CCL Hawaii’s May 17 statewide meeting included

• A brief overview of CCL’s new legislative agenda

• Watching the national call’s speaker, Adam Simon

• Recap of recent successes and updates

• Calls to action

• Request to members to join the four Hawaii lobby teams for Lobby Day on June 13

Watching the national call’s speaker, Adam Simon

Adam Simon is a professor of earth & environmental sciences at the University of Michigan.  He discussed the elements needed for the clean economy and the location and issues around procuring these elements.  The need represents a several fold increase in mining capacity.  But we need to exercise caution so as not to create environmental disasters in the mining of these elements, which will likely require much more mining in the US where generally it is safer and more environmental regulations exist.  Acquiring the needed elements will mean a great increase in extraction and the need to mine in new areas.   To see his full presentation, please use the following link.

Recap of recent successes and updates

• Honolulu youth met with Reps. Lowen and Perusso 

• CCL and HECA at the Oahu Climate Fair at the Capitol on May 20

• Hawaii Island CCL at Drive Electric Earth Day Hilo

• Maui Update

  First in-person meeting since COVID

Tabling at UHMC Earth Day

Hosting Climate Form (work in progress)

PSA at Maui Film Festival

•  Media had four publications appear in the first half of May in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.  Two of them were op-eds.

Calls to action

• National is making two requests of volunteers.  It’s calling upon volunteers to urger their MOCs to work on permitting reform as it is critical to unlocking the potential of the Inflation Reduction Act and helping the U.S. bring down its GHG emissions.  Any permitting reform must: 

  Drive down carbon pollution by speeding up approval for good clean energy projects

Protect the health and safety of American people and communities

•  Second, national would like volunteers to ask their House Representative to co-sponsor the Energy Innovation Act once reintroduced:  https://citizensclimatelobby.org/get-loud-take-action/energy-innovation-act/

Request to members to join the four Hawaii lobby teams for Lobby Day on June 13

Last a brief discussion about CCL’s lobby day took place.  Hawaii will have four lobby teams.  Recognizing the expense and time to travel to DC, the lobby team organizers are trying to arrange for hybrid meetings so Hawaii CCLers can participate remotely.  Currently, there are opportunities to participate in the two senate meetings:  Sen. Schatz at 8:30 AM and Sen. Hirono at 10 AM HST.  Please contact Paul Bernstein at paulbernstein2004@yahoo.com if you’d like to participate in any of the lobby meetings.