, and zero-emission electric school buses. Now is the time to  reshape the way our kids get to school. When we invest in pollution-free school bus fleets, we invest in truly making the world better for our children, including my own grandchildren.” 

🌲RESTORING TONGASS PROTECTIONS🌲: Yesterday, the Biden-Harris administration announced a major win for forest and environmental protections by declaring its intent to end road-building, logging, and development in Alaska’s Tongass Forest — restoring critical protections for one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests on the planet. The proposal includes $25 million for community development to help focus on economic activities such as fishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism in the area. 

AG SECRETARY TAKE: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated, “This approach will help us chart the path to long-term economic opportunities that are sustainable and reflect southeast Alaska’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent natural resources.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “Restoring roadless protections to Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, one of the world’s only remaining intact temperate rainforests and a massive carbon sink, is a critical step in tackling the climate crisis. The Tongass is home to an abundance of wildlife, serves as a natural filtration system providing drinking water to many Alaskan communities and tribal communities, and drives the region’s robust tourism, fishing, and recreation economies. And after the unconscionable decision from the Trump administration to strip this land of protections, putting not only the environment but the neighboring communities and economies at risk, we are glad to see the tide turn and applaud the Biden administration for moving to reinstate these crucial protections.”

RED ROAD TO DC: This week, Indigenous activists across the nation began their two-week trek from the Pacific Northwest to Washington, DC, with a 5,000 pound totem pole carved by Indigenous artists. The artists, called the House of Tears Carvers, created the totem pole as “a reminder of the promises that were made to the first peoples of this land and waters.” The Red Road to DC will make stops in sacred and significant areas such as Snake River at the Washington-Idaho border, Bears Ears in Utah, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, the Black Hills in South Dakota, the Missouri River in South Dakota, Standing Rock in North Dakota, Line 3 oil pipeline in Minnesota and Line 5 pipeline in Michigan before arriving in DC.

WA NHM TAKE: Over the last two months, the totem pole has journeyed along the West Coast, bringing crowds of people who have touched and prayed over it. Beka Economopoulos, director of the Natural History Museum in Washington state stated, “It’s going to carry the spirit of the land it visits and the power and prayers of the people along the way to the symbolic heart of the nation.”

NOA TAKE: Judith LeBlanc, a member of the Caddo Nation and director of the Native Organizers Alliance stated, “This is a reminder of his ancestral responsibilities to protect our right to freedom of religion.” LeBlanc further stated, “We sat nation-to-nation and signed agreements. We gave up land that mattered in order to receive health care, education and housing. Those treaty rights have been denied all through history.”

OCEAN CLIMATE SOLUTIONS: This week, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act was passed through the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill would protect the frontline communities that are the most impacted by climate change and would utilize our oceans in creating a clean energy future, including provisions for increasing offshore renewable energy, expanding protections for habitat and fisheries, and prohibiting offshore drilling in many areas. Our oceans will play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis and this legislation puts the U.S. in a position to lead the way.

OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “The climate crisis requires bold and powerful solutions and LCV applauds Chairman Grijalva for championing opportunities to harness the power of the ocean as part of the solution. This bill provides a blueprint to reduce carbon pollution by investing in blue carbon ecosystems that naturally sequester carbon, prohibiting the expansion of offshore drilling and increasing clean energy development. It creates programs that will help protect and restore vital ocean systems and habitats, ramp up climate-smart practices and vessels in the fishing industry, and build more resilient coasts, all while prioritizing regional cooperation and environmental justice for Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. We are thrilled to see this bill pass through committee today and look forward to this legislation moving forward.”

ACT ON DEMOCRACY: Earlier this week, a coalition of progressive groups, including LCV, wrote a letter to urge Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to hold another vote on the landmark voting rights legislation, the For The People Act, before the August recess. 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. Enacting the For the People Act would supersede these suppressive state laws and modernize our voting system to ensure a consistent, accessible, and secure process for voters across the country — inaction in the Senate is not an option with the future of our democracy at stake.

COALITION TAKE: The letter from the coalition states, “We agree with your repeated promise that “failure is not an option” when it comes to voting rights. To ensure progress in the face of partisan obstruction, we, the undersigned organizations, urge you to hold another vote on voting rights legislation like the For The People Act before the August recess. Further delay risks a decade of Republican-controlled gerrymandering and Republican-controlled state voter suppression laws taking effect.”

2 YEARS OF EJNCP: Saturday marks the second anniversary of the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform, a group of environmental justice advocates and national environmental organizations, including LCV, calling for national climate action that confronts racial, economic, and environmental injustice. We cannot have a healthy environment without including communities that have long been left out of decision-making processes — which are too often communities of color and communities with low wealth who are also some of the most impacted by the climate crisis. 

EJNCP TAKE: In recognition of the EJNCP’s second year, the group issued a joint statement stating, “The Biden-Harris administration, along with some members of Congress, has acted swiftly to begin addressing environmental justice, systemic racism, and inequality. Solid progress has occurred amid multiple crises — a deadly global pandemic, a recession, and a national uprising against police violence. The trio of intersecting crises highlight the need for broad, comprehensive action that weds an equitable recovery with justice and climate action. That has begun to emerge from the administration’s moves to center equity in its government-wide climate action agenda and in the Congress-approved recovery plan that invests in environmental justice communities.

But the work is not done. Still ahead, Congress must work with the administration to make bold investments to further reduce environmental injustice. That includes advancing Justice40 to create jobs, healthier lives, and provide pollution-free energy in disadvantaged communities. It means improving equity across all federal policies. And it means working to reduce pollution and climate damages in communities that for too long have been forced to breathe dirty air, drink unsafe water, and endure health and economic hardship.”

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

⚡POWER OF STORYTELLING⚡: Yesterday Chispa Arizona hosted a roundtable discussion with advocates across the state as part of their environmental justice escuelita series. Speakers Vianey Olivarria, Chispa AZ co-director, and Noemí González, Chispa AZ digital organizer, discussed the power of storytelling to uplift communities and the importance of reframing and decolonizing one’s history and the stories that we tell.

CHISPA AZ TAKE: After a powerful discussion, Chispa AZ tweeted, “⚡Our community is powerful and our stories even more so!”

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT RATE HIKES: Aliki Moncrief, executive director of Florida Conservation Voters, wrote an op-ed in the Herald-Tribune urging Floridians to submit a public comment against Florida Power & Light (FPL)’s plan to build more fossil fuel infrastructure with customers footing the bill. The proposal would raise customer’s bills by nearly 20% over the next four years. FPL is a monopoly utility and large political campaign donor, and generally benefits from favorable regulation by the politically-appointed Public Service Commission. 

FCV TAKE: Florida Conservation Voters Executive Director Aliki Moncrief wrote, “FPL should be leading the way toward a modern electrical grid and clean energy economy; instead it is doubling down on dirty fossil fuels and failing to meet the needs of vulnerable customers. FPL should be trying to lower bills; instead it seeks to raise them…It’s time for us to tell FPL and the Public Service Commission that Florida’s working families are not a piggy bank to pad shareholder dividends – and that we have had enough of rising rates and dirty fossil fuels.”

INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN MD: State Delegate Jazz Lewis of Maryland’s 24th District wrote an op-ed in the Montgomery County Sentinel in support of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and underscoring the importance of centering environmental injustice. Lewis cited examples of pollution and climate change impacts on communities in Maryland and explained the vital opportunities proposed by the Biden administration to address the state’s infrastructure needs. 

LEWIS TAKE: Maryland State Delegate Jazz Lewis wrote, “More than four out of five Marylanders are ready for clean energy and environmental justice investments, and we support congressional action to address climate change. We need the American Jobs Plan’s bold investments to ensure we lift up communities that have been overlooked for too long, replace crumbling infrastructure like our transportation systems, improve water quality, and repair our electric grid.”

YOUTH CLIMATE ACTIVISM IN AK: Arctic Youth Ambassador Macy Kenworthy, and Alaska Center Education Fund Youth Civic Engagement Coordinator Jasmine Carter, wrote an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News about their meeting with Senator Lisa Murkowski to advocate for addressing climate change in Congress’ upcoming legislative packages. They detailed the urgency of climate action for Alaskans and highlighted the need for reinvestment into rural parts of the state.

ACTIVIST TAKE: Arctic Youth Ambassador, Macy Kenworthy, and Alaska Center Education Fund Youth Civic Engagement Coordinator, Jasmine Carter, wrote, “As young people in Alaska facing an uncertain future, we aren’t willing to wait around for piecemeal changes. Our future is on the line, and we are not willing to compromise on climate for jobs. Thankfully, the American Jobs Plan doesn’t require us to compromise our climate future for our economic future. Now we have to make sure our leadership doesn’t compromise our climate either.”

HOYER TOWN HALL: Maryland LCV joined Congressman Steny Hoyer to host a town hall discussing President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and its benefits to Marylanders.

HOYER TAKE: Congressman Hoyer said, “President Biden’s American Jobs Plan is about building back better and stronger so that families and small businesses can succeed to get ahead through access to opportunities but the Jobs Plan also addresses the other clear and present, global, danger, that has serious local repercussions, and that is the climate crisis. The Jobs Plan makes transformational investments in infrastructure and in helping communities respond to climate change.”

MDLCV TAKE: Executive Director of Maryland LCV Kim Coble said, ”We have a once in a lifetime opportunity for the country to make investments in climate change, creating clean energy jobs, and prioritizing justice. In Maryland we are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and this plan will help put the country onto a path toward 100% renewable energy.”

COMING UP:

July 17-25: Latino Conservation Week

Rep. Cárdenas Joins LCV, Chispa, and CLCV Talk Clean Bus Infrastructure

Washington, D.C. — Today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) was joined by U.S. Representative Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), LCV Government Affairs Advocate Darien Davis, CLCV Federal Advocacy Coordinator Aaron McCall, and Sybil Azur, a mother and community organizer to discuss the critical health, environmental, and community benefits of transitioning dirty diesel-fueled school buses to pollution-free, electric buses. Currently, over 25 million children ride the bus to school and thousands of bus drivers breathe polluted air from dirty diesel school buses.

Rep. Cárdenas recently introduced the Clean Commute for Kids Act with Rep. Hayes (CT-05), Sen. Padilla (CA) and Sen. Warnock (GA). The bill would authorize $25 billion to rapidly transition the nation’s school bus fleet to clean, electric buses over ten years, prioritizing the public health of communities most impacted by air pollution, particularly communities of color and communities who have low wealth, and including labor standards centered on protecting workers. 

WATCH: LCV Clean Bus Chats With Representative Cárdenas

“Every day, millions of children in our nation breathe in toxic emissions from diesel school buses and develop health and respiratory problems as a result,” said Congressman Antonio Cárdenas. “The Clean Commute for Kids Act prioritizes our communities, especially those of color, by cleaning up pollution and replacing old diesel buses with new, cleaner, and zero-emission electric school buses. Now is the time to  reshape the way our kids get to school. When we invest in pollution-free school bus fleets, we invest in truly making the world better for our children, including my own grandchildren.” 

“We know that children in historically marginalized communities are most impacted by toxic air pollution — this is especially harmful to their health since they are still developing.  A bold investment in the transition to clean, zero emission school buses is a crucial step towards addressing the inequities that children in low-wealth communities and communities of color face,” said LCV Government Affairs Advocate Darien Davis. “We need Congress to pass the Clean Commute for Kids Act to fund the switch to pollution-free buses so we can Build Back Better and advance climate, jobs, and justice.”

“The Clean Commute for Kids Act is the type of bold, forward-thinking investment that we must prioritize for the health of children and communities not just in California, but across the country,” said CLCV Political and Organizing Director Mike Young. “We are thrilled with Representative Cárdenas and Senator Padilla’s leadership, bringing California voices to the table for a bill that is the culmination of years of marginalized families working hard to provide clean air for their children. Transforming our nation’s school bus fleet will be a gamechanger for reducing air pollution, creating good-paying, union jobs, implementing labor standards for workers, and addressing the climate crisis.”

“My family and I have seen first-hand the realities of climate change while living in L.A., and understand the importance of improving air quality by investing in zero-emission transportation,” said community organizer Sybil Azur. “Children, especially those in communities of color and low-income communities, deserve to breathe healthy air on their way to school and transitioning to an electric school bus fleet will help make this a reality. We owe it to our children and future generations to pass this legislation and continue making strides toward a clean energy future.”

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THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JULY 9, 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:

“People are getting it in their head that people are trying to live within the [wildland-urban interface], but that is not always the case. A lot of it isn’t a choice.”

— Erin Hanan, a fire ecologist at the University of Nevada-Reno, speaking on how Latinx communities are pushed into unsafe, wildfire-prone areas in a Politico article, “Wildfires threaten all of the West — and one group more than others.”

“Segregation causes the inequalities that lead to police patrolling certain neighborhoods more aggressively, why life expectancies are lower in some neighborhoods than others, why frontline workers are disproportionately residing in certain neighborhoods, and why some people don’t have access to clean air or water.” 

— Stephen Menendian, Director of Research at University of California Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute and lead author of a new study, “The Roots of Structural Racism Project.”

“The outdoors can be a really empowering place for a lot of queer and trans folks but it can also sometimes feel uniquely intimidating or stressful. You can be out there alone and you don’t necessarily know who else is out there or depending on your background, you might not feel a lot of fluency.”

— Out For Sustainability Board Member Sophia Paul in EcoWatch article, “Out for Sustainability: The Intersection of the LGBTQIA+ and Environmental Movements.”

