Letter: More work needed on climate legislation

Re: "Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls U.S. back from brink," June 3, notes that some environmental rules were modified to help speed up energy permitting, but more is needed. That's why citizen volunteers like me will travel to Washington, D.C., this month to speak with congressional leaders about policies that will reduce carbon pollution and help the nation transition to a clean energy economy.

Twenty-seven Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) volunteers from across Illinois - including 19 from Naperville, Elmhurst, suburban Cook County and Chicago - will join nearly 1,000 of our fellow volunteers from across the country to advocate for clean energy legislation.

We will ask for ways to speed up the permitting process for new clean energy infrastructure - which can take up to four years or more to obtain. Getting clean energy projects up and running as quickly as possible with early local community input is vital to meeting U.S. carbon pollution reduction targets.

Carbon pricing is also a priority. CCL volunteers will ask Congress to reintroduce the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act that will put a price on fossil fuels and return the money collected to households as a dividend or carbon cashback. Putting a price on carbon will reduce America's carbon pollution fast - by as much as 50 percent by the end of this decade, according to economists.

Transitioning to a clean-energy economy will take a full-court press: building more wind, solar and hydropower, upgrading transmission lines and electrifying buildings and vehicles. While the debt ceiling agreement includes some provisions that will help streamline clean energy projects, we need to do a lot more. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization brings together volunteers from across the political spectrum to advocate for legislation to help solve the climate crisis.

Joe Tedino

Chicago