Committee on the Environment

After dismantling federal climate and energy policies, the current administration is moving on to state and local levels with the release of an Executive Order that attempts to eradicate state decarbonization efforts. As noted in a recent New York Times article, Gina McCarthy the former Administrator of the EPA said, “I think one of the reasons you see him going after states is that they are the final line of defense.”^[1]

In states where there are not strong climate policies, certain state governments are restricting cities from addressing concerns. Where I currently reside in Missouri (a home rule state) the State Legislature is, at this writing, poised to pass a bill stating that no local jurisdiction can update their energy codes beyond the IECC 2009 for residential, commercial, or industrial projects. This state bill was passed with unprecedented speed and caught many organizations by surprise. This bill was in response to Kansas City recently adopting the IECC 2021 and appealed to rural and suburban legislators to exert control over the more densely populated areas. The few ruling over the many.

This does not need to be the case. In this new landscape of rapid change, we need to evolve our tactics. We must work together, stay coordinated, and be nimble in our approach. We must find ways for mass mobilization and take strategic action quickly. Below are AIA resources that the COTE community can tap into to be part of a better and more rapid response.

Leveraging the COTE Network

AIA has been posting advocacy initiatives on the COTE Community Hub as they become available. COTE leaders, please share these out with your COTE community and local AIA chapters for greater impact.

Collaborative Advocacy – State, Local, National AIA

●        Get organized and collaborate. AIA created a dedicated page for resources for fostering collaboration between national, state, and local AIA chapters to drive greater impact.

●        Reach out to your AIA state component’s Executive Director or Legislative Affairs Director to find out what bills are being tracked, their strategy and how your COTE chapter can assist. COTE chapters offer a broad network, contacts for coalition building, and can be a resource for mass mobilization for sign-on letters, testimony, or letter writing campaigns.

●        Contact the AIA State and Local Team who can help strategize for unified advocacy across national, state, and local chapters to maximize impact.  They can also assist in developing a targeted message that speaks to your state’s political landscape.

Contacts:

Amal Mahrouki, Senior Director State & Local Affairs, amalmahrouki@aia.org

LaTriece Pleasant, Manager State & Local Policy, latriecepleasant@aia.org

New Government Affairs Forum

Take advantage of this organized platform with insightful resources. Recently, the AIA launched a new community hub, the Government Affairs Forum (GAF) formerly known as the Architects in Action Network. This is hosted by the AIA State and Local Advocacy team and provides resources and connections to AIA members and component leaders advocating at the state and local level. The forum is well organized and continues to add more tools and resources to assist advocacy. 

Communicating the Value of an Architect

AIA created a dedicated page with resources to highlight the profession’s value when engaging with legislators and stakeholders. This will be updated as new resources become available. COTE Advocacy committee is currently working on a concise resource The Value of an Architect which we will feature in the fall COTE news.

Digital Advocacy Tools

COTE Advocacy committee have been exploring how digital advocacy tools can help assist efforts for mass mobilization and collaborative advocacy. AIA is working on ideas for opt in communication for curated updates on specific advocacy topics. For example, a state component might have opt in communication about energy efficiency legislation. This would allow them to more easily communicate with interested members for a Call to Action or find people on short notice for important in-person testimony. We will keep you updated as these opportunities become available.

Also, f you or your state/local COTE other ways to plug into advocacy at the local or state level, we would love to learn more about what is working and what is not. Let us know what you are up to at cote@aia.org.