MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:
ADVOCACY

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Elected officials listen when their constituents speak up on issues important to them.

Chambers of commerce and economic development groups are powerful advocates for the economic interests of their communities and states. Be intentional about letting your elected officials know that investments in the rapidly growing clean energy economy are important to your business and economic development community.

Make Your Voice Heard

  • Meetings with Elected Officials: Organizing business leaders to speak with their representatives via meetings, events, or lobby days, are a great way to get face-to-face time with policymakers and their staff and make the economic case for your community. Include clean energy or climate issues on your agenda for greater impact.

  • Letters and Testimony: Sign-on letters and public testimony demonstrate collective support or opposition, influence and hold accountable decision-makers, and raise public awareness.

  • Candidate Questions: Asking questions of candidates, whether via a candidate forum or another venue, allows you to proactively address your concerns and assess candidates’ positions on important issues like clean energy and climate change while promoting transparency and accountability. See sample questions from CICE.

  • Track Legislation: Legislatures are increasingly addressing clean energy and climate legislation. Add a clean energy section to your legislative trackers to educate your member businesses on developments and the business implications of these policies.

CHAMBERS IN ACTION

Click below to see examples from around the country.

MEETINGS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS

  • The Boulder Chamber of Commerce joined businesses leaders to brief U.S. Senator Michael Bennett on clean energy actions taking place in their communities and a newly established utility partnership to supply more clean energy to Boulder and improve resiliency.

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, chambers were forced to pivot to virtual capital visits. In Massachusetts, over 250 business and chamber leaders came together for Virtual Business Clean Energy Day to meet with legislators and learn about the role clean energy will play in the state’s economic recovery.

  • West Virginia chambers and economic development leaders, joined by renewable energy developers investing in the state, discussed building economic and job growth in the state via clean energy with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s energy and natural resources staff.

  • Half of all chambers across Connecticut gathered for a luncheon conversation about clean energy with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the Connecticut Green Bank, and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

    “Local chambers of commerce play an important role in helping Connecticut continue to prosper from the growing economic development opportunities of cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy.” Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy

  • More than three dozen chambers of commerce and member businesses met with legislators for the largest convening of chamber leaders at the Massachusetts Statehouse to discuss clean energy.

    State legislators shared that the Massachusetts legislature wants to hear from chamber leaders to better understand their members’ experience with clean energy policies and programs—adding that they depend on this to ensure clean energy growth continues.

  • Rural and metro area chamber executives joined forces in a visit to the Ohio Statehouse to tell the governor and lawmakers how their communities have benefited from renewable energy.

    “Wind energy has been one of the biggest investments in Ohio and has the potential to contribute much more to Ohio’s future economic prosperity. We want to work with legislators to encourage further investment and job growth created with wind energy development.” Susan Munroe, Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce Past President & CEO

LETTERS & TESTIMONY

  • Many Ohio chambers of commerce and economic development groups came together to oppose harmful state legislation that discourages the expansion of clean energy.

    Chambers including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Partnership, Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Paulding Regional Chamber of Commerce, GROW Licking County, Toledo Regional Chamber, Paulding County Economic Development, and the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce joined to make the economic case HB 118 and SB 52.

  • A coalition of 16 Massachusetts chambers of commerce co-authored a letter to the Secretary of the Interior urging the timely release of a study which would allow the development of America’s first large-scale offshore wind farm.

    “As the first major offshore wind development in the country, Vineyard Wind represents the unlocking of a massive economic driver for our region and beyond. The pursuit of locally sourced energy captured by locally built offshore wind facilities is among the largest economic opportunities ever for our region.”

  • The Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce was a key supporter of SB 358, which doubled the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50% by 2030 and requires 100% carbon-free emissions by 2050. The bill received unanimous bipartisan support from both chambers of the Nevada Legislature and overwhelming support from state voters for higher renewable targets.

    “Renewable energy has been a significant part of the Nevada economy for years and we welcome the increased economic opportunities more energy development will bring to Nevada. The Chamber also recognizes the impact that cleaner air, via more clean energy, will have on our quality of life.” Ann Silver, Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce CEO.

  • Massachusetts chamber leaders signed a joint letter to state lawmakers calling on them to increase the Commonwealth's commitment to clean energy—saying it will send a positive market signal for investments and earning coverage by The Worcester Telegram and other state media.

    “Not only will an increase in renewable energy diversify our energy mix which will help make our businesses more resilient to extreme weather and less vulnerable to electricity price hikes, but it will also send the right market signal to clean energy industries, such as solar, energy storage, and offshore wind, that the Commonwealth is the place to invest.”

  • In advance of the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Tucson Metro and Tucson Hispanic Chambers sent a joint letter of support to their U.S. House Representative, thanking him for his public position supporting the law’s energy tax credits.

    The chamber CEOs outline the critical importance of the IRA to local economic growth, innovation, access to clean energy, and job creation.

Interested in support for your chamber’s advocacy program?

Reach out to info@chambersforinnovation.com for personalized assistance.