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Summer 2025 Lobby Training: Primary and Secondary Asks

Presentation Slides: cclusa.org/july-10-training��July 10, 2025

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About the Speakers

Jennifer Tyler

Vice President of

Government Affairs

for Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Dana Nuccitelli

Research Manager for Citizens’ Climate Lobby

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Three Learning Goals

Learn about our primary asks

Understand why we chose those asks, and the data supporting them

Learn about our secondary asks

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Where Things Stand

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Where Things Stand Now

A couple of weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Republican reconciliation bill we have been lobbying on since early this year.
The bill included rollbacks and weakening of most of the clean energy tax credits, especially wind and solar credits.
Even though the legislation is a setback for clean energy and the climate, thanks in part to our lobbying, the final bill was about 25% less costly than the initial version - both to pocketbooks and to the climate.

✅ It tells a cohesive story.

Members of Congress and their staff hear dozens of asks every day. A unified message helps our priorities stand out by tying them together in a clear, values-driven narrative: We need smart policies to keep energy affordable and reliable by accelerating the clean energy transition.

✅ It’s grounded in current events.

The reconciliation bill rolled back several key clean energy provisions. That makes our message more urgent and relevant:

🧠 8. It supports more focused meetings.

With one clear through-line, your meetings can stay tighter and more persuasive. You won’t have to reframe the conversation three times. Instead, you can build one story and reinforce it with each ask.

✅ It appeals across the political spectrum.

Whether you care about climate, costs, jobs, innovation, or national competitiveness, supporting clean energy makes sense. This framing gives our volunteers flexibility to meet their audience where they are—while still reinforcing a consistent message.

🏗️ 6. It frames us as solution-oriented, not just reactive.

Rather than only responding to what went wrong in reconciliation, we’re offering a proactive, forward-looking path that shows what Congress can do next to keep progress going. We’re not just asking them to undo cuts—we’re giving them a smart, achievable roadmap.

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Why Our Voice Matters Now

Lawmakers need to know this vote wasn’t the end
Without a visible constituent response, they’ll assume:

Voters don’t care
Special interests hold sway

But we’re not just reacting - we’re ready with solutions
We’re in this for the long haul

Advocacy is about long-term relationships - even in tough moments
Showing up now reinforces that we’re credible, consistent partners ready to help shape what comes next

✅ It tells a cohesive story.

Members of Congress and their staff hear dozens of asks every day. A unified message helps our priorities stand out by tying them together in a clear, values-driven narrative: We need smart policies to keep energy affordable and reliable by accelerating the clean energy transition.

✅ It’s grounded in current events.

The reconciliation bill rolled back several key clean energy provisions. That makes our message more urgent and relevant:

🧠 8. It supports more focused meetings.

With one clear through-line, your meetings can stay tighter and more persuasive. You won’t have to reframe the conversation three times. Instead, you can build one story and reinforce it with each ask.

✅ It appeals across the political spectrum.

Whether you care about climate, costs, jobs, innovation, or national competitiveness, supporting clean energy makes sense. This framing gives our volunteers flexibility to meet their audience where they are—while still reinforcing a consistent message.

🏗️ 6. It frames us as solution-oriented, not just reactive.

Rather than only responding to what went wrong in reconciliation, we’re offering a proactive, forward-looking path that shows what Congress can do next to keep progress going. We’re not just asking them to undo cuts—we’re giving them a smart, achievable roadmap.

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Primary Asks

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Primary Asks

Republicans: Support the Clean Energy Transition for Affordable and Reliable Power

Fund Key Clean Energy Programs
Fix Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation
Permitting Reform

Democrats: Advancing Clean Energy for a Safer Climate and Affordable Power

Permitting Reform
Fund Key Clean Energy Programs

Topline Ask for All Offices: Support the clean energy transition

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Why This Overarching Message?

It tells a cohesive story.
It’s grounded in current events.
It supports more focused meetings.
It frames us as solution-oriented, not just reactive.

✅ It tells a cohesive story.

Members of Congress and their staff hear dozens of asks every day. A unified message helps our priorities stand out by tying them together in a clear, values-driven narrative: We need smart policies to keep energy affordable and reliable by accelerating the clean energy transition.

