Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.
Just got off my weekly Climate Changemakers hour; Iāve borrowed some of their actions for us to do today. I canāt recommend that group highly enough, by the way. The people who run it are awesomeāupbeat, organized, and very smart. It feels so good to take action with others. Plus, whatās an hour a week to save my home? š
Speaking of actions, letās take some together now. Because this country isnāt going to fix itself.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, Iām calling to ask the Senator to support the Equality Act. Our country canāt continue to tolerate discrimination ā in employment, housing, public places, education or anywhere ā on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This bill needs to be voted into law now. [H/T and more info]
Second, please ask the Senator to pressure President Biden to replace Ronald Bloom on the USPS Board of Governors with someone who will vote to finally fire Louis DeJoy. Iām frustrated that heās still got a job when heās running the Post Office into the ground.
[If Democrat add:] Finally, for goodness sakes, Democrats need to abolish the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act before itās too late. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
(If your House rep is a moderate Dem scroll down)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want the House to pass the Build Back Better package without delay. The policies in the package are both job-enabling and job-creating, not to mention that without the climate provisions weāre in real trouble. The climate emergency is upon us, and Iām scared. The time for passage is NOW!
If Your Senators / House Reps Are Moderate Dem Holdouts
If you are represented by: Slotkin (MI-8), Case (HI-1), Golden (ME-2), Gottheimer (NJ-5), Murphy (FL-7), Rice (NY-4), Schrader (OR-5), Bourdeaux (GA-07), Cuellar (TX-28), Fletcher (TX-07), Vela (TX-34), Spanberger (VA-07) or Manchin or Sinema say:
Iām calling because I strongly support the Build Back Better Plan, and I want to make sure that the Congressmember/Senator has the most up-to-date data on its climate provisions and how they help consumersāitās from the Princeton REPEAT Project & RMI. This data is being updated on Friday, and will be even more convincing, but even now it shows clearly that consumers will actually save money from the climate provisions. It also shows that without them weāre in really bad trouble. May I email these links to the staffer who handles environmental policy? [If so take an email address and do it! Links below. Either way add:] Iām counting on the Congressmember/Senator to do this for their constituents. Support the Build Back Better Plan. Thanks.
[If they want the links send them the below:]
Hi, hereās the data you asked for.
(BIF+) BBB v1: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gckss8qyzflelhn/REPEAT_Prelim_Report_Addendum_111221.pdf?dl=0
Please check back for new Build Back Better v2 analysis on 11/19: https://repeatproject.org
And hereās a piece about consumer savings under BBB: https://rmi.org/rmi-reality-check-proposed-clean-energy-incentives-would-save-electricity-customers-billions/
Thanks for taking a look!
[Name, address]
Extra Credit
Evergreen Action is launching a Twitter campaign to turn up the heat on the conservative Democrats who are still a āmaybeā on BBB. They have pre-written tweets ready that show each of them how climate change is already harming their districtsāwill you post them to demand they step up and pass the Build Back Better Act? I didāit took me all of 30 seconds. Go here to get started.
Get on the Keyboards! š»
Yay! I just found out that today and tomorrow HRC (the Human Rights Campaign) will be texting folks across the country and encouraging them to call their senators and have them vote yes on the Equality Act! All you need is your laptop or phone.
Sign up here! Itās from 4-6 EST today and 1:30-3:30 EST tomorrow.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps and President Biden] [H/T] [Quick send to Congress text SIGN PQBTEY to 50409, quick send to Biden text SIGN PSRIET to 50409]
I oppose the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as it currently stands. Despite the defense industry's well-organized, well-funded, and highly deceptive scare campaign portraying China as an imminent military danger, we know that global warming and the climate crisis are the real national security threat that we most urgently need to address. The NDAA provides large sums to protect military bases from the fire, flood, drought, storm, and sea-level consequences of global warming. Yet it does nothing to protect the American people by addressing the root causes of the climate emergency, such as reducing the Pentagon's use of fossil fuels or redirecting defense research dollars towards alternative energy sources or carbon sequestration.
I was heartened by President Bidenās January 27 Executive Order stating we would address the climate emergency with a whole of government approach. Yet this NDAA neither reflects nor in any way implements that āwhole of governmentā commitment. Moreover, some of the most important and necessary climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act have either been removed entirely or significantly weakened. Since it appears that the NDAA is now being expanded at the last minute to include the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), I urge you to insist that the climate standards and provisions that were taken out of the BBBA be added to the NDAA so that the massive defense budget finally begins to address the climate catastrophe that is now affecting us daily.Ā Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! Youāre amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess