Ocean Climate Action Plan Invitation

At the end of this post I am going to invite you to join us in a “Virtual Lobby Day” in Washington DC!

In last week’s post we applauded all of the new administrative directives on the rapidly unfolding climate crisis, and suggested that a good place to focus on solutions would naturally involve the ocean. One of the ocean efforts being advanced is House Natural Resources Committee chair Raul Grijalva’s “Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020.”

Of course these bills don’t just pop up like mushrooms and show up on the House (or Senate) floor for a vote; they wend their way along circuitous political pathways, picking up dross, and dropping text along the way, until everyone who votes on it has a personal reason to enlist. By way of this process, the National Ocean Policy Act of 2012 took seven years to land…

But we don’t have that sort of time right now, so we need to accelerate the process. One way we usually do this is by showing up in Washington DC and letting our Representatives and Senators know how much this matters to us. I’ve done this every year (except 2020) since 2000.

Nonetheless, showing up in D.C. with suits and ties (or skirts and heels) is an effort – but one we can side-step this year – and to our advantage, because we can “zoom” our congressional staff meetings, and bring y’all along!

There are a number of benefits to this: We can hit more offices without having to scamper between the various office buildings on The Hill; we can bring our constituents (you) along for back-up and a “show of hands;” and you all can all get an operational civics experience on National Governance without having to get out of your pajama bottoms (blouses, jackets, and ties are still recommended).

What will happen: On April 14 we will lay siege on The Hill (our way) and meet with congressional staff to present our Ocean Climate Solutions cases: Offshore wind and tidal energy, Coastal resilience, and Living shorelines/regenerative aquaculture.

Your cohort will be associated with your state, so you’ll get a chance to meet with the folks who are pulling for you in Congress (and new pals from your state who love the ocean). There will be a couple of strategy meetings beforehand to get the “lay of the land,” assess who is on deck, and hear what you want to bring to the meetings. And then we “hit the Hill.”

Wanna play? Sign up and change the world! http://bit.ly/OceanClimateAction

Our objective is recruiting Ocean Climate Action Congressional co-sponsors and supporters – letting them know what we love about the ocean, and how they can assure our votes for their continued work on our behalf (the ‘carrot and stick’ routine…).

Success means an Ocean Climate Action Plan, reconciled between the House and Senate and ready for Presidential signature by the end of 2021.

Are you with us? Sign in here: http://bit.ly/OceanClimateAction