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

E&E News: Greens to spend $10M pushing climate in infrastructure talks
Politico: Infrastructure planning underway ahead of July session
Washington Times: Progressives raise pressure on moderate Democrats to back party-line climate measure
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Outlet: The Jolt: Geoff Duncan’s got a war chest with no war
The Washington Examiner: Daily on Energy: Abbott pins grid troubles on renewable energy
Muse By Clio: How Branded Content Can Be Central to Meaningful DEI Strategy

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:

Insider NJ (NJ): New Digital Ads in New Jersey Encourage Reps. Kim (NJ-03) and Malinowski (NJ-07) to Continue to Fight For Clean Energy
Colorado Public Radio (CO): Drought And Fire Conditions In Western Colorado Are Dire. Can Congress Help?
Inside Climate News (OH): Inside Clean Energy: Offshore Wind Takes a Big Step Forward, but Remains Short of the Long-Awaited Boom
FR24 News (NY): New York Parks Benefit from Increased Funding Following Covid-related Cuts
Fox23 (ME): Maine lawmakers approve landmark recycling reform bill

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NEW AD ALERT!: This week, LCV launched a $10 million ad buy with Climate Power to raise up electeds across the nation who are showing support for clean energy investments, justice, and jobs. The ads will air on national cable as well as specific ads for 16 states, all urging Congress to take immediate, bold climate action to create millions of good-paying, union jobs in the clean energy sector, prioritize environmental justice for communities of color most harmed by toxic pollution, and confront the climate crisis. Our nation has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act on climate and invest in clean energy infrastructure while addressing environmental injustices — Congress can’t wait to act.

CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes stated, “This is our climate moment. Climate-fueled extreme weather events, including fires, droughts, and storms, are battering communities across this country. The climate crisis is real and we have the workforce to fix it. The U.S. House and Senate must pass a strong reconciliation package that delivers on President Biden’s promise of 100% clean electricity and reducing pollution.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Campaigns Pete Maysmith stated, “We are out of time to act on the climate crisis and environmental justice and voters across the country know it. It’s imperative that Congress invests in climate, clean energy and high-quality union jobs at the scale science and justice demand in order to meet the moment, put our nation on the path to 100% carbon-free energy powering our electricity grid and new cars, buses, and buildings by 2035, and build healthy, safe communities.”

ADS FOR DEMOCRACY: Over the weekend, LCV, EDF Action Fund, Sierra Club, NRDC Action, and Clean Water Action launched ads thanking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Mark Kelly, Maggie Hassan, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar for their support of the For the People Act. The ads emphasized that we cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy — especially when communities who have been historically marginalized for decades continue to face barriers to participating in the electoral process.  In state legislative sessions this year, 48 states have already introduced, prefiled, or carried more than 389 bills to restrict or limit voting access. Enacting the For the People Act would supersede suppressive state laws written to further oppress Black and Brown voters, and modernize our voting system to ensure a consistent, accessible, and secure process for voters across the country. Despite Republican attempts to obstruct this bill, the fight isn’t over for the Senate to pass legislation to bring the democratic process back to the people.

COALITION TAKE: The groups released a statement on the ad launch stating, “Thank you Senate Majority Leader Schumer and all the Democratic Senators who voted to move the For the People Act forward to debate. The environmental community understands just how important it is to strengthen our democracy with common-sense reforms that are popular across the aisle, from expanded access to the polls to election security to getting money out of politics. We know that with a healthy and thriving democracy, we can make progress protecting our environment, combating climate change and ensuring everyone has clean air to breathe and water to drink. Our environment and our communities win when our democracy works for the people.”

NEW VIDEO ALERT!: LCV released a new video this week showing how communities across the nation have made it clear: people want BIG and bold solutions to combat climate change, environmental injustices, and the challenges historically marginalized communities face. We cannot wait to invest in clean energy infrastructure, justice, and jobs. Watch the video HERE.

NEW REPORT ALERT!: This week, LCV, the Center for American Progress, and BlueGreen Alliance released a new report, “The Clean Economy Revolution Will Be Unionized,” which analyzes state and local-level climate and labor wins to create a roadmap for federal action that will create good-paying clean energy jobs – while building the clean energy infrastructure our nation needs. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make transformational investments in our nation’s infrastructure — and communities across the country are leading the way. Read the report HERE.

CAP TAKE: Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Sam Ricketts stated, “States and local governments have been making progress creating good-paying union jobs to build the clean economy. And that progress is laying important groundwork faor federal lawmakers to follow. This summer, Congress and the Biden administration should build on state leadership and seize the moment with transformational investments to create millions of good-paying union jobs building climate, clean energy and environmental justice solutions.”

BGA TAKE: BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh stated, “Jobs in the clean economy should be good, union jobs, and that will not happen organically—we have to put the policies in place to make it happen. As this report shows, states around the country are moving forward to build a safe, clean, and thriving economy. We need President Biden and Congress to do the same at the federal level.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “To tackle the climate crisis and build a new, clean energy economy, we need high-quality, union jobs. A strong economy means we take care of the people in it. We need union jobs that support a family and provide retirement security. We also need to invest in clean energy to keep our communities and environment healthy. Many states have already laid a blueprint for Congress to follow in creating good union jobs that build a clean energy future. It is time to make this a national reality.”

NEW REPORT ALERT!: This week, Rhodium Group released a new analysis showing that flexible tax credits with long-term, full value extensions, direct pay, and incentives for existing clean energy capacity will cut CO2 emissions in the power sector by 64-73% below 2005 levels in just 10 years. This report reinforces that clean energy tax incentives are a critical piece of building back better: creating millions of jobs and hitting our science-based climate pollution reduction goals. 

CLEAN BUS CHATS WITH CARDENAS PREVIEW!: Next Tuesday, July 13th at 2:30pm EST, LCV, Chispa, and California LCV will be joined by Representative Cárdenas for a virtual event to discuss the health, environmental, and community benefits of transitioning dirty diesel-fueled school buses to clean, electric buses. Rep. Cárdenas recently introduced the Clean Commute for Kids Act with Rep. Hayes (CT-05), Sen. Padilla (CA) and Sen. Warnock (GA). The bill would authorize $25 billion to rapidly transition the nation’s school bus fleet to clean, electric buses over ten years, prioritizing communities most impacted by air pollution, particularly communities of color and communities of low wealth, and including labor protections for workers.

VIRTUAL CLIMATE RALLY WITH NEGUSE PREVIEW!: Next Thursday, July 15th, at 6pm EST, LCV is hosting a virtual rally with Representative Neguse to discuss what’s at stake if we don’t make once-in-a-generation transformative investments towards clean energy jobs and infrastructure to address the climate crisis and environmental injustices. Now more than ever, we need Congress committed to addressing the urgency of the climate crisis by investing in clean energy jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, and prioritizing environmental justice.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

BUILDING BACK BETTER: STATES DEMAND STRONG FEDERAL LEGISLATION
LCV state affiliates are teaming up with federal legislators in support of a bold federal plan that centers clean energy, justice and jobs as part of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better agenda. This is an opportunity to make critical investments that revitalize infrastructure, create good jobs and fight the climate crisis with just and equitable solutions that benefit the communities that need it most.

IN MICHIGAN: Representative Andy Levin joined Michigan LCV, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Utility Workers Union of America, and the United Auto Workers for a discussion last month. MLCV also held an event with Representative Slotkin this week.

LEVIN TAKE: Representative Levin stated, “The reason the Build Back Better and Build Back Greener plans are so important is it gives us a chance to rebuild an economy with great opportunity for everybody, that really tackles climate change head-on and really deals with some of these other crises that have been brewing in our country.”

SLOTKIN TAKE: Representative Slotkin stated, “This is really going to be a rare opportunity, in our lifetime we haven’t seen this kind of significant reinvestment in our infrastructure…and most of us will never see this kind of investment again and it’s overdue, we know this just from driving down the street in Michigan…and making sure we can secure our planet’s clean future with things like clean energy.”

IN CALIFORNIA: CLCV has produced videos of various legislators showing their  support for the American Jobs Plan. Watch Representatives Mike Levin, Katie Porter, Pete Aguilar, Nanette Diaz Barragán, and Jared Huffman, and Senator Alex Padilla explain what building back better means for Californians and the nation.

AGUILAR TAKE: Representative Aguilar stated, “This landmark legislation is the key to moving our economy toward one built on green, renewable energy sources. The investments in this bill are key to reducing smog and traffic-related pollution in states like California, and they’ll help support hundreds of thousands of new good paying jobs. We cannot tackle the problem of upgrading America’s infrastructure without addressing the realities of climate change.”

HUFFMAN TAKE: Representative Huffman stated, “There’s an urgency here, we are running out of time to confront this climate crisis, there is no longer any real debate about what’s happening or how it’s impacting us or how or how the impacts are going to get a lot worse if we don’t take bold action now.”

IN PENNSYLVANIA: Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania hosted a town hall last month with Congressman Brenden Boyle.

BOYLE TAKE: Representative Boyle stated, “There is no way to do an infrastructure bill, without simultaneously talking about and addressing our environmental and energy needs. The American Jobs Plan will create millions of strong union jobs by fixing our nation’s roads, rail and bridges, while also improving public transit, strengthening access to broadband, ensuring safe drinking water, and building safer schools.”

IN MARYLAND: Last month, Maryland LCV hosted a virtual town hall with Senator Chris Van Hollen.

VAN HOLLEN TAKE: Senator Van Hollen stated, “We know that the cost of inaction when it comes to climate change is devastating, we’ve seen those impacts in the form of floods, in the form of droughts, in the form of wildfires in Maryland, we’ve seen islands in the Chesapeake Bay disappear, we’ve seen flooding everywhere from Ellicott City to Annapolis, and those costs are very real and as time goes on we’re seeing more lives lost in America and around the world as well as escalating damage to property and to our natural environment.”

COMING UP: Next Tuesday, July 13th at 5 pm EST, Maryland LCV will be hosting a town hall with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. 

NEW JERSEY’S GREEN TIE GALA: New Jersey LCV hosted their largest fundraising event of the year last month: The 7th Annual Green Tie Gala. NJLCV raised thousands of dollars to continue their advocacy and policy work to fight for climate justice and create a more sustainable future.

NJLCV TAKE: New Jersey LCV Environmental Justice Policy Manager Lee Clark stated, “Too often the communities I work with that experience a lot of these historical dumpings and environmental polluting are communities of color and low income communities and I am fortunate enough to have the privilege to highlight the intersectionality between race, economics, and environmentalism through the voices of normal, everyday people with one of the greatest tools an organizer has and that is the art of storytelling.”

 

COMING UP:

July 13: Clean Bus Chats with Rep. Cárdenas
July 13: Maryland LCV Town Hall with Majority Leader Hoyer
July 15: Virtual Rally with Rep. Neguse
July 15: Maintaining Food Access in the Face of Climate Change with Rep. Stabenow
July 17-25: Latino Conservation Week

New TV and Digital Ads in Arizona Encourage Rep. O’Halleran (AZ-01) to Continue to Fight For Clean Energy and Climate Investments Necessary to Meet the Moment

Washington, D.C. – This week, Climate Power and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) announced the launch of new TV and digital ads in Arizona. These ads are part of an additional $10 million paid media boost to their nationwide Great American Build campaign. As Arizona and much of the country is gripped by climate-change fueled extreme heat, new cable, broadcast, and digital ads will underscore the need for Congress to take immediate, bold climate action to create millions of good-paying, union jobs in the clean energy sector, prioritize environmental justice for communities of color most harmed by toxic pollution, and confront climate change.

WATCH AZ-01 TV ad here. 

WATCH AZ-01 digital ad here.

In Arizona, ads will run on TV and digital as part of the $10 million nationwide campaign that includes national cable ads, Washington, D.C. ads, and additional ads thanking members of Congress for fighting for climate and environmental justice and encouraging them to get this done in 16 states and 23 congressional districts. The campaign begins as members of Congress are home for the July recess and then return to D.C. to continue work on infrastructure and economic recovery legislation.

This new spending over the next six weeks comes on top of nearly $10 million in paid media spending by the groups since January. This also comes on top of a new $8 million field organizing effort announced last week by LCV.

“Arizonans support bold action on climate, clean energy, jobs and climate justice,” said Chispa AZ State Co-Director Vianey Olivarria. “We are excited to see our national partner LCV run these timely ads highlighting the opportunities a clean energy economy would bring to Arizona — including high-quality, union jobs. We look forward to working with Rep. O’Halleran to continue the fight for historic climate legislation with investments at the scale that science and justice demand.”

“This is our climate moment,” said Climate Power executive director Lori Lodes. “Climate-fueled extreme weather events, including fires, droughts, and storms, are battering communities across this country. The climate crisis is real and we have the workforce to fix it. The U.S. House and Senate must pass a strong reconciliation package that delivers on President Biden’s promise of 100% clean electricity and reducing pollution.”

More details on the new $10 million Great American Build ad campaign, including a list of all of the states and districts, can be found here.

The nationwide advertising campaign will include broadcast and cable television ads, digital, radio, video, banner, social, and native ads, as well as billboards and local newspaper print ads.

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THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JULY 2, 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 can’t help but ask whether a landfill such as this will ever threaten a historic site associated with the history of White America? In Virginia, does Jamestown or Mount Vernon need to worry about an incoming towering heap of trash?”

— Mariah Davis, acting director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition and Queen Zakia Shabazz, coordinator of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative in Washington Post opinion article, “In Virginia, the fight for environmental justice continues.”

“Hey, I live in the Northwest. We just did temperatures 40 degrees above normal for multiple days in a row. Climate change is real. If these people want to pretend, either to get fossil-fuel contributions or to suck up to Donald Trump, to say it’s not real, it doesn’t belong in a transportation bill, the single-largest source of carbon pollution in the United States, then they can take a hike.”

— House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio in an interview with Punchbowl.

“A majority of people who live in the Texas coastal communities of Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Port Arthur are brown and Black. These communities are also locations for proposed terminals to load liquefied natural gas on tankers bound for overseas markets.”

— Dr. Robert Bullard, professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University and who is credited with being the “father of environmental justice,” in a New York Times opinion article, “I Wrote About This Environmental Injustice Decades Ago. It Hasn’t Changed.”

