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Breaking down the congressional budget process

[…] up with where the process stands.  In other words: “If you’re confused, it’s because it’s confusing,” Tony Sirna, CCL’s Strategy Director, reassures us. Let’s break it down. What is budget reconciliation? Budget reconciliation is a process that Congress can use to fast-track a budget related bill. They can generally do it once per fiscal year, and it can be passed […]

CCL turns to the future of our advocacy

[…] frustrated by the final plays. Touchdowns don’t always get scored, and bills can get stalled. I believe that’s where we are now — in the last five yards of budget reconciliation. As a reminder, budget reconciliation allows certain kinds of legislation to pass with a simple majority that avoids the filibuster. With Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, […]

Recap: June 2022 lobby trainings with Dr. Danny Richter

[…] climate and energy effort. “In my eyes, Sen. Manchin has been extremely consistent throughout this process,” Danny adds. “To that end, he is still talking about the climate provisions.” Meanwhile, reconciliation is still at the forefront of Democrats’ minds as they enter the summer and the midterm elections loom. Russia has invaded Ukraine, which simultaneously highlighted the need for energy […]

How will carbon pricing impact inflation?

[…] consideration by the Senate Finance Committee will likely rise significantly more slowly than the EICDA, and thus have even less impact on inflation. A carbon price included in the budget reconciliation process would also likely exempt retail gasoline (which would have a relatively small effect on the resulting carbon emissions cuts), and thus would not impact gasoline prices. According to […]

Legislative Strategy Session, December 2022 conference

[…] there’s gonna be very narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate. That’s going to really limit what each chamber can advance. So we’re not going to see a Reconciliation bill like the Inflation Reduction Act in the next two years. Any legislation that passes through Congress and gets signed into law will have to have true bipartisan support […]

Editorials play key role in 2021 push for price on carbon 

[…] action that produces a big impact is newspaper editorial endorsements. Throughout the year, CCL volunteers have asked papers to publish editorials that support the inclusion of carbon pricing in the reconciliation bill. Because these editorials represent the official view of the newspaper — and because politicians seek newspaper endorsements when they run for re-election — they carry considerable weight with […]

Senate goal smashed! On to the House

[…] wave of outreach is making an impact on Capitol Hill. “We’ve gotten the message that Senate offices have noticed your calls, and carbon pricing is still very much in the reconciliation discussions,” Danny said. “With this campaign, we have struck while the iron was hot — while Senators and their staff were most open to suggestions, to creativity, and to […]

As Congress trims Build Back Better, climate remains at the forefront

[…] in a campaign year heading towards the midterm elections.  But most importantly to us, Congress is continuing to work on Build Back Better, which as we all know, is the reconciliation bill. Last week, I’m sure many of you saw that President Biden held a press conference where he stated that the pathway forward on Build Back Better would likely […]

Infrastructure bill becomes law, includes a CCL secondary ask

[…] Graham, Collins, and Portman. The bill will now head to President Biden, who will officially sign it into law. “​​This should free up Congress to focus fully on the budget reconciliation process,” CCL Strategy Director, Tony Sirna, explained in a post on CCL Community. That’s good news, because we are pushing hard for a price on carbon to be included […]

NY state legislators & climate leaders call for a carbon price

[…] the state’s CLCPA goals, as well as our nation’s and President Biden’s climate goals. We urge you to advocate strongly for the boldest possible decarbonization framework in the federal budget reconciliation package. We applaud the goal that President Biden set for America to address climate change by reducing our emissions 50% by 2030 – however, without a transformative package, including […]