Citizens' Climate Lobby

Jessica Trotman is the Assistant Town Manager of Black Mountain, North Carolina, where she leads recovery and resilience efforts following Hurricane Helene. She also serves as a Senior Consultant with the American Flood Coalition. To her work in resilience, Jessica brings 15 years of experience in sustainability, planning, stormwater, public health and public administration. She serves in multiple advisory roles, including the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint advisory committee and Resilience subcommittee of the Governorʼs Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery. Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Monthly Highlights (6:10) Conversation with Jessica Trotman (27:12) Q&A Discussion (33:33) CCL's October Actions Review Join CCL: https://cclusa.org/join October Action Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet October Meeting Slides: https://cclusa.org/october-meeting-slides Pre-Call Video: https://vimeo.com/1126279438 Register for the Fall Conference (Nov. 14-15): https://cclusa.org/fallconference

CCL volunteers put a lot of work into pushing the clean energy tax credits within Inflation Reduction Act over the finish line to be signed into law in 2022, and into protecting some of its provisions from outright repeal in the big budget bill this year. But how much did our efforts achieve for the climate? Join CCL Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli for an exploration of modeling scenarios in an effort to quantify how much climate pollution CCL volunteers' efforts succeeded in preventing in our pursuit to preserve a livable climate. Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Agenda (2:25) A Stroll Down Memory Lane (9:59) Emissions Heading Down (12:01) Since The Election (21:44) What Did We Achieve? (29:31) How to get the Next Billion Tons Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/ira-achieved

The U.S. remains the only developed economy globally without a national carbon price—distorting domestic perceptions of its viability. This session explores how carbon pricing has worked successfully across the world and how those lessons apply to the evolving U.S. conversation. Dr. Danny Richter will highlight the emerging fourth generation of U.S. carbon policy, centered on border adjustments and bipartisan interest in leveraging America’s carbon efficiency. Join us for a global tour of carbon pricing and a look at where U.S. policy may be headed next. Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/carbon-pricing-around-world-slides Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/138 Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Agenda (4:02) Overview (18:22) EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (24:39) The American Context (39:58) Conclusion

Dr. Daniel Swain is a climate scientist focused on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. Daniel holds joint appointments as a climate scientist within the California Institute for Water Resources within University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, and as a research partner at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research. You can follow Daniel on Bluesky (@WeatherWest) and YouTube (@WeatherWest). During September's meeting, Daniel will help us understand how climate change is impacting wildfires. Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Monthly Highlights (8:24) Conversation with Dr. Daniel Swain (36:24) Q&A Discussion (39:35) CCL's September's Actions Review (45:06) Previewing CCL's Inclusion Conference September Action Sheet: cclusa.org/actionsheet September Slides: cclusa.org/september-meeting-slides Pre-Call Video: https://vimeo.com/1118352761 Inclusion Conference: cclusa.org/inclusion More about Dr. Swain's work: https://weatherwest.com @WeatherWest

At CCL’s 2025 Summer Conference and Lobby Day in D.C. last month, we were privileged to hear from Amanda Ripley in a keynote conversation with CCL’s Illinois State Coordinator Alex Marianyi. We want every CCLer to have a chance to hear Amanda’s powerful message and Alex’s takeaways, so this month’s meeting features recorded highlights from their keynote session. Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, a Washington Post contributing columnist, and the co-founder of Good Conflict, a media and training company that helps people reimagine conflict. She has written three award-winning, nonfiction books about three very different subjects: High Conflict, The Smartest Kids in the World, and The Unthinkable. Previously, Ripley spent a decade writing about human behavior for Time magazine in New York, Washington, and Paris.

