Blog - Colorado CCL actions and progress

Summer road trip: Larimer County and the Fort Collins CCL chapter

It’s the peak of summer now as we continue our virtual Colorado road trips to places where there are active CCL chapters. Located at the north end of the Front Range, Larimer County is home to many places to enjoy the outdoors, music, festivals and more. The Fort Collins CCL chapter recently reorganized to improve its effectiveness on CCL’s five levers of engagement.

Get your mayor to endorse

The national team at Citizens’ Climate Lobby has launched an effort to get city mayors across the country to endorse the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA). Many mayors are already speaking out about climate action, so getting them to endorse EICDA may be as simple as asking for it — how to do so is covered in detail in the article. Let’s get Colorado’s mayors on board!

Don’t miss CCL’s June virtual national conference: The push for a price on carbon

Our conference is right around the corner: Saturday, June 12 (11 am - 3 pm MT) and Sunday, June 13 (11 am - 1:30 pm MT). It’s free and anyone can attend online. Find out how CCL is pushing for the passage of climate legislation this year, get updates on what’s happening in Washington D.C., and learn new information at break outs. For the first time, CCL is using the Airmeet platform (not Zoom) making the experience feel more like a live conference — you can network, visit Action Team booths, and join different sessions more easily. Read further for highlights of what’s being offered.

Continued Progress Among Colorado’s Members Of Congress

Reps. Crow, Neguse, and Perlmutter are now co-sponsors of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Let’s thank them and urge the rest of the Colorado delegation to join them.

Climate Club: An answer to “What about China?”

How do we address the challenge of polluters not taking action on climate change? Or not living up to commitments made in international agreements? William Nordhaus, Nobel Prize winning economist, offers the concept of a “climate club” where the member nations can trade freely between themselves as long as they actively work toward carbon neutrality. Take a look at how a club like this could solve the problem of nation emitters not taking real action. (Article suggested by Frank Hruby, Fort Collins Chapter.)

Summer road trip: Chaffee County

Summer is finally here and it’s time for a road trip! Why not visit Colorado places where there are active CCL Chapters? Learn more about Chaffee County (Salida/Poncha Springs/Buena Vista) and the newly formed CCL Chapter.

CO CCL LTE of the month: Editorial endorsement in The Daily Sentinel

April 2021 was a banner month for Colorado CCL, with eight Letters to the Editor and nine Op-Eds published across the state. Hats off to all of our writers! Special kudos go to the Grand Junction chapter for the editorial of support for carbon fee and dividend legislation, published on Earth Day in the GJ Daily Sentinel. Newspaper endorsements are very important in building support for carbon pricing legislation.

How EICDA of 2021 could become law

A new Congress in January? And our already introduced bill had to be reintroduced? What is up with this? And what are Congress’ next steps in passing the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2021 into law? Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers. We’re here to help with a rundown on legislative basics.

Colorado CCL lobbying moves the needle

This March, Colorado CCL held meetings with all of our Members of Congress that helped advance our political objective of comprehensive national climate policy. Over 50 CCL volunteers, supported by a number of community leaders, demonstrated the power of citizens lobbying to influence our elected representatives, increasing their understanding of and support for our policy goals.

Boost your outreach through Colorado’s rural advocacy organizations

At CCL, we build political will for bipartisan solutions to climate change. We believe in treating people with respect and appreciation, meeting people where they are, and appreciating the circumstances, beliefs and values that led them to their position on climate. Then we look for common ground and try to move forward, bit by bit. Kathy Fackler discovered that, in her conservative-leaning Western Slope congressional district, there’s no better place for outreach than Club20. Learn about her experience and opportunities for outreach in other Colorado rural districts.

CCL presentations continue to build grassroots support

Grassroots outreach has been a challenge this year for our CCL chapters! But CCL volunteers have persisted in building local support for CCL and the EICDA through online presentations. Learn how the Metro Denver Presenters Group has helped new presenters to find their voice and their audience.

CO CCL LTE of the month: Jim Dimmick’s LTE in the Boulder Daily Camera

Jim Dimmick reminds readers that the term “global warming” doesn’t accurately describe our situation. Yes, the climate is warming but that warming has created an instability in the atmosphere that is more accurately described as climate chaos. The recent polar vortex event in Texas is a case in point. Urgent action is needed, and carbon pricing is one of the most effective answers.

A step in the right direction: Sen. Bennet’s Western Climate Resilience Roundtable

CCL focuses on the value of common interest and bipartisanship to drive meaningful climate solutions. In February, Senator Bennet announced a framework of Western climate resilience priorities grounded on the same principles. The members of the framework roundtable come from a wide range of local communities. Learn about the framework’s priorities and how this is a positive step towards addressing climate change here in Colorado. 

(Article suggested by Susan Hess of the Grand Junction-Grand Valley chapter.)

Community Choice Energy: leveraging competition in Colorado to speed decarbonization

The Colorado legislature is considering a bill to allow communities served by private utilities to select low carbon alternative suppliers. Can competition speed our efforts to decarbonize?

CCL’s Agriculture Action Team is making progress

Support from the American Farm Bureau Federation could prove essential in passing national carbon fee and dividend legislation. CCL National’s Agriculture Action Team has worked for several years in reaching out to them — and their work is beginning to bear fruit. Colorado CCLers have recently joined this effort. Learn about CCL’s agriculture strategy and how you can get involved. 

(Article suggested and written by Doug Alde of the Denver South Metro chapter.)

What does CCL’s Washington D.C. Office do?

Meet the team of CCL staffers in Washington, D.C.! They act as an engine for other departments within Citizens’ Climate Lobby and are the greatest source of up-to-date information and insights for our “peaceful army” of grassroots lobbyists across the country. The D.C. staffers and their interns have a singular focus: to equip our volunteers to strategically lobby for durable climate policy with their Members of Congress (MOCs).

CO CCL LTE of the Month: Jim Danforth’s LTE in the Loveland Reporter-Herald

Ft. Collins CCL volunteer Jim Danforth thanks Rep. Joe Neguse for the many ways he is taking action in addressing the devastating impacts of climate change on our forests, and he introduces readers to CCL and our preferred market-based solution — the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.

Colorado’s changing climate: Snowmelt and why we care

Last month, we looked at how a changing climate plays a role in making Colorado’s droughts more frequent and more severe. This month, we’ll look at another key aspect of water and drought in Colorado, the timing of snowpack melt. It affects a lot: domestic water supplies, agriculture, recreation, the environment’s flora and fauna, and wildfire susceptibility.