Hillsborough residents Met with Legislators in Washington, DC about Energy and Forest Service Funding

Many people think of lobbying as a job for highly paid professionals representing big corporations. But last month, two Hillsborough residents were in D.C. lobbying on behalf of an even more important client: Planet Earth.

Nadine Sapirman and Dave Carta are both members of the Raritan Valley chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). On July 28, they joined 800 other CCL members at the organization’s annual Lobby Day. CCLers, as they call themselves, came from all across the country, paying their own way, to urge members of Congress to adopt policies that will slow climate change. Their asks included full funding for the United States Forest Service and changes to streamline the permitting process for clean energy.

Over the course of the day, CCLers held over 400 meetings with House and Senate members from both sides of the aisle. Sapirman, the leader of CCL-Raritan Valley, met with staffers from the offices of Representative Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey District 5) and Senator Cory Booker. Carta, who was attending Lobby Day for the first time, jumped in headfirst, attending the Booker meeting and also joining meetings with the offices of Arkansas Senator John Boozman and Texas Senator John Cornyn.

Sapirman, an eleven-time veteran of Lobby Day, said of the event, “It's so powerful to have your voice heard in this way. I'm hopeful that our elected officials will work hard on our behalf to streamline government processes to get more energy—especially clean energy—built faster so our energy bills can be more affordable and to reduce pollution.” Carta agreed, saying, “To potentially influence the most vital issue of our time is exciting and fulfilling.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Citizens' Climate Lobby can go to www.citizensclimatelobby.org.