Message from the Advocacy, Policy, and Civic Engagement Group

​

We Need Your Help! Crucial Appropriations Engagement for August and September

As mentioned in our recent August Update Part I, our advocacy efforts to include funding for the EPA and NOAA offices of environmental education have been very successful so far this cycle. To all of you who have pitched in to make this happen - thanks!

But our work is not quite done, and this is an important phase of the Congressional appropriations process.

While the Senate appropriations subcommittees included environmental education funding in their proposed funding bills and detailed it in their accompanying “reports,” the House versions do not.

Our job in the next few weeks is to support the Senate in insisting on their appropriations vision, and at the same time, soften up the House appropriators to accept the Senate proposals.

The other key goal is to change one word in the Senate report. For the EPA Office, it says: 

"Environmental Education is recommended at not less than $9,500,000."

www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy26_interior_senate_report.pdf page 99.

This is standard language for these reports; however, in this administration, we feel that getting the word “recommended” changed to “directed” is more, well, direct.

Our strategy is to engage Members of Congress who are both sympathetic to our cause and more influential in this process, especially Members of the appropriations committees, focusing on the leadership and members of the Interior and Commerce subcommittees.

Key engagements

• If you are in the district of a House member or state of a Senator who is on one of the appropriations committees, especially if they are in the committee leadership, we need you to contact the office of your legislator via email and urge them to support the NOAA and EPA EE funding within the committee. Sample language can be found below. Here’s a spreadsheet with all Members of Congress, their record of support, and emails of our best contacts at many of the offices (but if you have someone who you’ve worked with in the past, that is your best contact).
• Please thank again all those who signed the letters, and definitely mention that the funding was included in the Senate markup! Sample language is below.
• Tell them something good that your organization or local students have done environmentally this summer or anytime.
• Mention if you’ve gotten funding from any of these programs.
• Invite the legislator or their staff to visit your program, where applicable.

Please reach out with questions and THANK YOU for your advocacy! 

---------------------------------

Sample message

For Reps and Senators who signed the support letters in the spring or signed off on any support, anytime in the past:

Thank you so much for standing up earlier this year for environmental education appropriations at NOAA and EPA by signing the Dear Colleague letters.

I am thrilled and relieved that the Senate appropriations reports for Interior (EPA) and Commerce (NOAA) both have this essential funding included.

My crucial request now is to communicate with your colleagues on the appropriations committee to back the Senate bipartisan agreement to continue funding these vital offices at this current year’s level. The House versions did not include the appropriations, so please encourage House appropriations members to support the Senate language.

A second key request is to strongly urge that the Senate EPA language change ONE WORD in the report. For the EPA Office it currently reads: "Environmental Education is recommended at not less than $9,500,000.”

The environmental field believes that the word “recommends” could be interpreted by the EPA to mean that this is optional or discretionary funding. We ask that you communicate with Sen. Collins’ appropriations staff or another member on the committee you are closest with, that the one word be changed from “recommended” to “directed”.

www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy26_interior_senate_report.pdf  page 99.

The environmental education that EPA and NOAA facilitate is incredibly important and inspiring to students and the general public.

Thank you again for your support.

Environmental Education is Essential for Addressing the Environmental Issues in Our Communities and the Country.