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

School Bus Fleet: 5 Questions: Johana Vicente on Link Between Electric School Buses, Environmental Justice
The Huffington Post: Biden’s Green Allies Launch Major Campaign As Bipartisan Deal Shrinks From Climate
NPR: Why Progressive Climate Activists Are Frustrated With The Biden Administration
National Journal: Pressure Mounts on Biden to Protect Bears Ears
E&E News: LCV debuts campaign to push vulnerable Dems on climate
Sierra Magazine: As the Infrastructure Bill Moves Forward, Is a Climate Bill Next?
Penn Live: Flush with federal cash, states take this ‘godsend’ and invest it in their overcrowded parks
Mother Jones: Environmentalists Take Sharp Aim at Democrats’ Climate Compromise
Axios: White House sells infrastructure deal amid green angst
Daily Mail: House votes 285-120 to remove ALL Confederate statues from Capitol and replace bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney with first black justice Thurgood Marshall: 120 Republicans voted against ‘whitewashing history’

 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: 

LCV’s affiliates are hard at work protecting the environment and fi ghting climate change in the states. Here’s what people are reading across the country:

CT Post (CT): Opinion: Biden must restore protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts
Colorado Newsline (CO): Biden’s American Jobs Plan invests in infrastructure and workers while putting us on a path to meet our climate goals
Northeast Times (PA): Boyle holds virtual town hall about Biden’s American Jobs Plan
CBS Denver (CO): Water Quality Control Commission Votes Down Proposal To Allow More Pollution In Colorado Waterways
Wisconsin Politics (WI): Wisconsin Conservation Voters: President Biden visits Wisconsin to tout his bold American Jobs Plan

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PRIDE MONTH READING: In honor of Pride Month, NRDC Senior Social Media Manager Tejal Mankad shared their experience with community organizing as a queer person of color, highlighting the need to address the LGBTQ+ communitiy when thinking about the climate crisis. With a study finding that 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, we know that these communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis from exposure to extreme weather, barriers to accessing disaster funds and resources, a lack of access to public health care, among other detrimental factors. Our fight for our planet must also include the fight against discrimination based on gender and sexuality, race, and systems that continue to oppress communities.

MANKAD TAKE: NRDC Senior Social Media Manager Tejal Mankad wrote, “The fights for our humanity cannot be separated from one another. And the truth is, standing up for our own diversity, reflected in ecology all around us, makes us stronger and more resilient. That is why, while the mainstream environmental movement remains predominantly white, cisgender, and heteronormative, its future is not—and I think of how much queer and trans communities have to offer as we embrace the ways our lives hold multiplicities. When we say there is no climate justice without queer liberation, it means that our struggles are intertwined and none of us are free until all of us are free. Marginalized people of color, including queer people of color in the United States and the Global South, shoulder the heaviest impacts of climate change, often finding themselves on the frontlines of ecological disaster. Poverty, discrimination, houselessness, incarceration, and chronic illness or disability—due to lack of access to health care—are often behind this injustice.”

REPRESENTATIVES COAST TO COAST URGE CLIMATE ACTION: On Thursday, Representatives Mike Levin, Sharice Davids and Andy Kim led a letter signed by 134 House members, urging President Biden to center clean energy and water infrastructure, environmental justice, and good paying clean energy jobs in infrastructure legislation. We cannot wait to take bold action to tackle the climate crisis, and we must address environmental injustices in communities of color and communities with low wealth who bear the most burdens from exposure to extreme weather and pollution. Read our recent blog post highlighting how climate champions in Congress have demanded climate action in any infrastructure package to make a once in a generation, transformational investment in clean energy jobs while addressing environmental injustices.

REPRESENTATIVES’ TAKE: The letter signed by House members stated, “We must live up to our promise to put millions back to work while rebuilding our infrastructure, expanding access to health care, and improving our nation’s environmental resiliency. In particular, our constituents would benefit economically from the ambitious and much-needed climate action envisioned under the American Jobs Plan. The proposal outlines a popular agenda that involves transforming our energy, transportation and water systems; increasing our nation’s climate resilience; retrofitting schools and buildings with clean energy and efficient technologies; providing clean water to all; and restoring and increasing access to nature. Not only will these components of the plan create jobs in our communities, but they will also at long last catapult our nation’s infrastructure into the 21st century.”

VOTING TO INVEST IN AMERICA: This week, the House voted 221-201 to pass the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act” or the “INVEST in America Act,” which is a transformative package authorizing bold, impactful investments in transportation and water infrastructure while addressing racial inequities so that all communities have greater access to clean water, clean transportation, clean energy benefits, and green spaces.

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “It is critical that we repair our nation’s roads and bridges while building for a more sustainable and equitable future. This surface transportation bill will improve the safety of our roads and bridges while advancing clean energy investments in public transit and EV infrastructure, reconnecting communities divided by highways, and targeting investments in low-wealth, rural, and Tribal communities. 

Too many families across the country, especially in low-wealth communities and communities of color, lack access to clean, safe, affordable water, but the INVEST Act is an important step towards tackling our growing water infrastructure crisis. This critical bill will increase the Clean Water & Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, provide funds for Tribal wastewater projects, address PFAS contamination, create assistance programs to help low income families struggling to pay their water bills, help communities prepare for the impacts of climate change, and so much more. Clean water is a basic human right, and we urge Congress to move quickly to pass the transformative investments necessary to tackle the climate crisis, create family-sustaining union jobs, and ensure that everyone has access to clean water, no matter their race, zip code, or income.” 

BRNOVICH V. DNC: Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in the Brnovich v. DNC ruling weakens much needed protections against the slew of barriers voters face to have a say in their communities. With states continuing to introduce legislation to suppress voter’s access to the ballot box, Congress must take action to pass S.1, the For the People Act, and HR.4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, into law to protect voters’ civil rights and prevent racist and ableist barriers to the electoral process. In advance of the Senate’s unsuccessful move to take up S.1, LCV sent a letter to the full Senate last month urging support for this crucial voting rights and democracy reform bill.

OUR TAKE: LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa stated, “Today’s decision is both disappointing and damaging for the future of civic participation. Weakening the protections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a year when 48 states have introduced bills limiting access to the ballot in ways that disproportionately affect communities of color is stupefying. We cannot fully combat climate change and address environmental injustice until everyone has the freedom to participate in our democracy.  LCV remains committed to defending our most basic right and once again calls on Congress to pass the For The People Act and revamp the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in order to ensure that all communities have their voices heard in our democracy regardless of the intent or impact of these state laws.

NEW POLL ALERT !: This week, Earthjustice and Environment America released polling in partnership with LCV in Congressional districts around the country, and it indicates strong bipartisan support for climate legislation. Registered voters were interviewed in each of the 19 congressional districts, and the results were clear: voters want Congress to take action to get millions of people back to work in new good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental racism. Clean energy is the fastest-growing industry in America and provides a huge opportunity for high-quality, union jobs that help rebuild the middle class. It’s time for Congress to prioritize climate, clean energy and justice by passing comprehensive climate legislation. See the poll results showing how voters in each district strongly support climate infrastructure here.

DOUBLE POLL ALERT!: This week, LCV joined Climate Power to release a new analysis from TargetSmart showing key voting groups see climate action as a legislative priority and view climate action as necessary to motivate young voters to turnout in the 2022 midterm elections. Congress cannot afford to wait to commit to bold, transformational legislation to address the climate crisis. See the poll results on the importance of climate and clean energy in the American Jobs Plan to motivate voters in 2022 here.

MINIMIZING METHANE: This week was a big win for climate action with Congress and President Biden’s elimination of Trump-era rules that weakened regulation on methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. Passed with bipartisan support, this is a significant step towards reducing the dangers methane pollution poses people and our planet. We encourage the EPA to move quickly on setting new safeguards that will reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas industry 65% by 2025 and 90% by 2030.

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: Before signing the bill, President Biden stated, “(President Barack Obama) in 2016 and I put in place a rule that required that companies capture methane leaks from the wells they were digging. Well, guess what, they didn’t. And so since then we’ve learned that methane is even more dangerous to the climate than we knew back then in 2016, trapping much more heat — up to 80 times more heat, methane does — than carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere.”

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

BIDEN IN WI: This week, LCV launched ads, in advance of President Biden’s visit to Wisconsin, focused on climate, justice, and jobs, particularly how it will serve agriculture and rural communities. As extreme weather continues to put communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, Wisconsinites face the impacts of drought (but on the court, Khris Middleton is wet like water, #FearTheDeer). 

WCV TAKE: Wisconsin Conservation Voters Government Affairs Director Jennifer Giegerich stated,  “Wisconsin needs the American Jobs Plan, and the clean energy investments that come with it, to protect rural and agricultural livelihoods from the devastating effects of climate change. The American Jobs Plan that President Biden proposed will help to ensure we meet the scale of the crises we face with the big investments needed to build back better – all with justice and equity. We pledge to work with President Biden and our local government champions to ensure Congress supports the reconciliation package and helps Wisconsin communities meet their goals for clean energy.”

ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES + COMMUNITY HEALTH: This week, Chispa National Director Johana Vicente discussed how a bold shift to transitioning to electric school buses can help address the climate crisis, particularly in communities who are historically marginalized and at risk of negative health impacts from pollution. Currently, over 25 million children who ride the bus to school and thousands of bus drivers breathe polluted air from dirty diesel school buses. We need bold investments to transform our transportation infrastructure so that kids across the nation can breathe cleaner air.

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Director Johana Vicente stated, “We know that we will never be able to reach our climate goals if we don’t address transportation pollution, and we know that transportation pollution disproportionately affects low-income communities of color. With school buses being the largest form of public transportation, transitioning to electric school buses is critical to protecting our planet, health, and communities. We need to continue setting aside funding and resources specifically for the communities that most use public transportation like school buses and who are most affected by transportation pollution: Black and Brown communities, often low-income communities. We need to make sure those communities are the first to see the benefits of clean transportation.”

MCCARTHY + DUNN WEIGH IN: This week, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and Senior Advisor Anita Dunn sent a memo to the White House on the need to advance bold, transformational investments for transportation infrastructure, clean energy infrastructure, water infrastructure, as well as investments in infrastructure resiliency as we continue to face power outages and damage to critical infrastructure with increasing cases extreme weather. In addition, McCarthy and Dunn call for investments to address environmental injustices and “legacy pollution” that harms public health, particularly in communities of color and communities of low wealth.

ONE YEAR OF CLIMATE CRISIS REPORT: This week marked the one year anniversary of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’ Action Plan, where environmental leaders, public health experts, local officials, and activists gathered with congressional members to identify potential solutions to the climate crisis. In conjunction with the anniversary, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a climate action tracker to map progress implementing recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan. So far, 258 of 702 recommendations have been passed by the House during the 116th Congress and the 117th Congress, and 113 of 702 recommendations have been signed into law. 

COMMITTEE CHAIR TAKE: Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor stated, “One year ago today, alongside Speaker Pelosi, our Select Committee Democrats gathered outside the Capitol to unveil the Climate Crisis Action Plan, an ambitious framework to create millions of jobs building a healthy, resilient, and just America. Since then, House Democrats have worked hard to turn that plan into reality. Over the past year, more than 250 of our Climate Crisis Action Plan recommendations have been passed by the House of Representatives, and more than 100 of those recommendations have been signed into law. Congress is poised to make more progress on Solving the Climate Crisis through the infrastructure and jobs plan in the weeks ahead.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “What a difference a year makes! Kudos to Speaker Pelosi, Chair Castor, and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for their tireless leadership as we all strive to maximize progress on tackling the climate crisis and environmental injustice. The comprehensive plan they put forth a year ago today provides an excellent roadmap to make transformational climate progress that addresses environmental racism, creates high-quality, good-paying jobs, and builds a safe, healthy clean energy economy. Now Congress and the White House have a make-or-break opportunity to take the most significant federal action in history to combat the climate crisis. As a devastating heatwave grips the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest sits under water, and tropical storms batter the East Coast, we must meet the moment and get it done.”

GROUNDWORK FOR 30X30: This week, a new report by Center on Western Priorities highlights how communities across the U.S. have led local efforts to help conserve 30% of our lands and waters by 2030. 

OUR TAKE: LCV tweeted, “There’s no one way to reach the #30×30 target—it will take all of us, all around America, working together.”

REMOVE RACIST RELICS: This week, the League of Conservation Voters sent an environmental group coalition letter to the full House of Representatives urging members to support H.R. 3005, which would remove all statues of individuals that celebrate the Confederacy, slavery, racism, and white supremacy from the U.S. Capitol. LCV will strongly consider scoring this vote in the 2021 National Environmental Scorecard. It’s past time that we remove relics honoring individuals who fought to uphold slavery and deep-rooted racist policies of the Confederacy. 

COALITION TAKE: The environmental groups wrote, “The nationwide uprisings for racial justice in response to George Floyd’s murder have reminded us these monuments to oppression continue to occupy places meant for all. Our organizations are committed to fighting white supremacy while fostering a sense of inclusion in the outdoors and other public spaces, which are supposed to be for all people to enjoy. We cannot achieve true equity and a sense of welcome in public spaces if we continue to honor individuals who rose to prominence upholding slavery and other examples of systemic racism. A small but important step in helping to ameliorate the pain that racism has caused Black, brown, Indigenous, and other people of color over centuries is to remove celebrations of our nation’s history of oppression from public spaces–especially in the U.S. Capitol, a building that belongs to the people. This is a step in the right direction as we fight for more inclusive spaces.”

ACTION FOR VACCINATION: On Wednesday, environmental groups joined the White House to participate in a day of action to advocate for public health and to encourage 15 million people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

OUR TAKE: LCV tweeted, “Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by #COVID19 and closing the vaccine gap is an issue of racial and environmental justice.”

ICYMI — LCV GOES BIG TO FIGHT FOR CLIMATE, JUSTICE, & JOBS: In case you missed it, last week, LCV announced its investment of a $8 million field program across 8 states and 15 congressional districts. Organizers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are at work engaging with LCV members, local activists, and local businesses in order to pledge support for bold action for climate, justice, and clean energy jobs. 

ICYMI — EPA ANNOUNCES $50M INVESTMENT FOR CLIMATE, JUSTICE, & JOBS: In case you missed it, last week, the EPA announced an investment of $50 million in funding in historically excluded communities, including communities of color and communities of low wealth who are the most impacted by the climate crisis, pollution, and the COVID-19 public health crisis. 

EPA TAKE: EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, “This is the most aggressive approach to tackling environmental injustice and equity issues. And from the White House to the EPA, we are turning the words into action and we are really excited to get these resources into the hands of communities.”

