Data for Climate Progress 12.23.2020 - The #DebforInterior Edition.
Welcome back to the Data for Climate Progress Newsletter, your update on new research, blog posts and memes from the Data for Progress climate team: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Marcela Mulholland and Danielle Deiseroth.
What We’re Watching
#DebforInterior!!!
Last week Representative Deb Haaland was nominated to be the next Secretary of the Interior. If appointed, Haaland would be the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in American history. A Green New Deal co-sponsor who went to the camps erected in the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016, Haaland would reorient the Department of the Interior around Indigenous rights and climate justice. Data for Progress was the first to publicly advocate for Congresswoman Haaland to be appointed Secretary of the Interior and Julian and this team put a ton of work into the effort.
You can read his Politico Magazine profile of the Congresswoman and what her nomination might mean for Indian Country and the Democratic Party here.
Energy Package
Late Sunday night, senior lawmakers reached a compromise on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package which includes remnants of a long-promised energy deal that has taken several forms throughout the 116th Congress. A Data for Progress analysis found a number of positive steps towards decarbonization in the bill. With the law on the President’s desk awaiting his signature, Trump is now threatening to blow the whole thing up.
Polling
Voters really like the new energy package
New Data for Progress polling shows that the bipartisan clean energy and climate package is popular and resilient to opposition arguments.
Voters have noticed the government’s lack of clean energy R&D investments: 46% of all voters think the U.S. has not done enough to support the development of new clean energy technologies.
A majority of voters (63%) think the U.S. should prioritize investments in new clean energy technologies rather than keep the status quo of relying on coal and natural gas.
Even when presented with common talking points against the energy package, a full majority of voters (68%) say they support it.
Georgia on my mind
The Georgia runoff election—which will determine the fate of the Senate, and the extent to which Biden can enact his climate policy agenda—is quickly approaching, and Data for Progress partnered with Be a Hero to poll likely Georgia runoff voters on the Senate races and a variety of progressive policy issues.
Data for Progress found that both races are a toss-up: Raphael Warnock leads Sen. Kelly Loeffler by three points (50% Warnock, 48% Loeffler), while Jon Ossoff narrowly trails Sen. David Perdue by two points (48% Ossoff, 50% Perdue).
However, Georgia voters are broadly supportive of progressive policies. A majority (51%) say they’re be more likely to vote for a candidate who raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour, 52% say they’re more likely to vote for a candidate who supports expanding rural internet access through government subsidies, and 44% are more likely to support a candidate who supports directing 40% of all new clean energy infrastructure investments to low-income communities and communities of color, a key part of Biden’s environmental justice platform.
Policy
Equity Mapping and Screening
President-Elect Joe Biden campaigned on an ambitious environmental and climate justice platform. To deliver on this vision, he needs to revamp and expand on existing federal equity mapping and screening initiatives. Julian and Marcela make the case for one approach in a new essay for Vox.
Climate Executive Actions
Which executive actions Biden takes—and the story that those actions tell—could have immense consequences for both Biden and his party. In an article for Crooked, Danielle and Marcela lay out seven executive actions that wouldn’t just mitigate climate change, but would help Democrats position themselves to gain support to continue this fight after 2022.
Dr. Robert Bullard Reflects on the Movement
Marcela and Julian spoke with the environmental justice icon, Dr. Robert Bullard about how far the movement has come and where he sees it going as well as what environmental justice activists should demand from Biden. Read the full interview here.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
In 2017, Congress opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling as part of President Trump’s massive tax cut for billionaires and corporations. Last month, the Trump Administration announced it will rush approval of oil and gas drilling leases in the Refuge before President-Elect Biden takes office. Lands being opened for drilling are considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in. Our blog shows that a majority of voters (53 percent) oppose the Trump Administration’s actions.
A Yellen Treasury is Good for Climate
Janet Yellen was recently nominated to be the next Treasury Secretary. Her appointment would have significant climate policy implications for the Biden Administration, influencing many things including how future coronavirus relief packages might be funneled towards climate goals. She’s also popular among voters. Our analysis here.
National Investment Authority (NIA)
Saule Omarova participated in a roundtable for The American Prospect on “Public Investment Reimagined.” You can read her contribution to the roundtable here and her report on the NIA published by Data for Progress here.
Cross-Cutting Issues
Rep. Garcia on the Blog
Representative Chuy Garcia makes the case for expanding funding for public transportation in a blog post here. Improving and expanding public transportation would not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it would also help the millions of essential workers who rely on public transit.
Progressive Policies for the Win
Data for Progress co-published a memo with Sunrise Movement, Justice Democrats and New Deal Strategies highlighting key progressive policies that are popular in swing districts. While intra-party conflict continues to play out, we must be clear-eyed about which progressive policies will help us win.
Media Hits
Politico (Julian reporting)
Crooked (Danielle and Marcela op-ed)
Vice (Marcela and Julian op-ed)
Vox (Marcela and Julian op-ed)
The Appeal (Sean co-authored)
Biden
NBC News (DFP mentioned)
Axios (Julian quoted)
NBC News (DFP mentioned)
The Hill (DFP mentioned)
Daily Beast (Sean quoted)
Huffington Post (Marcela quoted)
Truthout (DFP mentioned)
LA Progressive via Truthout (DFP mentioned)
Central Michigan Life (DFP mentioned)
Bloomberg Green (Julian quoted)
Bloomberg Quint (DFP mentioned)
USA Today (DFP mentioned)
Hindustan Times via Bloomberg (Julian quoted)
Washington Post (DFP mentioned)
Common Dreams (DFP mentioned)
Salon (Polling mentioned)
NBC News (DFP mentioned)
COVID relief
Haaland nomination
CBS News (Julian interviewed)
PBS News Hour (Julian interviewed)
Washington Post (Julian quoted)
New York Times (DFP mentioned)
LA Times (Julian quoted)
CNN (Julian quoted)
Buzzfeed (Julian quoted)
Vox (Julian quoted)
The Hill (Julian quoted)
VOA (Julian interviewed)
MTV News (Julian interviewed)
WNYC (Julian interviewed)
The New Republic (Julian mentioned)
The Arizona Republic (Julian quoted)
E&E News (DFP mentioned)
Black Enterprise (Julian quoted)
Miscellaneous
Green Biz (DFP mentioned)
The Stanford Daily (DFP mentioned)
Allegheny Front (Polling mentioned)
Nextcity (Memo cited)
Grist (Julian quoted)
Gizmodo (Memo cited, Fellows Mackenzie Feldman and Jake Higdon quoted)
Politico (DFP mentioned)
Meme
