E2’s profile has grown in the Midwest since our capacity has expanded. Through individual meetings with business leaders, industry meet and greets, and roundtable events, we have educated many about the EPA’s Clean Power Plan and also about ways to get involved in E2.
We have been a part of seven business roundtables that have taken place throughout the Midwest: Chicago, IL; Normal, IL; Grand Rapids, MI; Marquette, MI with Mayor Niemi; and Traverse City, MI. These meetings provided an opportunity to educate businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental officials about the EPA’s Clean Power Plan and how to get involved in advocating for a strong state implementation plan.
E2 has focused a lot of work in Iowa, one of our priority “More Jobs, Less Carbon” campaign states. E2 identified, recruited and trained a group of business leaders as advocates. After holding a communications training with the Franklin Forum for these leaders on June 25, we took these businesses to meet with the staffs of Governor Terry Branstad and Senator Chuck Grassley to illustrate how the Clean Power Plan was good for local business. We followed these meetings up with a conference call with Senator Grassley on July 30th, where he was very engaged in the stories from local businesses, and an in-person meeting with Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds on August 6th. Governor Branstad had not met with local environmental groups yet on the Clean Power Plan, so E2 was the first messenger to him about the economic benefits of cutting carbon. E2 also has helped write and place several opinion pieces in Iowa newspapers from these messengers, including this one in the Des Moines Register that appeared on the same day E2 met with Gov. Branstad.E2 also launched a statewide radio tour putting its new Iowa members and business friends on the airwaves talking about the benefits of the Clean Power Plan. It currently is planning a military-clean energy event with the Iowa National Guard.
We also introduced E2 to many clean energy businesses in Missouri by participating in individual meetings that were coordinated by NRDC’s energy team. We will be highlighting many of these businesses in Clean Jobs reports, and will be promoting case studies that highlight how these businesses are growing in a clean energy economy.