BUILDING POLITICAL WILL FOR A STABLE CLIMATE

BEST PRACTICES FOR ESSENTIAL CITIZEN LOBBYING

Mary Jane SorrentinoRI Chapter, CCL Northeast Group Start TrainerEmail: RhodeIsland@citizensclimatelobby.org

• Founded in 2007• Over 145 active chapters in

43 states• Solutions oriented• Non-partisan• Non-profit

MISSION: 1. Create the political willfor a Stable Climate2. Empower Citizens to have personal and political breakthroughs

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

OUR PROPOSED LEGISLATION

• 100% Revenue Neutral Carbon Fee & Dividend

• Bipartisan bill• Steadily increasing price

• All revenue returned in monthly dividends to American households

• With REMI study, focus is on Economic Benefits of Carbon Fee & Dividend

“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” --Thomas Jefferson

BEST PRACTICES FOR MEETING WITH YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

• PLAN –Research your MOC• ORGANIZE –Who will be in your lobby team• PREPARE YOUR MESSAGE –Laser Talks• SCHEDULING –on-line or on phone• COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN MEETING –

active listening skills, have prepared questions, be sure to have the “Ask,” secondary “Asks”

• FOLLOW-UP with more info sent, thank you

PLAN – Research Your MOCWhat is their stance on climate

change and solutions? What committees do they sit on? What

bills have they (co) sponsored related to energy/environment?

Check MOC website andother watchdog websites, such as League of Conservation

Voters, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Climate Scores, Vote Smart, Open Secrets…

Research the effects of Climate Change on your MOCs district/state.Research issues that are of top priorities for you and others in your district/state:

• Jobs (include the region’s major industries)• Damage from extreme weather events• Pollution/environmental degradation• Water issues/drought• Renewable energy potential/support• Fossil fuel industry presence (coal, oil, gas, natural gas)

ORGANIZE YOUR LOBBY TEAM AND PRACTICE LASER TALKS

• Lobby Team = 4-5 people who are available during the week – 9am-5pm

• Prepare your message – Stay on Target• Meet beforehand to plan your Ask and roles you will take• Who will keep track of the time? Who will ask the Ask? Who will

follow up with the necessary information?• The ASK: Ask to support or introduce Legislation that puts a fee on

carbon and returns the revenue to the American people!

Let’s PRACTICE LASER TALKS now with a partner!

Our revenue-neutral carbon tax works like this:

• A tax is placed on carbon-based fuels at the source (well, mine, port of entry).• This tax starts at $15 per ton of fossil CO2 emitted, and increases steadily each year

by $10 so that clean energy is cheaper than fossil fuels within a decade.• All of the money collected is returned to American households on an equitable

basis.• Under this plan about 2/3 of all households would break even or receive more in

their dividend checks than they would pay in higher prices due to the tax, thereby protecting the poor and middle class.

• A predictably increasing carbon price will send a clear market signal which will unleash entrepreneurs and investors in the new clean-energy economy.

Laser Talk on Carbon Fee & Dividend

100 percent ensures that two-thirds of American households will come out equal or ahead regarding the increase in energy costs. This calculation takes into account not just direct energy costs, but the pass-through businesses will add to the cost of their products . Since about 70 percent of our economy is consumer spending, putting additional cash in the hands of these consumers has the potential of being stimulative. Members of Congress who signed Grover Norquist tax pledges can honor their pledge and still vote the right way. Venture capitalists, banks, and entrepreneurs seeing a predictable price signal will create breakthroughs in innovation that in some cases are unimaginable at this point. A carbon fee is the most efficient and direct way to send a meaningful price signal to the markets. Initially, a low price on fossil fuels will not be felt by consumers. As the price goes up, it will increase costs steadily for all households. It will be very difficult to maintain public support if people are not getting the money they need to offset their increase in costs.

Laser Talk: 100 Percent Revenue Neutrality

In 2012, there were a total of 137,650 permanent coal-related jobs nationwide, and 806,831 oil and gas jobs as of 2011. By contrast, there were 3,401,279 green jobs in 2011. The Department of Energy predicts using conservative estimates that by 2030 there will be over half a million wind jobs alone.

The overall job story is that renewable energy will provide more and higher paying jobs, with more diverse opportunities. This is because $1 million dollars worth of oil and natural gas output directly creates 0.8 jobs, and $1 million of coal produces 1.9 jobs. Compare that to building retrofits for energy efficiency (7 jobs per million), mass transit services (11 jobs), building the smart grid (4.3), wind (4.6), solar (5.4), and biomass power generation (7.4).

The green economy already supports more jobs than the fossil fuel economy, and has for years, even though renewable energy accounts for only 11.98% of our domestically produced energy. The writing is on the wall: the key to creating American jobs now and in the future is not investment in fossil fuels, it is investment in the green economy.

LASER TALK: JOBS – FOSSIL FUELS VS. RENEWABLES

SCHEDULING YOUR MEETING

2014 CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR AVAILABLE ON LINE

AUGUST, HOLIDAY RECESSES ARE GOOD TIMES

MOCs Usually in Home Office on Fridays or Mondays

Usually given a 15-20 minute time slot – Ask how much time you will have

Ask if it will be a Face to Face Meeting with MOC

Meeting with your MOC:Respect, Appreciation, Gratitude for

Public Service

Speak from the Heart and the Head Use Active Listening and ask the Ask early in the

meeting. Have the Secondary Asks if the response is negative

Find out who they work with on the other side of the aisle

Communicating with Conservatives

• Non-judgmental language• Risk management framework• It’s the Economy! Risky Business Report, REMI study• The Pentagon• Our brains think local and recent• Not You must do this, try You can do this

Let’s Practice Meeting with a MOC now!

Groups of 5One person acts as MOC

Others act as Lobbyists for a stable climate!

You are all leaders on climate!

Continue to exercise your political power in other ways:• Write personal letters to your MOC• Write Letters to the Editor of your local

newspaper• Attend candidate forums and asking questions

on climate policy• Join with Citizens Climate Lobby

THANK YOU!

“Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political or economic changes.Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” ---Martin Luther King

Purpose

• To create the political will for a sustainable climate

• To empower individuals to have breakthroughs in

exercising their personal and political power

www.citizensclimatelobby.org

“If politicians remain at loggerheads, citizens must lead.”- Dr. James E. Hansen

Physicist, Retired Director of NASA Goddard Institute

An opportunity to take action now.