Hi everyone,

Bumping up this toolkit! We have also added Spanish translations to the document. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Thanks,

Justin

Justin Krakoff

MANAGER

202.827.9674|  203.803.7560

justin@sevenletter.com

From: Justin Krakoff <justin@sevenletter.com>
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 3:41 PM
To: Justin Krakoff <justin@sevenletter.com>
Subject: CAC Guidance: Biden EOs Anniversary

Hi all,

CAC is providing this toolkit to mark the one-year anniversary on Thursday of President Biden’s executive orders on climate. As always, this guidance can be customized to meet your own needs.

Thanks!

Justin + Digicomms

CAC Guidance: Biden EOs Anniversary

Message Guidance | Social Guidance | Sample Statement | Editorial Board Memo

Message Guidance

Core Message

One year ago, President Joe Biden took executive action to immediately get the U.S. back on track to address the climate crisis and protect our health and environment from its most catastrophic impacts. Climate can’t wait. We need to fully implement these executive actions and more. At the same time, Congress now has the responsibility to do its part and deliver on the president's climate action goals.

Call to Action

Thank the Biden Administration for demonstrating historic climate leadership from day one, as well as urge the administration and Congress to deliver on the promise of a 50-52% reduction in carbon pollution by 2030.

Talking Points

• It’s been one year since President Joe Biden codified his vision for a more prosperous, just, secure, healthier, and carbon-free economy by signing a series of executive orders on climate change.
• President Biden must keep his promise to restore U.S. leadership and exercise the full authority of the executive branch to tackle the climate crisis. He used his executive powers to marshall the entire federal government to meaningfully address environmental injustice, protect our public lands, protect the health and safety of our communities, put cleaner cars on the road, and rebuild smarter and cleaner infrastructure.
• On Day One, President Biden’s climate-related executive actions included the following:
• Recommitted the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement
• Ordered federal agencies to review and roll back over 100 major environmental rollbacks from the previous administration to protect our air, water, and communities
• Promised to restore science-based decision making to public policy
• Halted all environmental rollbacks by the previous administration that had not yet gone into effect
• Revoked a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline
• Ordered the climate crisis to be a central consideration in all foreign and national security decision-making 
• Established the first-ever Office of Domestic Climate Policy in the White House to coordinate and implement the President’s climate agenda 
• Ordered each federal agency to develop a plan “to increase the resilience of its facilities and operations to the impacts of climate change”
• Committed to making environmental justice a part of the mission of every federal agency
• Established an Interagency Working Group to coordinate investments and other efforts to assist coal, oil and natural gas, and power plant communities 
• Created the Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments to support disadvantaged communities and address historic environmental injustices
• In particular, the president’s actions on environmental justice marked a critical first step towards delivering on the president’s commitments to address decades of environmental racism. 
• By elevating environmental justice throughout all federal agencies, the administration sent a strong signal: the federal government can and must address longstanding disproportionate health and environmental outcomes with every available tool.
• President Biden’s Executive Action on environmental justice has begun delivering on his commitment to direct 40% of the benefits from climate investments to environmental justice communities, and essentially, informed by environmental justice communities. This historic action provides the resources needed to clean up legacy pollution and build a pollution-free future in communities nationwide.
• However, the president is not the only one who has promised to act on climate. Congressional leaders, moderates and progressives alike, have all made promises to advance comprehensive climate and clean energy investments to drive long-term solutions that address climate change and create economic opportunity. 
• Yet one year later, with mounting costs of inaction, we are still waiting. The U.S. House of Representatives did its part by passing the Build Back Better Act, which includes $550 billion in investments that will deliver on climate, justice, jobs, and clean energy.
• Climate can’t wait. Congress must do its part and approve the climate change, environmental justice and clean energy investments included in the Build Back Better Act.

