Minnesota Statewide Media Project

Recommended this month:  

• Affordability:  Heatmap and MIT’s Electricity Price Hub, shows that prices were 6.7% higher, on average nationally, than the same month the previous year. The 12-month trailing average, a measure that smooths out seasonal fluctuations in rates, was up 6.5% from a year ago, but up nearly 14% over two years ago. You can use the Heatmap site to search cost increases by your congressional district, state or community and over 1-5 years. In LTEs you can discuss the increased costs, some of the causes (higher demand, need to expand the grid but we're not doing it fast enough) and encourage permitting reform. 

• Permitting Reform: Continue tying PR to reliability, energy costs, and grid resilience. In LTEs, mention your members of Congress by name and express that it’s imperative they work across the aisle to reach a deal to modernize permitting. Expanding and modernizing America's electric grid is essential to meet growing energy demand, strengthen reliability, and lower costs for people. Lean into how you are seeing prices and electricity demand rising. (Monthly call features staffers working on PR.)

• This month, we’re asking Republican and Democratic Senators to cosponsor the Senate version of the Save Our Sequoias Act (S. 4103).

  • Messaging: Giant sequoia trees are primarily found in their native California, but just like forests all across the country, they are at risk from the growing threat of wildfires. The Save Our Sequoias Act would give land managers stronger tools and resources to proactively protect these forests. The bill improves coordination across agencies and partners, prioritizes restoration work, and helps managers respond more quickly to wildfire threats before they become catastrophic.

  •  Many of the activities detailed in this bill are measures that were already enacted by the Biden Administration, have since been continued by the Trump Administration, and now have the chance to be codified into law to continue to protect these forests into the future. Forests play a key role in addressing climate change. U.S. forests currently offset about 12% of the nation’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, but severe wildfires release much of that stored carbon back into the atmosphere. 

• Let’s also keep up the steady drumbeat of media highlighting the importance and benefits of the Fix Our Forests Act, leaning into environmentalist credentials where possible.

• Carbon Pricing: Keep messaging broad and accessible—focus on outcomes (carbon pricing could help drive down emissions) rather than specific bills. Carbon pricing is a powerful tool to push the market toward cleaner energy, which these days is also cheaper energy. As our lawmakers look at ways to address energy costs now and in the future, Congress should explore this policy to shift our economy toward cleaner, more affordable energy.

At the State Level

• CCL Minnesota Current State-Level Media Topics--contact Statewide Media Manager for guidance.