The July 2025 CCL meeting focused on midyear updates to the 2025 Roadmap, highlighting key accomplishments like nationwide in-district drop-offs, introduction of the bipartisan Foreign Pollution Fee Act, and a full-court press to protect clean energy tax credits. Despite setbacks from the recent budget reconciliation bill, CCL's VP of Communications emphasized the significant positive impact of volunteer advocacy in softening harmful provisions and building long-term bipartisan support for clean energy. Volunteers across the country were encouraged to share local wins and continue showing up, with an eye on sustained progress through grassroots pressure. Looking ahead, the spotlight turned to the upcoming Summer Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. Interim Executive Director Ricky Bradley celebrated the 860+ registrants and the powerful sense of belonging the event offers. Government Affairs leaders Jenn Tyler and Mindy Ahler provided insight into lobbying strategy, the importance of constituent presence, and how everyone, even those not attending in person, can amplify impact through coordinated calls to Congress. The meeting wrapped with a review of July’s actions, including using local media, social media sharing, and event planning to build visibility and momentum in communities nationwide.

CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler and CCL's Research Manager, Dana Nuccitelli provide up to the moment insights on the dynamics in Congress and how we can most effectively use our time in meetings to support our agenda.

This training is your roadmap to showing up confident, clear, and connected when you walk into a Congressional meeting. In this session, you’ll learn how to research effectively using tools like Congressional bios, profile and key studies, understand the different roles within a lobby team, and see how a well-run lobby meeting flows. Whether it’s your first lobby day or your tenth, this training will help you be prepared, focused, and ready to make your voice count.

In Citizens Climate Radio's newest installment of our policy series, hosts Elissa Tennant and Dana Nuccitelli dive deep into the latest updates from Capitol Hill. With the Senate Finance Committee’s budget proposal now public, they unpack what it means for the clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act. How do the House and Senate versions compare? What would repealing these tax credits cost American households and jobs? What role does energy security—and even AI—play in the clean energy conversation? Elissa and Dana bring clarity to a complex policy moment and offer listeners tangible next steps for action. You’ll also hear about upcoming CCL leadership changes, summer conference plans, and two thoughtful listener voicemails—including one from someone who really wants to bring back Energy Star. 🎧 Topics Covered: Senate vs. House proposals on clean energy tax credits The mysterious “bird bath” process Projected increases in household energy costs Threats to clean energy manufacturing and jobs What to expect next in Congress How you can make your voice heard 📞 Call or text us with your questions or comments: +1 (619) 512-9646 🗳️ Take action to defend clean energy tax credits: https://cclusa.org/IRAdefense 🎟️ Join us at the Summer Conference in Washington, D.C., July 20–22: https://cclusa.org/conference 🎙️ Citizens Climate Radio is a project of Citizens’ Climate Education.

This month, Dana Nuccitelli, CCL’s Research Manager, breaks down why protecting the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits is a huge opportunity for America. Losing these tax credits would have a serious impact on America's climate progress. Keeping these credits in place means lower energy bills, more clean power, greater energy security, and hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the country. We're telling Congress: Keep these tax credits intact!

The Senate is moving forward on their version of a budget reconciliation bill that could drastically cut clean energy tax credits. CCL wants to protect those tax credits. We have been emailing, calling, and meeting with members of Congress about this for months. Now it's time to take the conversation public in local media all around the country! Join this special workshop with Charlotte Ward, CCL's Communications and Media Manager, to learn everything you need to know to write an effective letter to the editor (LTE) or a full op-ed about the tax credits. After a quick overview and training, you'll spend 20 minutes of focused time writing your LTE or personalizing our op-ed template during the call. Please note that this event includes a short visual presentation and helpful links to access as you write. If you're a Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer, you can log your training automatically when signed into CCL Community by clicking: https://community.citizensclimate.org/log_training?sf_id=a5yUP000000AHfVYAW Resources from this training https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/102bE0oAgDIT_MuHHbONZA2IdSnhDfCRFVw4kD9vQGl8/edit?slide=id.g333ca062a2c_0_26#slide=id.g333ca062a2c_0_26 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B1RfD0AQt6E_28aqHEAV1Uc95wd3dvYByEi-dd9m0XA/edit?usp=sharing

This training provides a detailed explanation of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act introduced by Senator Cassidy (R-LA). CCL Research Fellow Dr. Danny Richter outlines the bill's objectives, including creating a tariff on carbon emissions embedded in imported goods, promoting international coordination on climate policy, and establishing a carbon accounting infrastructure. Danny discusses the bill's specifics, such as the tiered tariff rates based on pollution intensity relative to the U.S. baseline, the inclusion of various greenhouse gases and emissions scopes, and the aggressive enforcement measures. He also places the bill within its political context, highlighting bipartisan interest, the different approaches of its sponsors, and the reasons behind CCL's support, emphasizing its potential to reduce emissions and build on previous advocacy.

