Tag: Clean Energy

Omni Shoreham D.C.

CCL Summer Conference & Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.

On By Carolyn M. AppletonIn CCL Summer Conference, CCLATXLeave a comment

Registration closed July 3, 2025

This year’s summer conference July 20 to 22 will not be livestreamed. Follow the event on social media!

Did you know, in-person meetings with elected officials are highly effective. All In Together notes that meeting with your elected officials offers several advantages:

  • Build Relationships: In-person meetings help build credible, long-lasting relationships with legislators and their staff.
  • Memorable Advocacy: Face-to-face interactions allow you to convey your message in a more nuanced and memorable way.
  • Deepened Engagement: You can invite others to join the cause, building broader community support.

Consider a combination summer vacation to Washington, D.C. where you can: 1) participate July 20 to 22, 2025 in our CCL conference, gain deep insights into current climate issues, and support our work in a genuinely impactful way; and 2) relax and enjoy the many interesting and enjoyable sites in Washington, D.C.

You can expect:

  • A jam-packed event dedicated to building the skills you need for Lobby Day.
  • Insight into today’s climate landscape and key perspectives on where CCL fits in.
  • To be with the best people in the world, doing the best work, for the best cause.

The conference will be held at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel. “The Shoreham hosted every presidential inaugural ball of the 20th century since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the Shoreham has also played host to a number of famous entertainers in the legendary Blue Room throughout its 90-year history.” The hotel is listed on the Historic Hotels of America website, as designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

To reach the main hotel website and find a room to your liking, follow this link. Tripadvisor lists quite a few noteworthy places to visit near the Omni Shoreham, too!

Learn more about the history of the Omni Shoreham by clicking on the postcard.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy climate change organization focused on national policies to address the national and global climate crisis. Sign up to join the Austin chapter and learn about more programs and actions you can take by following this link.

Texas State Capitol Rotunda

CCL Texas Lobby Day 2025 a Success

On By Carolyn M. AppletonIn CCLATX, Citizens' Climate Lobby, Texas Lobby DayLeave a comment

First and foremost, we wish to thank those who took the time to meet with our Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers on April 1. We know how busy you are, and we deeply appreciate your listening to our concerns and suggestions.

Many Austin chapter members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby participated in this year’s Texas Lobby Day at the Texas State Capitol. Our volunteers were prepped in a detailed and enjoyable training session at St. David’s Episcopal in downtown Austin, with Lobby Day following on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Training session at St. David's Episcopal Church.
Training session at St. David’s Episcopal. Photo collage by Carolyn M. Appleton.

Volunteers traveled from across Texas to participate. Did you know? There are more than 11,000 Citizens’ Climate Lobby advocates in the State of Texas!

The information we shared with our elected officials and their staff members on April 1 was wide ranging, but focused.

Expand Transmission: We support HB 3069 which upgrades the planning process for ERCOT’s economic evaluation of transmission projects, including evaluating the cost/benefit relationship over 10 years versus the current 3-year period.

The Texas grid isn’t keeping pace with the state’s growth. This mismatch is leading to increased energy costs, reliability issues, and potential barriers to future economic development.

CCL volunteers on the Texas Capitol Grounds.
CCL Volunteers gathering for a group photo on the grounds of the Capitol prior to going through security and visiting with elected officials. Photo collage by Carolyn M. Appleton.

Increase Energy Efficiency: We support SB 1915 that requires utilities to meet new annual energy savings goals and HB 3826 which would establish the Texas Energy Efficiency Council.

Energy efficiency is an important element of grid resilience because it reduces peak demand in both summer and winter; it lowers energy bills due to reduced consumption; and energy efficiency measures can relieve pressure on the grid in the short term while we’re working on expanding long-term supply. That’s important because it will be a few years before new natural gas generation is up and running.

Expand Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Deployment: Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are things like rooftop solar, and solar and batteries on homes and businesses, electric vehicles and smart thermostats. These are technologies that can be deployed quickly to increase grid capacity.

We support SB 1202, and its companion HB 2304, which would streamline approval processes for home distributed energy resources. It allows homeowners to use third parties for inspections rather than depending on city inspectors.

We also support HB 3346, which would allow small customers to receive fair compensation for excess energy that they’re able to generate and/or store in batteries and sell to the grid when supplies are tight. We had a pilot program that provided proof of concept, now it’s time to write it into law.

Last but not least, we urged those who are not already members of the nonpartisan Texas Energy and Climate Caucus to join. The world is decarbonizing to reduce climate pollution, and we need to have constructive conversations on policies that will best position Texans to participate in the huge economic opportunities of this decades-long global trend.

CCL volunteers at the office of John H. Bucy, III.
CCL volunteers are shown here in the office of John H. Bucy, III. Photo by Carolyn M. Appleton. Note to those at the State Capitol needing more technical information and advice: Rowen Kliethermes shown at right is highly trained and very knowledgeable. She would be an excellent resource onsite.

Our first attempt at taking video “shorts” is now available on YouTube @citizensclimatelobbyatx.

This “short” shows our volunteers departing St. David’s Episcopal for the State Capitol bright and early on April 1, 2025. CCL volunteers are of all ages and backgrounds! We hope you will join us.

Join Citizens’ Climate Lobby today! We would welcome your help. To join is free of charge and our Austin Chapter is housed within the national conversation platform. Follow the link to sign up and learn more!

CCL Conservative Conference

Conservative Conference in Washington, D.C. and Preserving Clean Energy Tax Credits

On By Carolyn M. AppletonIn Inflation Reduction ActLeave a comment

Follow Up

Now that the conference is over, you might enjoy this 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 review 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.

IRA HandoutDownload

Original Post …

Next week is the Citizens’ Climate Lobby Conservative Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. Right-of-center CCL volunteers will meet with Republican offices. Their primary request in the lobby day meetings will be to preserve the clean energy tax credits of the Inflation Reduction Act. And we will probably be defending the IRA’s clean energy tax credits for a while! Budget reconciliation takes a long time as all the spending and cuts get hammered out. This is an essential start to the process.

The resolution the United States House of Representatives just passed as we post this article, directs all the committees in the House to either spend or cut certain amounts from their budgets for the next 10 years. Remember, the budget reconciliation process is a partisan one and Republicans are in charge of it this time. So, it is strategically helpful that Republican offices will hear first from fellow conservatives on this issue.

CCL’s national office notes,

“Some energy provisions and regulations that relate to the clean energy tax credits would fall under the jurisdiction of the Energy & Commerce Committee, which as noted earlier, has to cut $880 billion. But tax credits themselves are in the jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee. That committee can spend an additional $4.5 trillion, but that amount is intended to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. So, when it comes to the clean energy tax credits, we’re likely to see a collaborative discussion across these key committees.”

CCL Conservatives

If you haven’t already joined Citizens’ Climate Lobby via its secure community platform, do so today! It is free to all, and once you sign up – including joining our “TX Austin” chapter – you will receive information direct to your inbox. Although registration for our Conservative Climate Change Leadership Conference and Lobby Day is now closed, you will definitely want to be following the proceedings and checking YouTube for any recordings that are posted there.

Follow-up actions for all volunteers including those in our TX Austin chapter will be shared by the staff of Citizens’ Climate Lobby as well. We need your help now more than ever!

Permitting Reform

Action Item: Ask Congress to Enact Further Permitting Reform

On By CCLATXIn Clean Energy, Inflation Reduction Act, Permitting ReformLeave a comment

The summer 2024 Citizens’ Climate Lobby conference in Washington, D.C. was a great success. As part of that event, 442 information-packed meetings were held with elected officials.

Following up on those meetings, we need your help. Follow the link to email your elected officials to urge them boost transmission projects, improve early community involvement, and to speed up the pace with which the U.S. builds and deploys new clean energy projects.

This is a simple task but exceedingly important. For without permitting reform, roughly half of the potential carbon pollution reductions from the Inflation Reduction Act will be lost.

