CCL Action – House Republicans introduce climate resolution

CCL Legislative Director Danny Richter and the DC staff held an impromptu celebration for the Gibson resolution.

Yesterday, 11 Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Rep. Chris Gibson, introduced a resolution acknowledging the threat of climate change and calling for work to begin on economically viable solutions to the problem.

The resolution is a major breakthrough in efforts to launch a bi-partisan dialogue on an issue that has become highly polarized in recent years. We see this as a stepping-stone that allows congressional Republicans to engage in the issue and come to the table with conservative solutions to climate change, such as a revenue-neutral carbon fee.

The Gibson resolution has been many months in the making, and CCL played a major role, along with Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and others, in generating a strong show of support among Republicans. In the weeks ahead, we hope to add more Republican co-sponsors and gain the votes needed for passage. Our volunteers will also be working with local media to generate support through editorials, op-eds and letters to the editor.

Regarding CCL’s role, special recognition goes out to CCL volunteers Iona Lutey and Karen Frishkoff of the Columbia County chapter in New York. FCNL asked CCL Legislative Director Danny Richter if we had constituents in Gibson’s district willing to make the request on the resolution. Iona and Karen stepped up, and Gibson agreed to take the lead back in December. It was decided that it would be best to wait until there was a sufficient number of Republican co-sponsors before introducing the resolution, and the work of CCL volunteer Jay Butera was key in that effort. Jay launched a campaign to get endorsements from dozens of community leaders in South Florida – we’re talking about mayors of cities – which convinced Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Carlos Curbelo to come on board.

For more, check out CCL’s press release on our website. For a more in-depth take on the resolution and what it can lead to, download our media packet. Full text of the resolution is available here.

Suggested actions to support the Gibson resolution:

BY PHONE

If your member of Congress in the House is a Republican, call their office and leave a message asking that the representative co-sponsor the Gibson resolution. You can reach your representative by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard – (202) 224-3121 – and asking to be connected to their office. Do NOT call the Senate. Do NOT call Democrats. Don’t know who your member of Congress is or what party they belong to? You can look them up by using “Find Your Representative” at the top of this page on the US House website.

Sample message:

My name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m calling from [YOUR CITY]. I’d like to leave a message for Congressman/Congresswoman [NAME HERE]. I’d like him/her to co-sponsor the climate change resolution introduced by Rep. Chris Gibson.

I believe climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation and our world today, and I think the Gibson resolution is an important step toward having Republicans and Democrats work together on solutions we can all agree on.

Please co-sponsor the Gibson resolution.

If your House member is one of the Republican sponsors of the resolution, call and leave a message expressing your thanks. The Republian sponsors are Rep. Chris Gibson (NY-19),  Rep. Ryan Costello (PA-06), Rep. Carlos Curbello (FL-26), Rep. Bob Dold (IL-10), Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8),  Rep. Richard Hanna (NY-22), Rep. Patrick Meehan (PA-7), Rep. David Reichert (WA-7), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27),  Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21),  Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02).

My name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m calling from [YOUR CITY]. I’d like to leave a message for Congressman/Congresswoman [NAME HERE]. I’d like to thank him/her for co-sponsoring the climate change resolution introduced by Rep. Chris Gibson.

I think the Gibson resolution is an important step toward having Republicans and Democrats work together on solutions we can all agree on.

Please pass my message along to Congressman/Congresswoman

[NAME HERE] .

SOCIAL MEDIA

Let’s show Chris Gibson and the Republican co-sponsors our sincere gratitude for their leadership on the resolution by tweeting them and posting comments on their Facebook pages. You don’t have to be a constituent to express your thanks.

For a list of the sponsors, along with their Twitter handles and sample tweets, go to this page. Look them up on Facebook, too, and post comments thanking them on their pages.

If your House Republican member of Congress is not a co-sponsor, look them up on Twitter and ask them to co-sponsor the resolution. Sample tweets can be found on this page.

CALL-IN DAY SEPT. 28

We are organizing a special call-in day to support the Gibson resolution on Sept. 28. You don’t have to wait until then to make your call, but you can invite others to participate in the call-in day between now and then. Details available on our website or on Faceboook.