There are 3 legislative days between now and the February 8 funding deadline.

 

>> If you say one thing today: Instead of risking a government shutdown in three days, Congress needs to do its job and pass a budget that protects our children’s health, keeps families together, and conserves America’s great outdoors for future generations.


>> If you only do one thing today: Participate in the #Dirtybudget social media day of action https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ywNbI1NuOTKzgoMEhA76PiaKdKC-jb-zBkqEe7TJUM/edit


>>Help needed:

Letters:

  • Sign onto civil society letter to CA Governor Jerry Brown circulated by a coalition of California, national, and international community, environmental justice, faith based, and climate organizations in advance of the upcoming Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco to support CA delegation's climate leadership. The initial deadline for sign-ons is February 9th.
  • Sign monuments joint letters opposing these bills if you haven’t already (for markup/floor if needed)
  • Outreach/Advocacy:  
    • Promote Offshore floor takeover today from 4-5pm EST with Senators!!
    • Respond to WOTUS delay rule using guidance here
    • Participate in the Dream Act National Day of Action TOMORROW! 12pm at 1st Street NE and Constitution Avenue NE
    • CAC launched a Boot Pruitt campaign to kick off effort to put pressure on Pruitt and point out conflicts of interest. Sign up on the google  form  to plug in! 
    • CAC is hosting a second community planning call for San Francisco on Wednesday (2/7) at 11am ET. To plug into CPP hearing planning email smason@cacampaign.org.
    • Wheeler for Deputy EPA Administrator materials on CAC hub HERE.
    • OCS Drumbeat Materials 
      • Launched Protectallourcoasts.org  
      • toolkit for the 5 Year Plan comment drive 
      • OCS Coalition looking for additional partners to help drive comments in states!! 
      • A full list of the sessions, events, and coalition point people for Offshore is available here. (NOTE sessions were postponed this week due to shutdown) 
      • >> If you are interested in participating in an event please contact the event point person directly.  Sessions highlighted in yellow do not yet have events planned around them.  If you can volunteer to help organize one, please contact Holly Parker with the Surfrider Foundation (hparker@surfrider.org).
      • A social kit is available here.  Please note our common hashtag is #protectourcoast.
      • General messaging doc can be found here. 
    • Promote the storytellers on Ourenvironment.org who are advocating against harmful cuts to the EPA budget using this toolkit. 
    • Continue to drive opposition to Congressional attacks on national monuments and the Antiquities Act (in particular HR 3990, HR 4558, and HR 4532).  Our main ask is to send an action alert to organizational members to encourage them to contact congress to oppose these attacks.  Materials to help with that are below.

On the Horizon…  

Feb 6: EPW committee Wheeler vote and hearing on "The Impact of Federal Environmental Regulations and Policies on American Farming and Ranching Communities.”

Feb 7: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining 

Feb 7: Dream Act National Day of Action

Feb 7: #StopExtinction ESA rider tweetstorm

Feb 8: Government funding deadline 

Feb 12: White House FY19 budget release 

Feb 12: WH Infrastructure release 
Feb 21: CPP hearing in Kansas City,MO

Feb 28: CPP hearing in San Francisco

Early March: Debt ceiling deadline 
March 27: CPP hearing in Gillette, WY
April 30: EPA Ozone designations 

 

Intel 

  • WH will release infrastructure proposal and FY19 budget on Monday 
  • Trump administration's rule delaying implementation of the Obama administration's contentious Waters of the U.S. rule runs in the Federal Register today. Guidance here:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aedkjb09SE2_GdmHSRjB6_nZmx2HC8w65TudRBdwqfM/edit?usp=sharing
  • Carper isn't giving Wheeler a free pass on the Senate floor
  • Exxon published a blog post on how to reduce methane emissions. CAC social will send guidance. 
  • Pruitt is holding a meeting on reducing childhood lead poisoning at EPA next week with 16 high-level federal officials, including nine fellow Cabinet secretaries whose agencies are part of the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. This will look at other sources of lead contamination outside of paint like water and soil. 
  • Pruitt will travel to Northern Nevada mining sites with Governor Sandoval next week including the Anaconda Mine in Lyon County to make an announcement regarding the future clean-up efforts at the mine. 
  • More clips of Pruitt bashing Trump continue to be released 
--

Government Funding 
  • Nuts & Bolts:
    • House
      • House GOP released CR until March 23 that includes full year defense spending and community health center funding 
      • Rules will vote at 1pm today 
      • House floor vote expected tonight 
      • Dems supposed to leave for retreat tomorrow 
    • Senate: 
      • McConnell is holding a vote on defense only approps bill 
      • Senate will likely strip defense year long spending 
      • They could add a caps deal, disaster spending or debt ceiling increase
      • New bill will go back to the House and require another vote 
    • We should expect an omnibus this year where we will face a fight against cuts and riders (Important to reach out to champs to defend priorities) 
    • Trump budget will be released on Monday, February 12. Details are trickling out: 
      • Will slash DOE's renewable energy and efficiency programs by 72 percent
      • WIll gut EPA Chemical Enforcement BoardResponse:
  • Response: 
    • Continue to push for: 
      • Immigration deal that protects Dreamers and border communities/wildlife 
      • Adequate funding for programs that protect children's health and our outdoors 
    • Social media days of action this week - Tuesday and Thursday!
    • Champ engagement: 
      • Purpose | To defend our priorities during omnibus negotiations 
      • Goal | Looking for activity in priority states including
         Vermont (Leahy), Illinois (Durbin), New York (Lowey), New Mexico (Udall)
      • Reach out to CDP if you have capacity in these places! 
    • Grasstops calls
      • Purpose | To reinforce the need for parity in a Raise the caps deal, and to continue promoting a final budget resolution free from poison pill riders and budget cuts to critical environmental programs.  
      • Goal | 5 grasstop calls/week collectively from the groups
      • Instructions | Please use the google doc to sign-up for these grasstop calls. Fill in the intel you receive. We will have a standing agenda item on the Tuesday calls in the coming weeks for groups to report out. We will identify additional targets for outreach once we approach the post-budget caps phase of the fight or earlier if we want to be more prudent. 
      • Google Tracker and Sign-up Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15QcKbU4c0aF1k7AA_gLl8sCMxnPHQPWyAieNzsvMvrs/edit#gid=1618726108 
Immigration 
  • Nuts & Bolts: 
    • McCain/Coons bill would increase protections for Dreamers without funding for border wall 
    • The bill does have bad immigration provisions along with funding for a wall study and expansion of waivers
    • Please take a neutral position on the bill and focus hill outreach efforts on potential pitfalls of the border wall 
    • This bill is the best bet at this point for something sane. WH is whipping House for their proposal. 
  • Response: 
    • Promote the Rally through your social channels
      facebook link

    • Continue to speak out flight for a #DreamActNow #NoBorderWall #Greens4CleanDream
      digital toolkit 

    • Show up at the Rally 
      RSVP here

    • Participate in the civil disobedience portion of the day 
      ** Fill this out if you want to learn more. Logistics and training details forthcoming.


Open Comment Periods

Topic

Agency

Status

Deadline

Clean Power Plan

EPA

Open

4/26

Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule Making

EPA

Open

2/26

Offshore 5-year plan proposal

Interior

Open

3/8

Bears Ears Reductions

BLM

Open

3/19

Grand Staircase-Escalante Reductions

BLM

Open

3/19