In this newsletter:  April Council Meeting in New Orleans

☎️ Phonebank TODAY: Climate Candidates | Mobilize for Earth Month

🚙 Council on the Road: FL, MI, WI | DNC Updates | AOC Position

National Infrastructure Bank | Recommended | Women Climate Leaders

Hello Climate Activist,

As winter turns to spring, we at the Council are in an all-out sprint to November. The midterms are Democrats’ best chance to put a brake on the runaway train that is Trump 2.0. 

We know the parade of horrors — the killing of innocent citizens in our streets, the lawlessness and corruption, the gutting of environmental protections, another endless and deadly war in the Middle East, and so much more. 

The good news is that we know how to beat MAGA. We’ve done it before and we will do it again. But that means organizing, organizing and organizing some more. And that is what we’re doing.

We are organizing right now to elect climate champions in Arizona. We’re going to organize in New Orleans next month. We’re going to organize throughout Earth Month. And we’re going to organize every month between now and November. Because that is how we win.

Folks, times are tough. We are at war. Prices are too high. Our rights and freedoms are under daily attack. But we can’t give in to hopelessness. We can’t spend our time doomscrolling. 

So we hope you will join us in the coming months at one of our organizing events (lots more on that below). Special elections are ongoing. And soon spring will be summer and then summer will give way to the fall and Election Day. We have no time to waste. 

So sign up today. Get a friend or two to join us. And help us organize our way to victory in November. 

In solidarity,

Michelle Deatrick
Chair, DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis

📆 YOU’RE INVITED: DNC Climate Council Spring Meeting, New Orleans. April 9

The Council is heading to New Orleans, and we’d love to see you there at our meeting. Connect with other environmental leaders, engage with the Council and ally organizations — and dive into Louisiana’s environmental challenges. Together, we’ll map out how to win on climate and affordable clean energy in the midterms.

• Co-hosted by: The Young Democrats of America’s Environmental Caucus
• When: April 9. 12:30 - 2pm
• Where: Part of the DNC Spring Convention (April 9-11). Most meetings, including of other caucuses and councils, are open to all.
• Register & View Location Details

Speakers:

• KEYNOTE: Dr. Alicia Johnson. Commissioner. Georgia Public Service Commission
• Davante Lewis. Commissioner, Louisiana Public Service Commission
• Katie Darling. Vice Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party
• Dr. Angelle Bradford Rosenberg. Chapter Chair, Sierra Club Delta Chapter
• Britt Gondolfi. Rights of Nature Project Manager, Bioneers, & Louisiana State Central Committee Member
• Mekhi Reddix-Stennis. Membership Director, Tulane University College Democrats
• Paul Presendieu. Youth Engagement Director, DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis, & Chair, Young Democrats of America Environmental Caucus
• Whit Jones. Executive Director, Lead Locally

☎️ TODAY: Make Calls for Arizona Clean Energy Candidates.

March 30 5pm PT / 8pm ET

Join the Council, Lead Locally, Jane Fonda Climate PAC and the Salt River Project Clean Energy Team to make calls from 5pm to 7pm PT / 8pm to 10pm ET for climate champions running for Arizona’s Salt River Project Board. This crucial race is the first opportunity to elect a majority to the Board, which governs energy and water for the nearly 2 million people in the metro Phoenix area. The candidates are champions for renewable energy, making data centers pay their fair share, and lowering utility costs.

This race has a historically low voter turnout and it could come down to just a handful of votes. We are proud to be working to support terrific candidates. RSVP to join the phone bank today from 5-7pm PT. Let’s fight for renewables!

📍 ACT FOR EARTH: 5th ANNUAL Democratic Earth Month Mobilization

From clean water to affordable energy, the fight for our future happens in our communities. Last year, we saw a record-breaking 75+ events. Help us go bigger in 2026!

Whether you’re organizing a rally or a community cleanup, we’re here to help. Reach out to info@dncclimate.org for hosting support and help with promotion. Let’s show the country what a Climate Party looks like.

🚙 COUNCIL ON THE ROAD: Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan

Florida: Building the Blue-Green Wave for 2026

Chair Michelle Deatrick crisscrossed the state from Jacksonville to Tampa and from Orlando to Gainesville for townhalls, strategy meetings and meetups with college students.

A major highlight was the Think Green / Vote Blue panel, where Chair Deatrick joined Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida President Judy Freiberg to mobilize hundreds of energized Democrats. Deatrick also met with the Duval County Democrats Environmental Caucus for an Environmental Justice Townhall, and with College Dems at the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida.

