FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2021
Contact:
Mike Tidwell, Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Laura Cofsky, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and CCAN Action Fund, 571-275-6696, laura@chesapeakeclimate.org
Biggest petition to date shows widespread momentum across the country for a dramatic shift toward clean energy with benefits for economically struggling communities
WASHINGTON, DC — In the largest show of support so far, nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition demanding Congress pass President Joe Biden’s plan to make the U.S. electricity grid 100% carbon-free by 2035.
The petition, launched in early April and sponsored by noted groups like the Hip Hip Caucus and Waterkeepers Alliance, calls on Congress to pass a national Clean Energy Standard (CES) as part of Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill, the American Jobs Plan. The bill would be a transformative step toward mitigating the devastating effects of climate change while creating millions of critical, family-sustaining jobs for Americans, including frontline communities and communities of color.
“This petition is just more proof of how hungry Americans are for clean energy and new jobs” said CCAN Action Fund Director Mike Tidwell. “Voters from coast to coast are applauding President Biden for putting clean air and hard-working Americans first with his American Jobs Plan. Now Congress needs to finish the job.”
A 100% clean grid would also reduce health costs and save lives, especially in frontline communities. A recent report found that globally, pollution from fossil fuels resulted in one out of every five deaths in 2019.
“This petition shows us that Americans don’t want to continue living under a broken energy system,” said Hip Hop Caucus President and Co-Founder Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. “The conversation around clean electricity is not just about how we power our lights and computers. It’s about saving lives.”
Here is the full list of sponsors of the petition: CCAN Action Fund, Daily Kos, Progressive Reform Network,, Coalition on Human Needs, Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Stand.Earth, Go For Broke For Vets, Hip Hop Caucus and Waterkeeper Alliance.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE PETITION IN FULL
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The CCAN Action Fund is the advocacy arm of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. For almost 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
