Carbon Costs Coalition

In partnership with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), Meridian coordinates the Carbon Costs Coalition, a growing national movement of state legislators to realize a low-carbon economy across the U.S. We work closely with legislative champions on carbon pricing policies in several Northeast states, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. We also support legislators from several other states across the U.S.

Following the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. federal government began dismantling existing climate policies, such as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and eliminating the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan. In response, climate advocates across the country pursued legislative action at the state level. 

Recognizing a need for coordination among the many state representatives seeking to implement climate policy, Meridian and NCEL co-created the Carbon Costs Coalition to empower lawmakers to introduce and implement carbon pricing climate policies. The Coalition’s primary actions include: 

• educating state lawmakers on the benefits of coordinated carbon pricing policy
• creating a sense of shared identity between lawmakers
• providing a forum for lawmakers to share lessons learned with one another
• orchestrating opportunities to amplify momentum across state boundaries

Meridian supports the Coalition by coordinating convenings and facilitating meetings between lawmakers and critical stakeholder groups. Since the Coalition launched, more than one out of five states has pursued a carbon pricing policy.