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Our Accomplishments

We're helping Congress feel the heat for climate action. 🔥

On Earth Day, 2021, the President announced a big goal: to reduce America’s carbon emissions 50% by 2030. CCL is holding every elected official to this target, from local council representatives all the way up to the White House.

In 2022, we lobbied for the biggest climate bill in U.S. history 🇺🇸

Our volunteers meet regularly with their members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, to ask them to take action on climate change and support specific solutions that will make a meaningful difference.

We had our biggest win yet when Congress took a huge step forward on climate change by passing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law in 2022.

The Inflation Reduction Act is a result of the partisan budget reconciliation process in Congress, where only a majority of the Senate needs to vote “yes” to pass a series of budget-related policies. CCLers began pushing for big climate policies in 2021 when Congress began this process. The persistent work of CCLers over 18 months paved the way for the official Inflation Reduction Act bill, formally introduced in July 2022.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest climate bill in American history. It combines investments, fees and tax credits to increase the speed at which America adopts clean energy and electric vehicles, providing major wins for the climate, Americans, and cities and towns across the country. These policies are the result of months of compromises among Democrats.

If any volunteers can claim a hand in the passage of this bill, it’s CCLers. From August 2021 to August 2022, our volunteers:

Made 168,000 calls and emailsto Congress and President Biden

Reached 4.5 million peoplein targeted states through text and phone banking

Published 1,300 letters to the editor & op-edsin local media across the country

Thanks in large part to these efforts, America is set to cut its carbon emissions 40% by 2030. The Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t get all the way to the official goal of 50% reduction by 2030, but it gets the ball within striking distance 🎯

We always prefer climate legislation that can endure (who doesn’t?), so we’re still focused on building bipartisan support that will get us all the way over the finish line to 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

CCL is a trusted partner in Congress

Accelerating the adoption of a price on carbon

Now that the Inflation Reduction Act has put the ball within striking distance, it’s time to score the goal. We need clean energy permitting reform to unlock 80% of the emissions reductions from the Inflation Reduction Act. We need to advance climate smart forestry and speed the deployment of building electrification technology. And we need a carbon price, which experts say is the most effective way to drive down emissions. There’s more than one way to hit our 2030 emissions targets of 50% reduction by 2030. That’s because together, all of these solutions can bring us to 60% emissions reductions by 2030.

We have always been a strong supporter of a price on carbon in the United States. Before the Inflation Reduction Act, CCL’s main focus was the passage of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, the first bipartisan carbon pricing bill introduced in Congress in over a decade. The Energy Innovation Act calls for a carbon fee & dividend policy that will reduce carbon emissions quickly and give a monthly cash payment to Americans. Our grassroots volunteers worked tirelessly to support it.

The 117th Congress did not pass the Energy Innovation Act. But with 95 committed cosponsors and more than 1,500 endorsements, we remain optimistic about the future of a carbon fee and dividend.

95+

cosponsors

from 22 different states including Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Texas cosponsored the bill in the 116th Congress.

1500+

endorsements

from prominent individuals, businesses, faith groups, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.

Bipartisan Climate Wins 🙌

We LOVE bipartisanship. In fact, we love it so much that we helped form the Climate Solutions Caucuses in both the House and Senate. The caucuses give both parties a chance to get together to discuss climate issues and lay the groundwork for potential new policies.
Our amazing volunteers have continuously worked to pass national climate bills with bipartisan support over the years. The following bills were signed into law or passed through at least one chamber of Congress.

Growing Climate Solutions Act Signed into law on Dec. 29th, 2022

The Growing Climate Solutions Act strengthened and improved access to voluntary carbon credits for farmers, ranchers, and private forest owners. CCL signed onto its supporter list when the bill was introduced in June 2021. That same month, 300+ constituent-led lobby meetings led to the recruitment of over 40 new co-sponsors. In the week before the Senate vote, CCL made 10,500 constituent contacts to the Senate and published at least 15 op-eds. The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 92-8. When this bill stalled in the House committee, our government affairs and grassroots network continued to build momentum for it in the House via media, calls, and constituent-led lobby meetings. Finally, the bill was included in the 2022 Omnibus package.

