Major U.S. businesses to participate in LEAD on Climate 2021, call on the Biden administration and Congress to prioritize climate solutions in infrastructure package

Chair Kathy Castor will join CEOs from DSM, Hannon Armstrong, PSEG, Siemens, and others for a virtual roundtable ahead of LEAD on Climate 2021 to discuss growing business and investor support for ambitious climate solutions to build a more resilient, equitable and inclusive net-zero emissions future. 

Influential CEOs and other representatives from more than 80 businesses in the U.S. including Amazon, Best Buy, DSM North America, Danone North America, Dow Inc., JLL, Lafarge Holcim, Levi Strauss and Co., McDonald’s, New Belgium Brewing, PepsiCo, PSEG, Siemens and Uber, as well institutional investors, will come together on Wednesday, May 12, for a lawmaker education and advocacy day for climate action. They will call on the Biden administration and members of the U.S. House and Senate on both sides of the aisle to support a strong infrastructure package that will help mitigate the climate crisis and advance environmental justice. 

LEAD on Climate 2021 will build off momentum from the powerful call last month from more than 400 business and investor voices for an ambitious national target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the pace and scale the climate crisis demands. In virtual meetings, participating businesses and investors will make the case for an infrastructure package that will put the U.S. on the path to net-zero emissions, invest in sustainable infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, and deliver justice to communities most harmed by climate pollution.

Specifically, they will call on lawmakers to:

• Build back better, seeking to create a more just and resilient economy that addresses the urgent threat of climate change.

• Ensure that investments in infrastructure prioritize emissions reductions, good-paying clean energy jobs, and environmental justice to secure a sustainable future for all. 

• Enact policies to mitigate climate risk and meet the federal climate target of cutting emissions by at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Ahead of Lead on Climate 2021, hear from Chair Kathy Castor, DSM’s Hugh Welsh, Hannon Armstrong’s Jeff Eckel, JLL’s Richard Batten, LafargeHolcim’s Jamie Gentoso, Levi Strauss & Co.’s Liz O’Neill, New Belgium Brewing’s Steve Fechheimer, PSEG’s Ralph Izzo, and Siemens Corporation’s Barbara Humpton at a virtual roundtable and media briefing at 11:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, May 11 to get a preview of what to expect from the next day’s virtual congressional meetings. 

What: C-Suite Roundtable and Media Briefing

When: Tuesday, May 11, at 11:00 am EST

Who: Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Chair, House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis; Hugh Welsh, President & General Council, DSM North America; Jeff Eckel, Chairman and CEO of Hannon Armstrong; Richard Batten, CSO of JLL; Jamie Gentoso, P.E., Global Head, Solution & Products Business Unit, LafargeHolcim; Liz O’Neill, COO of Levi Strauss & Co.; Steve Fechheimer, CEO of New Belgium Brewing; Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSEG; Barbara Humpton, President & CEO, Siemens Corporation; Mindy Lubber, CEO & President, Ceres; additional speakers to be confirmed.  

RSVP: Helen Booth-Tobin ([email protected]) for media registration details. This is open to accredited members of the media only.

LEAD on Climate 2021 is large-scale mobilization of U.S. and multinational companies and investors to call on U.S. congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support infrastructure legislation that prioritizes climate solutions. It has been organized by the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres and other partner organizations. In 2019, LEAD on Carbon Pricing brought more than 75 businesses to Capitol Hill to call for a price on carbon. It was the largest business gathering to advocate for climate legislation in more than a decade. The following year, more than 330 businesses, ranging in size from small- and medium-sized enterprises to large multinational corporations, came together for a virtual advocacy day to call on Congress  to build back a more resilient, sustainable economy from COVID-19.

For more information on LEAD on Climate and a full list of participants, go to: leadonclimateaction.org.