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

OREGON COMMITS TO ZERO-EMISSION ELECTRICITY BY 2040: Last weekend the Oregon state legislature passed the 100% Clean Energy for All bill with the nation’s fastest timeline to transition to emission-free electricity. The legislation was backed by the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign, led by frontline climate and environmental justice groups, and centers benefits and opportunities for communities of color and rural, coastal, and low-income communities and workers. It also bans utilities from expanding or constructing new fossil fuel power plants. While the legislature voted on the bill, Oregon reached its hottest two days in recorded history as a deathly heatwave devastates the Pacific Northwest, demonstrating the urgency of climate action.

OLCV TAKE: Doug Moore, Executive Director of Oregon League of Conservation Voters, said “Oregon shows today it is capable of being a leader in the nation once again on protecting clean air, speeding the clean energy transition, and doing it collaboratively with frontline communities at the heart of the movement. We’re not the first state to commit to a 100% clean electricity future, but with this law we’ll be among the first to get there. “This is the beginning of momentum for climate protection in Oregon that, in the coming years, must only accelerate and encompass a phase out of dirty, polluting fuels in our neighborhoods, in our homes and buildings, and cars, buses, and trucks.”

POWERING 1.5M HOMES WITH OFFSHORE WIND IN NJ: On Wednesday, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to approve New Jersey’s second offshore wind operation, which is projected to produce enough energy to power 1.5 million homes, generate billions for the state economy, and create thousands of high quality jobs across the state. In addition, Ørsted Offshore North America, one of two companies taking part in the project, will allocate $8 million more to its initial trust of $15 million to ensure that female-, veteran-, minority-owned businesses have access to the offshore wind industry.

NJLCV TAKE: New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director, Ed Potosnak said, “We applaud the BPU and the Murphy administration for their continued commitment to establish New Jersey as a regional hub for offshore wind manufacturing. These projects will help address the climate crisis, create thousands of good-middle class jobs that can’t be outsourced, and power 1.15 million homes. Governor Murphy and the BPU are keeping their promise to ensure New Jersey gets to 100% clean energy by 2050.”

TIME TO RESTORE MONUMENT PROTECTIONS: After the Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on public lands, President Biden must restore protections for Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments, argues Connecticut LCV Executive Director Lori Brown in an op-ed for the Connecticut Post.

CLCV TAKE: Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Lori Brown wrote, “It has been a long year, and President Biden cannot wait any longer to restore protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. He campaigned and won on an ambitious climate and conservation agenda. He has reversed course from the Trump era of denial and destruction and putting corporate interests first. We are back in the Paris Climate Agreement. We are committed to a national conservation goal of preserving 30 percent of our lands, waters, and ocean by 2030, based on science and local input. Now, President Biden has the chance to right another wrong and restore protections for all three monuments.”

INTERSECTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN FL: Yesterday, the Orlando Sentinel published an opinion piece from Chispa Florida Director Maria Revelles, where she described how Biden’s American Jobs Plan will address the ongoing public health and climate crises while investing in workers and infrastructure. It’s clear that Florida has an urgent need for infrastructure action as we are seeing worsening extreme weather events and fatal failing infrastructure — Congress cannot wait to take action.

CHISPA FL TAKE: Chispa Florida Director Maria Revelles wrote, “We have less than a decade to make a big dent in greenhouse gas emissions. Experts on both sides of the aisle are clear that to avoid climate disaster, we must move off fossil fuels. Climate change is already impacting Orlando. Hurricane Maria drove hundreds of thousands of climate refugees to Orlando, stressing our city’s resources. As climate change pushes the hurricane season earlier and earlier, threats of displacement will only increase.”

CHISPA JOINS NEVADA EQUITY CABINET: This week, Chispa Nevada Program Director Rudy Zamora joined Congressman Steven Horsford’s newly launched Nevada Equity Cabinet. The community-based coalition aims to address oppressive legislation that perpetuates systemic racism and inequality to advance justice for all communities in Nevada. This is a step in the right direction towards including historically excluded groups in the state’s legislative process.

HORSFORD TAKE: “The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the dangers that existing inequities pose to Nevada’s working families. As Nevada works to build back better from the pandemic, I’m excited to launch the Nevada Equity Cabinet and bring together a visionary group of leaders to tackle the most challenging issues that we face. In Congress, I’m honored to lead the House Ways and Means Committee’s Racial Equity Initiative, which addresses the role of discrimination in perpetuating health and economic equalities. The formation of the Nevada Equity Cabinet creates a new and dynamic channel to bring Nevadan voices into the federal policymaking process and advance justice for all.”

SUPPORT FOR AJP IN CO: Members of the BlueGreen Alliance, co-chaired by Conservation Colorado and the Colorado AFL-CIO, wrote an opinion piece urging  Colorado’s elected officials to support the American Jobs Plan to create jobs while tackling pollution and the climate crisis, and build more resilient, clean energy infrastructure. 

COCO + CO AFL-CIO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Deputy Director Jessica Goad and Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Dennis Dougherty wrote, “We’ve been fed the falsehood time and time again that we have to choose between our economy and our environment. President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan erases this false choice. The first step to responsibly repairing the economy is to make the right investments in our workers, communities and environment. If we want to see our growing state succeed, our infrastructure needs to support our population and be built to last, especially through future extreme weather events caused by climate change. Biden’s plan will help Colorado meet that pressing need by investing hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and strengthen our schools, hospitals, manufacturing and transportation infrastructure.”

SUPPORT 30X30 IN IL: This week, Illinois Environmental Council Agriculture and Water Programs Director, Eliot Clay, submitted a letter to the editor in the Illinois Times endorsing the Biden administration’s 30×30 plan to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. Clay calls on Illinoisans to contact their local leaders and urge them to support bold action to conserve natural areas in the state and across the nation.

IEC TAKE: Illinois Environmental Council Eliot Agriculture and Water Programs Director, Eliot Clay wrote, “The science is clear: conserving and restoring natural areas is an effective strategy to buffer against the worst impacts of climate change. Illinois depends on the natural systems that provide our food, clean air and fresh drinking water, and are the source of our well-being and economic security. This ambitious and inclusive vision for conservation, which has gained the support of President Biden and his administration, is an opportunity for our state to address the environmental inequities of the past while laying the groundwork for a future that supports natural resource access for every citizen in Illinois.”

 

COMING UP:
July 15: Virtual Climate Rally with Rep. Joe Neguse
July 17-25: Latino Conservation Week

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – JUNE 25, 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 stood up for our health because it is more important than wealth. If we hadn’t spoken up, the plant would have gone ahead. It felt like a victory — I didn’t realize I’d become an activist. I was just a concerned citizen trying to save lives.” 

— Sharon Lavigne, a retired special education teacher and founder of Rise St James, who organized her community against the construction of a plastics plant that would further pollute the area in Louisiana known as “Cancer Alley” in Grist article, “Cancer Alley campaigner wins Goldman Prize for environmental defenders”.

“People are faced with the decision to use these products to assimilate or be met with resistance at work if you want to wear your hair in a more natural form that might prevent exposure to these toxins. We are dying at the cause of beauty, and that is something that needs to be addressed.”

— Astrid Williams, an environmental justice manager at Black Women for Wellness, speaking on the toxic impacts of chemical hair products on Black women who face hair discrimination in E&E News article, “Toxic beauty products contribute to health inequity”.

“If the first responders know that it’s so bad over there that they’ve got to have nine different municipalities on call for when things happen, then why is our City comfortable with that high a concentration of dangerous materials 15 yards away from a residential area?”

— Lorraine Williams, a resident in Evanston’s 9th Ward, speaking on concerns in the community regarding heavy air pollution, truck traffic, litter, and toxic fumes, in addition to disastrous explosions from buildup of combustible materials in the area

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Huffington Post: Biden’s Green Allies Launch Major Campaign As Bipartisan Deal Shrinks From Climate
E&E News: Manchin floats big energy proposals as talks ramp up
Grist: What will the GOP’s new ‘climate caucus’ accomplish?
Politico: The Biden-blessed bipartisan bargain
Green Business Journal: Biden’s Climate Promises Face US Political Deadlock
Stateline: Flush With Federal Cash, States Invest in Their Crowded Parks
People: Why Kathryn Garcia Believes Her ‘Behind the Scenes’ Approach Is the Best Fit for New York City
Supply Chain Brain: A Win for Roads, and No Tax Hikes: Infrastructure Deal Takeaways

 

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 Bellingham Herald (WA): These leaders weave social responsibility and Native values in education, environment
Electrek (FL): Florida’s governor just locked ‘Florida into a dirty fossil fuel future’
Bloomberg (CO): Environmental Justice ‘Finding Voice,’ if Not Votes, in States
Florida Phoenix (FL): Environmentalists blast Gov. DeSantis for blocking local phase-outs of oil and gas as fuel sources
The East Hampton Star (NY): With Sale, Feds Push Wind Energy
The Colorado Star (CO): Colorado refuses to ease rules for how much pollution gets discharged into rivers and streams
The Nevada Current (NV): Nevadans want national monument over wind farm
WSHU (NY): Long Awaited Lead Legislation May Soon Affect New York Schools, On Long Island More Than Most
WDMV (MD): Sen. Chris Van Hollen discusses future of the American Jobs Plan in Senate
Colorado Newsline: Biden’s American Jobs Plan invests in infrastructure and workers while putting us on a path to meet our climate goals

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TWO-TRACK DEAL: In case you skipped a news cycle, President Biden struck a deal with a bipartisan group of senators on a $579 billion infrastructure package. And while this is big news, it doesn’t cover the full scope of the plan Biden proposed in April to build back better — in other words, it alone will not achieve the transformational investments and changes our country needs. However, Democratic leaders and climate champions have committed to only move it alongside a bold reconciliation package that invests at the scale and breadth needed to tackle climate change. This package must include investments to cut emissions by at least half by 2030 and put our nation on the path to 100% carbon-free energy powering our electricity grid and new cars, buses, and buildings by 2035. In promising  to pursue the full scope of what is needed, as envisioned byhis American Jobs Plan, President Biden said, “If this [more limited, bipartisan deal] is the only thing that comes to me, I’m not signing it.” 

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “Congress must move forward with the two-track approach Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have committed to, including a rock-solid agreement among all Democrats to pass a bold climate, jobs, and justice package through reconciliation. While there are some necessary provisions in the bipartisan proposal, it does not act on climate at the scale that science and justice require or meet the commitments that the Biden-Harris administration made to act on climate and environmental justice. Moving forward on this bipartisan framework alone would send a message to communities across the country that their future is not important.”

FIELD PROGRAM ALERT!: LCV announced an $8 million field campaign to build visibility and support for climate action in 15 congressional districts across 8 states. Organizers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia will go door to door canvassing and engaging with LCV members, local activists, and local businesses in order to pledge support for climate, justice, and jobs. Polling shows overwhelming support for congressional climate legislation and this campaign aims to rally support into meaningful government action. Read more details here!

REPORTER TAKE: Huffington Post Senior Reporter Alexander Kaufman tweeted, “As Biden embraces a pared-down bipartisan infrastructure deal, @LCVoters — one of the president’s closest environment allies — is launching its biggest non-election-year campaign to date, aiming to drum up support for more climate spending.”

OUR TAKE: LCV National Field Director Jennessa Agnew stated, “We’re thinking about how to have the most visible presence. That includes thinking about where the places are where people are congregating in these districts, and how we can ensure congressional staff are seeing this support for bold climate action.”

OUR DOUBLE TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski said, ““Inaction on climate this year is not an option. Congress has a once in a generation opportunity to put millions of people back to work in new good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental justice. It’s what voters want and it’s what our nation needs to meet the scale of the crises we face. LCV is proud to be in this fight to help ensure these big investments happen quickly because we know that when it comes to the climate crisis time is not on our side.”

NO CLIMATE, NO DEAL: Last week, members of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis came together to demand that Congress boldly act on climate and support the American Jobs Plan. We know that we need large-scale investments in our infrastructure to move our nation toward a clean energy future and create clean energy jobs — and these members of Congress do too, which is why we need the two-track approach that President Biden, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi are committed to and pursuing. To read more about what members of Congress have to say about prioritizing climate in an infrastructure package, read our blog HERE, and watch our video HERE.

OUR TAKE: LCV Congressional Champions Project Director Davis Bates wrote, “This year we have a historic opportunity to take bold, transformational climate action that invests in and expands clean energy, creates good-paying union jobs, and advances climate and environmental justice. These climate champions made it clear: not only is climate action critically and urgently important, without it there will be no infrastructure package. President Biden’s AJP is a historic and transformational plan to invest in our people and our economy. And, most importantly, it delivers on Biden’s promise to center his build back better plan on justice and equity — fully targeting 40% of the investments in climate and clean infrastructure to disadvantaged communities.”

CLEAN COMMUTES FOR KIDS: On Thursday, LCV and Chispa hosted a virtual event with Representative Jahana Hayes, Climate Advocate Alex Rodriguez, Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente, and LCV VP of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo to discuss the health, environmental, and community benefits of transitioning from dirty diesel to pollution-free, electric school buses and build momentum for the Clean Commute for Kids Act. Currently, over 25 million children and thousands of bus drivers breathe polluted air from dirty diesel school buses — we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act on climate and environmental justice while investing in our nation’s infrastructure.

HAYES TAKE: Representative Jahana Hayes stated, “The transition to electric buses will ensure the health of our children, create jobs, support and promote the CT economy, and allow us to be good stewards of our environment.  Thank you @LCVoters and @ChispaLcv, for hosting this important conversation.” 

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Senior Director Johana Vicente stated, “For me, this work is definitely personal — I used to be an organizer in Maryland, and when I was there, I worked with Latinx families, specifically Latinx moms. The true impact of climate change, of air pollution, was notable there. We saw a lot of kids with respiratory issues, with asthma and these concerned mothers were trying to fight for the health of their children. For us, clean school buses was a tangible solution to address the very real issues that communities are facing on the ground, which is why, in 2016, we launched the Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “We have no better champion and leader for these issues than the triple threat mom, teacher, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes…we are better off for your leadership, and look forward to getting this across the goalline…This really is the time to seize this historic opportunity to deliver a clean ride for all of our kids.”

