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Right-of-center climate advocates meet with 47 Republican offices
March 2024 — Earlier this month, conservatives from across America gathered in Washington, D.C., for Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s annual Conservative Climate Leadership Conference and Lobby Day.
“It was an incredible opportunity for CCL’s right of center volunteers to connect with each other and the larger EcoRight movement pushing Congress for climate change solutions,” says Brett Cease, CCL Vice President of Programs.
At the event on March 19, attendees received training and heard from a variety of thought leaders in the conservative climate arena, including American Conservation Coalition Action, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), and more.
TODAY: CRES President @heather_reams joined @climate_caucus Executive Director Grace Bellone and @CRESforum Senior Policy Fellow Marty Hall for a discussion at the @citizensclimate lobby day on how we can unleash more American-made energy with permitting reform and what a… pic.twitter.com/52kdPBkCTj
— Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) (@CRESenergy) March 19, 2024
Then on March 20, attendees headed to Capitol Hill to meet with 47 Republican congressional offices and drop off materials to many others. Their focus in these meetings was the BIG WIRES Act and other permitting reform proposals generating bipartisan interest among lawmakers.
Lobby day was a buzz of energy and enthusiasm from our conference attendees,” said Mindy Ahler, CCL Liaison Coordinator Team and Lobby Day Organizer. “It’s particularly powerful to meet with Republicans and have the message coming to them from volunteers who share their conservative values and speak their conservative language when talking about climate solutions.”
The visits clearly made an impression on lawmakers — Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the longest-serving Republican in Congressional history, posted on social media about his meeting with CCL volunteers.
In a post-lobbying reception in the Hart Senate building, CCL recognized three Republican members of Congress for their leadership on the climate issue:
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Republican co-founder of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Republican member of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), Republican co-chair of the House Climate Solutions Caucus
Given how polarized climate change is with the American public, this type of event is increasingly important. According to the Pew Research Center:
Nearly eight-in-ten Democrats (78%) describe climate change as a major threat to the country’s well-being, up from about six-in-ten (58%) a decade ago. By contrast, about one-in-four Republicans (23%) consider climate change a major threat, a share that’s almost identical to 10 years ago.
Because of that polarization, this conservative-only conference and lobby day makes a major impact. It makes clear to Republican members of Congress that conservatives are concerned about climate change for reasons that square with their own values and their constituency overall — its impacts on the economy, outdoor activities, national security, business, America’s energy infrastructure, and more.
Drew Eyerly, CCL Conservative Outreach Director, called the event a “perfect opportunity for you to come address those concerns and lend your voice to the conversation,” in a video on social media.
Heading into April, CCL supporters of all political stripes will continue the conversation — literally. We’ve set a collective goal to hold 25,000 climate conversations nationwide during April. Keep up with our progress at cclusa.org/conversations.
CONTACT: Flannery Winchester, Senior Director of Communications, flannery@citizensclimate.org, 615-337-3642
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Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization
focused on national policies to address climate change. Learn more at citizensclimatelobby.org.
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