With the Senate climate fight really kicking off this week with a round of hearings in the EPW Committee our Senators need to hear from us more than ever. That’s why I arranged a little meeting between Maryland Senator Cardin (who sits on the committee) and Maryland climate activist MA Sheehan. To remind the Senator what hard core climate activists many of his constituents are, MA gave him copies of some photos from our big October 24th climate march through the driving rain to the White House. She also handed over a few dozen handwritten letters from constituents, to add to the 1000 that we delivered to the Senator over the summer.

The mere fact that the Senator took the time to meet with (and pose for the lovely picture shown here) speaks volumes about the impact all the grassroots love we’ve showered upon him has had. An even better indicator is the statement Cardin made at the start of the EPW hearings on Monday. In it he talked about the plight of his constituents on Smith Island, the economic benefits of clean energy, and his excitement over the increased transportation funding and consumer protections “polluter pays” principles built into the Kerry Boxer bill. All of this – and particularly the stuff about Smith Island and consumer protection – echoes the kinds of concerns CCAN activists have been relentlessly conveying to the Senator through letters, emails, phonecalls, and lobby meetings for months on end. Our messaging is clearly getting through.

The only area where the Senator went a little off message was on the topic of nukes. Despite an array of studies pointing to the enormous costs, and significantly lower job creation benefits of nuclear vis-à-vis dollar-for-dollar investments in wind and solar, Senator Cardin remains steadfast in his support of this false solution to climate change.

Still, the nuclear bit aside, I’d say it was a great statement overall and something Maryland residents could be proud of. Check out the video to see it for yourself, or read the transcript.

When you’re done, let me know what you think (keith@chesapeakeclimate.org). Or better yet, give the Senator a call (202-224-4524) and let him know what you think. Heap some more grassroots love on him for the things you liked, and don’t be afraid speak up about the less likable things (like his support for nuclear).

Like what you've read? Check out these related posts:

Tags: CEJAPA, Climate Bill Hearings, Climate Change Bill, Environment and Public Works Committee, grassroots activism, international day of climate action, Senator Ben Cardin, US Senate

No Comments »

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed