Jessica Trotman is the Assistant Town Manager of Black Mountain, North Carolina, where she leads recovery and resilience efforts following Hurricane Helene. She also serves as a Senior Consultant with the American Flood Coalition. To her work in resilience, Jessica brings 15 years of experience in sustainability, planning, stormwater, public health and public administration. She serves in multiple advisory roles, including the North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint advisory committee and Resilience subcommittee of the Governorʼs Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery.

Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Monthly Highlights (6:10) Conversation with Jessica Trotman (27:12) Q&A Discussion (33:33) CCL's October Actions Review

Join CCL: https://cclusa.org/join October Action Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet October Meeting Slides: https://cclusa.org/october-meeting-slides Pre-Call Video: https://vimeo.com/1126279438 Register for the Fall Conference (Nov. 14-15): https://cclusa.org/fallconference

CCL volunteers put a lot of work into pushing the clean energy tax credits within Inflation Reduction Act over the finish line to be signed into law in 2022, and into protecting some of its provisions from outright repeal in the big budget bill this year. But how much did our efforts achieve for the climate? Join CCL Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli for an exploration of modeling scenarios in an effort to quantify how much climate pollution CCL volunteers' efforts succeeded in preventing in our pursuit to preserve a livable climate.

Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Agenda (2:25) A Stroll Down Memory Lane (9:59) Emissions Heading Down (12:01) Since The Election (21:44) What Did We Achieve? (29:31) How to get the Next Billion Tons

Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/ira-achieved

Dr. Daniel Swain is a climate scientist focused on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. Daniel holds joint appointments as a climate scientist within the California Institute for Water Resources within University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, and as a research partner at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research. You can follow Daniel on Bluesky (@WeatherWest) and YouTube (@WeatherWest). During September's meeting, Daniel will help us understand how climate change is impacting wildfires.

Skip ahead to the following section(s):

(0:00) Intro & Monthly Highlights

(8:24) Conversation with Dr. Daniel Swain

(36:24) Q&A Discussion

(39:35) CCL's September's Actions Review

(45:06) Previewing CCL's Inclusion Conference

September Action Sheet: cclusa.org/actionsheet

September Slides: cclusa.org/september-meeting-slides

Pre-Call Video: https://vimeo.com/1118352761

Inclusion Conference: cclusa.org/inclusion

More about Dr. Swain's work: https://weatherwest.com @WeatherWest

At CCL’s 2025 Summer Conference and Lobby Day in D.C. last month, we were privileged to hear from Amanda Ripley in a keynote conversation with CCL’s Illinois State Coordinator Alex Marianyi. We want every CCLer to have a chance to hear Amanda’s powerful message and Alex’s takeaways, so this month’s meeting features recorded highlights from their keynote session. Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, a Washington Post contributing columnist, and the co-founder of Good Conflict, a media and training company that helps people reimagine conflict. She has written three award-winning, nonfiction books about three very different subjects: High Conflict, The Smartest Kids in the World, and The Unthinkable. Previously, Ripley spent a decade writing about human behavior for Time magazine in New York, Washington, and Paris.

The July 2025 CCL meeting focused on midyear updates to the 2025 Roadmap, highlighting key accomplishments like nationwide in-district drop-offs, introduction of the bipartisan Foreign Pollution Fee Act, and a full-court press to protect clean energy tax credits. Despite setbacks from the recent budget reconciliation bill, CCL's VP of Communications emphasized the significant positive impact of volunteer advocacy in softening harmful provisions and building long-term bipartisan support for clean energy. Volunteers across the country were encouraged to share local wins and continue showing up, with an eye on sustained progress through grassroots pressure. Looking ahead, the spotlight turned to the upcoming Summer Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. Interim Executive Director Ricky Bradley celebrated the 860+ registrants and the powerful sense of belonging the event offers. Government Affairs leaders Jenn Tyler and Mindy Ahler provided insight into lobbying strategy, the importance of constituent presence, and how everyone, even those not attending in person, can amplify impact through coordinated calls to Congress. The meeting wrapped with a review of July’s actions, including using local media, social media sharing, and event planning to build visibility and momentum in communities nationwide.

CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler and CCL's Research Manager, Dana Nuccitelli provide up to the moment insights on the dynamics in Congress and how we can most effectively use our time in meetings to support our agenda.

Join CCL's Senior Director of Field Operations Elli Sparks for a training that specifically addresses how to prepare yourself for a successful meeting with a member of Congress. You will learn about CCL's methodology, research tips, available tools, lobby meeting roles and parts, the value of practice, and the power of listening.

Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/prepare-to-lobby Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/working-with-congress/lobbying-201

Skip ahead to the following section(s): (0:00) Intro & Agenda (2:38) Purpose of Citizen Lobbyists (7:15) Building Relationships (20:25) Lobby Team Roles (26:24) Meeting Outline