New to CCL? Attend our Informational Session Weds. at 6pm
or check out our Core Volunteer Trainings
Bipartisan Secret Sauce
Bipartisanship in the U.S. and Montana seems as rare as a robin in December. Despite the fact that President Biden spoke in his State of the Union about 300 bills passed with votes from both sides of the aisle, including passage of the climate-laden Infrastructure and CHIPS Acts, the common perception is 'never the twain shall meet'.
Yet, seeds of working together are visible if you look. Last week, the non-profit 'Montana Women For...' organized a bipartisan forum bringing together Park County state representatives Laurie Bishop and Marty Malone, and Senator John Esp. And those of us tracking votes are noticing that not all legislators are voting party line.
There are other examples, too. On the federal level, Amanda Ripley discusses the secret sauce of the bipartisan Congressional Modernization Committee. Charged with improving how the U.S. House works, you'd think nothing would come out of it, just like nothing came out of other previous temporary committees. Instead, this bipartisan committee made 202 recommendations in their 4 short years, and 2/3 are being implemented.
What was their secret? Sitting in mixed company as equals, and talking (with snacks!). They even got beyond the trauma of January 6th (with some professional mediation).
Kind of reminds us of another miracle of bipartisanship: the Montana Constitutional Convention of 1972. Seats were assigned alphabetically, not by party, (and no politicians were allowed!)
This May 20th, Montana CCL will be hosting a Braver Angels workshop called Depolarizing Within, which will give us an opportunity to examine our biases, a first step in relating to others. Save the date and invite a friend! Details to come.
We are back in person on the Hill! Come to the CCL Conference and join other Montanans to lobby our Congressional delegation in Washington D.C. on June 13th. No experience necessary. Training is provided.
Curious? Need assistance to make it happen?
Contact Kristen at Bozeman@citizensclimatelobby.org
Senator Daines stepped up again to co-sponsor the bipartisan RISEE Act when it was re-introduced this session! This bill would protect American coastal communities from sea level rise and coastal erosion, and heighten opportunities for renewable energy.
Let's thank Senator Daines!
The button below helps you compose a personal letter for thanking Senator Daines for co-sponsoring the bill and also lets you message our other members of Congress, Senator Tester, and Congressmen Zinke and Rosendale, to also support the RISEE Act.
Let's connect! We have a 10 minute video from the national speaker, and some great Earth Day outreach projects. And it's time to plan another social!
Stay on zoom afterwards for 10 mins. if you'd like to learn about the internal workings of the EnRoads climate policy simulator with Rick T.
On Zoom March 20 at 7pm:HERE Zoom Link also on the CCL Community MT Bozeman Event Page or Contact Bozeman@citizensclimatelobby.org 'Develop Your Project' Thursdays at 11 am on Zoom!
Let's build community more than once a month. This is a new chance to really get projects going, learn, and collaborate. There's no commitment to show up and the agenda is flexible. If you'd like to participate but this time doesn't work, please contact Kristen. We want to have a time that works for many.
Montana Conservatives
A group of Montana CCL supporters who are Republicans or right-of-center Independents, and their CCL friends, working to find common ground with all Montanans on climate solutions. Join the group! Contact Nate Abercrombie, CCL's Conservative Outreach Coordinator at nathan.abercrombie@citizensclimatelobby.org
Montana Endorsement Team Next meeting: Monday, March 13 at 4pm, online. Montana Endorsement Team page.
Take a look at our new endorsement form for Community Leaders and Mayor's Electrification Pledge!
This statewide group seeks endorsements for effective climate action from Montana businesses, prominent individuals, and organizations. Join us! Contact Angie at FlatheadValley.mt@citizensclimatelobby.org
Montana Chambers Outreach Team We look forward to holding presentations with the Billings Energy and Conservation Commission and several Chambers of Commerce this winter and spring. Please help us connect with your local Chamber of Commerce. Thank you!
Contact Robin at FlatheadValley.mt@citizensclimatelobby.org
Montana Social Media Team CCL Montana Social Media volunteer job opening:
Create a monthly post for Facebook & Instagram to advertise the monthly chapter meetings. Using the templates provided and the software Canva you’ll be instrumental in growing our community. It will take around 30 minutes or less per month and is time sensitive (needs to be done during the first days of each month.) Training available!
Contact Laurel at FlatheadValley.mt@citizensclimatelobby.org
State Legislature Action Team
Join our action team to help us identify and support state legislators who support state bills that effectively lower heat-trapping pollution without hurting families and costing jobs, through energy policy, forestry, tree planting, building electrification, or energy efficiency.
Sign up to learn about your legislator's record HERE. Action alerts will also be posted on our website under 'The Latest' drop down, then 'Lobbying Latest'.
What's my login? Some links not working?
All volunteers who have joined CCL automatically receive a CCL Community account and password. If you're having problems getting in, email membership@citizensclimate.org. You can get help on other issues: https://community.citizensclimate.org/help
Featured Success
#SnowFolks4Climate Speak Out Around the State
Snow folks from Billings, Bozeman, Helena, and Flathead Valley
Snow Folks have been popping up across Montana, worried about the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods.