Social Guidance

Hashtags: #ClimateCantWait #ActOnClimate #TimeToAct #ACTNow

Who to follow: @WhiteHouse @POTUS @EPA

• January 27th marks the one-year anniversary of the @WhiteHouse rolling out the most ambitious plan for a #JustClimateFuture in our nation’s history. @POTUS knows we need to #ACTNow to tackle climate change + environmental injustice! Let’s keep up the momentum and #ActOnClimate!
• One year ago @POTUS made a promise to restore U.S. leadership and use the full authority of the @WhiteHouse to tackle the #climatecrisis. It’s more important now than ever before that we keep fighting to tackle climate change and environmental injustice. #ClimateCantWait
• Since @POTUS’ first month in office, he’s shown he’s serious about #EnvironmentalJustice by instructing the @EPA to enforce the nation’s laws limiting pollution. Let’s #ACTNow to protect the communities of color & low-income communities facing disproportionate pollution burdens.
• During his first month in office, @POTUS announced a historic executive order to tackle the #ClimateCrisis and fight for environmental justice. Through the Justice40 Initiative, 40% of the federal government's climate investment benefits go toward #EnvironmentalJustice.
• The Biden administration is about action. @POTUS has been committed to addressing the #ClimateCrisis by using all of their executive authority to move forward on cutting pollution, ending environmental injustice and investing in clean energy. It’s #TimeToAct #ClimateCantWait
• Since his first month in office, @POTUS has worked to protect public lands, waters, and our coasts. He is committed to reining in corporate pollution and giveaways to fossil fuel CEOs, jumpstarting a clean energy economy, and tackling environmental injustice. #ClimateCantWait
• Now more than ever its #TimeToAct. Since day one, the Biden administration has pushed for a clean energy economy, which is vital to providing jobs & sustainable economic growth. We can’t wait any longer. We need to #ACTNow!
• Today marks one year since @POTUS’ Executive Order to tackle climate change, and environmental injustice. A year later, there’s still much more that needs to be done to #ActOnClimate. Congress must work with President Biden to achieve these climate and justice goals ASAP. 
• On this day in history: @POTUS announced historic commitments to tackle climate change and fight environmental racism on Jan 27, 2021. With the #BuildBackBetterAct, Congress and the @WhiteHouse can deliver on these promises. Let’s get it over the finish line! #ClimateCantWait

Sample Statement

For Immediate Release 

[Date] 

Contact: [Name, Email] 

[Org] Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of President Biden’s Climate-Related Executive Actions, Urges Congress to Deliver on Climate Action

(City, State) – Today is the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden issuing a series of signed a number of climate- and environmental justice-focused executive orders and presidential memorandums, putting the U.S. back on track to address the climate crisis and protecting our health and environment from the catastrophic impacts of climate change. These actions included rejoining the Paris climate agreement and establishing an administration-wide initiative on racial and environmental justice. To mark the anniversary, [Name, Org] released the following statement:

“In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden one year ago today showed he was deeply committed to climate action with a series of ambitious executive actions to tackle this crisis. While [Org] is grateful for all the progress made by the Biden administration over the past year to act on climate, more work needs to be done to address the climate crisis. Climate can’t wait, and the Biden administration and Congress must take bold climate action, starting with passing the historic Build Back Better Act before Congress right now and its $550 billion in investments that will deliver on climate, justice and jobs.”

### 

Editorial Board Memo

To:   Interested Parties

Fr:    Climate Action Campaign

Dt:   January 27, 2022

Re:   ONE YEAR LATER: Biden Climate Executive Orders Show Great Progress In Addressing the Climate Crisis, Driving Economic Opportunity, and Taking Steps to Eliminate Environmental Injustice

_________________________________________________________________________________

Background

It’s been one year since President Joe Biden codified his vision for a more prosperous, just, secure, healthier, and carbon-free economy by signing a series of executive orders on climate change.

President Biden made a promise to restore U.S. leadership and exercise the full authority of the executive branch to tackle the climate crisis. He used his executive powers to marshal the entire federal government to meaningfully address environmental injustice, protect our public lands, protect the health and safety of our communities, put cleaner cars on the road, and rebuild smarter and cleaner infrastructure.

The Path To Progress: The Biden Administration On Climate

Throughout its first year, the Biden Administration has made tremendous strides towards accomplishing the President’s promise to cut carbon pollution by at least half by 2030, expanding clean energy, protecting our health, and prioritizing environmental justice.

RESTORING CLIMATE LEADERSHIP AND SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

On January 20, 2021, Biden pledged to rejoin the Paris Agreement, a strong step on climate action that was praised by corporate leaders nationwide, including the CEOS of Google, Apple, Walmart, Unilever, and General Electric. In March of 2021, EPA Administrator Regan reaffirmed scientific integrity as a core value driving the agency’s policy decisions, reestablished the Scientific Advisory Board, Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, and relaunched the agency climate change website and climate indicators report.

ESTABLISHING A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH

On January 27, the Biden Administration established the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy within the White House and the National Climate Task Force. Biden’s “Climate Cabinet” of senior officials tackling climate change from the state department to the EPA has demonstrated to the environmental community a commitment to a whole-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis. Ten rules reversing Trump environmental rollbacks or addressing previously unregulated areas of climate law were finalized in the first year with more to come.

A COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

The Biden Administration has prioritized environmental justice in the federal government and taken steps such as establishing the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and The Justice40 initiative. The Biden administration has made steps towards delivering on the Justice40 initiative—Biden committed 40% of all benefits of federal climate, clean energy, housing, clean water, and other projects to be directed towards communities marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. By September of 2021, pilot programs implementing Justice40 were opened for communities to apply for funding opportunities such as $16 million for technical assistance for clean energy transition or $9 million to help build resilience in frontline communities by leveraging energy storage opportunities.

The Biden Administration has pursued environmental justice through legal means and statutory enforcement. The Department of Justice has pursued anti-pollution cases and held corporate polluters accountable beginning with the elimination of 9 Trump-era directives that limited the department’s ability to enforce penalties against polluters within Biden’s first month in office. The EPA and DOJ launched a program to help environmental crime victims in a move that industry lawyers expected to bolster enforcement, especially among low-wage workers facing contaminants on the job. In November 2021, the DOJ launched a first-of-its-kind investigation into the wastewater disposal practices of Lowndes County, Alabama to examine whether officials discriminated against black residents. Long-time environmental justice activist and Lowndes County native praised the DOJ, saying “I am happy to know that people of Lowndes County will be heard and hopefully will receive justice.” In May 2021, the EPA used its emergency powers to protect communities such as St. Croix who were disproportionately impacted by the operations of Limetree Bay Refinery. Residents of St. Croix have described the panic and sickness that came with living within miles of the Limetree Bay Refinery.

PROTECTING OUR PUBLIC LANDS

Land and species conservation is a key tool in combating climate change by drawing down carbon emissions. In May 2021, Biden unveiled his America The Beautiful Initiative outlining an approach to conserve 30% of America’s Lands by 2030 (known as the 30x30 challenge). This initiative was braised by industry leaders, farmers, tribal leaders, and more. In its first year, the Biden Administration initiated 10 regulatory actions to help the U.S. government achieve its 30x30 goal including expanding Bears Ears and other National Monuments and barring new drilling at Chaco Canyon, a major Native American cultural site.

PROTECTING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITIES

The EPA is protecting the health and safety of communities by cleaning up harmful pollutants. In October 2021, the EPA launched a roadmap to confront PFAS (forever chemical) contamination praised by North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and Republican Congressman Richard Hudson for the commitment to removing toxic forever chemicals from our communities. In January 2022, the EPA announced it would crackdown on dangerous coal ash storage ponds.

In September, the EPA finalized a rule to cut HFC emissions by 85% over the next 15 years, and Biden introduced the Kigali Amendment for Senate approval which would reduce HFC emissions by 80% by 2050, an action that was praised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In November 2021, the EPA announced new methane rules, an action that was praised by the American Petroleum Association and BP America. The Biden Administration has also reversed Trump era efforts to weaken NEPA.

PUTTING CLEAN CARS ON THE ROAD

The Biden Administration finalized the most ambitious federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks, ever requiring 55 MPG by 2026 and repealed Trump-era rule blocking state fuel economy standards allowing states to set more stringent standards. Car manufacturers and UAW praised the fuel economy standards as commitments to American jobs. In December of 2021, President Biden directed the federal government to use its purchasing power to transform its fleet of 600,000 cars and trucks to entirely zero-emission by 2035 ending the government purchasing of gas-powered vehicles, a move praised by American auto manufacturers and union leaders. The Department of Energy established the Electric Vehicles for Federal Fleets program to provide federal agencies with resources to improve fleet efficiency. Federal agencies have advanced progress on a national electric vehicle charging infrastructure with the DOT and DOE working together and independently to provide resources and guidance for local governments and partners in the charging industry.

ADVANCING A CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

The Biden Administration is expanding clean energy capacity. In its first year, the Biden Administration has approved 18 onshore renewable projects producing 4.175 GW and pledged to fast-track onshore projects as it continues to make progress towards its goal of 25 GW of production on public lands by 2025. In a move to expand offshore wind capacity, The Department of Interior launched an environmental review for offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico and prepared for the historic first offshore wind lease auction off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The Department of Energy launched its ‘Building a Better Grid’ initiative to improve and upgrade the nation’s electric transmission lines and is hiring 1,000 staffers through its ‘Clean Energy Corps’ to help accelerate the deployment of clean energy. The administration is investing in clean infrastructure projects in rural communities including a $464 million investment made by the Department of Agriculture in September 2021. The Department of Transportation is making commitments to clean infrastructure by integrating climate change in its budget proposals.