Key concerns shared by Floridians: overdevelopment, coastal sea rise, data centers, rising energy costs, and the cost and unavailability of homeowners’ insurance due to climate change

Wisconsin: On the Ground, from Campuses to the Capitol

The Council recently completed a series of outreach engagements across Wisconsin. Chair Deatrick met with College Democrats and the Wisconsin Democrats’ AAPI and Environmental Caucuses at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and met with students from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Carroll University. Key meetings also included Winning Ground: Climate and Campaigns with the Waukesha County Dems and Guac the Vote with the Milwaukee County Dems.

Throughout these conversations, Wisconsinites voiced urgent concerns regarding flooding, PFAS contamination, air pollution, climate change, and data centers and associated AI job loss.

At the State Capitol, Chair Deatrick provided expert testimony on data centers at a Wisconsin Data Center Briefing for Wisconsin legislators and before a Wisconsin State Senate Committee. Watch Chair Deatrick’s testimony here.

Michigan: Data Center Events at the Univ. of Michigan & Ann Arbor Dems

University of Michigan Guest Lecture. Alongside Michigan State Representative Jimmie Wilson (D-Ypsilanti), Chair Deatrick spoke with students at the U of Michigan about data center impacts across the country on noise, air, water and energy affordability. Wilson and Deatrick led a discussion of policies that can protect communities and learned about student projects on data centers.

Ann Arbor Democratic Club Data Center Panel. The data center conversation moved from the classroom to the community at this recent Ann Arbor Democratic Club event. Chair Deatrick joined a panel of elected officials and academic experts to dive deep into current data center buildouts and proposals in the region, break down the latest Michigan legislation aimed at regulation, and explore impacts on shared resources, energy grid and energy affordability.

📊 DNC UPDATES: Resume Bank & Playbook: Guide for Coordinated Campaigns and State Parties

Resume Bank: BlueMatch: The DNC launched BlueMatch to connect talent with campaigns and state parties for the midterms. If you know talented staff seeking campaign work in 2026, encourage them to submit their resumes to this talent bank.

Playbook: A Guide for Coordinated Campaigns & State Parties: The Playbook is a tool for campaign staff and operatives.

• Working on an organizing program in a state? Check out the Organizing Re-Model section for inspiration for writing scripts, additional tactics to consider, and organizational structures.
• Deciding which organizing tools to use for your campaign?  Check out the Technology Pilots section to view findings from the DNC’s 2025 pilots to see if those tools could be a good fit.
• Strategizing on how to reach key constituencies? Check out the Community Power Fellowship section to view best practices.

💼 APPLY NOW:  Environmental and Energy Position with AOC

The Office of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is hiring an environmental and energy focused legislative assistant. Apply here.

🌏 COUNCIL ON THE AIR: National Infrastructure Bank Town Hall

At a recent Town Hall hosted by the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), leaders gathered to discuss a transformative solution to our nation’s compounding infrastructure, economic, and climate crises. Council Chair Michelle Deatrick joined Omaha Mayor John Ewing and state legislators to advocate for a $5 trillion public bank that would revitalize our communities-all without new federal taxes or debt.

The proposed NIB legislation (HR 5356) creates a federally chartered, self-sustaining institution modeled after FDR’s successful Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Key pillars include: Affordable Housing - $500 Billion to finance housing for families in the lowest 30% Area Median Income; Modern Transit & Water Resources - $60 Billion for high-speed rail and key water infrastructure; Job Creation - 25 million new jobs, paying Davis-Bacon wages.

Watch Chair Deatrick discuss the benefits to the nation and her home state, Michigan.

📚 RECOMMENDED

• FACT SHEET: Latino Homeowners Face a Housing Affordability Crisis.
  ​Linked to extreme weather and the climate crisis, home insurance costs are rising. About 1 in 7 Latino homes are uninsured, and Latino homeowners face barriers to accessing federal disaster relief. From Climate Power.
• FACT SHEET: The Home Insurance Crisis and Black Homeowners.
  The national home property insurance crisis disproportionately harms Black homeowners, with homes in once red-lined neighborhoods at higher risk of heat exposure and flooding. From Climate Power. 
• PERMITTING REFORM POLICY TRACKER: InfluenceMap’s Policy Tracker. Tracks industry groups and companies’ advocacy for deregulation in the latest permitting reform push.
• HOPE & INSPIRATION: Americans are launching thousands of eco-friendly projects across the country. Read the NYT’s stories.

🎉HONORING: Women Leading Democratic Environmental Organizations

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are proud to recognize the impactful leadership of women leading Democratic Environmental Network (DEN) groups and shaping the environmental movement across the globe. These four leaders — Ella Froberg, RL Miller, April Thompson, and Dana Freling — are advancing critical policy and advocacy efforts across Democratic Party organizations. We are proud of them and their work, and we are grateful to get to work with them now and moving forward!