NATIONAL

Public Lands

The mission of Elected Officials to Protect America’s Public Lands is to keep our public lands out of the hands of developers and corporate interests, and to protect watersheds and groundwater thereby keeping the land vibrant for future generations.

Launched in September 2018, Elected Officials to Protect America’s Public Lands organized 80 bipartisan lawmakers, who are veterans from all 50 states, to sign a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). LWCF had been stalled in Congress for a year. We earned coverage in Politico and our members wrote 21 op-eds educating people why it’s important to protect America’s Lands with LWCF. In January of 2019 the reauthorization of LWCF was signed into law. 

This success has led us to organize our Emergency Bus Tour with these lawmakers who are veterans.

Climate Action

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A worker inspects solar panels at a solar Dunhuang, 950km (590 miles) northwest of Lanzhou, Gansu Province September 16, 2013. China is pumping investment into wind power, which is more cost-competitive than solar energy and partly able to compete with coal and gas. China is the world's biggest producer of CO2 emissions, but is also the world's leading generator of renewable electricity. Environmental issues will be under the spotlight during a working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which will meet in Stockholm from September 23-26. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (CHINA - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) - RTX13UEF
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Emergency Bus Tour and Legislation

Our national bus tour will be led by EOPA lawmakers who are veterans. We will raise awareness of climate disasters and solutions, while we call for federal legislation that creates a National Climate Emergency Plan to address the escalating climate crisis.

The bus tour will educate, train, and organize lawmakers, media, and the public in 16 states, and stop in at least 32 cities. A sign on letter calling for a Climate Emergency Plan will support the tour, as well as state and local declarations.

At each stop, we will engage local frontline partners, educate lawmakers, media, community leaders, and the public through visual value-based storytelling that includes videos on climate dangers and solutions. We will conduct values-based communications training, and hold a press conference.

Fossil Fuels

Creating Legislation for the National Energy Transition

Fossil fuel production and burning are the primary drivers of climate change. They cause environmental degradation and catastrophic as well as chronic health problems. Air pollution, water contamination, gas and oil leaks, explosions and other dangers are constant threats to innocent communities. 

The impacts from the production of oil, gas, and coal disproportionately harm low-income communities, communities of color, and other minority communities while exacerbating social inequalities.

By empowering elected officials to act boldly to protect public health and communities, we can shift the political mainstream standard for climate leadership to keep fossil fuels in the ground and justly the transition to a 100% clean energy economy. This helps lay the groundwork for a bold national climate policy.

 

Divestment

Aligning Public Investments with Climate Leadership

Fossil fuel companies knew about the damage their product causes for half a century, yet spent billions of dollars to hamstring society’s response. Decades of denial, misinformation, and lobbying from the fossil fuel industry has delayed critical action to transition our society from its current dependence on fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy and has cost people’s lives.
 
To protect pensioners and taxpayers, we must begin shifting public subsidization away from fossil fuels and to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy, and help pay for the harm fossil fuels cause our states and municipalities.
 
For example, a modest fee on fossil fuel production would generate billions of dollars to support workers and communities in the transition to 100% clean energy, creating good, family-sustaining jobs and stimulating our economies.