Advocate for Congress to pass specific bills updating regulations.
Pass federal legislation that modernizes geothermal permitting and sets clearer rules for lithium-ion battery recycling and EPR. Package proposals so they can move with bipartisan appeal around energy independence, rural economies, and resource security. This matters because statutory authority and funding are harder to reverse than agency guidance.
Why this works
- Provides clear statutory authority and funding for these changes, making them harder to reverse.
- Bipartisan appeal is plausible: geothermal appeals to energy independence and rural economies; recycling appeals to resource security (less reliance on foreign minerals).
Sierra Club
AdvocacyExploring, enjoying, and protecting the planet
Mechanism
About LobbyingHow Sierra Club uses funding
- Identify legislative gaps driving geothermal permitting delays and battery waste ambiguity
- Draft or support a package that combines permitting reforms with battery recycling and EPR frameworks
- Build bipartisan coalitions around energy independence, rural economies, and resource security
- Lobby committees and leadership to attach provisions to larger moving bills when needed
- Coordinate with agencies and industry so provisions are implementable and align with existing work
- Sustain public and stakeholder pressure so technical reforms do not get deprioritized
Milestones
Checkpoints and the expected timing for each step
- 1
Align the legislative package scope
Near-termDraft outline covers geothermal and battery rule gaps with clear objectives
- 2
Recruit bipartisan champions
Near-termSponsors and stakeholder coalitions publicly endorse the package
- 3
Introduce or attach provisions
Mid-termLanguage appears in a moving bill or is introduced with serious support
- 4
Negotiate funding and implementation details
Mid-termKey funding and enforcement terms are agreed and preserved
- 5
Enact reforms and begin implementation
Longer-termSigned changes translate into updated guidance and program rollouts