[Green] Call for vote to sign FUUSM GSC on to this letter toPresident Biden

[Mike Bailey]

Yes
Mike b

Sent from Mail for Windows

From: Dawn Hewitt via Green
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2022 9:47 PM
To: Green Sanctuary List for Environment Issues
Cc: Dawn Hewitt
Subject: [Green] Call for vote to sign FUUSM GSC on to this letter toPresident Biden

George B. Has asked us to consider sining on to this letter to President Biden endorsing ReImagine Appalachia—by Appalachians like us. Please respond by Friday at 7 p.m. George will fill out the form for us. The text of the letter to be sent to the president follows the introductory information. I vote YES!!  

Thanks!  —dawn


Begin forwarded message:

From: Tracy Sabetta <tsabetta at initiativeohio.com>
Subject: Sign on Letter: Bold Reconciliation Package for Appalachia
Date: March 23, 2022 at 2:48:19 PM EDT
To: Tracy Sabetta <tsabetta at initiativeohio.com>

Good afternoon, 
 
Thank you for your continued commitment to the ReImagine Appalachia coalition and work being done to make a brighter future for the region. ReImagine Appalachia and Appalachian Voices are working together to circulate a sign-on letter to be sent to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Schumer to move quickly on an ambitious budget reconciliation package that invests in Appalachian communities. We expect negotiations on a reconciliation to begin in earnest in the next month or so. Though the timeline for a new bill isn't set in stone, we know that conversations continue in the background, and we want to make sure  that Appalachian interests continue to have a seat at the table. The text of the letter and those who have already signed on is attached below.
 
To add your group or business to this letter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 31st.  Please let me know or contact Dana at AppVoices.org with questions about the sign on letter content or process.
 
Thanks for all you do for Appalachia,
Tracy Sabetta, National Wildlife Federation in Ohio
On behalf of ReImagine Appalachia coalition
 
Letter Text:
 
April 4, 2022
 
President Joseph Biden
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
 
Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
 
Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
 
President Biden, Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi:
 
We, the undersigned members of the Appalachian community, write to emphasize to you the importance of passing a bold reconciliation package that addresses the climate crisis in a way that supports good-paying, sustainable jobs in the communities that have powered this nation for more than a century.
 
The decline of the coal industry in Appalachia has left many communities in the region grappling with unemployment, low income levels, black lung disease and environmental degradation. When President Biden took office, he made a commitment to prioritize coal mining and power plant communities in the clean energy transition. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was a significant step toward fulfilling that promise. But the investments included in the $555 billion clean energy and climate reconciliation proposal remain critical to a successful economic future for Appalachian communities.
 
On March 1st, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin once again indicated his support for the climate provisions included in the House-passed reconciliation bill, meaning the entire Democratic caucus is in support of the $555 billion in clean energy investments. As the leaders of Congress and our country, we urge you to prioritize getting this deal done in order to create thousands of sustainable jobs in energy transition communities in Appalachia and thousands more across the country. 
 
The transition to a clean energy economy must be centered around justice and equity for all Americans and support communities that have historically been hit hardest by the fossil fuel industry and its decline. Specifically, we ask that you support provisions that:
• Provide robust funding for clean energy projects, including increasing access to rooftop solar and weatherization assistance for low- and moderate-income families, as well as bonus credits to encourage solar projects in low-income and tribal communities. Tax provisions that encourage the growth of the solar industry, including access to the Investment Tax Credit for non-taxable entities and a 10-year extension of the 30% Solar and Storage Investment Tax Credit, must be present. 
• Support clean energy manufacturing job creation in disadvantaged communities, including the Advanced Solar Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. Encourage cleaner and more efficient manufacturing, including through the redevelopment of shuttered coal plants and manufacturing sites.
• Reinstate the Black Lung Excise Tax to its historic rate of $1.10 and $0.55 per ton of underground and surface mine coal, respectively, and extend this rate for 10 years in order to ensure that benefits and black-lung-related medical care are funded for miners and their families.
• Invest in dislocated energy worker support, replacement of lost state/local revenue, and additional funding for programs that spur economic development and diversification in these regions. 
• Provide pathways into union employment for women, Black workers and other workers of color, particularly people who have served correctional sentences or recovered from addiction.
• Fund grants and loans for rural electric cooperatives to help them develop affordable, job-creating and accessible renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and programs.
• Create a new Civilian Conservation Corps – a diverse new workforce that can conserve our public lands, bolster community resilience, and address the changing climate, all while putting good-paying union jobs within reach for more Americans.
 
We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Please act immediately to move forward on a legislative package that includes the $555 billion clean energy jobs and climate plan that will help transform coal-impacted Appalachia. 
 
CC: Appalachian Congressional Delegation 
 
Sincerely,
 
Groups signed on as of 3/22/2022 1 pm: 
To add your group to this letter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 31st.
 
Appalachian Sustainable Development
Appalachian Voices 
Christians For The Mountains
Climate Institute 
Gesundheit institute 
Heartwood
Jobs with Justice of East Tennessee
Kentucky Conservation Committee
Kentucky Resources Council
Keystone Research Center
Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, Inc. (LiKEN)
National Wildlife Federation
On The Levels Farmstead  
PennFuture
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Radford University Appalachian Regional & Rural Studies Center
Sierra Club
The  Southwest Virginia New Economy Network 
Virginia Organizing
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
 
 
 
Tracy Sabetta
Initiative Consulting
614-581-2907
tsabetta at initiativeohio.com




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