Message From the Chair
Joe Biden has accomplished more than any U.S. president in history for climate and nature, however imperfect, not to mention a myriad of other monumental achievements during his 3.5 year tenure. With his selfless withdrawal from the 2024 Democratic ticket on July 21st, we must ensure that our new nominee has a record of fighting not just for the people in our nation but for our planet, as well. President Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Harris underscores a strong record of advocacy in mitigating climate change and championing our energy transition, both domestically and globally. Now, more than ever, we must unite and focus as a party on electing a Democratic ticket to meet the existential challenge before us.
As we head into the election’s last stretch and prepare for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, championing a new presidential ticket, summer has again raised temperature levels to new heights, both physically and politically. Late May brought record breaking flooding to southern Brazil and Kenya, and Hurricane Beryl started off the season with catastrophic destruction across the Caribbean and Texas. Beryl killed more folks from the resultant power outages in Texas’s extreme heat than the actual storm surge, and the 2024 hurricane season has just begun!
This is no time to let up on our Democratic fight to vanquish the nefarious forces bidding against our future and democracy. Crushing rulings by the MAGA controlled U.S. Supreme Court and plans manifold in the GOP platform embedded in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 cast a dark shadow on Democrats’ efforts to mitigate climate change, bring safety and justice to disadvantaged communities, and preserve hard-fought rights for our democracy.
In early June, the SCOTUS decision to halt implementation of the EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan blocks vital efforts to curb harmful interstate air pollution, putting communities at grave risk during smog surges. A subsequent ruling by SCOTUS overturning the Chevron decision is a shameless power grab imperiling the federal government’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect our air, water, and health. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is prioritizing corporate profits over people and planetary health. This month’s featured article, the Chevron Ruling: the Edge of the Wedge, explores these ramifications.
Project 2025 is a blueprint for canceling American Democracy. The Heritage Foundation’s plan, a guideline for the Trump/Vance platform, will gut nearly all the checks and balances that hold our republic together. In addition to defunding public education and ridding the nation of Head Start (which feeds low-income children and employs hundreds of thousands of people), Project 2025 supports dismantling key federal agencies, including the Nation Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and vows to strike the concept of climate change from all government language. Please join us for our July Climate Cafe for an open discussion on this vital threat.
By contrast, the Biden-Harris administration continues to ramp up efforts to preserve our water and air, fight climate change, and meet the needs of marginalized communities. They have allocated $1.7 billion to convert 11 shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing facilities for EV production across MI, OH, PA, GA, IL, ID, ML, and VA, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs! Biden also announced new actions to protect workers and families from the impacts of extreme weather and to support disadvantaged communities. Accordingly, the Department of Labor has proposed the first-ever federal safety standard to protect workers from excessive heat, ultimately shielding 36 millions from work related heat injury and death.
Now is the time for us to unite in determination to stave off this GOP onslaught, preserve our planet for future generations, and keep the democracy for which our framers fought. Please join us in getting out the vote of every eligible person, both from abroad and stateside. We must retain and build on Democratic control in the White House, Seante, Congress, and down ballot. Our climate and future depend on it.
Thank you for reaffirming your commitment to democracy and to climate activism this month, this year, and beyond…by voting, speaking out, volunteering, living a greener life, and supporting us financially. Your voice matters. Your vote matters.
Dana Freling (Chair, ECCC)
It is the most consequential election cycle of our lifetimes, and we need your help, not only to continue addressing the climate crisis, but to help preserve democracy itself. The GOP have told us what they are planning with Project 2025…let’s believe them and fight back! Please register now (and tell your friends!) at VoteFromAbroad.org. If you are having issues or just need some guidance VFA offers one on one assistance via zoom. Check out the times or schedule an individual appointment here!
If you would like to help get out the vote this year, please get certified through our voter assistance training. If you have questions about your specific state elections or would like to join more localized efforts, check out our state teams. We also welcome phonebankers for the rest of this election cycle. Volunteer and get trained here!
What are the implications of Project 2025 for the climate?
Join us for a lively discussion on Project 2025 at our July Climate Café on July 31st at 10:30 ET/ 4:30 CEST. We will explore the ominous climate and environment implications of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which is basically a blueprint for a new Trump administration’s wrecking ball for our planet. Plans are to once again withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreements and roll back as many Biden era gains in energy transition, climate change mitigation, and environmental justice as possible.
The ECCC will present a basic summary of climate content within the document, but this month’s forum wishes to engage our participants in an active discussion on where we are, where we need to go, and how to get there.
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RSVP HERE |
Please join the ECCC in our discussion with DA Denmark’s August Book Club session on Ken Stanley Robinson’s Ministry For the Future. This is one of the most prophetic and well researched novels to date on the existential crisis of climate change our planet is facing. The event will be held on line on August 27th at 6:30 pm CET/12:30 pm ET.
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Chevron Ruling: Edge of the Wedge in Massive Deregulation |
Media articles:
😱 Supreme Court overturns FERC solar approval after Chevron’s demise
👷🏽♀️ Biden administration is inching closer to a heat standard for workers — if the election doesn’t doom it
🔔 Supreme Court ruling threatens clean energy tax credits and much more
🥵 The Biden administration is inching closer to a heat standard for workers — if the election doesn’t doom it
🏴☠️ The Plan to Incapacitate the Federal Government
💣 Trump energy allies see ‘massive momentum’ after a big week
🇺🇸 Keeping wildlife safe on Independence Day
👥 Biden's climate corps aims to curb eco-anxiety
💰 Helping low-income families electrify could save Americans $96 billion
⚠️ Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Wins DeSantis’ Approval
✅ Cancer-causing benzene levels were cut in half at US refineries in 2023: Report
🔔 Senate Republicans introduce bill to repeal methane fee
Video clips:
💵 Who will pay for the costs of climate change?: John Kerry and an Aspen Ideas Festival
🌟 Rebel with a Cause: Jane Fonda in conversation with Katie Couric at the Aspen Ideas Festival
♨️ Proposed rules would protect workers from heat, top weather-related cause of death in U.S.
🆘 'A seismic shift': Supreme Court Chevron ruling radically alters U.S. government with power grab
Volunteer with the ECCC – Contact us at eccc@democratsabroad if you’d like to get more involved. Join our working groups, the Watchdogs Research Group, the Legislative Tracking Group, or to help out with a variety of tasks including social media and communications.
Tune in:
White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action
On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration will host the first-ever White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action. The Summit will highlight President Biden and Vice President Harris’ progress on advancing environmental justice, celebrate local efforts to create healthier communities, and catalyze further action to build a more equitable and just future. You will hear from community leaders, environmental justice advocates, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials, and more.
Tune in via this link
President Biden’s American Climate Corps
- Summary: American Climate Corps members will gain the skills necessary to access good-paying jobs that are aligned with high-quality employment opportunities after they complete their paid training or service program.
- Link: https://climatecorps.gov
- Deadline: Varies based on position
Write your representative-
Guide to the IRA – This Guide Can Help You Save Money and Fight Climate Change
Guide to the IRA’s Investments in Indian Country; tax incentives and funding programs: Inflation Reduction Act Tribal Guidebook
Guide to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Guidebook
Energy Cost Resources to lower your energy costs, make your home safer and more comfortable, and help the planet: Energy Savings Hub | Department of Energy
President Biden’s ‘America the Beautiful’ Program – Conservation.gov
Biden-Harris Vision for a Climate Resilient Nation -guide for climate resilience investments and activities by the federal government and its partners: National Climate Resilience Framework