This month, we’re excited to feature a group of standout CCL volunteers who represent a wide range of activities. They’ll be sharing their stories in a conversation with CCL’s Vice President of Communications, Flannery Winchester. In order of appearance, we'll hear from Beth Chajes, Delaware State Coordinator; Luke Clarke and Kyle Kalinich, Group Leaders for the Golden-Jefferson, CO Chapter; and Frankie Fachilla, Curtis Baysinger, and Group Leader Fred Lemay from the Middle Tennessee chapter.

In this session, we take a close look at the Senate version of this important bipartisan legislation and explore why it’s critical for the climate, for forest health, and for wildfire resilience. You’ll hear from Dana Nuccitelli, CCL’s Research Manager, who will walk us through the science and policy details, and from Jennifer Tyler, our Vice President of Government Affairs, who will explain what this means for Congress and how CCL volunteers can help move it forward.

In this episode of Citizens Climate Radio, we dive into the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—the biggest climate legislation in U.S. history—and the urgent effort underway to protect its clean energy tax credits. CCL’s Content Marketing Manager Elissa Tennant joins CCL’s Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli to break it all down. You’ll learn what the IRA funds, how clean energy tax credits work for individuals and businesses, and why these programs are now under threat. Dana also explains the budget reconciliation process, the challenges in Congress, and the surprising level of bipartisan public support for clean energy investment. You'll leave this episode knowing exactly why the IRA matters—and what simple actions you can take to defend it. Featured Guests: Looking for a full transcript and more, visit www.cclusa.org/radio Resources Mentioned: cclusa.org/IRAdefense cclusa.org/action Watch on YouTube CCL Community - Nerd Corner Highlights: We Want to Hear from You Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org Text/Voicemail: 619-512-9646 Social Media: Follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Danny Richter, a policy fellow for CCL, led a discussion on CCL's strategic approach to engaging with the newly configured Congress. He highlighted the organization's priorities, including defending the clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, advocating for the Fix Our Forest Act, supporting Foreign Pollution Fees and cautiously entering the permitting reform space. Danny emphasized the shift in CCL's approach from playing offense to playing defense, as we now focus on defending a bill that has already been passed. He also noted the change in the balance of power, with Republicans holding a majority in both the Senate and the House, and the importance of understanding this new context for effective Congressional engagement. This discussion stresses the importance of thinking ahead, preparing for multiple swings of the political pendulum, and maintaining positive relationships with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Danny also highlighted the need for volunteer empowerment, focusing on climate issues, and being a science-based organization. He acknowledged the need for uncomfortable trade-offs in addressing climate change and the importance of diverse approaches to achieve change. Chapters & Timestamps – “Navigating Climate Advocacy in a Changing Political Landscape” 0:00 – Welcome and Learning Goals Danny lays out the goals: confidence engaging Congress, clarity on CCL’s strategic approach, and understanding how the context has shifted. 0:46 – Why This Training Now? Overview of CCL’s top priorities in the new Congress: Defending IRA tax credits Advancing the Fix Our Forests Act Supporting foreign pollution fees 2:10 – The Shift to Playing Defense For the first time, CCL is playing defense—not just pushing new bills. 4:26 – Political Landscape: GOP Control of Congress & Trump Presidency What unified Republican control means for agenda-setting and strategy. 7:35 – CCL’s Strategy: Long-Term Thinking & Bipartisan Relationships How we work across Congress configurations and why our bipartisan strategy stands out. 10:55 – Volunteer Empowerment & Staying Focused on Climate Why keeping meetings focused on climate empowers volunteers and preserves access. 12:56 – The Role of Science & Uncomfortable Trade-Offs The science tells us we’re in the age of consequences—renewables vs. local impact, etc. 14:12 – Durability & Consistency of CCL’s Impact Reflections on CCL’s sustained influence and why it matters. 15:02 – Lessons from Past GOP-Controlled Congresses How CCL passed 3 climate bills during Trump’s first term using respectful engagement. 17:03 – The New MAGA Era: GOP Unity and Behind-the-Scenes Dissent Differences in today’s Republican Party compared to 2016–2020. 18:10 – Democratic Party Shifts How Democrats are reassessing messaging post-election (DEI backlash, inflation, media strategy). 21:14 – Engagement Tactics: Segmenting Members of Congress Approaches vary by chamber and ideology. Use “economy, jobs, and global competition” with Republicans. 26:35 – Conclusions: Strategy & Values Amid a Challenging Context Empathy, strategy, and staying the course with CCL’s approach.