We spoke to the protest spokesperson, Pops Icicle, who explained, “We’re getting our hours cut to the point that we can’t do our job. We have a certain amount of sunlight we need to reflect back into the atmosphere each winter to keep the climate in shape.”
Pops went on to say that with snow coming later and melting earlier each year, a lot of that sunlight is getting absorbed by the ground, which heats up and sends heatwaves back into the atmosphere where they get trapped by greenhouse gasses.
“That warming melts more snow, and on and on it goes!” Pops explained. “We’re asking people to cool it with the heat trapping gasses!”
Well Pops, what can people do to support your cause?
“We all need to talk more about climate change and learn about solutions. That’s what these events are all about.”
To support the snow people's cause, you can also contact Montana's Members of Congress—Senators Daines and Tester, and Congressmen Rosendale and Zinke—and let them know about your concerns.
March 2023 Monthly Meeting w/ Rev. Mitch Hescox, Evangelical Environmental Network
Saturday, March 11th at 11am MT
In the quest to find common ground between Republicans and Democrats on climate solutions, communities of faith play an important role in bridging the partisan divide. The Evangelical Environmental Network, whose members are focused on caring for Creation, is one of the organizations working in this advocacy space. This month, we hear from Rev. Mitch Hescox, President of EEN, about their efforts to educate and mobilize evangelical Christians to manifest a stable climate and a healthy, pollution-free world. Rev. Hescox, co-author of Caring for Creation: The Evangelical Guide To Climate Change and a Healthy Environment, serves as a member of the National Association of Evangelicals’ Board of Directors and EPA’s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee.
Conservative Climate Leadership Conference in D.C., March 28-29. Application and registration is now open! The This conference is designed for politically right-leaning volunteers. If that describes you and you’d like to attend, first submit an application and then CCL staff will send a registration link. Due March 10 if you plan to lobby, otherwise March 15.
Unlike many groups, Citizens’ Climate has just two fundraising drives every year, no membership fees, and still manages to raise 70% of its revenue from its volunteers. This month’s campaign is focused on increasing our monthly support.
Your donation, no matter how small, helps staff support our volunteers, keeping us informed and providing top-notch trainings every week as we reach out to our neighbors, community leaders, and elected officials to get effective and fair climate legislation passed!
Our goal is to raise $10,000 in new and increased monthly donations by the end of March. If we hit our goal, we will unlock a $100,000 bonus gift made possible by a new Climate Guardian donor!
Our Government Affairs staff in D.C. have noticed that our broadened policy areas, including clean energy permitting reform, give us more room to work with conservatives, which will help us get their support for carbon pricing. We're hoping for reintroduction of the Energy Innovation Act in a few months.
Meanwhile, we're seeing a bill we supported last session, the RISEE Act, get re-introduced, and anticipate re-introduction of another, the FOREST Act! You can help by writing to Congress! The FOREST Act would fights deforestation worldwide by restricting the importation of products produced on land undergoing illegal deforestation. Both Republicans and Democrats support it.
And last week, the Senate Budget Committee held its first hearing of the new Congress. Their focus? Climate! The hearing explored climate-related economic risks and their impact on the federal budget and the global economy. That's when Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) highlighted his personal favorite solution: a carbon price.
Have your state legislators supported bills that move forward on climate, or oppose bills that don't? Would you like to find out and support them in future votes? Sign up to find out about your legislators HERE.
See any action alerts on our website under 'The Latest' drop down, then 'Lobbying Latest'
Soil Health as a Colorado River water solution on the National Ag Forestry Action Team forum
If California farmers operating 25.4 million acres were to increase their soil organic carbon content by just 1%, that would capture an approximate additional 508 billion gallons of water, which equals 1,559,000 acre feet of water, equivalent to 8.8" of rain. Read more
Reversing the paradigm: from emissions to evaporative cooling "While greenhouse emissions do increase the planet’s energy load, that energy does not need to cause temperature rise (sensible heat). When solar energy falls on moist surfaces or living plants, it produces evaporation or evapotranspiration (latent heat), increasing humidity, not temperature.
It is this hydrologic cooling that forests and other living plants create that prompted David Ellison and 22 other researchers to state, “Forests and trees must be recognized as prime regulators within the water, energy and carbon cycles….” "
We are back in person on the Hill! Come to D.C with fellow Montanans and CCLers from around the U.S. and the world to attend the conference and meet with our Montana Congressional delegation in person! No experience necessary. Training is provided.
Next meeting: Tuesday, March 14 at 4:30pm 
Next meeting: Monday, March 13 at 4pm, online. 
We look forward to holding presentations with the Billings Energy and Conservation Commission and several Chambers of Commerce this winter and spring. Please help us connect with your local Chamber of Commerce. Thank you!
CCL Montana Social Media volunteer job opening:
Join our action team to help us identify and support state legislators who support state bills that effectively lower heat-trapping pollution without hurting families and costing jobs, through energy policy, forestry, tree planting, building electrification, or energy efficiency.
Stay on top of everything by signing up for these great calendars
"While greenhouse emissions do increase the planet’s energy load, that energy does not need to cause temperature rise (sensible heat). When solar energy falls on moist surfaces or living plants, it produces evaporation or evapotranspiration (latent heat), increasing humidity, not temperature. 
