Local volunteers travel to Washington, D.C.
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News from Citizen’s Climate Lobby
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Climate-concerned citizens from across Montana were in Washington, D.C. last week to urge Montana’s Members of Congress (MOCs) to support policies to reduce carbon pollution.
Robin Paone, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Montana state co-coordinator, Flathead Valley chapter co-lead, and mother of two, was part of a group who went to D.C. and joined a thousand other CCL volunteers from all 50 states to lobby Congress on climate policies.
Paone wants to preserve Montana’s beautiful streams, forests, and outdoors for her children by seeking solutions to lower the heat-trapping emissions that are polluting our air and thereby altering our climate.
On Tuesday, June 13, volunteers from the Montana CCL chapters met with the offices of Senators Daines and Tester, and Representatives Rosendale and Zinke to urge them to support clean energy permitting reform and other policies, such as the bipartisan PROVE IT Act (S1863) and carbon pricing, to ensure a healthy climate.
To reduce emissions, CCL volunteers feel it’s essential to speed up the rate at which we build electricity transmission to connect new wind and solar to the grid. If the clean energy infrastructure is not built faster, only about 20% of the potential carbon pollution reduction from the climate policy that is already in place will be achieved.
Paone bought the airline ticket and took the time to meet with Montana’s MOCs because, “they need to see us and talk with us ordinary folks—their constituents—in person. It’s so important to be part of a large effort and presence on Capitol Hill let our MOCs know that we appreciate and respect them, and that we want bipartisan climate solutions. It’s wonderful to meet our MOCs and staff in person.”
Lawmakers recently reached a deal on the debt limit, which included some permitting reform measures, “but it’s just a small piece of what is needed,” added Paone. “We also believe strongly that communities should have their voices heard on the environmental and other impacts of proposed energy projects.”
Before the lobby meetings, volunteers attended CCL’s international 2023 Climate Lobbying Reboot June Conference, where they heard from inspirational speakers such as Ambassador Francis Rooney who was the Republican representative for Florida’s 19th Congressional district from 2017 to 2021 and Democrat Representative Scott Peters (CA-50).
“CCL volunteers from both sides of the aisle consistently contact the Montana MOCs to ask for climate action,” said Paone. “Our state already sees impacts from a warming climate like increased smoke days, more frequent, longer, and intense wildfires, problems with river flows and temperatures, drought, flooding, our melting Glaciers in Glacier Park, and a messed-up snowpack.
“We had wonderful conversations with our MOCs and their staff. One staffer in particular remarked how pleasantly surprised they were that we had a friendly, respectful, meaningful conversation in which we sought common ground and a real understanding of everybody’s viewpoints.”
CCL’s core values include building consensus, which we believe will bring enduring change.
Exhilarated, the first thing Paone did when she returned home to Montana was to tell her daughters, “We are going to solve climate change.”
“We are heading in the right direction. Our elected leaders need to support policies to reduce carbon emissions with the speed required, so it’s important we push for more. And, we all need to work together because the climate affects all of us,” said Paone.
