MEDIA RELEASE: Canadians among over 1,000 climate advocates to converge on DC and lobby Congress for price on carbon

Canadians among over 1,000 climate advocates to converge on DC and lobby Congress for price on carbon

FOR IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE: June 6, 2017,
Media Contact: Cathy Orlando,  cathy@citizensclimatelobby.org ,  705-929-4043

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 13, more than 1,000 constituents from across the United States and seven Canadians will meet with nearly every congressional office on Capitol Hill to build political will for carbon-pricing legislation that rises annually and returns the revenue to households. Before heading to the Hill, these “citizen lobbyists” will gather in Washington for the 8th Annual Citizens’ Climate International Conference and Lobby Day, which will be held at Washington, D.C.’s Omni Shoreham Hotel from June 11-13. An additional three Canadians will be in attendance at the conference.

“We think there’s a good chance that bipartisan legislation to price carbon will be introduced in this Congress,” said Citizens’ Climate Lobby Executive Director Mark Reynolds. “One of the reasons this will happen is the dedication of volunteers who travel to D.C. for this conference to tell their members of Congress that it’s time to enact solutions to climate change. Congress responds to the will of the people when the people tell them what they want.”

Dr. Sanjiv Mathur of Sudbury, Ontario, and Climate Change Advisor to pharmaceutical company, Abbvie, is a panelist at the conference that will focus on Health and Climate Change.

Conference plenaries, breakouts, and workshops will train and prepare advocates for their meetings on the Hill. Sessions will include keynote addresses from Anthony Leiserowitz of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and Lou Helmouth from Our Children’s Trust.

“Canadians have been lobbying Congress alongside our American colleagues for a carbon price since the second international conference in DC in 2011. Both constituents and representatives make us feel welcomed and respect our perspective,” says Cathy Orlando, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada’s National Director. “The Canadian delegates will help inform Congressional offices on Canada’s proposed national carbon price as an important mechanism to galvanize our country’s clean tech industry.  We will also encourage Congress to work with Canada to help North America transition to a low carbon economy.”

WHAT: 8^th Annual Citizens’ Climate International Conference and Lobby Day
WHEN: June 11-13, 2017
WHERE: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW (Red Line – Woodley Park), Washington, DC 20008
WHO: Anthony Leiserowitz, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; Lou Helmouth, Our Children’s Trust; 1,200 volunteers from throughout the U.S.
WHY: Building on the progress of the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus and the Republican Climate Resolution, it’s time for Congress to step up on solutions to climate change. With the White House rolling back initiatives to reduce heat-trapping emissions, Congress needs to enact a market-based policy that’s good for the climate AND the economy.

For conference credentials, contact Steve Valk at steve@citizensclimate.org
For Canadian information, contact Cathy Orlando at cathy@citizensclimate.org