Updates from your Policy Team

Boulderers weaving their way through the Buttermilks. Land of the Northern Paiute, Eastern Mono/Monache, Newe peoples. AAC member Dawn Kish

5 minute read

What Went Down This Fall?

Amelia Howe, AAC Advocacy Manager

As we pack up our sport climbing gear and enter into the winter season, it is hard to believe that we are already one year into a new administration. It feels like just yesterday we were activating our community to vote, and outlining our vision for the newly elected Biden-Harris administration. Now, new priorities have been outlined by the White House, and steps have been taken to act on these priorities. All of these factors impact how we strategize our advocacy efforts, and how you and your fellow climbers can assist us in our work.

Rachel Goldman climbing the steep featured roofs of Hueco
Tanks. Lands of the Tampachoa (Mansos), Ndé Kónitsąąíí Gokíyaa (Lipan Apache), & Mescalero Apache peoples. AAC member Dawn Kish

The American Alpine Club’s (AAC) vision for the current administration was outlined in the last Summit Register. It covered everything from creating a nationwide 30x30 implementation plan, restoring the National Environmental Policy Act, and utilizing public lands management and protections as a tool for fighting the climate crisis and prioritizing equitable access to landscapes and greenspaces. While there is endless work to be done, and much to hold the administration accountable to, there are things worth celebrating as we hit the one-year mark.

Infrastructure

A monumental milestone worth celebrating is the successful passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law on November 15th. While this bill may not sound like anything relevant to climbers, it contains strong legislative support for fighting the climate crisis and supporting public lands.

The public lands system is full of aging infrastructure that has long been neglected. In order to ensure an increase in equitable access to these resources for generations to come, our lawmakers need to prioritize funding for the necessary stewardship and maintenance work. From parking lots to restrooms to individual trails, these critical resources deserve continued attention and support, and luckily, the Infrastructure package works to directly address that need.

The Impact of Infrastructure on Recreation, Climate Action, and Public Lands

While this bill touches on everything from job creation, traditional infrastructure priorities such as bridge and roadway repair, and social infrastructure needs like nationwide broadband access, it also included priorities specifically related to what we advocate for in the recreation space. What exactly did the passage of this bill get us from a recreation, public lands, and climate perspective?

This is what we’re most excited about.

• $100 million for Restoring, Preparing, or Adapting Recreation Sites on Federal Lands

• Investments in Natural Infrastructure

• $250 million to fund the Forest Service’s Legacy Road and Trail Program

• $47 billion in climate resilience measures

• $65 billion in clean energy and power grid-related investments

• $21 billion to clean up decommissioned, or orphaned, oil and gas wells on public and Tribal lands

• $50 million for endangered-species recovery and conservation programs

• $500 million to address forest fire planning, defense, and response

A Note on the Build Back Better Act

The Budget Reconciliation package, or the Build Back Better Act (BBB), was a crucial element to the current presidential administration’s efforts to fight climate change and build national climate resilience. However, negotiating this bill and our national spending priorities have been the major political crux of the year. While the BBB passed in the House on November 19th, recent developments in the Senate indicate that the BBB as it stands faces a significant roadblock, and will have to be reconsidered and renegotiated as a new bill. While this is discouraging for those who were excited to see climate and public lands priorities within the bill, this setback won’t stop us. There is still great reason to get involved, and advocate for the policies that matter most to climbers. One thing is clear, the fight for public lands and climate action is not over.

Though the BBB will no longer exist by the same name moving forward, we need to fight to continue to have our priorities heard as these topics are renegotiated. Here is what we find most imperative and hope resurfaces in a future package:

Key Elements of the BBB for Climbers That We Should Carry Forward

Sara Roudebush and Michelle “Meesh” Van Riper get ready to start the day with a comically appropriate amount of pads for a day of climbing
at the Buttermilks. Lands of the Northern Paiute, Eastern Mono/Monache, Newe peoples. AAC member Dawn Kish

• Funding for the creation and implementation of the Civilian Climate Corps

• Investments in the effectiveness of the National Environmental Policy Act

• Protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

• Investment in public land agency climate resiliency

• Mineral leasing act reform

• Bonding reform and decommissioned, or orphaned, wells clean up

While it often feels like decisions made in D.C. are out of our hands, it is critical that we remember we elect these individuals to represent us. We have the power to call or write to them regarding how a decision they made makes us feel. We have the power to re-elect them or to vote them out of office. We have the power to hold them accountable to the needs of our communities. And so many of you already have. You have sent thousands of emails in support of the critical amendments that will ensure public lands remain protected, resilient to climate impacts, and accessible to all. Thank you for supporting these initiatives. We must keep pushing. Keep on the lookout for new ways to advocate for our priorities in the New Year, and ensure your voice is heard.

A Big Opportunity to Invest in Climate Action + Public Lands!

AAC is Excited about the Reconciliation+Infrastructure Package: Here is Why

Over the past several months, Congress has been making big moves in order to address the climate crisis through both the infrastructure package and the budget reconciliation process. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our Representatives to allocate serious funding to address the climate crisis and protect public lands. 

There is room within these processes to invest in public lands, take bold action on climate, reform outdated oil and gas leasing processes, and create new pathways for Americans to be employed on public lands. In order to ensure we hold our Lawmakers accountable, we must demand that our elected officials go big on climate. 

Why must we use the budget reconciliation process to go big on climate?