VOTING FOR THE PEOPLE: This week, Senate Republicans obstructed moving S.1, the For the People Act, for debate — blocking any discussion of overhauling our nation’s electoral process as states continue to sabotage voting rights. 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. Enacting the For the People Act would supersede these suppressive state laws and modernize our voting system to ensure a consistent, accessible, and secure process for voters across the country. However, the fight to pass S.1. is not over, and LCV, along with partners across the country, will continue to tell the Senate that inaction on this issue is not an option. See LCV’s letter to the Senate from earlier this month noting that Senators’ votes on S. 1 will definitely be scored in the 2021 National Environmental Scorecard — a departure from standard procedure because of the importance of S.1 and the unprecedented attacks on voting rights in states across the U.S.

OUR TAKE: LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa stated, “Republican obstruction is nothing new and the people won’t stand for it. Our right to vote is under unprecedented attack and S. 1, the For the People Act, must be enacted into law this year. Passing S. 1 would strengthen voting rights, prevent polluter CEOs from flooding money into our elections, and ensure we can elect leaders who govern in our interests by having congressional districts drawn by independent commissions. In short, it would unrig our political system and return power to people. Thank you Majority Leader Schumer for making democracy reform a top priority in this Congress and putting this bill to a vote. Inaction is not an option and we look forward to working together to get the For the People Act over the finish line.”

HEARING FOR STATEHOOD: This week, the Senate held a historic hearing on S.51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act, to consider DC for admittance to statehood. In a Congress more divided than ever, the unrepresented residents of DC — more than half of whom are people of color — deserve to have their voices heard at the national level, particularly on environmental justice issues including air pollution, contamination of waterways, and even contamination of soil from leaking underground storage tanks. DC residents of color are disproportionately impacted by toxic pollution and the climate crisis, and it’s past time for equal representation in our federal government and the fundamental right to self-govern for the more than 700,000 residents of our nation’s capital. See photos and video from LCV’s latest art activation from last week in honor of Josephine Butler, an advocate for social justice, community engagement, and parks, and co-founder of the DC Statehood party.

OUR TAKE: LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa stated, “We commend Chairman Peters for holding today’s historic public hearing on DC Statehood. It is up to the Senate to right a historic wrong, fully enfranchise the more than 700,000 residents of Washington, DC, and deliver long delayed fair and equal representation in the federal government for taxpayers living in our nation’s capital. Hundreds of thousands of people of color living in DC are disproportionately impacted by toxic pollution and our federal government’s failure to act on climate — yet they don’t have the constitutional right to make their voices heard. One of the very best things we can do to protect people and the planet is ensure everyone can participate equitably in our political system. The Senate must follow the lead of the House, pass S. 51, and give power to the people now.”

FILIBUSTER DAY OF ACTION: On Thursday, environmental advocates, including Chispa NV’s Program Director Rudy Zamora and LCV Voting Rights Director Justin Kwasa, gathered for a virtual event to call on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster, which would pave the way towards removing barriers to passing bold, meaningful legislation in a Congress more deeply divided than ever. Earlier this month, LCV sent a letter calling on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster, marking the first time LCV has taken a public position on this archaic Senate rule. We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy, especially when communities most impacted by the climate crisis are silenced and unable to fully participate in our electoral process.

CHISPA NV TAKE: Chispa Nevada Program Director Rudy Zamora stated, “We need to not only address [the filibuster] but we need to make sure there is equity at the front line and that the communities that are disproportionately disadvantaged are the ones that are taking the lead because we are the ones know what we need.”

MONUMENTAL MONDAY: LCV participated in a “Monumental Monday” day of action with a new blog post highlighting the actions our state partners have taken to address the crucial need for the Biden-Harris administration to fulfill their commitment to restoring protections for “America’s natural treasures” and take the next step towards achieving 30×30. Last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recommended that the federal government fully restore protections for national landmarks from which the Trump administration removed protections — including 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. Biden should act now to carry out his promise to protect these national monuments.

OUR TAKE: LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel wrote, “Our parks and public lands and waters are more important than ever, proving to be a vital resource throughout the pandemic and the related economic fallout. But if we are going to reach the 30×30 conservation goal and truly expand access to nature, then we need President Biden to take immediate action to restore protections for three national monuments: Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. The Conservation Voter Movement has been proud to be a part of the coalition efforts to protect our public lands and waters and restore protections dismantled by the Trump administration. The Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts monuments right now face a range of threats, including vandalism as well as drilling and mining claims and other extractive uses. We need urgent action.”

OPPOSE BLOCKING NEW MONUMENTS: This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing that included S.31, Senator Mike Lee’s bill, which would undermine the Antiquities Act by requiring state legislative in addition to congressional approval for new monuments or expand on existing monuments in Utah, creating more barriers to protecting Utah’s lands and waters. While the Utah delegation has claimed to be interested in a cooperative legislative solution when calling on President Biden to refrain from fulfilling his promise to restore national monument protections for places like Bears Ears, the only legislative proposals they have offered would undermine the Antiquities Act and prevent President Biden from being able to honor his commitment. It is one reason why we are urging President Biden to act swiftly to restore protections to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments and restore and expand Bears Ears National Monument in line with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition original proposal of a 1.9- million-acre national monument with robust tribal collaborative management.

ARCTIC REFUGE VIRTUAL RALLY: On Thursday, LCV President Gene Karpinski joined environmental justice advocates and Indigenous partners for a virtual rally to call on Congress to take legislative action to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While the Biden-Harris administration suspended new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge, the administration must work with Congress to act towards fulfilling Biden’s promise to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge. Speakers discussed how even though these sacred lands are protected for now, the Arctic Refuge needs strong legislative action to keep oil and gas drilling from violating Indigenous rights, exacerbating the climate crisis, and polluting our nation’s lands and waters. 

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “Many of us have worked to protect the Arctic Refuge for decades, and we’ve succeeded every time except that one time, four years ago, when that ugly bill passed Congress. Now it’s our time to reverse that and protect the Arctic again. It’s a conservation issue, it’s a human rights issue, it’s an environmental justice issue, and yes, it’s a climate change issue.”  

FIGHTING FOR THE ECONOMY + PLANET: This week, LCV Board Chair and former EPA administrator Carol Browner wrote an opinion piece in The Hill, highlighting the EPA’s newly released report analyzing some of the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on health and the economy, and the critical need for Congress to work with the Biden-Harris administration to rebuild our economy to be more equitable and just, powered by 100 percent clean energy, create millions of good-paying union jobs, and commit at least 40 percent of benefits to to the low-income and communities of color who carry the most burden and are harmed the most by toxic pollution.

BROWNER TAKE: LCV Board Chair and former EPA administrator Carol Browner wrote, “The COVID-19 crisis has exposed a number of vital truths about the preparedness of our country to deal with such disasters and the absolute imperative that we elect leaders who will listen to experts and scientists and fight to protect people over profits — especially the Black, Indigenous, and communities of color that have been hit hardest by the pandemic and subjected to environmental racism for decades. The EPA report makes it clear that the impacts of the climate crisis are already being experienced across the country. Extreme weather events are far more common; in 2020, the U.S. endured 22 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, breaking the previous record of 16 from 2017 and 2011. The increase in these events is not random; as temperatures increase, so will extreme weather disasters.”

HEARING OCEAN-BASED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS: This week, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on H.R 3764, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, which would protect the frontline communities that are the most at risk to the impacts of climate change and utilize our oceans in creating a clean energy future. The bill includes provisions for increasing offshore renewable energy, expanding protections for habitat and fisheries, and prohibiting offshore drilling in many areas. Our oceans will play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis and this legislation puts the U.S. in a position to lead the way.

GRIJALVA TAKE: During the hearing, Representative Grijalva said, “With ocean climate action we will protect coastal communities and ecosystems from dangerous symptoms of climate change, capture and reduce greenhouse gases, and achieve justice for underserved communities and while we’re at it, we can build back better, bolstering the economy and putting people to work in green or blue careers.”

INVESTING IN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up a series of drinking water bills, including House Energy and Commerce Chair Paul Tonko’s AQUA Act, which would invest $105 billion in drinking water infrastructure. Too many communities, particularly low income communities and communities of color, have suffered from undrinkable water in their own homes, schools, and communities — it’s past time for Congress to take bold, urgent action to invest in our nation’s failing water systems. 

TONKO TAKE: After the AQUA Act’s introduction, Representative Paul Tonko stated, “As Americans, we should be able to expect that the drinking water that comes out of our taps is clean and will not make us or our families sick. Sadly, millions of Americans are being exposed every day to dangerous chemicals and other contaminants in their drinking water as a result of unchecked pollution and crumbling, outdated water systems. Most local communities don’t have the resources to fix this infrastructure and many are forced to take desperate measures when these systems inevitably collapse. That all ends the day my AQUA Act is signed into law. This bill delivers real, meaningful federal dollars to eliminate lead pipes and other components once and for all. It tackles devastating PFAS contamination in our drinking water and helps local communities get their water systems onto more sustainable footing. As we continue working to rebuild America, fixing and improving our water infrastructure will be one of the keys to creating a strong, resilient, and just economy for all.”

PARKS, JOBS, + EQUITY: On Thursday, Senators Alex Padilla and John Hickenlooper introduced the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act, which aims to increase outdoor access by opening new parks across the U.S. and funding for park services to maintain these spaces and create jobs. There is a significant gap in outdoor access, which contributes to disparities in health and prosperity. The pandemic made these problems worse, increasing the importance of this legislation.

PADILLA TAKE: Senator Padilla stated, “Parks have served as a lifeline since before, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but too many of our nation’s parks are neglected and inaccessible to low-income communities and communities of color. We must reinvest in parks to ensure access to parks and green spaces is equitable for all. The Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act will fund new parks and park upgrades, create much-needed jobs, and stimulate local economies.”

HICKENLOOPER TAKE: Senator Hickenlooper stated, “Our public parks belong to everyone, but they aren’t always accessible. Our bill will create more equitable parks to give Colorado kids better access to nature.” 

CLEAN UP ORPHANED WELLS: This week, Senator Michael Bennet introduced the Oil and Gas Bonding Reform and Orphaned Well Remediation Act, a bill that would establish a new orphaned well clean-up fund and strengthen federal oil and gas bonding requirements. Oil and gas companies have recklessly abandoned uncapped wells, leaving tens of thousands of wells scattered across the country with the potential to leak toxic methane and pollutants into our air, water, and lands. Congress must take action to help communities burdened with the mess polluters left in their backyard. 

BENNET TAKE: Senator Michael Bennet stated, “Colorado’s economy depends on our public lands, but the last Administration too often cut Colorado communities out of management decisions, and left local governments on the hook to clean up the mess,” Bennet said in a news release. “Our bills not only invest in orphaned well clean up, but also restore the role of local leaders in lease sales, and hold companies operating on public lands to the same high standards that responsible operators already follow.”

COCO TAKE: Conservation Colorado tweeted, “Public Lands and Solutions & National Wildlife federation found at-risk oil & gas wells on #PublicLands are polluting CO’s air, land, & water & threatening the rec. economy. That’s why @SenatorBennet’s bill to #ReformLeasing & hold o&g companies accountable to #CleanUpOilWells is so important.

OUR TAKE: LCV tweeted, “If you make a mess, it’s your responsibility to clean it up. @SenatorBennet’s new bills:
🏞️Prioritize taxpayers, clean air & water, & public input to #ReformLeasing
🛢️Ensure companies #CleanUpOilWells
🏜️Give the public a voice in #PublicLands decisions”

CURBING METHANE: This week, the House voted to approve a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval of the EPA’s roll back of methane standards for new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry — agreeing for the EPA to quickly move forward aggressive safeguards against this highly potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for 25 percent of the climate change we are experiencing today. We need the EPA to require a 65% reduction in methane emissions by 2025 and 90% by 2030 from the oil and gas industry in order to combat climate change and protect frontline communities.

SCHATZ TAKE: Senator Brian Schatz stated, “We just have perfect clarity on this issue. The planet is on fire, and we are not going to miss this opportunity.”

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “Today’s bipartisan vote to reduce dangerous methane pollution is a huge win for our climate, clean air, and communities living on the frontlines of oil and gas drilling. We greatly appreciate the leadership of Representative DeGette, who led the resolution in the House and has worked tirelessly to get rid of this harmful, unpopular rule, as well as Democratic Congressional leadership who have continuously prioritized the health of our communities over the profits of oil and gas CEOs. We look forward to President Biden signing this important piece of climate legislation, allowing the EPA to quickly advance widely supported, sensible safeguards for methane pollution that will help dismantle environmental racism and improve public health.” 

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

MN CLEAN CAR STANDARD: This week, Republicans in Minnesota’s state legislature dropped their demand to remove new clean cars emissions standards from a key budget bill. The GOP had threatened to cut significant environmentally-related funding, including the state’s pollution control agency and parks, if Governor Walz’s proposed clean cars provisions were included in the budget. The contentious clean cars rule would require auto dealers to have an increasing number of low or zero-emission vehicles for sale each year, following similar directives in over a dozen other states. This budget bill is one of many that must be passed before July 1 to avoid a partial shutdown of Minnesota’s government. 

CM TAKE: Executive Director of Conservation Minnesota, Paul Austin, said, “The clean energy victories included in this year’s bill are a win for all Minnesotans. They take important steps to improve air quality, reduce emissions, and protect hard working Minnesotans. With the only divided legislature in the nation, Minnesota has demonstrated to other states and the federal government how to create public policy to make progress on clean energy.”

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS RACIAL JUSTICE: In honor of Juneteenth, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director, Ed Potosnak, wrote an opinion piece for NJ.com. Potosnack discussed the impacts of environmental racism in New Jersey, and highlighted the history of white supremacy in the environmental movement and the ongoing work that environmental organizations must do to confront it. 

