Washington, D.C. – In the absence of federal leadership, and building on a string of clean energy policy wins in states, the League of Conservation Voters is joining its state affiliates in the Conservation Voter Movement to double down on the progress that can be made at the state and local levels by launching a first-of-its-kind, network-wide “Clean Energy for All” campaign to advance clean energy solutions and support leaders in an effort to move the country closer to a goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.

With an initial investment of over $2 million, the network of organizations is collectively launching the “Clean Energy for All” campaign to engage at the state and local level by:

• Winning ballot initiatives that promote clean energy and reduce pollution in Arizona, Nevada and Washington.
• Grassroots organizing to demonstrate demand for clean energy and pollution-free communities.
• Securing commitments from candidates at every level to commit to moving their state to 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
• Pushing for smart investments, like using the VW settlement money on clean, electric school buses as part of the Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign.
• Lobbying of decision-makers from governors to state legislators to mayors to school boards to break down the barriers to clean energy with specific policy proposals.

“Fighting for clean energy is not new, but at this critical time this campaign represents an ambitious new approach for our family of organizations by unleashing local campaigns across the country that collectively add up to a significant shift to a clean energy economy,” said Gene Karpinski, League of Conservation Voters President.  

“The demand for clean energy is going up and the price keeps going down. This campaign is about breaking down the remaining barriers that keep affordable clean energy and pollution-free communities from being accessible to everyone. And it’s about putting the power to make that happen in the hands of people, instead of polluters,” said Andy Maggi, Nevada Conservation League Executive Director.

The groups pointed to New Jersey in 2017 as a model, where all the candidates for governor were pushed to elevate clean energy to the top of the agenda throughout the campaign. Then-candidate for governor Phil Murphy committed to moving New Jersey toward 100 percent clean energy, and now, as governor, Murphy has already followed through on a variety of campaign promises to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, build offshore wind capacity, and more.

State and local campaigns also present more opportunities for far less partisan polarization on clean energy issues. For example, since 2016 clean energy legislation has passed with bipartisan support in several states with Republican governors including Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Massachusetts.

The campaign will be engaged throughout the dozens of states with a conservation voter organization presence, with each state engaged in its own local, state or regional effort. An FAQ about the campaign can be found here.

The Conservation Voter Movement is a unique network of 30 state organizations and one federal organization that closely collaborate and share expertise and resources in order to effect positive change at all levels of government.