Just like you need a building permit to expand your home, big energy projects must get written approval from local, state, and/or federal authorities to start construction. There are three key parts to successful energy permitting reform:

Siting/building clean energy projects

    Right now, it takes an average of 4.5 years for federal agencies just to complete environmental impact statements for major energy projects. These are important assessments, but we need them to move faster and speed up the pace with which we build new clean energy projects. Congress took the first steps to address this in the June 2023 debt ceiling bill.

    Transmitting that clean energy across the country

      Thanks to tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act, development of new solar and wind energy projects will grow exponentially. But building them is only part of the challenge – they also need to be connected to the grid to move power to the houses and businesses that need them. Ultimately, we need to triple our current capacity to transmit clean electricity by 2050.

      Involving local communities

        Better permitting allows local communities to give their input on energy projects early in the process and choose good projects over bad ones. Good projects should be approved faster, harmful projects should be rejected faster, and all new projects should safeguard the lives and health of people living nearby.

        Thank you for taking the time to email your elected representatives!

        Conservative case for clean energy

        The Conservative Case for Clean Energy and Climate Security Action

        On By CCLATXIn Clean Energy, Faith and ClimateLeave a comment

        Despite partisan politics, there’s a strong synergy between conservation efforts, carbon emissions reduction, and conservative principles. I am an advocate of traditional conservative policies – from balanced budgets and eliminating deficits in government, to personal responsibility and social policies which value life though clean air, water and energy. I have supported conservative candidates throughout my life beginning with serving as part of Governor Bill Clements’ election campaign staff.

        Additionally, as a native Texan and ministry leader for 18 years, my love for this state and my faith drive me to leave the world in better condition than I found it—as I believe is the case for millions of Texans. We must continue to reduce greenhouse gases and promote technology that aids this mission to protect the natural, God-given beauty of our state and nation. To do that, we need smart, practical and bipartisan climate solutions from Washington to Texas.

        Texas has always been a leader when it comes to developing the energy resources with which we have been blessed, which has increasingly—and rightfully— included renewables like wind and solar power. As America’s power grid faces rising demand, it is imperative that our congressional delegation, including Senator John Cornyn, find bipartisan solutions that support clean energy as part of an all-the-above energy strategy that will address conservation and emissions reduction efforts for a more sustainable future while making America more energy independent.

        While climate change is a complex issue, understanding it comes down to the basic principle that greenhouse gas emissions released by human activity are the primary cause of global warming that’s leading to climate change. The data supporting this is decidedly not partisan—over two-thirds of Republicans agree—and has been on scientists’ radar for many years. It is time for us to apply 21st century-solutions to this growing problem that threatens communities across Texas and the country.

        Conservative and religious figures from Billy Graham to President Ronald Reagan have a long history of supporting conservation and environmental protection efforts. Rev. Graham called for us to be the “trustees of God’s creation” and said, “we aren’t to abuse it or neglect it”. Whether the impetus lies in acting as good stewards of God’s creation or protecting our natural resources from the ravages of pollution, as President Reagan spoke of, conservatives have been active on these issues for generations—and we must continue to lead the way in advancing policies that address carbon emissions and clean energy in a way that protects our people, our land, and our economy.

        Lawmakers from Austin to Washington, D.C., must work together to advance pragmatic, bipartisan, fiscally sound solutions to the climate and energy challenges we face. Doing so will not only help us continue to protect and preserve our environment for generations, but will also help attract new businesses and industries to the state, which in turn will help create new jobs for hardworking Texans and strengthen local economies.

        Investing in renewable energy, as well as new, emerging carbon-capture technologies, can help us support the growing need for energy in a way that benefits Texas communities. As it is, millions of Texans are already paying a hefty price for the lack of energy security, both through their wallets and with their health. We pay more for air conditioning due to our rising temperatures, we are experiencing more frequent extreme weather events that prevent families from keeping the lights on, and we are spending more due to congestion from outdated transmission lines.

        Without a doubt, energy security and the need for more clean energy is now more important than ever. We need lawmakers to continue supporting and advancing bipartisan solutions that help reduce emissions and increase our clean energy capabilities, while protecting our environment, creating jobs and powering a stronger, more sustainable economy.

