About -

About Us

We empower elected official Leadership for our Environment, Public Health, and to fight Climate Change

Our Mission: to create a safe, prosperous healthy planet we empower bold leadership from elected officials and civic leaders to protect our environment, and fight the climate crisis.

Elected Officials to Protect America is a network of current and former bipartisan elected officials who care deeply about protecting our planet and democracy, by working together to transition to a clean energy economy.

EOPA educates and trains lawmakers through value-based storytelling and has national and state-based programs. We work to implement solutions that will help solve the climate crisis, while ensuring environmental justice happens.

EOPA is the only national organization that mobilizes veterans who are lawmakers to work together on the climate crisis. Our local and state elected official network is vast with members in 50 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

At a press conference at the CA Capitol, state lawmakers and local elected officials urged legislation on a windfall profits cap on oil companies for the price gouging practices. Since 2017 EOPA has been working in California to accelerate a just transition to 100% clean renewable energy for the health and well being of all.

Imperative for Leadership

We are in a climate emergency. The climate crisis and environmental degradation are threats to our the world’s health, economy, and security. Record droughts, heat waves, wildfires, coastal flooding, ocean acidification, and storms are happening. According to the United Nations, time is rapidly running out and extreme weather conditions are becoming the norm. Mass migrations are happening and millions more are under threat. Scarcity of resources and political instability have already ignited conflicts. These wars leave devastation, starvation and death in their wake. We are at a humanity’s tipping point.

That’s why our bipartisan elected officials at all levels are enacting laws to combat the climate crisis and are creating foundational groundwork for a comprehensive national climate policy.

Building Our Efforts

Elected Officials

States

New York Councilmember Dominic Frongillo at a press conference working to divest the New York Pension fund from fossil fuels, which was achieved with EOPA actions.

Representative Alex Cornell du Houx at a press conference with fellow veterans at the White House speaking out to combat the climate crisis for our national security.

Since 2015, We Have Mobilized Hundreds Of State And Local Officials From Every State and Puerto Rico

While deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, with the Marine Corps infantry, former Representative Alex Cornell du Houx gained firsthand insight into how climate change, water security, and our safety and prosperity are inseparable. During a routine patrol on a sweltering hot day, a roadside bomb exploded and hit his HUMVEE. As the dust cleared and after they checked their limbs, they quickly caught the assailant as he tried to escape. Fortunately, this military-age man was not well trained, and most of the blast had missed the vehicle. After securing the area, they investigated and soon learned that he was a desperate farmer. There was a record-setting drought driven by climate change, and his crops had failed. Vulnerable, he had been turned into a terrorist, paid to attack Americans.

This experience motivated Alex to run for office, where he met fellow veterans who were elected with similar climate security experiences. At the Copenhagen UN climate negotiations, he met Caroline, New York Councilmember Dominic Frongillo, who brought together 1,000 elected officials to successfully ban fracking statewide in New York. Together, with elected officials across the country, they founded EOPA to work with state and local policymakers to protect our people and the planet.

Over the years, we’ve sat down with U.S. Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill to progress legislation that became law, met with White House officials and helped laws pass at the state and local level. For example, in 2019 we had over 80 veterans who are elected officials sign a letter that we took with a delegation to Washington D.C. Then we met with Congressional leaders, which ensure that the Land and Water Conservation Act became funded in perpetuity.

We have trained lawmakers in 45 state capitols, at national elected officials conferences and through our certificate program with the University of San Francisco. EOPA has organized over 3,000 of our peers to create and enact policies.

Collective Leadership

We educate elected officials, media, and the public is through value-based storytelling. By providing trainings on how to message solutions, we empower elected officials to create and advance policy solutions.

We connect and organize lawmakers to support policies that protect public health, the environment and grow clean energy jobs.

EOPA is committed to connect, and support the leadership of public servants who represent frontline and historically marginalized communities, veterans, indigenous people, people of color, women and LGBTQ+ people, and those from immigrant and working-class backgrounds. We defend democracy.

Elected Officials to Protect America is a project of The Solon Center for Research and Publishing, a 501(c)3 non- profit.