And here we are again, but I sort of feel like this weekend should be Memorial Day weekend! Right? Why can’t every weekend be a three-day weekend?
My goal is to get a hike or a bike ride in on Sunday. I need to get outside and see some nature.
What is your favorite weekend leisure activity?
Congrats to an EcoRight ally
We are happy to see our friend Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council, be appointed to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee.
From the E&E News article on the appointment:
“I share the administration’s concern about American manufacturers competing against weaker environmental standards abroad,” he said. “I’ll draw on decades of working with U.S. industry to help level the playing field and achieve better environmental outcomes.”
We are happy to see smart, pro-carbon pricing advocates like Greg appointment to this position.
George David Banks, CEO at the American Council for Capital Formation, was also appointed to the advisory committee.
Penny wise, pound foolish?
A federal program that returns $12 for every $1 spent and reduces flood risk nationwide could soon be history.
The Sustainable Rivers Program is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its reach has grown from 8 rivers in 2002 to 65 today, influencing nearly 15,000 miles of waterways and more than 100 dams and reservoirs. But this cooperative program is in jeopardy. Jim Howe, Senior Policy Advisor for Freshwater at The Nature Conservancy explains what’s at stake, the potential impact of federal cuts, and how dam operations affect communities nationwide. Also, Jim shares how you can help stop this common sense program from getting the axe.
Coming up next week, my conversation with former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo, who talks about a plethora of issues from geopolitics and imapcts on energy prices, clean energy, and how to regain a sense of bipartisan spirit.
Speaking of the podcast… are you following our video playlist?
We recently started clipping our favorite moments of the show, so even if you don’t have time for the full episode or you just want to hit the highlights, you can follow along to our playlist.
Quote of the Week (Redux)
“When I started, nobody had heard of the problem. Nobody was active. We started at zero. Well, look at us now. Everybody in the world knows about climate change. So is that progress? Let’s hope.” Rafe Pomerance, the first climate lobbyist, who died last week. I got to interview Rafe for my book, Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics, and found his stories of the start of the climate awareness movement fascinating.
To read more about this time period, you can buy my book and/or check out this Nathaniel Rich article, Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change. (He also has a fascinating book by the same title.)
Welcome to the team!
We are pleased to welcome our summer intern, Livia Payne, a sophmore at Northeastern University in Boston. (As a Boston University grad, I already bonded with her over the annual Beanpot hockey tournament.)
Originally from California, she is studying Political Science and Environmental Studies. Before her role as an intern at republicEn, she spent years as a swim instructor, working hard to facilitate positive growth and build trust. She managed her local polling station, recognizing the importance of political participation from all parties. She was an elected Class Representative, finding solutions to problems that satisfied every crowd.
Livia is a passionate optimist who cares profoundly about the future, recognizing climate change as something that will inhibit the livelihood of all if change doesn’t start soon. At the same time, she holds the core belief that addressing climate change will require all of us across every part of the political spectrum. She is committed to finding exciting bipartisan solutions because the future should be something everyone builds together and looks forward to.
She’ll be writing some blog posts for us as part of her duties so be sure to check them out when I link them in future editions!
And what that… see you in June!