NJLCV TAKE: New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak wrote, “We know that the old paradigm of us telling communities of color what’s best for them simply does not work. In order to ensure that New Jersey’s clean energy transition prevents the worst impacts of climate change and improves health and economic outcomes in communities of color, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters recognizes that it is essential to listen and follow the lead of families who live in those communities, and the organizations and businesses that serve those communities.” 

NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR THE PEOPLE: This week, LCV New Hampshire hosted an event with Congressman John Sarbanes, LCV Voting Rights Program Director, Justin Kwasa, Open Democracy Executive Director, Olivia Zink, and Kent Street Coalition Voting Rights Resident Expert, Kyri Claflin, to discuss the urgency of passing the For the People Act and preventing attempts to create barriers to voting. Speakers explained  components of the legislation and how it would impact people in New Hampshire, discussed voter suppression strategies, and addressed misinformation around the bill.

OUR TAKE: LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa stated, “[The] environment is one of the clearest examples of how broken our democracy is. When decisions are made about where pollution happens, we know that Black and brown communities are communities who are often targeted for pollution and for these negative effects of environmental degradation. These are communities that from the very beginning of our democracy were not let in and did not have a seat at the table. In order for us to have a government that is responsive to our people and a government that is responsive to the real threats to the environment that are before us, we need to structurally change how we do things in democracy, and that’s what the For the People Act is.”

VIRTUAL SUSTAINABLE GARDENING: LCV New Hampshire hosted their second virtual sustainable gardening workshop led by Amy Antonucci, founder and director of   the nonprofit Seacoast NH Permaculture. Attendees learned methods to nurture and build healthy soil and grow more resilient plants through intentional, sustainable agricultural practices.

CELEBRATING POLLINATORS: Virginia LCV and Climate Action Virginia hosted a virtual event to celebrate National Pollinator’s Week. Master gardener and ecologist Dr. Barbara Abraham joined to teach attendees about pollinators native to Virginia and their importance to local ecosystems and conservation. 

COMING UP:

ALL OF JUNE: Pride Month
ALL OF JUNE: National Immigrant Heritage Month

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

“No climate, no deal.” 

— Senator Ed Markey via Twitter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

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

 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COMING UP:

ALL OF JUNE: Pride Month

ALL OF JUNE: National Immigrant Heritage Month

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

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

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

ONLINE:

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – MAY 28, 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:

“A lot of people call me a hero even though I don’t see myself as one. I was just in the right place at the right time. I’m a girl trying to heal from something I am reminded of every day. 

— Darnella Frazier, who witnessed and recorded video of George Floyd’s murder, wrote a Facebook post on the anniversary of his death. 

“This second generation is coming of political age and especially during this moment of COVID and the increase in anti-Asian racism and hate incidents, you are seeing a kind of political consciousness that’s forming that will likely last a generation.”

— Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor at the University of California, Riverside and director of AAPI data NPR article, “The Growing Power Of The AAPI Vote, By The Numbers”.

“Given this ongoing spate of anti-Asian violence, the accessibility of absentee voting has taken on particular importance for the AAPI community.”

— Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta lawsuit in CNN article, “Asian Americans emerged as an important voting bloc in 2020. Activists fear new voting restrictions could silence them”.

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

PopSci: A Maryland school district switched to electric buses to save kids’ lungs. Can others follow?
Politico: Biden mocks Republicans for promoting recovery plan they voted against
CNN: Key progressive initiatives stall in Congress as some on the left urge Biden to go bold, and go alone
Politico: Morning Energy: Nord Stream 2’s tricky sanctions
E&E News: Climate spending preserved in Biden’s revamped $1.7T package

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:

Colorado Public Radio (CO): Colorado Is Committed To Solving Environmental Injustices. But First, We Have To Agree On What Those Are Exactly
Missoula Current (MT): Opinion: Voting reform will wake us from ‘sleeping over a volcano’
The Hill (VT): Vermont governor signs restrictions on PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
E&E News (NJ): FERC grants embattled pipeline developer’s bid for more time
CBS 17 (NC): Environmental groups want transparency with NC energy legislation
Urban Milwaukee (WI): Conservation voters urge expansion of clean water protections
Blue Ridge Public Radio (NC): Dueling Ad Campaigns Focus On Legislation Affecting Duke Energy
The Cap Times (WI): Editorial: Take a moment to tell legislators to protect our rivers, ponds and lakes … and healthy, safe drinking water
Press and Guide (MI): Biden’s American Jobs Plan builds back better for Michigan
New York Post (NY): Adams, Yang gun for each other — and Garcia — as mayor’s race tightens

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REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD: Tuesday marked one year since George Floyd was murdered under the knee of a police officer, the raw video shaking the nation and the world to speak out and take action against racist police brutality last summer. While  the jury in the case against Derek Chauvin found him guilty on all three charges for the murder of Floyd, there must be change in the racist system that continues to allow these injustices to occur. There cannot be environmental justice without racial justice — this work means nothing if Black communities are not safe in the very environment we’re fighting for.

MICHELLE OBAMA’S TAKE: On Tuesday, Michelle Obama tweeted a video of Floyd’s daughter Gianna along with the words, “All of us have a role to play to hold our leaders accountable and speak out about injustice. Let’s make sure that ‘Daddy changed the world’ isn’t a fleeting moment online, but a lasting change across the country.” 

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: After meeting with Floyd’s family, President Joe Biden released a statement stating, “To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between the vast majority of the men and women who wear the badge honorably and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. We can and must have both accountability and trust and in our justice system. We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we’re all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.”

AAPI HERITAGE MONTH: This week, LCV’s Tiffany Hsieh and Casey Lowe highlighted in an email to members that, despite AAPI communities being poorly represented in mainstream environmental narratives, they have always been strong leaders serving alongside other communities of color to advocate for cleaner air, safer drinking water, and healthier communities. LCV also worked with Representative Kai Kahele from Hawaii to uplift the need to localize federal initiatives such as America the Beautiful and the American Jobs Plan, and to integrate Native Hawaiian and Indigenous knowledge and voices into these plans. Watch the video from Kahele here! 

AAPI HERITAGE MONTH PART II: This week, Lumi Youm, online advocacy and community coordinator at EDF, shared her experience as a AAPI environmental activist, and how her upbringing, like many others in the AAPI community, was rooted in environmentalism. Youm highlights how, despite the 80% of Asian Americans that consider the environment to be a very or extremely important political issue and the 77% who support stronger federal legislation to address the climate crisis, AAPI are left out of the environmental movement due to underrepresentation in data, language barriers, and the myth of the “model minority”. Addressing environmental injustices in impacted frontline communities includes addressing injustices in AAPI communities, where AAPI disproportionately suffer negative health impacts from exposure to carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, lead in soil, and pollutants from refineries, oil spills and landfills.

AUTHOR TAKE:  EDF Online Advocacy and Community Coordinator Lumi Youm wrote, “When we expand the conversation to include the U.S. territories of the Pacific Islands, you don’t need studies to see the impacts of environmental injustice. Having survived colonization and military occupation, islands such as Guam are now at the forefront of the climate crisis and face a real existential threat in rising sea levels. In the environmental movement, our increasing focus on equity and environmental justice has given me hope. Now, it’s time to open our eyes to the tens of millions of AAPIs like me, who have been taught to appreciate and live in harmony with nature, who believe it’s urgent that we take action on the climate crisis now to build a better future.”

LCV’S $10 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR AJP: On Thursday, LCV announced the organization’s investment of over $10 million in key states and congressional districts to help pass the American Jobs Plan with climate, clean energy, high-quality jobs, and justice at the center. The investment will go to various advocacy campaigns including an art activation and ads on digital billboards and mass transit kiosks throughout Cleveland, OH Thursday and a $1 million ad buy launching in 17 key states. This launch coincides with LCV affiliates and volunteers across the country participating in a Day of Action, placing over 5,000 calls into the offices of members of Congress across the nation to emphasize the strong public support for the American Jobs Plan’s commitment addressing the climate, clean energy, jobs and environmental justice.

OUR TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “This summer is our best chance in history to enact transformational economic recovery and climate legislation into law. It’s time for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan — the plan that centers climate, clean energy, high-quality jobs, and justice and has the backing of labor unions, environmental justice leaders, businesses, local leaders from across the country, and the vast majority of voters on both sides of the aisle. Any other smaller plan that fails to center clean energy, climate, or environmental justice should be dead on arrival.”

ART AND ADS FOR THE AJP: On Thursday, during President Biden’s visit to Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Community College, LCV launched an ad campaign in and around the city, as well as an art activation in Bicentennial Park. Local artist Lori Hughes created a chalk art mural supporting the president’s American Jobs Plan, and the ad campaign included 14 billboards, 23 mass transit kiosks, and digital ads highlighting the plan’s benefits to Ohioans and driving support for a package that focuses on climate, clean energy, high-quality union jobs, and environmental justice.

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: In his speech in Cleveland, Biden stated, “Now is the time to build the foundation that we’ve laid, to make bold investments in our families, in our communities, in our nation. We know from history that these kinds of investments raise both the floor and the ceiling of an economy for everybody.”

OUR STATE AFFILIATE TAKE: Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund President Heather Taylor-Miesle said, “From clean energy to clean water, there are many critical infrastructure choices facing communities across the Buckeye State. Ohioans overwhelmingly support congressional action on climate change as well as sustainable investments that create jobs. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan will bolster our economy, protect our environment, and fight for climate justice—all while supporting healthier and more resilient communities. We’re thrilled to welcome President Biden to Cleveland and urge Ohio’s congressional delegation to take action to advance the plan.”

BIDEN BUDGET: Today, President Biden proposed a $6 trillion budget, the “highest sustained levels of federal spending since World War II,” which would include an increase of more than $36 billion to address the climate crisis. We need a robust budget with climate action and environmental justice at the center in order to meet the scale of the interwoven crises we face.

OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo stated, “It’s a good week for our communities when the oil companies are giving up on fossil fuels and the president’s budget includes more than $36 billion to fight the climate crisis. Thank you, President Biden, for responding to the overwhelming majority of people across the country who support climate action, clean energy, high-quality union jobs and environmental justice. The importance of this administration’s proposal to make the largest-ever investment in communities of color and low-income communities who have been subjected to environmental racism for decades cannot be overstated. Congress should work quickly to pass this budget, enact the American Jobs Plan, and meet the scale of the crises we face with the big investments needed to build back better with justice and equity.”

GOP ROAD TO NOWHERE CONTINUES: The GOP infrastructure proposal continues to fail to address the climate crisis and environmental injustice, and to make critical investments in a clean energy future. As recently released modeled data from LCV and Data for Progress reiterated, voters in every single state and congressional district — deep red to blue — overwhelmingly support the full American Jobs Plan, including investing $2.3 trillion to create good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental racism. This failed “compromise” further shows how Republicans in Congress are more interested in fighting for Trump-era taxpayer giveaways to billionaires and corporations than making the transformational investments in infrastructure required to propel our nation forward.

OUR TAKE: Last week, LCV SVP of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “The GOP’s infrastructure proposal continues to fall unacceptably and dangerously short of what voters are calling for — big investments to create good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling the climate crisis and environmental injustice. It’s clear that Congressional Republicans aren’t willing to act at the scale required to confront the crises we face, and we simply cannot waste any more time. The American Jobs Plan is overwhelmingly popular and has the backing of labor unions, environmental justice leaders, businesses, and local leaders from across the country. Congress should pass it now.”

OUR DOUBLE TAKE: After the GOP infrastructure package was unveiled, LCV SVP of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld tweeted, “This is MISSING transformational investments in:

* climate solutions
* environmental justice
* clean energy
* good-paying union jobs 

It’s time for Congress to move on and pass the #AmericanJobsPlan ASAP!”

CLARKE & GUPTA CONFIRMED: The Harris-Biden administration continues to grow its cabinet of experts with this week’s historic Senate vote finalizing the confirmation of Kristen Clarke as the first woman and the first Black woman to serve as assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division on the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, and last month’s confirmation of Vanita Gupta, the first woman of color to serve as associate attorney general. We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy, and the confirmation of leaders such as Clarke and Gupta will help our nation move towards a more just and equitable democracy.

OUR TAKE: LCV Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa stated, “History has been made today and the United States is in exceptional hands with two phenomenal women of color and civil rights champions in key leadership positions at the Department of Justice. LCV congratulates Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke on their respective confirmations to Associate Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. The need for robust enforcement of our environmental and civil rights laws — including voting rights and environmental justice — could not be more urgent. Gupta and Clarke’s leadership at premiere civic rights organizations have made them more than qualified for the positions they will undertake. We look forward to seeing Gupta, Clarke and Attorney General Garland continue to restore independence and integrity to the Justice Department following four long years of corruption.”

CONFIRM TODD KIM: This week, LCV launched digital ads urging the Senate to confirm Todd Kim as the Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general in the environment and natural resources division, a role critical in enforcing our country’s environmental laws. Kim brings a sterling record of public service at the Department and as Solicitor General for Washington, D.C., deep respect among the environmental community, understanding of the role of science in policy, and recognition of the need to confront environmental racism.  

OUR TAKE: In the ad, LCV highlights the importance of confirming Kim: “Todd Kim’s deep experience with environmental law positions him to champion and enforce the laws to protect the people from dangerous polluters, pollution and the climate crisis.” 

ELECTRIC BUSES: This week, Chispa was featured in a PopSci article highlighting how Maryland has become a model for a successful, bold transition to clean buses. While Montgomery County, Maryland just made the largest electric school bus purchase in the nation, there are still 480,000 dirty diesel school buses on the road in the U.S. That means there are over 25 million children and hundreds of thousands of bus drivers who currently breathe polluted air from dirty diesel school buses daily. Polluted air worsens lung health in children, impacting educational opportunities as asthma attacks are a leading cause of school absences — particularly for communities of color and low-income communities.

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Communications and Creative Strategies Director Pita Juarez stated, “Thinking of this generation of asthmatics that we are—that really fired up some of the moms that wanted clean and healthy air for their children to play outside and not feel like they have to cough up a storm. So that created this beautiful movement of all these moms coming together, writing letters, testifying, creating digital media with us, telling their stories so that we can really showcase what this environmental racism looks like for communities of color.”

