By: Madison Mayhew, IPL Federal Policy Advocate

With Halloween behind us, we’re hoping Congress will pass all treats and no tricks when they return from recess later this month! As a refresher – at the end of September, Congress passed a short term budget bill called a Continuing Resolution (CR) that funded the government through the end of the year. When Congress returns, they will move to pass a larger budget bill called an omnibus. We may have a big fight in the upcoming appropriations process to defeat the dirty deal again, with the most activity likely during the last week of November and the first week of December. We’re likely to see a vote on the budget bill in the second week of December.

Permitting Reform

We defeated Manchin’s Dirty Deal this past September, but we know there will likely be a second attempt to pass it by attaching it to the budget omnibus at the end of the year. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the Administration publicly support the Dirty Deal. Earthjustice created this factsheet outlining a series of options the Administration can use without legislation, to speed up the transition to renewables.

Check out the faith based Dirty Deal toolkit here, and an updated action alert below.

COP27 

A small IPL delegation is heading to Egypt this week for COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh! Our delegation will be sharing up to date information about what is happening at COP27 on social media and our blog. Recently, we delivered a petition to State Department officials calling on President Biden to take bold action at COP to rapidly cut emissions and ensure fair support of people and nations on the front lines of extreme climate impacts. Read the petition here. 

In case you missed it, check out our recent COP27 webinar on our YouTube channel.

Election Uncertainty

Our Faith Climate Justice Voter Campaign has reminded us that this midterm election is about the values shaping our future. As the election quickly approaches, there are a few things to keep in mind this year: 

In the past, we could typically expect a decisive outcome on Election Day. But partisan gerrymandering, widespread disinformation efforts, voter suppression, and the presence of candidates refusing to accept election results plagued the 2020 election and will likely affect the 2022 midterms. 

Given the challenges posed by ongoing voter suppression efforts targeting voters of color, active and ongoing disinformation campaigns and the likelihood of contested outcomes, it could be days, weeks, or even months, before election results are resolved. 

Increased processing time means our system is working to count every eligible vote correctly and efficiently. In a period of uncertainty, we cannot allow election deniers to cast doubt on a system that is working exactly as it should. 

It has been proven that voter fraud does not pose any real threat or concern to our elections. It could not and does not happen at a rate that would be required to affect an election. Beware of false claims about the election results. We expect bad actors to spread disinformation and cast doubt for their political gain.

Any threat to free and fair elections threatens our ability to protect our Sacred Earth, advance environmental justice, and create a better world for our children. We cannot protect these values without ensuring that our democracy works for everyone, especially communities of color who carry the heaviest burden and have historically had their vote suppressed. Only once we ensure every vote is counted and legitimate results are achieved we will be able to pursue or defend a mandate for our leaders to protect the environment, tackle the climate crisis, and protect public health. 

IPL will continue to monitor and share opportunities to engage – stay tuned! 

If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote and check your voter registration status here!

Additional resources: 

Election Protection Network | https://866ourvote.org/

• The national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition works year-round to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count. Made up of more than 300 local, state and national partners, Election Protection uses a wide range of tools and activities to protect, advance, and defend the right to vote. 

Check out their multi-lingual election protection hotlines: 

• English (866-OUR-VOTE) — Election Protection Coalition

• Spanish (888-VE-Y-VOTA) — National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) 

• Arabic (844-YALLA-US) — Arab American Institute (AAI) 

• Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali  (888-API-VOTE) — Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA Vote)

Action Opportunities

Join IPL in Texting Faith Voters to Get Out the Vote

​Together with our affiliates in Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, IPL will reach out to a half million voters of faith who don’t vote often and are alarmed by the climate crisis via text.

Join us at an upcoming textbank to encourage them to vote their values of climate justice. There are ongoing virtual textbanks now through the election you can join and share with your faith communities. Sign up here.

Sign the Petition for EPA to Act Now on Strong Pollution Rules

We are grateful to both President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan for helping lead the way in passing historic investments in climate, jobs and justice in the Inflation Reduction Act – and there’s still more work to be done. Right now, the administration is considering several administrative rules to address toxic power plant pollution. These rules, however, are currently being reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget and being stalled by big polluters. We need them to move forward swiftly with strong solutions for pollution. Add your name to this petition by November 17th and share it with your faith communities.

Tell Congress to Stop the Dirty Deal, Again.

Please also put a call into your Senators and Representative asking them to oppose the DirtyDeal – either as a representative of your organization or as a constituent. You can use this tool to see a sample message to relay and be connected to your congressional offices.

As we round out the year with continued action and rising uncertainty, please take care and keep the faith.