The Hope for Homes Act Signed into law on Aug. 16th, 2022

The Hope for Homes Act cuts costs for homeowners while investing in clean energy jobs and technology. We supported this bipartisan bill with several hundred constituent-led lobby meetings in June 2021, which passed the House in 2021. Key provisions were later included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act Signed into law on Nov. 15th, 2021

The SCALE Act was created to help develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure as a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions while creating regional economic opportunities and jobs. CCL contributed to coalition letters that laid out desired climate measures, mobilized constituents in Republican-led districts to support this legislation, and grew the co-sponsorship list over two years. This bill was a supporting ask during 350 constituent lobby meetings of June 2021. It was included in the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by both chambers of Congress in November 2021, and signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. 

USE IT Act Signed into law on Dec. 27th, 2020

The USE IT Act boosts carbon capture technologies with $85 million of funding and a permitting task force. CCL volunteers had lobbied on this legislation since June of 2019, and it gained cosponsors after each of our lobbying pushes. Just before heading home for the 2020 holidays, the U.S. House and Senate passed a massive omnibus package. The package was one of “the most significant energy legislation in more than a dozen years,” according to Politico.

BEST Act Signed into law on Dec. 27th, 2020

The Better Energy Storage and Technology (BEST) Act authorized $300 million for research and development of grid-scale energy storage systems, and authorized demonstration projects for these new energy storage technologies. This technology is essential for the deployment of wind and solar energy. In July of 2020, CCL volunteers helped add at least 24 new cosponsors onto the Better Energy Storage and Technology (BEST) Act in just one week. The BEST Act was ultimately included in the omnibus package passed by the House and Senate at the end of 2020.

Climate-Ready Fisheries Act Signed into law on Dec. 27th, 2020

The Climate Ready Fisheries Act required a report to be prepared outlining efforts to adapt our nation’s fisheries to the impacts of climate change. CCL helped recruit 10 new-co-sponsors after our 2020 June lobby day, and it was included in the 2020 omnibus package.

RECLAIM Act Passed the House on Jul. 19th, 2020

The Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act (H.R. 2156) would have fast-tracked $1 billion in funding to clean up abandoned coal mines and create thousands of jobs in the process. CCL volunteers supported this legislation as a secondary request in lobby meetings from June 2019-July 2020. It accumulated 65 co-sponsors, including 14 Republicans in that time. As part of a broad coalition, CCL brought this request to the Hill at the June 2020 lobby day, and it was included in the Democratic House version of the Infrastructure bill shortly thereafter. It was not taken up in the Senate.

We’re implementing climate policy state by state (times 50 🇺🇸)

Our U.S. chapters make waves at the state and local levels in support of clean energy and decarbonization. Over the past five years, our volunteers have successfully lobbied for the following state-level legislation.

Governor Cuomo shaking hands with former Vice President Al Gore at a bill-signing ceremony

CCLers help pass ambitious climate legislation in New York state

The Climate Leadership and Communities Protections Act (2019) commits to 100% clean energy by 2040, and an 85% emissions reduction by 2050 in New York state.

A group of 19 smiling environmental advocates hold up signs, some saying "Victory!" and others saying "Maryland is all in for clean energy"

Maryland passes major renewable energy bill

The Clean Energy Jobs Act (2019) requires Maryland to get at least half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 with a goal of 100% by 2040.

Eight CCL volunteers pose for a picture indoors, in front of a CCL banner that reads "Our solution to climate change? Democracy."

Colorado passes major decarbonization law

The Climate Action Plan (2019) is set to cut carbon pollution at least 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. The law works to decarbonize Colorado’s economy with a roadmap that includes a transition to renewable energy and reduction in methane pollution

Environmental advocates victoriously hold a big sign that says "We passed the clean energy DC Act!", outdoors in Washington, D.C.

D.C. passes strong clean energy bill with price on carbon

After a multi-year, grassroots-led campaign, the Washington, D.C., City Council passed The Clean Energy D.C. Act of 2018. The law is concrete, binding, and specific, set to reduce the city’s emissions 44% by 2032 by putting a small price on carbon.

Other notable accomplishments

Passed
Massachusetts – Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (2021)

Proposed
Utah – HJR3 and SB187 to enact a carbon fee and dividend (2021)
Hawaii – SB 3150 to enact a carbon price (2021)