[DATE]

Dear Congressional Leaders,

As leaders in our communities working to address the climate crisis, we are deeply concerned about attacks on protections to our climate, clean air and water. Because of the pro-climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the suite of standards and executive actions set forward by the Biden administration, the United States’ climate goals are now within reach. Now, on the brink of a new administration and Congress, we write to express adamant opposition to any effort to roll back this progress.

Rolling back climate progress would be a disaster for the health and safety of our communities, the strength of our economy, and the stability of our environment, with disproportionate impacts on frontline communities over-burdened by pollution. In 2024 alone we experienced the hottest summer on record as well as multiple devastating hurricanes, including Hurricane Helene that killed over 200 people and caused over an estimated $200 billion in damages, among other climate change-driven disasters such as wildfires and flooding. As the human, financial, and infrastructure costs of increasingly intense and frequent extreme weather, fueled by the climate crisis, continue to rise, we cannot go back.

As both Democrats and Republicans have publicly claimed, climate and clean energy policies have been a key driver of recent economic growth and benefits. Over the past several years, federal climate initiatives created over 330,000 new clean energy jobs across the U.S., helped consumers lower their energy bills, and through the Justice40 Initiative and other programs, invested in frontline communities that have experienced environmental injustice - all while cutting dangerous pollution fueling extreme weather events. This significant climate progress has put our goal of 50-52% climate pollution reduction by 2030 within reach. Efforts to undermine these popular policies would not just jeopardize our climate goals, exacerbate pollution burdens in frontline communities, and worsen public health, they would stymie clean energy innovation and potentially reverse recent economic and job growth.

There is more work to be done to protect people across the U.S. from extreme weather and climate pollution, while continuing to build a strong and equitable clean energy economy – and we cannot reverse course. We are committed to standing strong for climate and using our voices and platforms to safeguard climate progress.

We will remain vigilant in our defense of federal climate actions that address the climate crisis, accelerate a clean energy economy, and advance environmental justice.

Sincerely,

Please reach out to chall@cacampaign.org if you have any questions.