Welcome to NCEL’s New Strategic Plan

This strategic plan reflects NCEL’s central commitment to further empowering state legislators as environmental champions. It is a roadmap designed to meet the urgency of our time with clarity, ambition, and action.

Over the next four years, NCEL will focus on five core strategies: (1) cultivating bipartisan champions, (2) catalyzing policy innovation, (3) upholding environmental protections, (4) expanding the tools legislators use beyond legislation, and (5) fostering trusted partnerships across sectors. These priorities respond directly to the challenges lawmakers face — limited time, staff, and resources — and offer scalable solutions rooted in peer-to-peer collaboration and evidence-based support.

We know that state legislatures are uniquely positioned to pilot bold ideas, protect hard-won progress, and shape the national narrative. This plan ensures NCEL remains a trusted resource, connector, and amplifier to help legislators lead with confidence and impact.

Whether you’re a seasoned lawmaker or newly elected, a partner organization or a concerned citizen, we invite you to join us. The path ahead is ambitious, but together, we can build a future where environmental leadership thrives in every state.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

– Dylan McDowell | NCEL CEO