©2024 League of Conservation Voters
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, Twitter, and Instagram.
“The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than nuclear war is global warming.”
— President Joe Biden speaking at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.
“A healthy environment and a healthy, inclusive democracy go hand in hand, and the clock is ticking for both. For far too long, voter suppression and polluters’ money have drowned out the voices of the people directly experiencing the health impacts of pollution and the dangers of extreme weather.”
— Doug Lindner, LCV Senior Director of Judiciary & Democracy, speaking at a press conference held to mark the reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House.
“Towns are dying around us and it needs to stop…The future of our children is at stake.”
— Carmen Hernandez, a community member from Gregory, Texas, who traveled to D.C. with a group of leaders from frontline communities to demand FERC stop permitting LNG projects that are polluting their air and water and making their families and neighbors sick.
CLIMATE ACTION NH, SENATOR HASSAN ON IRA BENEFITS: Climate Action New Hampshire teamed up with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Senator Maggie Hassan for a round table event on the benefits of the IRA to New Hampshire communities.
CLIMATE ACTION NH TAKE: LCV’s New Hampshire State Director Rob Werner said, “As our municipalities and businesses transition to clean energy we are also creating jobs for our citizens, building resiliency for our communities, and protecting our environment. And Senator Hassan has helped lead the way in making these federal investments in clean energy possible. It is one more example of how she has been a leader in addressing the climate crisis while promoting a more prosperous future for New Hampshire.”
SENATOR HASSAN’S TAKE: Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) said, “I worked with my colleagues to pass into law the Inflation Reduction Act in order to lower costs, combat climate change, and reduce our reliance on Big Oil and energy sources from foreign countries – and now this law is delivering for our state. It was great to hear today from Mayor Donchess and business and community leaders about ways that they’re lowering energy costs through federal investments, and we will keep working together to ensure that NH families and businesses know about tax cuts and other incentives that they can utilize to get more clean energy.”
BIDEN ANNOUNCES AMERICAN CLIMATE CORPS: President Biden announced the creation of the American Climate Corps, a green jobs training and placement program that will mobilize 20,000 people, setting them up for good jobs in green industries.
OUR TAKE: LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo said, “We are thrilled to see President Biden using his executive power to deliver on his commitment to establish the American Climate Corps, which will kick off with training tens of thousands of young people for high-quality jobs tackling the climate crisis. This program is a culmination of a years-long effort by activists and organizers to create a youth-led climate jobs corps and will focus on equity and environmental justice – prioritizing communities traditionally left behind. With this program, President Biden is once again proving that combating the climate crisis and creating good jobs go hand in hand.”
LCV, CLIMATE POWER, HOUSE MAJORITY TARGET REPUBLICANS IN NEW ADS: LCV, Climate Power, and House Majority Forward launched a six-figure ad campaign holding House Republicans accountable for supporting efforts to shut down the government and force draconian cuts to popular programs that people depend on. The representatives targeted by the new ads are Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Ken Calvert (CA-41), John James (MI-10), Mark Amodei (NV-02), Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Marc Molinaro (NY-19), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), and the ads are set to run on national cable and in-district during college football games on Saturday. Watch the ads here and learn more about the campaign in this feature from NBC!
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Vice President for Campaigns Pete Maysmith said, “House Republicans are again showing they are willing to throw the country into chaos, risk their own districts’ future and the entire country’s economy–all to score points for Big Oil and MAGA extremists. We aren’t going to stop making sure these communities hear about the real costs families could feel, including an end to newly created jobs and higher costs, if Republicans in Congress, including their own representative, force an unnecessary and damaging shutdown or even more rollbacks.”
HOUSE MAJORITY FORWARD TAKE: House Majority Forward Executive Director Abby Curran Horrell said, “Instead of working to grow the middle class, MAGA Republicans are threatening to shut down the government. Americans must make their voices loud and clear, and tell their representatives to stand against cuts to health care, clean energy jobs, and Social Security.”
CLIMATE POWER TAKE: Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes said, “MAGA Republicans are so dead set on killing our clean energy boom and catering to Big Oil that they’re willing to shut down the government to make it happen — causing chaos and preventing essential workers from getting paid. Their constituents deserve to know that their elected officials would rather go to bat for Big Oil than lower costs and create jobs in their communities.”
JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT REINTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE: Coinciding with National Voter Registration Day, Representative Terri Sewell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House on Tuesday. If passed, the legislation would offer revamped protections for groups historically excluded from voting and guard against modern voter suppression tactics.
OUR TAKE: LCV Democracy Program Director Justin Kwasa said, “This National Voter Registration Day, we applaud Representative Terri Sewell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and their cosponsors for reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is a vital response to a decade of U.S. Supreme Court attacks on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and one that restores and modernizes the landmark protections that John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many other civil rights leaders bravely fought for. This critical bill offers protections for groups historically excluded from the democratic process and includes provisions to combat modern voter suppression tactics.
“We urge Congress to swiftly pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and other crucial voting rights legislation, including the Freedom to Vote Act and D.C. Statehood, in order to ensure the voices of all voters are counted in the upcoming election and beyond.”
LCV also led a coalition of environmental groups commending House leadership for their reintroduction of the bill.
TAKE 2: The following statement was signed by 15 climate and environmental groups: “We commend Representative Terri Sewell, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and their cosponsors for championing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is a crucial bill to restore and modernize the bedrock protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that leaders like John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. courageously marched and sacrificed for. A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court first weakened the Voting Rights Act, this legislation is long overdue.
“We are calling on Congress and President Biden to stand up to the extremists who are undermining our nation’s basic freedom to vote by swiftly passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. When everyone’s voices are heard, we can make real progress on addressing the climate crisis, protecting the environment, and advancing justice for all.”
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION REDESIGNATES TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS: The Biden-Harris administration announced Thursday that they have extended temporary protected status to roughly half a million Venezuelan migrants. This designation allows migrants to live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation immediately, instead of having to utilize traditional immigration pathways which can take anywhere from several months to years to complete.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Civic Engagement Director Hilda Nucete said, “We applaud the Biden-Harris administration on their decision to protect more communities facing devastating impacts of an authoritarian government and the climate crisis by redesignating Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela. This decision based on ‘humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions’ is a much needed response to the interconnected challenges of the climate crisis and threats to democracy. In the wake of the hottest summer on record and the continued impacts of extreme weather for migrants who have walked for months seeking asylum and pollution on communities carrying the greatest burdens from the climate crisis, we need these protections for families who cannot safely return home.”
CHISPA TAKE: Chispa National Director Estefany Carrasco-Gonzalez said, “Communities in Venezuela are facing disastrous circumstances as a direct result of the fossil fuel industry, the climate crisis, and authoritarian government. For too long, our comunidades from Venezuela who have had to flee their homes have not been granted the protections they need and deserve. We greatly appreciate the Biden-Harris administration for their decision to protect more communities through the redesignation of Temporary Protected Status.”
LCV CALLS FOR CLARENCE THOMAS RECUSAL: Earlier today, ProPublica issued a new report detailing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ corruption and connections to the fossil fuel industry through his relationship with Charles Koch. Thomas and the Court will soon hear an upcoming case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, in which Koch’s operation is backing the plaintiffs. LCV is calling for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from the case due to this glaring conflict of interest.
OUR TAKE: LCV Senior Director of Judiciary and Democracy Doug Lindner said, “The latest revelations about Clarence Thomas’ connections to oil billionaire and far-right megadonor Charles Koch reach beyond the many prior reports of his corruption. Justice Thomas has attended and spoken at multiple fundraisers for the Koch political operation and spent years vacationing with Koch, Harlan Crow, and other benefactors at the secretive Bohemian Grove retreat.
“These revelations renew the clarion call for the U.S. Supreme Court to be held to a binding code of ethics. Congress must now pass legislation including the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act to ensure the highest court in the nation does not operate with the lowest ethical standards. Thomas’ corruption is so shocking and pervasive that we have previously called on him to resign. In the wake of these latest reports, Thomas must at least recuse himself from Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo.”