In this episode of Citizens Climate Radio, Elise Silvestri explores how art can strengthen climate advocacy with Carrie Ziegler, an interdisciplinary Artist, Speaker, and Community Engagement Expert. Carrie talks about her process for creating and executing the Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together, an art and climate policy project that enacted powerful change over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the participating students, Brisa Sabel, shares her experience of the successful campaign and the joy and inspiration it gave her. Peterson Toscano has a surprisingly good news story: like our responses to climate change, the format of CCR is adapting! [insert finalized details here] Listen to Carrie Ziegler discuss the power of art storytelling in making meaningful, local climate policy. Guest Bio: Carrie Ziegler Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Through her Art in Action initiatives, she collaborates with diverse entities—local governments, organizations, schools, and universities—to create multi-dimensional works that blend participant creativity with pressing societal issues. These projects inspire active engagement, bringing communities together to create lasting change. Along with the Chrysalis Project, Carrie also led the Plastic Whale Project, where students created a life-sized whale out of plastic bags. The whale played a pivotal role in successfully passing a ban on single-use plastic bags in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, Washington. Based in Olympia, Washington, Carrie is recognized internationally, bringing her impactful vision to global forums, including Aotearoa (New Zealand), Ghana, France, Mexico, and Canada. She empowers Artists and Change Makers to maximize their societal impact through art, inspiring a broader movement of change driven by creativity. Complementing her hands-on work, Carrie is penning her inaugural book, Eclosion: An Artist’s Path to Power and Peace. In this work, she intertwines her memoir with a practical guide for unleashing personal and collective potential, offering a blueprint for transformative change through art—a light for a world in desperate need of inspiration. Check out her work on her Instagram, @carriezieglerart. 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Find us wherever you get your podcasts or visit cclusa.org/radio Listener Survey We want to hear your feedback about this episode. Please fill out our short survey. Join the Conversation Engage with other listeners and share your thoughts on our social media channels. Follow and connect with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok. Tune in next month for more inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference, one story at a time. We Want to Hear from You Production Team: Music is provided by epidemicsound.com and Elise Silvestri

Kari Hall is an Emmy Award-winning meteorologist for NBC Bay Area’s morning newscast, Today in The Bay. Kari holds a degree in Geoscience with an emphasis in Broadcast Meteorology. Her career has spanned the country, from covering Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav with KATC in Louisiana; to covering tornadoes and snowstorms at WKYT in Kentucky; to serving as Chief Meteorologist at News 12 in Connecticut. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society and a leader with the Climate Reality Project. She has won two Emmy Awards for her weather and climate coverage.

CCL hosts a training session on tabling events for Earth Month 2025, highlighting this year's significance and providing actionable recommendations. Participants learn about the new CCL Tabling Toolkit, which aids in organizing these events. Creative strategies, like using origami frogs, are shared to engage families. The session emphasizes public engagement, conversation starters, and art projects to raise climate awareness, while encouraging community involvement in bipartisan climate advocacy.

Panel discussion featuring CCL Congressional Liaison Manager Mindy Ahler, Action Team Director Drew Eyerly, and Vice President of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler. Mindy, Drew, and Jenn reviewed the outcome of our annual Conservative Climate Leadership Conference and Lobby Day and answered questions about lobby meetings, asks, and the importance of sending right-of-center volunteers to meet with Republicans.