Hey, letter writers! We have a long way to go to hit our LTE goal for the year in just three short months! Here are plenty to get you started. Remember, the more people who write in, the better chance that one letter will make it into print.

NY Times is always a reach and these are approaching too old to write in, so if either of those two interest you, write today!

New York Times

Print title: Progress Seen on Warming, with a Caveat, 9/28

-Carbon pricing most efficient mechanism to reduce emissions quickly

-U.S. market powerful enough that carbon fee and dividend with border adjustment would incentivize other nations to price carbon

***

Print title: Majority of Conservative Republicans Believe Climate Change is a Real Threat, 9/29

-Highlight recent Gibson resolution, encourage other Congressional Republicans to show similar backbone and join the conversation about solutions

Newsday

Print title: Let’s keep hard-learned lessons of Sandy in mind, 10/2

http://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/let-sandy-s-lessons-prepare-us-for-joaquin-1.10913668

-All storms form within, and are impacted by, the increased heat energy in warming global climate system

-It’s not enough to prepare for each individual storm; we must address climate change and associated sea level rise, or face increasingly dangerous events

-“Cone of uncertainty” applies to climate predictions, too, and we should consider it cheap insurance to prevent the worst-case scenarios

Long Island Business News

Zoning turns Brookhaven into hotbed for commercial solar

-The boom in installations means clean power could soon replace outdated fossil-fueled power plants, bringing cleaner air, fewer health costs, free “fuel” that lowers power costs, and reduced emissions and climate damage

Suffolk Times

The North Fork’s busy harvest season has taken on a life of its own, 10/1

http://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2015/10/62557/the-north-forks-fall-season-has-taken-on-a-life-of-its-own/

-North Fork economy depends on wet summers and dry Octobers. Climate change experts expect Long Island’s climate to shift toward hotter, drier summers and wetter falls and winters, disastrous for major crops inc. tourist-drawing pumpkins and apples

***

Drawing Plum Island ‘battle plan’, 10/1

http://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2015/09/62509/new-york-state-agrees-to-fight-for-plum-island-preservation/

-Long Island pols, including Congressman Zeldin, show bipartisan support for common-sense conservation; should be a model for bipartisan discussion of climate solutions in U.S. Congress

-Gibson and 10 other Republicans have opened the door for this conversation

Cover story (Repair Plan Delay)- limitations on insurance funds for Sandy recovery are preventing LIRR repairs- shows that climate change is expensive;

New study on depleted lobster stocks in Long Island Sound (Record Low in Regional Lobsters); article doesn’t mention climate change, even though the study does!;

Short blurb (Obama to visit New Orleans for Katrina’s 10th) briefly mentions climate scientists warning of rising seas.

Whichever points you choose to address, help hold Newsday accountable for connecting the dots for its readers and offering solutions!

Submit your letters to letters@newsday.com.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/pseg-long-island-sets-records-for-reducing-electric-demand-report-says-1.10737504
Print title: PSEG goes green, with less of it (Aug. 14)

-Efficiency is smart and saves consumers money, so why didn’t article cite dollars saved by PSE&G customers?
-Even using less energy, we are still adding to our total greenhouse pollution level; we need to transition to low- or no-carbon energy on the supply side
-A policy that could both help consumers save cash and accelerating our transition is CF&D

Happy writing!

Please be on the lookout for similar coverage in other publications, as well.

Use print title: New Emissions Limits, Aug. 3, by Josh Lederman, Associated Press. (Author’s name does not appear in online version.)

Talking points:

-In the absence of Congressional action, these regulations are a critical first step to reduce future climate impacts

-If Congress doesn’t like the EPA regulations, they could pass a better, market-based plan, like carbon fee and dividend, which would be more efficient (more carbon reductions, more jobs added)

-Critics complain that India and China will not reduce emissions, but a carbon fee with border adjustment would incentivize global adoption of our carbon price… and the U.S. should lead, not follow, leading up to Paris talks

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/obama-to-order-steeper-cuts-for-power-plants-1.10700041

http://tablet.olivesoftware.com/Olive/Tablet/SuffolkTimes/Default.aspx (behind a paywall)

Explains that human-generated nitrogen pollution and climate change are causes of fish die-off and that it’s time to demand action from local officials.