        Larry Linenschmidt

        Larry is a native Texan, activist, and ministry leader

        Published by the Austin American-Statesman

        June 9, 2024

        LTE Under Consideration: COP28 – Progress, Yes! But We Need More

        On By Kalpana SutariaIn CCLATXLeave a comment

        Re: December 14, 2023, Statesman article, “Nations across globe agree to transition away from fossil fuels”

        Nearly 200 nations agree for the first time to transition away from fossil fuels. A step in the right direction with spirit of cooperation but it is a small step. In 2015, nations agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times. Despite ramping up of renewable power and energy efficiency to reduce emissions, warming has reached 1.2 degrees Celsius above the mid 1800s. Temperatures are trending up, not stabilizing due to large amounts of CO2 that has collected in the atmosphere that would continue to warm even if we stop burning fossil fuels today.

        Like the Paris Accord, these agreements by nations are non-binding and aspirational. The COP28 agreement allows loopholes to powerful oil producing countries.

        What can citizens of these countries do?  Reach out to your lawmakers, demand investments and policies to lower use of fossil fuels for improvement to health and well-being of people.

        Kalpana Sutaria

        Project Manager, City of Austin and Austin Metro Chapter, Citizens’ Climate Lobby

        Submitted to the Austin American-Statesman

        December 14, 2023

        Austin, Texas USA

        LTE Under Consideration: We need resilient infrastructure and global climate plan now

        On By Kalpana SutariaIn Texas LegislatureLeave a comment

        Re: November 10, Op-Ed “We need resilient infrastructure and global climate plan now”

        Thanks to representative Zwiener for co-founding the Texas House Caucus on Climate, Environment and Energy Industry and getting 30 members to join. We need such lawmakers to honestly look at the facts on climate change crisis and take action for health and well- being of their constituents.

        The response of the Texas Legislature to the problems of the electric grid during and after the winter storm Uri, has been nothing but disheartening.  Loss of 210 lives, $80 billion plus dollars in damages and unbelievable suffering of Texans was not enough for the Legislature to take strong action. The state climatologist John Neilsen-Gammon has reported that Texas is vulnerable to a wide range of natural hazards, most of which are weather and climate events.

        Yes, we need resilient infrastructure, that will figure climate change as part of planning, and that will reduce harmful emissions by transitioning to cleaner sources of energy.

        Kalpana Sutaria

        Project Manager, City of Austin and Member, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Austin

        Submitted to the Austin American-Statesman

        May 2023

        Wake-Up Calls for Our Fossil Fuel Addiction Kicking our fossil fuel addiction is good for the climate, our health, our economy, and geopolitical stability

        On By CCLATXIn Fossil FuelsLeave a comment

        Nations fight wars over resources and use them as cudgels to influence and control the policies of other nations. We have seen this dynamic at play with energy resources for decades, including now with Ukraine and Western Europe.

        Why didn’t all nations stop buying Russian oil and gas, or even condemn Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine? Because they are addicted to Russian oil and gas. Like drug addicts, many nations would experience extreme withdrawal symptoms, both economic and political, if Russia stopped the flow. And even though the U.S. is effectively energy independent, disruptions in the global oil/gas market impact energy prices here, in turn impacting our jobs, economy, and politics.

        Those are the geopolitical facts of life of oil and gas addiction. We have received many wake-up calls since at least the early Seventies: Ukraine is just the latest. Yet we remain as addicted as ever.

        And our addiction impacts more than just geopolitics. Alarms are also ringing for Earth’s warming climate, as they have for over 30 years. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report just gave its most dire warnings yet. We are urgently in need of waking up, as it is now clear there will be seriously harmful social, economic, and environmental consequences to continuing our fossil fuels addiction.

        Fossil fuels have been the main catalyst for advances in human welfare over the past few centuries, and we will need to continue burning them to some degree for many decades to come. But there is no doubt that the time has come to wean ourselves from them – and quickly.

