Anna Aurilio, Director, Washington, D.C. office

I’m happy to report that the hard work of our staff and volunteers in Washington, D.C. and across the country led to two very important victories in the last few days before Congress left town for its annual August recess.

Democracy Advocate Gary Kalman worked with leadership in the House and Senate and other government reform groups to win the most sweeping reforms to the congressional rules since the Watergate era.

Passed overwhelmingly by both chambers, the lobby reform bill opens the door on previously secretive practices of lobbyists. The bill bans gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists and requires members to pay for the use of private jets. The bill mandates the disclosure of “bundling” contributions by lobbyists, and establishes accountability for “earmarks”—funding for pet projects that legislators insert into bills.

Energy Advocate Kate Johnson and I spent some very late nights working with our coalition partners to convince the House of Representatives to follow the lead of 23 states by passing a national renewable electricity standard. Our work inside the Beltway was reinforced by the work of our staff in the states, who met with representatives in their districts, recruited new allies in the business and labor communities and promoted clean energy in the local media. Our canvassers knocked on 1 million doors to get the public involved in the campaign, and gathered thousands of postcards to Congressional offices urging support for the bill.
All of that work paid off when Congress voted 220-190 in favor of the Udall-Platts renewable electricity amendment, and then 241-172 in favor of the overall energy bill.

The energy bill passed by the Senate in June includes an improvement in gas mileage standards, but didn’t include the renewable electricity standard. In September, we’ll see a conference of the House and Senate energy bills, and will work to convince Congress to pass a comprehensive energy bill that makes real improvements in energy efficiency, fuel economy and renewable energy.

Anna Aurilio
Legislative Director