ASTHMA AWARENESS: For Asthma Awareness Month, Chispa released its second video in a series, highlighting the link between asthma and environmental injustice in one of our most impacted communities — children who live in communities of low wealth and in communities of color who rely on public transportation for school. A bold transition to clean buses will impact over 25 million children and hundreds of thousands of bus drivers who currently breathe polluted air from dirty diesel school buses. See the video here and see Chispa’s petition urging the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to invest in the switch to electric school buses for the health and safety of our children and our communities here.

CHISPA TAKE: Along with the video and linking to their petition calling for President Biden and Congress to prioritize clean and healthy buses for children, Chispa tweeted, “*For #BIPOC communities, breathing is a health risk.* Our communities have the right to be protected from air pollution, and we can start by ⚡️electrifying our school buses! Our niños deserve cleaner, safer and healthier spaces to learn, grow, & live!”

CALL TO PROTECT BEARS EARS: This week, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition launched a six-figure ad campaign in the Washington Post and Salt Lake Tribune urging President Biden to take immediate action to restore and expand Bears Ears National Monument. After four years of the Trump administration’s efforts to diminish protected lands and waters–including Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments–the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to restoring protections for “America’s natural treasures” must be fulfilled.

BEITC TAKE: The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition wrote, “Bears Ears — the region we call Honmuru, Shash Jáa, Kwiyagatu Nukavachi, Ansh An Lashokdiwe — is our homeland. It always has been and still is. The culture is everywhere. The canyons and forests hold many of our stories. Family gatherings, dances, and ceremonies are held at special places within Bears Ears. People go to Bear Ears to gather roots, berries, firewood, piñon nuts, weaving materials, and medicines. We go for healing. Our ancestors are buried there, and we can hear their songs in every mesa and in every canyon. We are grateful for your Administration’s sincere commitment to honoring our cultures, acknowledging our original place in this country that is now our shared home, as well as to preserving the environment and seeking justice.”

OUR TAKE: Last month, during Secretary Haaland’s visit to Utah, LCV Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel stated, “Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were first designated to preserve majestic landscapes containing important sacred sites and outdoor recreation opportunities that power local economies dependent on outdoor recreation businesses and tourism–industries which have thrived since they were first protected.  No one should be fooled by Republican officials in Utah who are insisting in bad faith that they can craft a legislative compromise on Bears Ears after failing for years to engage and deliver one. In the face of threats to the area’s resources from looting and vandalism as a result of lack of protective management, we stand in solidarity with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition in their calls to restore protections for Bears Ears now.”

CLEAN ENERGY FOR AMERICA: Under Chairman Ron Wyden’s leadership, the Senate Finance Committee advanced the Clean Energy for America Act, which will help slash power sector emissions, double clean electricity deployment, and speed the transition to electric vehicles.These important tax incentives are a critical part of the American Jobs Plan, which, when passed in full, will deliver on transformational climate, clean energy jobs and justice for our communities.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis said, “We applaud Chairman Wyden for leading this visionary legislation that will accelerate our transition to clean electricity, transportation, and buildings. Improving overwhelmingly popular clean energy tax credits will spur investments in clean energy that are a vital part of achieving the science-based carbon reduction goals needed to stave off the most severe impacts of climate change — and are a key pillar of the American Jobs Plan. We were thrilled to see the committee work closely with labor and environmental justice allies to ensure the bill will create and maintain good-paying clean energy jobs here in the U.S. as well as ensure that clean renewable energy projects are incentivized to locate in low-income communities and communities transitioning from fossil fuel dependent economies.”

SURFACE TRANSPO: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a surface transportation bill out of committee this week — and while it makes some necessary investments, it doesn’t achieve the transformational change outlined in the American Jobs Plan. Our transportation investments must tackle climate change and address racial and economic justice by quickly and equitably transitioning to zero emission transportation, robustly funding programs to make public transit more accessible, building electric vehicle infrastructure and training workers to operate and maintain these systems.

OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfleld said, “We need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure to create high-quality jobs, fight climate change and build back better. The Surface Transportation bill that passed out of the Environment & Public Works Committee today makes some necessary investments, but what we really need is for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan ASAP… We have concerns with provisions in the underlying bill that undermine the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and communities’ ability to have a voice in major construction projects in their own backyards — especially low-income and communities of color that are often targeted by the fossil fuel industry and other polluters. It’s time for Congress to pass the full American Jobs Plan — the plan that centers climate, clean energy, jobs, and justice and has the backing of labor unions, environmental justice leaders, businesses, and local leaders from across the country. We must seize this opportunity to make once in a generation progress.”  

$1B IN DISASTER MITIGATION: The Biden-Harris administration announced on Monday that it will make $1 billion available to prepare for extreme weather and other disasters, which have been exacerbated by the climate crisis. With the 2021 NOAA forecast predicting a 60% chance of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season and our communities facing greater devastation and lasting impacts from extreme weather, this investment is a step towards preparing the most impacted communities and strengthening resilience proactively — not just when disaster strikes.

PRESIDENTIAL TAKE: During a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, President Biden stated, “We all know that the storms are coming and we’re going to be prepared. We have to be ready. It’s not about red states and blue states. You all know that. It’s about having people’s backs in the toughest moments that they face, ready with food, water, blankets, shelters and more.”

OUR TAKE: LCV Deputy Legislative Director Madeleine Foote stated, “We commend the Biden-Harris administration for doubling the amount of funding for resiliency through FEMA to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. On the heels of their Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk last week, this administration is once again demonstrating its whole of government approach to climate solutions and its commitment to put communities first — especially communities of color most impacted by climate-fueled extreme weather events. Now it’s time for Congress to build on the administration’s important executive actions on climate by enacting the American Jobs Plan into law in order to transition to a just and equitable clean energy future once and for all.”

PROGRESS OFFSHORE: The White House announced that, for the first time, it would be opening up a part of the Pacific coast in northern and central California to offshore clean energy projects — another step toward creating good-paying jobs and reaching the administration’s day one commitment to doubling renewable energy from offshore wind by 2030. One step at a time, the administration is making good on its promises. Next, we need the transformational step; the White House and Congress need to pass the American Jobs Plan with strong clean energy, jobs and justice provisions.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

NEVADA ON 30X30: Last week, Nevada’s State Legislature passed Assembly Joint Resolution 3, which would conserve 30 percent of Nevada’s lands and waters by the year 2030 in response to the climate crisis, the first state to pass legislation for 30×30. As the Biden-Harris administration advances recommendations to the National Climate Task Force, Nevada’s commitment towards protecting 30 percent of the state’s lands and waters is a significant step towards tackling the climate crisis and protecting the lands and waters that our communities depend on.

ASSEMBLYWOMAN TAKE: During a Natural Resources Committee hearing in March, District 16 Assemblywoman Cecelia González, who sponsored AJR 3, stated, “The conservation community, climate policy experts, and environmental scientists have long called for ambitious conservation goals to address both climate change and the extinction of endangered species. That’s why I’m proud to sponsor legislation that heeds this call with a state-wide commitment to conserving 30 percent of Nevada’s lands and waters by 2030. AJR 3 is a brilliant opportunity to help reverse the destruction of wildlife and confront the climate crisis that we face in Nevada. Further, this resolution allows us to rebuild our conservation legacy in a manner that urges federal, state, and local agencies to work alongside native communities, private landowners, businesses, ranchers, and all Nevadans in conserving our lands and waters that have great significance to our communities.”

NCL TAKE: “AJR 3 represents Nevada’s strong commitment to safeguarding our natural heritage,” said Paul Selberg, Executive Director for Nevada Conservation League. “By working with local communities to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters in the next decade, we can confront biodiversity loss facing our wildlife while heeding Nevadans’ call for meaningful conservation and climate action. Our state is home to an abundance of historical and cultural lands, including Avi Kwa Ame spirit mountain that allows Nevada to make an invaluable contribution to a national goal. We are proud to lead the way in this nationwide conservation effort and hope to see our neighboring states follow with bold collective action.” 

OUR TAKE: “We are thrilled to see Nevada be the first state to pass 30×30 legislation,” said Alex Taurel, Conservation Program Director for League of Conservation Voters. “This victory represents a wave of legislation filed in state legislatures across blue and red states to meet the goal of protecting 30% of America’s lands and waters and affirms local support for conservation and the America the Beautiful campaign. Nevada’s commitment to creating more parks and open space and boosting the outdoor recreation economy can help combat climate change, the disappearance of nature, and inequitable access to the outdoors.”

LCV + CAP EVENT: LCV and the Center for American Progress will be hosting a roundtable on June 6th at 2:00 PM EST to discuss lessons Congress can take from recent state-level environmental justice laws as they work to tackle major infrastructure and climate legislation. James Povijua, the policy director for the Center for New Mexico Civic Policy will provide insights into New Mexico’s transition to 100% clean energy, focusing on frontline and indigenous communities. Olivia Glenn, deputy commissioner of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will highlight New Jersey’s holistic approach to environmental justice through the state’s new Cumulative Impacts law. And, Alyssa Macy, CEO of Washington Council and Washington Conservation Voters will focus on Washington’s recently passed HEAL Act that will, for the first time, codify investments for frontline and overburdened communities into state law.

CUTTING ENERGY EMISSIONS IN OREGON: Oregon’s House Bill 2021 is on track to pass the Legislature this year, which would make Oregon the latest state to commit to 100% clean energy and set one of the nation’s most ambitious timetables for eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from its power grid. This move will spur greater renewable energy growth in the state while also establishing standards for  living-wage jobs, workforce equity and requiring power companies to consult with low-income ratepayers, environmental justice communities, and federally recognized tribes when designing carbon reduction strategies.

 

COMING UP:

May 31 – June 4: Congressional recess. See LCV state affiliate events here.

June 6: Starting at 2:00 PM EST, LCV and CAP will be hosting an event about lessons that Congress can take from recent state level environmental justice laws as they work to tackle major infrastructure and climate legislation. RSVP here.

June 8: Anniversary of the Antiquities Act. 

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

THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE ACTION(!) – MAY 21, 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:

“In America, I do believe a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us, and we should all then recognize that interconnection between each of us. I believe we have an opportunity now to turn that pain into action. To turn that pain — that righteous anger because of the injustice of it — we have an opportunity to turn that into power.”

— Vice President Kamala Harris addressing over a year of increased documented hate crimes and racist incidents against Asian Americans at the first AAPI Victory Alliance Unity Summit

“My mother wasn’t trained or educated in the environmental sciences. But it was her mother wit that gave her the strength to challenge these injustices to protect children and families in our community.”

— Cheryl Johnson, speaking on her mother, Hazel M. Johnson, the ‘mother of environmental justice,” in Grist interview, “Here’s why Congress is recognizing Hazel M. Johnson, the ‘mother of environmental justice’”

“I never realized how long and storied the history of Asians in America has been. You also hear about stories that just never made the news or never made it into the standard AP U.S. history textbooks.”

— Nicholas Sugiarto, a Chinese Indonesian American biomedical-engineering major at Dartmouth College speaking on AAPI visibility in college courses in AP article, “Racist attacks renew demand for Asian American studies programs”.

“It’s really about how do we get beyond just stopping a new plant to how do we get to a place of creating. St James deserves to stop fighting plants and to start building what they really want in their community.”

— Kidus Girma, organizer with Sunrise’s Gulf south trek team and the Dallas chapter on the development of the Formosa plastics plants in the area known as ‘Cancer Alley’ in Guardian article, ‘This is environmental racism’: activists call on Biden to stop new plastics plants in ‘Cancer Alley’

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LCV IN THE NEWS:

Maryland Matters: Poll: Marylanders Overwhelmingly Favor Clean Energy Investments in Biden Infrastructure Plan
E&E News: Biden the (electric) car guy

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:

Sentinel Colorado (CO): LETTERS: Colorado’s environment needs SB21-200
Delaware County Daily Times (PA): Guest Column: Congress, legislature key to saving SEPTA, fighting climate change
Orlando Sentinel (FL): Chispa Florida lucha por un mejor ambiente para las comunidades latinas y de color en el Estado del Sol
The Hill (VT): Vermont governor signs first-in-nation restrictions on PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
Nevada Current (NV): Growth at what cost?
Missoula Current (MT): Opinion: Voting reform will wake us from ‘sleeping over a volcano’
Colorado Public Radio (CO): Colorado Is Committed To Solving Environmental Injustices. But First, We Have To Agree On What Those Are Exactly
Insider NJ (NJ): Assembly passes bipartisan bill to save New Jerseyan’s money on utility bills
Colorado Newsline (CO): Frustration mounts over Polis’ climate bill veto threat as supporters rally at Capitol
Spectrum News (NC): Interview with NC LCV Director of Govt Relations Dan Crawford on Infrastructure
Monterey Herald (CA): Suspense file day: Which controversial bills did California legislators kill?

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AAPI HERITAGE MONTH READINGS: Addressing environmental injustices in impacted frontline communities includes addressing injustices in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, where AAPI disproportionately suffer negative health impacts from exposure to carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, lead in soil, and pollutants from refineries, oil spills and landfills. In a series of Sierra Club articles, Editorial Fellow Aaron Mok highlights how, despite being overlooked in conversations regarding the climate crisis and environmental justice, AAPI environmental artists and writers are showing how AAPI communities are impacted by the climate crisis and are using their voices to be heard. Read Mok’s article here and see how artivism from AAPI communities can shape the environmental movement here.

AUTHOR TAKE: Sierra Club Editorial Fellow Aaron Mok wrote, “The reality is this: Asians and Asian diasporic folks have always been on the front lines of the environmental justice movement—whether that looks like Richmond, California’s Southeast Asian community organizing against the expansion of Chevron’s massive oil refinery or the millions of farmers in India protesting for fair labor conditions amid extreme drought and flooding. Furthermore, Asian and Asian diasporic folks have been contributing to the growing body of academic writing, poetry, fiction, and reportage on the environment for a while now, breaking the mold of what it means to relate to the natural world by doing so through the lens of migrants, children of immigrants, third-culture kids, and Global South communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.”