✅ It’s grounded in current events.

The reconciliation bill rolled back several key clean energy provisions. That makes our message more urgent and relevant:

🧠 8. It supports more focused meetings.

With one clear through-line, your meetings can stay tighter and more persuasive. You won’t have to reframe the conversation three times. Instead, you can build one story and reinforce it with each ask.

✅ It appeals across the political spectrum.

Whether you care about climate, costs, jobs, innovation, or national competitiveness, supporting clean energy makes sense. This framing gives our volunteers flexibility to meet their audience where they are—while still reinforcing a consistent message.

🏗️ 6. It frames us as solution-oriented, not just reactive.

Rather than only responding to what went wrong in reconciliation, we’re offering a proactive, forward-looking path that shows what Congress can do next to keep progress going. We’re not just asking them to undo cuts—we’re giving them a smart, achievable roadmap.

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Message for Republican MOCs:

Support the Clean Energy Transition for Affordable and Reliable Power

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Primary Asks for Republican Offices

We urge Congress to support targeted, pragmatic policies that enable clean energy to compete, scale, and deliver dependable power to Americans.

Fund Key Clean Energy Programs in FY26 Appropriations
Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform
Fix Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation

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Fund Key Clean Energy Programs

Congress is working on appropriations – allocating funds to federal agencies and programs for Fiscal Year 2026
We urge Congress to reject proposed cuts and fully fund key programs essential to energy innovation and reliability
Focusing on clean energy for now; will do a comprehensive ask for NOAA in August

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Strengthen U.S. energy leadership & competitiveness

Reduce costs for taxpayers/ratepayers

Ensure the grid can meet rising demand

Fund Key Clean Energy Programs

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Key Department of Energy Programs

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Proposed Cut: $2.572 billion (74%)
Funds early-stage R&D activities that are critical to US global energy leadership
Cuts would zero out programs such as solar, wind, and hydrogen, dramatically slowing the development of the cost-cutting technologies needed to lower American energy bills

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Key Department of Energy Programs

ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency)

Proposed Cut: $260 million (57%)
Develops cutting-edge energy technologies that keep the U.S. ahead of global competitors while driving down costs for American consumers
Cuts would jeopardize the pipeline of high-impact technologies that the private sector cannot yet support on its own—slowing progress and risking our global edge

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Fix Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation

The budget bill went too far in cutting clean energy tax credits that have played a critical role in lowering energy costs, helping to meet growing electricity demand, and spurring domestic manufacturing and job creation.

Among the most important—and most severely cut—are 48E and 45Y, which support low-cost solar and wind development, and 25C, which helps homeowners invest in energy-saving upgrades.

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Fix Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation

We urge Congress to:

Reject any guidance that further restricts these clean energy tax credits
Consider implementation of policies that ease their phaseout, reduce uncertainty, and provide the market with the stability needed to keep energy affordable and dependable for American families and businesses

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Lower energy costs

Spur domestic manufacturing and job creation

Help meet growing electricity demand

Reject further cuts/ ease phaseout of credits

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Key Supporting Data

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Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform

Permitting Bottlenecks Are Holding Back American Energy

We urge Congress to resume bipartisan efforts towards permitting reform.
The bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 is a strong starting point.
If the U.S. is serious about delivering affordable and reliable clean energy to American households, we must learn how to build again.

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Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform

Expanding Transmission Is Critical to Meeting Rising Energy Demand

Meeting America’s future energy needs will require doubling or even tripling transmission capacity—something we can’t do without serious permitting reform.
Permitting reform should be done responsibly—streamlining project approvals while preserving community input and upholding the integrity of our core environmental protections.

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Supports American energy independence

Reduces energy costs

Increases grid reliability

Advance Smart Permitting Reform

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Message for Democratic MOCs:

Advancing Clean Energy for a Safer Climate and Affordable Power

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Primary Asks for Democratic Offices

Now more than ever, we must accelerate clean energy development and deployment by addressing the remaining barriers: advancing smart permitting reform and fully funding the federal programs that help scale clean energy, lower costs, and support long-term reliability.

Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform
Fund Key Clean Energy Programs in FY26 Appropriations

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Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform

With Fewer Incentives, Permitting Reform Matters More Than Ever

Speeding up the process to expand & modernize our electric transmission system is critical to meeting our climate goals.
Even with the IRA cuts, the vast majority of new power generation added to the grid will be clean.
Permitting reform is how we ensure that clean energy can scale quickly enough to meet demand, lower costs, and reduce emissions.

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Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform

To Hit Our Climate Targets, We Must Speed Up Transmission Buildout

We’ve only been expanding our electricity transmission capacity by 1% annually, well below the 2% rate seen in prior decades.
Building a new electrical transmission line, on average, takes over a decade.
We need to build energy infrastructure faster to lower our emissions at the speed and scale necessary to meet our climate ambition.

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Advance Smart Energy Permitting Reform

Bipartisan permitting reform can start from the Energy Permitting Reform Act, including:

Streamlining permitting authority for interstate transmission lines, preserving state involvement
Establishing key categorical exclusions for low impact projects
A reasonable statute of limitations for lawsuits
Increasing early community input and preserving the integrity of our bedrock environmental laws

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Helps meet energy demand

Reduces energy costs

Reduces emissions

Advance Smart Permitting Reform

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Why Permitting Reform Still Benefits Clean Energy the Most

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Fund Key Clean Energy Programs

This part of the primary ask will be the same for Democrats as Republicans
Congress is working on appropriations – allocating funds to federal agencies and programs for 2026 Fiscal Year
We urge Congress to reject proposed cuts and fully fund key programs essential to energy innovation and reliability

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Secondary Asks

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Secondary Asks

Democratic House Offices & All of Senate Ask - Fix Our Forests Act
Optional House & Senate Republican Offices Ask - Foreign Pollution Tariff Legislation

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What does Fix Our Forests do?

House passed its version (H.R. 471) in January

Comprehensive, bipartisan legislation that:

Restores forest health
Increases resiliency to catastrophic wildfires
Builds fire-safety defenses for communities in high-risk areas

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Improved Senate Version

S. 1462 introduced in April by Senators Curtis (R-UT), Hickenlooper (D-CO), Sheehy (R-MT), Padilla (D-CA)

Includes Wildfire Intelligence Center, Firesafe Electrical Corridors
Gives tribes greater authority to initiate and lead forest resilience projects on federal and tribal lands
Stronger Community Wildfire Risk Reduction provisions to make homes and structures more resilient and prevent urban conflagrations like in Los Angeles and Maui
Removes the requirement that groups comment during the comment period in order to challenge a project in court
Maintains early public project input

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Fix Our Forests Act Asks

For Democratic Representatives: ask to vote for the Senate bill when it comes back to the House
For all Senators: ask to vote in favor when it comes to the floor

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Optional Secondary Ask for Republicans:

�Look into foreign pollution tariff legislation

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Foreign Pollution Tariffs

American-made products are 40% less carbon intensive than the global average
Currently, the U.S. imports 75% of goods from less carbon-efficient countries
A foreign pollution tariff would allow US industries to leverage their carbon advantage, outcompete dirtier competition
The Foreign Pollution Fee Act is a good example of a carbon tariff bill (see Training)

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	House and Senate Democrats	Senate Republicans	House Republicans
Primary Ask	Support the Clean Energy Transition Permitting Reform Fund Clean Energy Programs	Support the Clean Energy Transition Fund Clean Energy Programs Tax Credit Implementation Permitting Reform
Secondary Ask	Fix Our Forests Act	Fix Our Forests Act Optional Foreign Pollution Tariff	Optional Foreign Pollution Tariff

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Additional Training and Resources

Lobby Training #3: Lobby Plan Q&A - Monday, July 14 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Climate Advocate Workshop

In advance, online July 13th, 2 p.m. ET
At the conference, Monday, July 21st at 1:30 pm

Preparing for CCL’s Summer Conference
Lobby Meeting Toolkit

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Time For Questions

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Log Your Training

At the End of each Training:

Through the Action Tracker:

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Thank You!

Questions? Ask on CCL Community’s Forums: https://community.citizensclimate.org/forums

www.citizensclimatelobby.org