The Senate can pass reconciliation bills with a simple majority vote rather than a filibuster-proof vote. This means that the bill could pass on the grounds of a one-vote majority rather than needing a 3/5ths majority vote which equates to a 60 vote minimum. Given the current 50-50 Democrat-Republican split in the Senate, the budget reconciliation process could allow for an easier path to a whole-of-government approach to taking bold action on climate.

Where are we in the process?

Legislative priorities of the committees who are engaged in the reconciliation process were due to the Senate on September 15. Once all of the individual pieces of legislation are consolidated, the Senate will then vote on the entire package, as will the House. If at that point the House and Senate adopt different reconciliation bills, they must then come together in a conference committee (a committee composed of select senators and house members) to work out the differences between the two. 

Once the budget reconciliation bill is passed by both chambers, the House will then need to vote on the infrastructure package. If the House decides to make changes to the bill, which is likely to happen, the two chambers will once again need to reconcile the differences in committee. Due to these factors, it is hard to predict when the process will reach completion. This is why it is more important than ever to share your thoughts on this process with your Lawmakers.

Amendments AAC is Advocating For:

There are many different things that you as a constituent can advocate to your Representatives for in this process. We have outlined several of the amendments we are most excited about below. At the end of this blog, there is an action alert you can utilize to write your Lawmakers. While sending an email to encourage bold action on climate is great, it is even more powerful to include the things you care about most in the text. Please copy + paste various bullet points that stand out to you as important in the points below. 

1. Support the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC): 

   1. The CCC would be an investment in both people and public lands and is a critical piece of the climate change mitigation puzzle. We must prioritize climate action on public lands as we rebuild our economy. Congress should use budget reconciliation to fund the CCC to work to restore critical ecosystems, address deferred maintenance needs, and advance energy retrofitting on public lands. The CCC has the opportunity to support rural and frontline communities through improving public lands access, mitigating climate risks, and creating new jobs. 

   2. In order for the CCC to reach its full potential, there must be a federal public lands funding component. Congress needs to provide funding to the land management agencies that are explicitly dedicated to the implementation of the CCC projects. If there is no dedicated funding for individual projects, there may not be the budget required to see public lands projects to fruition. We are urging Congress and the House Natural Resources Committee to add a specific budgetary line item to fund these projects in order for the CCC to have its biggest impact. 

   3. Lastly, Congress must ensure that the budget for the CCC accounts for a living wage for Corps members. 

2. Protections for Critical and Sacred Landscapes: Oak Flat + Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!

   1. Please support the investment in shielding Oak Flat, a sacred site of the Apache people in Arizona from the Resolution Copper mine. 

   2. Please support the repeal of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas program as well as the cancellation of all leases that were sold as a result of the previous administration’s lease sale. 

3. Investment in Public Land Climate Resiliency 

   1. Please support the funds being allocated to the individual public lands agencies in order to support the protection, restoration, and resiliency of public lands and resources. Investing in these protections is critical for the economic viability of gateway communities outside of public lands, thousands of jobs, and the support of outfitters + guides who operate their businesses on public lands. 

4. Support Mineral Leasing Act Reform

   1. It is reassuring to see thoughtful amendments to the Mineral Leasing Act included in reconciliation. There must be a fair price, and economic return, established for leasing minerals on public lands, and the price has historically been too low. Please support the proposed increased cost of acreage and the requirement that once every 4 years the dollar amounts pertaining to mineral leasing on public lands are assessed for inflation and market needs. Additionally, the effort to shorten the mineral leasing terms is a good step in the right direction, please support these amendments.     

5. Protect NEPA!

   1. Please support the funds being allocated to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Environmental Policy Act. In order for NEPA to be most effective and ensure that projects are subject to thorough environmental review, there is a need to add capacity via additional funding and personnel. 

6. Bonding Reform and Orphaned Wells Clean up: Create New Jobs! 

   1. We are glad to see $4.7 billion for orphan wells clean up in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. This funding represents a great start toward addressing a massive, country-wide clean-up need. 

   2. We must also address the system that creates these wells in the first place, so we are not faced with the same situation down the road, continuing to leave taxpayers with the cleanup responsibility for the industry’s mess. 

   3. It is crucial to pass the landmark updates to the federal oil and gas bonding requirements, to help better cover the cost of clean-up. This will save the federal government and taxpayers money, and act to prevent future orphaned wells while protecting communities, creating jobs, and combating climate change. 

   4. The BLM does have the authority to raise federal bond amounts, but the agency has failed to do so. Congress must act to ensure that bond updates are in statute, and not dependent on an agency that has failed to address this issue for decades. 

   5. A 2019 GAO report found that current federal bonding requirements for oil and gas operators are inadequate and outdated. These must be updated. Bond amounts have not been updated since the 1950s and 1960s, and have never been adjusted for inflation, nor advances in technology that increase reclamation costs.

7. Carbon Pricing 

   1. We support the inclusion of an adjusted carbon pricing system within budget reconciliation. Starting with a low price (~$20/ton) and increasing after five years will incentivize clean energy production and consumption. As well as a border adjustment tax that will put the United States at a global advantage as we see a shift towards carbon taxation and climate action overseas.

   2. The use of carbon tax funds to pay for other climate policies. This will offset the total cost of climate action. 

   3. Full investment in an updated electric grid to decrease carbon in power production and increase disaster resilience. 

   4. Invest in financially and physically accessible electric vehicles and charging stations through tax rebates and infrastructure investments.