AUTHOR DOUBLE TAKE: In another Sierra article, Mok writes about how curator Lisa Pradhan understands the connection between language and the climate crisis, “the language around environmental issues is devoid of cultural nuance. For instance, the broader environmental movement, according to Pradhan, doesn’t acknowledge the loss of native tongue as a byproduct of the climate crisis (think about the climate refugees forced to settle in and adapt to a foreign land). And despite the fact that many Asian American communities engage in sustainable practices, the American discourse around sustainability doesn’t recognize these practices as “green” or “environmentally friendly,” but instead dismisses them as immigrant culture.”

ARTIST TAKE: In the same Sierra article, featured artist Priya Kaur Handa states, “Sometimes it isn’t as black and white as creating a canvas or a mural to engage with climate change. Sometimes it’s about using an artistic tool to get other people’s hands dirty so they can learn about another person’s struggle and see why solidarity is necessary.”

JUSTICE40 RECOMMENDATIONS: This week, the Equitable and Just National Climate Forum, the New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center, and the Center for American Progress, along with other environmental justice advocates, academic experts, and national environmental groups, including LCV, released a set of recommendations for how the Biden-Harris administration can effectively implement their commitment to delivering 40 percent of climate investment benefits to communities impacted by environmental injustices — particularly in communities of color and low-income communities. On January 27, Biden’s executive order 14008 to tackle the climate crisis established the Justice40 Initiative to ensure the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Climate Advisor, in consultation with the Advisory Council, jointly publish recommendations on how 40 percent of federal investments can be made towards communities most impacted by environmental injustices.

LCV TAKE: In March, LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “The American Jobs Plan’s Justice40 commitment to ensure that 40 percent of all investment benefits are directed to frontline communities and communities of color are a critical component of ensuring our nation’s recovery rebuilds a more equitable society. The president’s front and center commitment to providing clean, safe, affordable water to everyone, no matter their zip code, race, or income, is critical to creating healthy and thriving communities.”

GOP ROAD TO NOWHERE: With few details available for the GOP infrastructure plan, here’s a reminder of congressional Republicans’ real motive: push a do-nothing proposal that protects the profits of big corporate polluters. And unfortunately, that comes at the expense of taxpayers and is devastating for communities on the frontlines of environmental injustices. In addition, the GOP proposal is far smaller than it appears due to a disingenuous counting of funding that is already planned, so-called “baseline” funding (h/t Washington Post fact check). LCV released a memo this week highlighting how the GOP infrastructure plan won’t address clean energy, the climate crisis, or environmental justice — and will instead protect the profits of polluters.

LCV TAKE: In the memo, LCV SVP of Campaigns Pete Maysmith stated,”The first proposal from Senate Republicans was a road to nowhere and we expect this proposal will be more of the same. An infrastructure plan that doesn’t include clean energy, climate, or environmental justice will be dead on arrival. 

As recently released modeled data from LCV and Data for Progress reiterated, voters in every single state and congressional district — deep red to blue — overwhelmingly support the full American Jobs Plan, including investing $2.3 trillion to create good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental racism. However, Republicans in Congress are more interested in fighting for Trump-era taxpayer giveaways to billionaires and corporations.”

LCV DOUBLE TAKE: In response to this week’s meeting between the administration and Senate Republicans regarding the GOP infrastructure plan, LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld said, “The GOP’s original infrastructure proposal falls unacceptably short of what voters in the deepest red to the brightest blue congressional districts are calling for — big investments to create good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental justice. An infrastructure plan with no mention of clean energy, climate, or environmental justice should be dead on arrival. Senate Republicans are once again completely disregarding the will of the American people and instead prioritizing Trump-era taxpayer giveaways to pad the pockets of billionaires and corporations. It is beyond shameful.”  

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ahead of President Biden’s trip to Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, LCV and environmental advocates sent a letter urging Biden to ensure that a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing grants, loans, and tax incentives are a part of any infrastructure packages proposed. In addition, LCV launched a digital ad campaign in Michigan supporting the president’s plan to invest in climate, clean energy, high-quality union jobs and environmental justice. See the facts on how investments in electric vehicles will charge the future of manufacturing and transportation here.

MILCV TAKE: Michigan LCV Executive Director Lisa Wozniak stated, “President Biden continues to support investments in renewable energy and electric vehicles, which go hand-in-hand with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan that will protect our health and put Michiganders to work in the growing clean energy sector. As major automakers continue to accelerate their transition to electric vehicles, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan will make Michigan a leader in manufacturing the clean vehicles and technologies of the future.”

LCV TAKE: LCV President Gene Karpinski stated, “President Biden has been a long time champion for clean energy jobs, and we must seize this opportunity for rapid job growth in the domestic electric vehicle manufacturing sector. With his visit today, he will highlight how pollution-free vehicles create good-paying union jobs at every step of the manufacturing process. We are at a turning point – the U.S. has a historic opportunity to invest in EV manufacturing on a massive scale by passing the American Jobs Plan. We urge Congress to build on existing programs to provide incentives for pollution-free vehicles so we can fight climate change, create high-quality jobs, and advance racial justice.”

ANOTHER CLIMATE EO!: Yesterday, President Biden issued an executive order directing agencies to address the financial risks that the climate crisis poses to workers, families, businesses, and the federal government itself. While communities are already experiencing the hardships of the climate crisis — whether it be from extreme heat and weather, rising sea levels, or poor air quality — the financial risks climate change poses to our homes, businesses, infrastructure and more often go unrecognized. The Climate-Related Financial Risk executive order will disclose these risks to the public, giving them the power to make informed decisions, while the government also takes steps to reduce these financial and budgetary risks. This is another win on climate that prioritizes the wellbeing of people across the country.    

LCV TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld stated, “We commend President Biden and his team of climate champions throughout the administration for continuing to put communities first when it comes to combating the climate crisis. Guarding against the myriad financial and budgetary risks posed by climate change could not be more important as our country recovers from the pandemic and its economic fallout. Importantly, this new Executive Order from the President builds on the administration’s all-of-government approach toward a just and equitable clean energy future. The Biden-Harris administration is off to the strongest start of any presidential administration when it comes to climate change, and now it’s time to couple it with transformational legislation by enacting the American Jobs Plan into law this summer.”

HIRING LOCAL:This week, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced that the Department of Transportation will be expanding local hire and workforce development pilot programs. The programs will help prioritize good construction jobs in low-wealth and other disadvantaged communities. As the White House and Congress continue to engineer a transformational investment in our country’s infrastructure, which needs to create good-paying jobs while tackling climate change and environmental injustice, the administration is already taking steps to get people back to work in their communities.   

EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION: This week, Senators Alex Padilla and Jeff Merkley  introduced the Community Decision-Making Pilot Program Act, which would create a pilot grant program to support partnerships between planning organizations and community-based groups to ensure that new transportation projects are equitable and effective. Decisions should be made by the communities who will be impacted by these choices — particularly in communities of color and communities of low wealth, who are the most likely to be left out and pushed out of conversations.

PADILLA TAKE: Senator Alex Padilla stated, “Far too often, local voices have been overlooked when it comes to planning transportation projects. I’m proud to partner with Senator Merkley on this bill that will help give residents a seat at the table in setting their community’s key transportation priorities, explore new ways to better engage impacted neighborhoods, and promote equity in future transportation projects.”

MERKLEY TAKE: Senator Jeff Merkley stated, “The people who know a community best are the people who live, work, and raise their families in that community. When it comes to planning big transportation infrastructure projects that work for all of our working families—regardless of the color of their skin, their zip code, or their income—community voices are essential. This legislation will help us support the partnerships that amplify community voices, and help put us on track to build communities where everyone has access to the infrastructure they need to get from Point A to Point B.”

SACRAMENTO TAKE: Sacramento Area Council of Governments Executive Director James Corless stated, “The Sacramento region is home to diverse communities and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ transportation investment to meet their needs. This pilot program will support a community-driven planning process that is more collaborative and better enables reaching out to communities to learn how transportation access can improve their quality of life.”

RAILS-TO-TRAILS TAKE: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Director of Government Relations Patrick Wojahn stated, “The consistent failure to provide a true seat at the table for communities impacted by transportation investment, especially low-income communities and communities of color, has had devastating impacts on those communities. This pilot program will help transportation planners develop the best possible tactics to ensure that our transportation dollars are spent in a way that benefits all communities equitably.”

NEW POLLING: A new survey released today from BlueGreen Alliance finds that ninety percent of voters across six key battleground states and across the political spectrum prioritize repairing and modernizing America’s aging physical infrastructure and rebuilding and retooling American manufacturing to build more products and technology here in the United States. Voters agree — we can’t keep waiting to invest in clean energy infrastructure while communities can’t access clean water and are relying on outdated infrastructure for electricity and transportation. 

UTILITY WORKERS TAKE: Utility Workers Union of America President James Slevin stated, “Our workers are ready to repair and modernize our infrastructure systems across the board. Rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure—from our aging water systems to modernizing our electric grid for the 21st century—will not just create good jobs and reduce energy and water waste, but it will set our nation up for success for generations to come. Voters support this and Congress should act now on the American Jobs Plan to deliver for their constituents.”

STEELWORKERS TAKE: United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway stated, “The majority of Americans support common-sense initiatives like rebuilding our infrastructure, strengthening our supply chains, and modernizing our manufacturing sector because they understand that our success as a nation hinges on having good jobs today and in the future. Now, we must carry this unity forward and make the robust investments that will keep our communities safe and allow us to remain globally competitive.”

SERVICE WORKERS TAKE: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International President Mary Kay Henr stated, “Voters strongly support investment in care jobs to transform the lives not just of individual workers but of whole communities. President Biden has recognized this need and proposed a $400 billion investment in care in the American Jobs Plan that would for the first time recognize the care work done by predominantly women of color and immigrant women as valuable and important. Now it’s time for Congress to make that investment a reality.”

BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE TAKE: BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh stated, “The results of this survey are very clear: no matter who they voted for, people want infrastructure and manufacturing to be the focus of our economic recovery, and they want to make these investments to build a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable economy. What’s more is that there is wide agreement that this recovery must bring good-paying jobs back to the United States, focus on communities that have been left behind, and include measures that ensure that the economy we rebuild today creates the good-paying jobs of the future across the country.”

LCV TAKE: League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski stated, “Voters in the Midwest support investing in clean energy to sustain and create millions of good-paying jobs across a wide range of professions here in the United States,” said “They support companies operating in an environmentally friendly way that reduces pollution. They want policies that will stop offshoring and support making products here in America. It’s time for the White House and Congress to deliver on what voters want and pass the full American Jobs Plan to address the inter-related challenges of climate change, economic inequality, and environmental injustice.”

ARCTIC REFUGE DAY OF ACTION: On Thursday, LCV co-hosted the Artic Refuge Day of Action with the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign calling on the Biden administration and Congress to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. President Biden moved to temporarily protect the Arctic Refuge in an Executive Order on Day One — now, LCV stands with the Gwich’in people in calling for this sacred land to be permanently protected. 

@CLARKE TO THE FLOOR: On Tuesday, in a procedural vote, the Senate approved moving forward with Kristen Clarke’s nomination to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, breaking a tied committee vote. Next up, Clarke’s nomination will go to a full floor vote, and, if confirmed, she will become the first woman and first woman of color in charge of the division responsible for enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination, including upholding voting rights and oversight of policing. As a long-time civil rights attorney who served in the Department of Justice, Clarke brings experience in nearly every area of civil rights enforcement.     

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STATES:

CHISPA FLORIDA: Last week, a spotlight in the Orlando Sentinel highlighted how Chispa Florida is fighting for low-income, Latino and other BIPOC communities at the intersection between social justice and protecting the environment to achieve climate justice, community health and environmental protection, and demand accountability from polluters and decision makers. 

CHISPA TAKE: Chispa Florida Director Maria Revelles stated, “This is our mission, to give a voice to those who don’t have it, as we transition towards the clean renewable energy our state needs. Currently, Black, Latino, Indigenous and low-income communities are the most affected by the climate crisis and we need to make sure that this stops now.

CO GOVERNOR BLOCKS CLIMATE PROGRESS: The Colorado Senate is currently considering important legislation that would set strong and enforceable greenhouse gas emissions regulations in order to achieve the targets in the state’s 2019 Climate Action Plan. There’s one problem – Governor Jared Polis has declared his intention to veto the bill. This comes in contrast to previous actions by the governor who released a climate roadmap last year that details sector-specific emissions reductions targets. However, Polis’s plan lacks firm deadlines and enforcement. Senate bill 200 would strengthen the climate roadmap and get Colorado on track to meet its goals – which recent modeling shows the state needs in order to succeed. 

COCO TAKE: Conservation Colorado Executive Director, Kelly Nordini, said, “our climate goals are only as strong as our plans to execute them. This bill takes Governor Polis’ climate goals and works to ensure that his plan happens.”

ELECTRIC TRANSIT IN ILLINOIS: Governor J.B. Pritzker released a new plan for Illinois’ Volkswagen settlement money. After violating emissions requirements in the Clean Air Act, VW was ordered to pay states money to mitigate the damage. The state’s revised spending proposal prioritizes funding electric public transit and school buses with the remaining $88.6 million – a major shift from the original plan which was heavily influenced by industry and fossil fuel-friendly.

BIG CLEAN WIN (MN): This week, the Minnesota House and Senate passed the Energy Conservation and Optimization Act, the most significant energy legislation the state has approved in years. Among many things, the legislation doubles investments in low-income energy efficiency programs, helping households upgrade appliances and increasing the amount that utilities are required to spend on conservation, especially to low-income households. Next, the legislation is headed to Governor Tim Walz’s desk, and he is expected to sign this bill into law — which will mark a significant win for Minnesotans!

FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE RECAP: This week, LCV Florida Executive Director Aliki Moncrief joined State Representative Anna Eskamani and Friends of the Everglades Policy Director Gil Smart for a panel discussion breaking down the “good, the bad, and the ugly” of Florida’s recent legislative session, which failed to tackle Florida’s climate crisis by putting oil and gas polluters over people. 

 

COMING UP:

All of May: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
All of May: Asthma Awareness Month