Excerpt:
“And for our elected officials in Riverhead: Rising sea level, warmer water temperatures, stronger storms, greater flooding and increased shoreline erosion–all stemming from climate change–are not theory, but fact. We can’t blame the bluefish for that, either.”

Talking points:
-We need national action; demand leadership from our Rep in Congress
-That action should be a CF&D
-Congress is acting much like the Mayor in “Jaws” (referenced in the op-ed), assuming the problem must be ignored to preserve the economy, when actually the problem destroys the tourism industry he is trying to protect!

Write the Editor

As usual, Congress is focused on the wrong battle. Revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend would let the market cut pollution AND decide whether projects like Keystone are really profitable, factoring in the economic damage inflicted by climate change. Happy writing!

Hope everyone’s having a great holiday season! There’s still time to get in another letter to the editor or two before we close out our stats for 2014…
LTE opportunity in Newsday:
Print title: Boosting Solar Power Vital for NYS, Dec 27
http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/solar-power-is-already-growing-rapidly-in-new-york-heather-leibowitz-and-kevin-parker-1.9750243

-Subsidies that have promoted solar have worked, but at taxpayer expense; shouldn’t fossil fuel industry foot the bill?
-Carbon fee and dividend could be used to support renewables specifically, but even with a simple dividend, the playing field is leveled for solar and wind while stimulating the economy
-Nationwide policy would encourage other states to follow NY’s lead, and a border adjustment would make global participation likely
Out-of-town extra credit in the LA Times (this one is a gimme!)

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-suh-energy-efficiency-oil-20141229-story.html

-We already pay “carbon taxes” in the damage to our health, property, and economy
-Fossil fuel companies should pay for the damage they cause
-Return the money to citizens to stimulate the economy and give people more choice about their energy sources

Print title: Candidates Face Inconvenient Truth: Election Polling Data Reveal Importance of Climate Change As a Political Issue

-Taking action to insure ourselves against the costs of climate damage is both conservative and smart
-This is the right time for Republicans to step up with free-market, conservative-endorsed climate solutions
http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/climate-change-will-make-more-politicians-into-environmentalists-bruce-n-gyory-1.9678527

Please move quickly on the first one, a front page story in Newsday, since it’s already a few days old:

Newsday, 12/3: http://nwsdy.li/1vDdse9
Print title: 5 Plants Pulled

Possible talking points:
-Yes, market-based solutions are exactly what we need, both on the local and national scale
-LIPA plans to save ratepayers money by avoiding construction of fossil plants while shortlisting renewable projects like the offshore wind proposal; likely to work, since wind and solar are not impacted by volatile fuel prices
-LIPA is acting in best interest of customers not only in terms of rates but in helping to alleviate climate damage costs
-Carbon fee and dividend would make it more cost-effective both to avoid building new fossil fuel infrastructure, and to replace old fossil plants with clean power
Newsday, 12/6: http://nwsdy.li/1A76kpB
Print title: State Ends Solar Loan Program

-Success of this program shows demand for residential solar
-New income cutoff will prevent many middle-income Long Islanders from participating
-Carbon fee and dividend would make solar a more competitive and affordable option, by increasing families’ real income through rebates
NY Times, 12/6: http://nyti.ms/12C2XMi

-We may not need a “hard” or even a “soft” agreement. U.S. legislation that includes a border adjustment could lead to global participation in carbon pricing without an official treaty.
-Upstream market solution applies to entire economy; more efficient than Obama’s proposed regulations, could allow for more ambitious commitment in Paris next year

Remember to call your Representative and Senators today and urge them to attend this week’s REMI briefings!

Senate: Nov. 19, 10 AM, in rm 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building

House: Nov. 20, 1:30 PM, in rm 340 of the Cannon House Office Building

Briefings will be led by study author Scott Nystrom.

Contact info:

Gillibrand: (202) 224-4451
Schumer: (202) 224-6542

Bishop: 202-225-3826
King: 202-225-7896
Israel: 202-225-3335
McCarthy: 202-225-5516

Other contact info here:

http://www.house.gov/representatives/ AND
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm