Data for Climate Progress - No Bones, No COPing out on Climate - 11.05.21
What We’re Watching
Infrastructure week, do you COPy?
President Biden has left COP26 with a renewed responsibility to the international community to act on climate. Although Biden has already returned from Glasgow, our polling shows that voters want the U.S. to cooperate with world leaders to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.
Infrastructure and BIF negotiations continue and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is signaling that a vote on both bills may come as early as today. DFP polling finds that voters in 12 key states support the Build Back Better agenda.
While the climate Grim Reaper Senator Joe Manchin put an end to the Clean Energy Performance Program (CEPP), the White House has assured that climate funding will be a high priority in the reconciliation process. A topline of $555 billion for climate was recently announced by the White House in a framework for the Build Back Better Act, making climate the single largest component of the roughly $2 trillion package and solidifying BBB as the biggest climate investment in U.S. history.
COP26
Legislators have been busy trying to uphold momentum on climate policy this week as COP26 carries on:
The White House issued a report detailing a long-term strategy to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and President Biden joined other world leaders in signing onto a global pledge to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, with Congressman Steny Hoyer following his lead and introducing legislation to help the U.S. meet this goal.
The White House also announced a plan for the EPA to regulate methane emissions, reversing course on the Trump administration rollbacks to existing methane regulations. This GHG is 28-36 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is the second-largest industrial source of climate pollution from the oil and gas industry, thus making this plan a big win for climate.
In yet another reversal of Trump-era policies, the U.S. and European Commission announced a bilateral agreement on steel. The new deal is set to improve the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness and bolster American-made steel and aluminum production, and facilitate emissions reductions by incentivizing low-carbon steel production. Read more about pathways for decarbonizing the industrial sector while prioritizing American manufacturing and creation of good paying jobs in our recent Made Clean in America series.
Earlier this week, DfP’s own Marcela Mulholland (@x3Marcela_) joined the Brian Leher radio show to discuss The Generational Divide in Climate Policy at COP26, speaking on the growing urgency for Congress to pass the BIF and BBBA and the inspiration behind her Halloween costume.
Polling
Voters Want the U.S. to Lead on Climate
At a critical moment for the Build Back Better Act, voters want it passed with bold climate action at its core. Our new polling with Climate Power finds that voters overwhelmingly agree that the U.S. should be a global leader on climate change. We also find that the Build Back Better plan — including the key climate and clean energy provisions — remains popular, and voters want to see the Build Back Better plan take significant steps towards reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Three-quarters of all voters (75 percent), including 92 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Independents, and 57 percent of Republicans, agree the U.S. should work with other countries to combat climate change and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. You can read more highlights from the polling here.
Voters Want Climate Action in the BBB
As Congress nails down the details of the revised Build Back Better Act, our new polling with the Sierra Club finds that climate and clean energy investments enjoy high levels of support from voters across party lines.
Some of the most popular proposals among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans include investments to improve energy efficiency in buildings, expand and strengthen our power grid to handle more renewable energy, and make solar panels more accessible for families and small businesses. You can read more highlights from the polling here.
No Climate, No Deal
Young people have used their critical voices to ensure that bold, equitable climate investments remain in the Build Back Better Act. In a new DFP blog, Senator Ed Markey highlights how ambitious climate action can deliver jobs and justice to frontline communities.
Nearly three-quarters of likely voters (72 percent) — and an overwhelming 82 percent of voters under 45 — think it is important that government investments in climate and clean energy deliver economic benefits to frontline communities.
Cross-Cutting Issues
Last week, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing featuring some of the U.S.’s top oil executives to speak on the decades-long fossil fuel disinformation efforts of their employers. Check out our tweets on the hearing here and here.
It is no secret that Big Pharma and Big Oil have been lobbying members of Congress while donating millions to their campaigns to advance their corporate interests. DFP recently detailed how Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who have become infamous for stalling progress on passing the BBB agenda, are the 2018 Senate class’s top recipients of contributions from lobbyists. In a recently published blog, we assess how together, the two top the list of their Senate cohort — both Democrats and Republicans. Read more here.
In an electoral first, Michelle Wu won Boston’s mayoral race this week. Wu, the city’s first woman of color to serve as mayor, ran on a progressive platform advocating for investments in green energy, clean air and water for residents and making public transportation usage free. Check out our recent polling to learn more about Wu’s progressive policies.
Lead Locally
November election results
The November elections have just ended, and we’re still digesting the results, but it’s clear that there were some major wins for the climate! This was the year of the Climate Mayor! Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dearborn all elected strong leaders running on climate and the Green New Deal!
Major wins:
Michelle Wu will be the next mayor of Boston! Wu has run as one of the most vocal Green New Deal mayoral candidates, and actually wrote a comprehensive ‘Green New Deal for Boston” detailing climate and environmental justice measures the city can take to move to 100% clean energy and serve the city’s most marginalized in the process. Her signature “Free the T” platform will make public transit in Boston free, and give a huge boost to the movement for free public transportation in cities across the country - a huge win for the climate, accessibility, and equity! She’ll also be Boston’s first woman or person of color to act as mayor.
Abdullah Hammoud will be the next mayor of Dearborn, MI! Hammoud has been a progressive climate champion in the Michigan legislature, and is bringing that leadership to Dearborn! During his 5-years in state office, Hammoud led the votes to shut down a controversial oil pipeline (Line 5), consistently voted for urgent climate action, and stood up to the utilities and rescinded regressive caps on affordable rooftop solar. He ran on a plan to increase the city’s green jobs and resilient infrastructure as Michigan experiences record climate-induced flooding, and will be the city’s first Arab American mayor.
Justin Bibb will be the next Mayor of Cleveland! Bibb’s committed that on his first day of office he will instruct Cleveland Public Power to start transitioning off of dirty coal power, which it gets from the country’s 3rd largest emitting coal plant, and will fight for new renewable energy jobs for the city. In the last year, the utility First Energy has been at the heart of political corruption in Ohio and Bibb was the only candidate running for mayor who pledged not to receive any contributions from it or it’s associates.
Azrin Awal and Mike Mayou will both be on the Duluth City Council! Mayou and Azrin Awal ran with the backing of local progressive groups like DSA Twin Ports, Duluth for Clean Water, and Take Action MN for Duluth City Council to make MN’s 4th largest city one of the greenest. In office, they’ll push to expedite the city’s move to clean energy, require new buildings to not use gas as a primary source of heat, and fight a proposed mine that threatens Duluth’s drinking water.
Reggie Harris will be on the Cincinnati City Council! Reggie ran alongside a slate of climate candidates organized by Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund (nearly all of whom won!) who will expedite the city’s carbon reduction plans, build new public transit, and implement measures ensuring environmental justice. It was a unique year in Cincinnati where, due to a string of scandal-related resignations, the city voted for an almost entirely new city council - and we’re so excited to see what all the new progressives on Council can get done!
We’re Hiring
DFP is looking for a part-time Copy Editor to work closely with Data for Progress’ communications team to copy edit memos, blogs, press releases, polls, and other external and internal materials.
Media Hits
Climate policy
Sierra Club (DFP mention)
Sludge (DFP mention)
FiveThirtyEight (DFP mention)
NBC (Sean quoted)
Huffpost (Sean quoted)
MIT Management (Julian quoted)
Common Dreams (Marcela quoted)
Common Dreams (DFP mention)
Huffpost (DFP mention)
Vox (DFP mention)
National Review (DFP mention)
Biden
Morning Consult (DFP mention)
The Nation (DFP mention)
Meme