Climate Leadership Council

Climate Conversations: Clean Competition Act with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Alex Oprica — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:07:16 +0000

COP28 featured the first-ever ‘Trade Day’, at least nine countries have started formal explorations of carbon import fees, and multiple pieces of climate and trade legislation have already come out of the 118th Congress. Against this backdrop, Senator Whitehouse’s introduction of the Clean Competition Act serves as the latest indicator of growing urgency to address the emissions associated with trade. On December 13, in the latest installment of our Climate Conversations series, Council CEO Greg Bertelsen and Senator Whitehouse discussed why the senator supports this approach to industrial decarbonization, momentum on Capitol Hill, and next steps.

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The Climate-Trade Nexus & the WTO: Friend or Foe?

Climate Leadership Council — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 14:50:00 +0000

Carbon import fees are under serious consideration by the U.S. Senate. But would this type of policy stand up if challenged by the World Trade Organization (WTO)? The Climate Leadership Council’s Center for Climate and Trade is tackling this unanswered question in a first-of-its-kind analysis out this September.

On Wednesday, September 20th, distinguished former WTO Appellate Body members Jim Bacchus and Jennifer Hillman shared insights on the potential for accommodating these innovative measures within the WTO’s framework. The event also featured the unveiling of our new report by the Council’s vice president, policy and research, Matt Porterfield.

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Climate Conversations: Understanding the PROVE IT Act

Climate Leadership Council — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 14:44:00 +0000

In this installment of the Climate Leadership Council’s Climate Conversations series with Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) on Thursday, September 7. This in-person event featured a moderated discussion with the senators and Council CEO Greg Bertelsen about their bipartisan Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act. The session was followed by a panel of industry leaders who offered their perspectives on the U.S. advantage in carbon-efficient manufacturing.

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The U.S. Carbon Advantage in Chemicals Manufacturing

Climate Leadership Council — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 18:15:27 +0000

The Climate Leadership Council’s Center for Climate and Trade hosted a virtual event unveiling a first-of-its-kind study on America’s carbon efficiency advantage in the chemicals industry. The key takeaway: the U.S. is one of the cleanest players in the global chemicals industry, generating significantly less emissions to produce the same chemicals as key competitors overseas.

The U.S. carbon advantage in chemicals manufacturing can and should be leveraged to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. chemical manufacturers and increase global climate ambition. This discussion of the findings includes perspectives from leaders in industry and government, including Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tony Will, President and Chief Executive Officer of CF Industries.

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A Conversation with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

Climate Leadership Council — Wed, 25 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Integrating climate with trade policy has emerged as an area of bipartisanship in Congress. In a recent joint letter to President Biden, Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chris Coons (D-DE) urged the president to consider trade policies with the European Union and other U.S. allies that reduce global emissions, increase exports of cleaner U.S. energy, and strengthen geopolitical alliances. This letter comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underscored the importance of securing supply chains for energy and other critical resources.

To discuss this letter and more, the Climate Leadership Council’s Center for Climate and Trade invited Senator Cramer for a 30-minute virtual conversation. Council CEO Greg Bertelsen and the senator discussed how leveraging our trade relationships can position the United States to promote cleaner energy production, enhance our energy independence, reward clean U.S. industries, and coordinate with our allies to diminish the influence of bad actors on the world stage.

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Climate Conversations: Ensuring Grid Reliability in the Clean Energy Transition

Climate Leadership Council — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:19:11 +0000

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and duration, placing unprecedented strains on the U.S. electric grid and power systems. At the same time, rapid decarbonization as we switch to new energy sources can also create challenges to grid reliability. When the grid fails, the human and economic toll can be staggering, amplifying the already-high costs associated with climate change.

As part of the Ted Halstead Climate Conversation Series, the Climate Leadership Council held a briefing on a new report from former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee and Council CEO Greg Bertelsen that details how carbon pricing can help ensure that all Americans have access to reliable electricity as we transition to a low-carbon economy. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) also provided a view from Congress, and Vistra Corp. CEO Curt Morgan discussed how to achieve a clean and reliable energy grid.

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Don’t Believe the Hype: A BCA Is Doable (and We’re Doing Most of It Already)

Climate Leadership Council — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:54:43 +0000

The European Union and policymakers in Canada, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. have all signaled interest in pricing imported emissions. Early opposition to this policy idea has described border adjustments as too complex to design, too burdensome on companies and on government, and too high risk for global trade. Yet all these challenges are surmountable with a properly designed BCA.

Join the Climate Leadership Council for a briefing on the building blocks we already have that make border adjustments entirely feasible and even inevitable. Catrina Rorke, the Council’s Vice President for Policy, outlines a new report, “Don’t Believe the Hype: A BCA Is Doable (and We’re Doing Most of It Already).” She then moderates a panel discussion with climate and trade experts.

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CEO Greg Bertelsen explains how the right climate policy can strengthen American competitiveness

Climate Leadership Council — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:16:45 +0000

“If we were to price carbon and then access that same fee at the border, our manufacturers would win across the board in every region of our country. We would max out capacity – which means more jobs. We would increase profit. We would increase revenue.”

Watch the full EarthX episode

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Ted Halstead Climate Conversation Series: Inaugural Session

Climate Leadership Council — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 19:25:20 +0000

Watch the inaugural event in honor of the late policy entrepreneur and founder of New America and the Climate Leadership Council, Ted Halstead. This new event series will bring together business, environmental, and political leaders to discuss the most relevant climate policy topics of the day and explore opportunities for lasting solutions.

The Council released a tribute video to Ted Halstead at the event. The inaugural session also featured a climate policy discussion with Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Energy secretary and founder and CEO of the Energy Futures Initiative; Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Treasury secretary and former director of the National Economic Council; and Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and former EPA administrator.

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A Tribute to Ted Halstead

Climate Leadership Council — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 18:34:00 +0000

Ted Halstead’s life’s work was devoted to solving society’s biggest problems, and he knew we had it in us to come together and solve our climate problem. He believed if you brought people to the same table – from all backgrounds and political beliefs – and worked together to solve problems, you would find more areas of agreement than disagreement. Middle ground was always reachable. Compromise always achievable. Even when the stakes were high… Especially when the stakes were high.

Watch this video, which aired at a tribute event for Ted on September 15, 2021, to catch a glimpse of his vision.

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