        The transition away from fossil fuels will entail disruptions to business as usual. All transitions do – like the Industrial Revolution, the switch from horses to cars, or the digital revolution. All change generates resistance, but most people would agree these disruptions were worth it, that humanity ultimately ended up healthier and more prosperous.

        Likewise, our transition away from fossil fuels is generating resistance, but the benefits of conquering our fossil fuel addiction will be enormous, far outweighing any disadvantages. Within a few decades, we can generate huge numbers of new jobs, save trillions of dollars in energy costs and trillions in GDP, and another trillion in health care costs due to a reduction in things like strokes, heart attacks, asthma attacks, and other air quality-related maladies. We can reduce our vulnerability to energy-related geopolitical storms. Russia or OPEC will no longer hold democratic nations hostage by threatening to cut off their gas or oil. We can live in a nation where the cost of energy doesn’t go up and down at the whims of other nations who do not have our best interests at heart. We can halt the trends of deadlier storms, more intense heat waves, droughts and water scarcity, wildfires, floods, rising seas, reduced agricultural output, biodiversity loss, and the death of coral reefs, the incubators for so much ocean life.

        To achieve all this, we have to dedicate ourselves to kicking our habit.

        Step 1 of recovery from our addiction is to end denial and admit a problem exists. We are finally entering that stage with climate. Polling data indicates a large majority of U.S. citizens now agree the climate is warming, worry about it, and agree humans are the cause. Now for our next step to recovery: Forge plans of action to change our unhealthy behaviors and follow through on them. Put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, convert to clean energy sources, remake our transportation system, and redouble our energy efficiency efforts. It’s time we stop hitting the snooze button on our fossil fuel addiction.

        Bob Hendricks is a Citizens’ Climate Lobby congressional liaison and Texas state coordinator and a longtime political and environmental activist in Austin. Mark Warren is a Citizens’ Climate Lobby Austin member, Business Climate Lobby member, a longtime environmentalist, and a native Austinite born here in 1950.

        The Austin Chronicle

        May 13, 2022

        Energy is ‘cheap’ only if you ignore the environmental costs

        On By CCLATXIn Texas Railroad CommissionLeave a comment

        Re: Feb. 12 letter to the editor, “Liberals’ goal of implementing deal would drive up energy costs.”

        The Texas Railroad Commission’s chair refers to Texas’ oil and gas as “cheap and reliable energy.” Leaving aside his claim of reliability, he can call Texas petroleum “cheap” only by ignoring the immense cost of its contributions to air pollution and climate degradation.

        This is a classic market failure. Markets work properly only if prices reflect costs, and petroleum prices that omit its environmental costs amount to an enormous subsidy, giving fossil fuels an unfair advantage over clean energy sources such as wind, solar and nuclear.

        To correct the market failure, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would correct the market failure by imposing a fee on fossil fuels. To avoid shocking the economy, the fee begins small and rises on a predictable schedule. To prevent hardship for low-income families, the fee’s proceeds are returned to American families, giving the plan its nickname, “Carbon Cashback.”

        Hamilton Richards

        Austin American-Statesman

        February 18, 2022

        We need more Texas lawmakers to confront the reality of climate change

        On By CCLATXIn Texas House CaucusLeave a comment

        Re: Nov. 10 commentary, “We need resilient infrastructure and global climate plan now.”

        Thanks to Rep. Zwiener for co-founding the Texas House Caucus on Climate, Environment and the Energy Industry and getting 30 members to join. We need such lawmakers to honestly look at the facts on climate change crisis and take action for health and well-being of their constituents.

        The response of the Texas Legislature to the problems of the electric grid during and after the February winter storm has been nothing but disheartening. The loss of at least 210 lives and $80 billion in damages, and unbelievable suffering of Texans was not enough for the legislature to take strong action. The state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon has reported that Texas is vulnerable to a wide range of natural hazards, most of which are weather and climate events.

        Yes, we need resilient infrastructure that will figure climate change as part of planning and that will reduce harmful emissions by transitioning to cleaner sources of energy.

        Kalpana Sutaria

        Austin American-Statesman

        November 16, 2021