CORPORATE CLIMATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he will sign two groundbreaking climate accountability bills into law. Last week, the California legislature passed the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, requiring companies doing business in CA whose annual revenue exceeds $1 billion to disclose their direct and indirect climate emissions. The state also passed the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act mandating companies to report their climate-related financial risks and declare what risk mitigation measures they’re taking. California Environmental Voters worked closely with the sponsors of the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and led advocacy efforts for over two years to secure this win.
ENVIROVOTERS TAKE: Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters, said, “California is the 4th largest economy in the world, and this policy will have global impacts. We are excited for the Governor to join the Speaker and Senate President in advancing California’s climate leadership by signing SB 253 into law. Our fight to protect our future and build a healthier, cleaner California is not over.”
DEFENDING CLIMATE STANDARDS IN OREGON: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held a public hearing on the state’s Climate Protection Program (CPP) on Monday. The CPP sets a declining cap on greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation, residential, commercial and industrial sectors in Oregon. As the DEQ considers new CPP rules, polluters are attempting to undermine the program and weaken the state’s climate standards. Oregon LCV and partners turned out advocates to the hearing to testify against the proposed rollbacks and urge the DEQ to strengthen the CPP. Oregon LCV has already driven hundreds of public comments ahead of the October 13th deadline.
PARTISAN ELECTION POLITICS IN WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Republicans are attempting to remove Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe from office on baseless accusations of interference in the 2020 elections. The move to fire Wolfe is part of a concerning pattern shaping up in Wisconsin, where the Republican-led legislature is also attempting to overhaul the state’s electoral maps and threatening to impeach a newly elected state Supreme Court justice, who has yet to hear a case.
WCV TAKE: Wisconsin Conservation Voters Executive Director Kerry Shumann said, “Time and again, the Wisconsin Republicans in the State Legislature are peddling disinformation, conspiracy theories, and outright lies about the reality of Wisconsin elections. This time they have targeted WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe with unfounded attacks.
“We support Administrator Wolfe and her work and recognize her reputation as one of our nation’s highly respected election officials. Administrator Meagan Wolfe has conducted herself in an exemplary manner and has provided a steady hand for clerks administering elections all across Wisconsin, even in the face of uncertainty and outright attacks.
“The move also denigrates the hard work of hundreds of local election workers. Those officials have managed under extreme pressure and some of the most egregious attacks on them – professionally and personally – to successfully administer elections in Wisconsin.
“The reality is simple. And it’s been proven again and again, Wisconsin elections are safe, secure, and accurate.”
CHISPA MARYLAND KICKS OFF LATINX HERITAGE MONTH: Chispa Maryland leaders celebrated the start of Latinx Heritage Month at a festival in Baltimore where promotores (“promoters”) helped raise awareness on Chispa Maryland’s issue areas and encouraged more communities to fight for climate action. Check out this post about the event!
CHISPA TEXAS LEADERS TAKE ON CAPITOL HILL: Chispa Texas community leaders traveled from Texas to D.C. to lobby Reps. Allred, Crockett and others on the harmful effects of LNG and what the Department of Energy could do to fully weigh its impacts. These community leaders have seen the harmful effects of LNG firsthand and are working to stop LNG export expansions in their communities. Check out some pictures of the meetings here!
ON THE BLOG: You’ve seen LCV’s Good Climate News on socials, now get ready for… Good Climate News on the Power Source Blog! This week, the popular social media series made its debut on the blog, where it will continue to be posted weekly, coinciding with posts on social media.
ON OUR SOCIALS: To celebrate people born in the mid-00’s first presidential election, LCV threw it back with some nostalgic 2000s memes on Instagram for National Voter Registration Day. And there were too many memes to be contained to just one platform, so we posted one to Twitter/X for good measure.
But we didn’t stop at memes; for Voter Registration Day, we also showcased voices from across the Conservation Voter Movement in an Instagram reel that asked members of our state affiliates to answer the question “Why do you vote?”
Last but not least, we spotlighted LCV’s new ad campaign, celebrated congressional champions, and showed our support President Biden’s creation of the American Climate Corps on Instagram and Twitter/X.
SEPTEMBER 23: National Public Lands Day
SEPTEMBER 28: Department of Transportation hearing on stronger fuel efficiency standards for cars
SEPTEMBER 30: Government funding expires
©2024 League of Conservation Voters