Quarterly Impact Report - November 2023

The following report highlights NCEL’s impact between August – November 2023. The report is broken down into five sections – events, partnerships, resources, joint actions, NCEL in the news.

Following the National Forum in August, NCEL staff focused their attention this quarter on hosting regional events and helping environmental lawmakers prepare for the 2024 legislative sessions. NCEL also released new resources, facilitated joint action across state lines, and earned media coverage in outlets such as Governing highlighting our work.

Events

• NCEL at NYC Climate Week: NCEL hosted a panel discussion on Maximizing IRA Funding in the States with NY State Senator Brian Kavanagh & EPA staff. In partnership with Evergreen Collaborative, Climate Cabinet, & Data for Progress, NCEL hosted Sips for State Action Happy Hour. The event was attended by over 100 people with speakers including WA Governor Jay Inslee & NY Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.
  • Read More: NCEL Climate Week Blog recaps the events and emphasizes the importance of state climate action.
• Mississippi River Legislative Caucus Forum:  State legislators throughout the Mississippi River region gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana for the Mississippi River Legislative Caucus Forum. The annual event allows legislators to learn about the most pressing river-related issues, share lessons learned, and collaborate with key experts on multi-state solutions. 
• Southwest Legislators Transmission and Energy Convening: In October, 11 key legislative champions from Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico to discuss regional transmission and energy needs. 

Partnerships 

• NCEL Partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP): NCEL and NAP released a blog about how our partnership is fostering relationships between states and Tribes for the environment. The blog is  Relationships Between States and Tribes for the Environment co-authored by NCEL ED Dylan McDowell and NAP CEO Erik Stegman.

Resources

• IRA and State Implementation Session Update: This resource highlights the work of states from the 2023 legislative session in implementing the IRA.

Joint Actions

• Strengthening the Endangered Species Act: More than 190 legislators sent a letter to the Biden Administration on November 6 requesting strengthened support for endangered species recovery and for increased federal assistance for the protection and recovery of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act
• East Palestine Major Disaster Declaration: Over 35 members of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators representing 22 states sent a letter to the Biden Administration today requesting it approve a Major Disaster declaration for East Palestine, Ohio. Press release
• Water Heater Efficiency Standards: More than 200 legislators representing 38 states and territories submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Energy to support the agency’s proposal to increase the efficiency levels of water heaters.

NCEL in the News

• Smart Buildings Technology: Greenlit: How the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are driving energy investment
• Route 50: Pocket parks emerge as a climate solution
• Governing: Utility Efficiency Goes Down as Temperature and Fossil Fuel Prices Go Up
• E&E: State legislators press FERC to finish grid rule
• States Newsroom: Lack of oversight on transmission spending leads to higher electric bills, consumer advocate says