Cabinet

3 graphs, a photo from space, and a mission

Leave a Comment / Action, Home, Opinion / By

Last year I wrote a great post about what’s really at stake with climate change, and why I was starting 198 methods to push the fight in the US. It’s still great, and you should go read it if you haven’t already. I sent it out as a fundraiser on GivingTuesday, and got some positive feedback. This year, I didn’t want to send a Giving Tuesday email for two basic reasons: #GivingTuesday is kind of a scam. No shade to my brothers and sisters in the non-profit world;  They need your help, so if you found time and a little extra cash to donate to them, I hope you did so. But the whole thing was invented by professional fundraisers as a corollary to BlackFriday – an orgy of overconsumption and a key example of what we’re trying to change about American politics and society. It’s also deeply connected to and dependent on Facebook’s donation platform, which is a scam to get non-profits with strapped budgets to give them billions in advertising revenue while green-washing the reputations of some of …

3 graphs, a photo from space, and a mission Read More »

Last chance to save the Endangered Species Act

19 Comments / Action / By

I just wanted to remind you before it’s too late: Donald Trump and his corrupt, racist Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have declared war on the Endangered Species Act. We have until September 24 to file comments opposing this dangerous, unethical, backwards plan. Will you help? File a comment with us and we’ll make sure it’s delivered to DOI and the Trump team before the deadline. Donald Trump and his Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have declared war on the Endangered Species Act. It’s a terrible policy motivated by greed, blood-lust and a disdain for the natural world. One part of the policy seems designed to support trophy hunters like Trump’s sons, and follows a pattern of Trump supporting the most extreme and cruel forms of sport hunting. But the real reason they’re pushing this rollback to one of the most successful environmental laws in history is to help the fossil fuel industry to a once-in-a-lifetime chance to profit off our planet at the expense of literally every living thing on earth. We have until September 24 to file comments opposing this dangerous, unethical, backwards …

Last chance to save the Endangered Species Act Read More »

A week of actions to walk the talk on climate

Leave a Comment / Action, allies, Home / By

This is the long version of our report back on the Walk the Talk action in Albany, and the #FirePruitt actions in DC – if you prefer shorter versions of these reports and updates, subscribe to our email list on the home page. We start in Albany, so click here if you want to skip ahead to the Pruitt news, click here. And to cut to the chase – we’re looking to raise another $500-$1,000 to cover the costs of this. The funds will be used to support travel and logistics and legal support for more than 55 people (all of whom need to return to Albany next week for a court date. Click here to chip in if you can. Cuomo Walk the Talk The week got off to an AMAZING start on Sunday with the Cuomo Walk The Talk Action Camp. about 100 of us gathered in Athens, a few miles south of Albany, for an all day planning meeting, art build and action walk through. It was an intersectional crowd with first time action takers in their late teens …

A week of actions to walk the talk on climate Read More »

Sign here to Fire Pruitt as head of the EPA

Leave a Comment / Action, allies, Home / By

It’s past time to fire Scott Pruitt, Trump’s head of the EPA. Whether he’s tearing apart climate change regulations or making it easier to spread toxic pesticides, Pruitt stands out as the most dangerous, and effective, members of Trump’s cabinet. Your Representative can demand that Pruitt resign, and even fire him using the same impeachment process as for a President. But they won’t act unless and until we demand it. That’s why we’ve teamed up with a host of other groups to demand Congress take action NOW. Will you sign on in support so we can deliver your name to Congress while the headlines are still fresh? Pruitt’s been under fire for months over his bigoted, corrupt, and hurtful administration of our nation’s top Environmental Agency. But in the last week, it’s gotten really intense. The news has been so bad in the last week that when I confronted Republican Chair of the House oversight Committee Trey Gowdy (SC) — he of the Benghazi witch hunt — if he’d ask Pruitt to testify in his on-going investigation, Gowdy said “I’m …

Sign here to Fire Pruitt as head of the EPA Read More »

Back to FERC with new demands

1 Comment / Action, allies, Home / By

After almost a year without a quorum, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is back to it’s rubber-stamping ways with four new Trump appointees (three of them Republicans). Since getting their quorum back, FERC has approved new pipelines, and considered several plans to subsidize coal, gas and nuclear over renewable energy. Thankfully, the rejected a ham-handed attempt by Secretary of (oops) Energy Rick Perry to charge ratepayers billions to subsidize the dirtiest energy in our electric grid. But, despite some groups already declaring victory, FERC’s rejection of Sec. Perry’s plan was not a repudiation of the concept. And now, there’s a new threat: More than three months ago, FERC’s chairman said he wanted to re-examine the process by which FERC considers and (almost always) approves pipelines. Since then, FERC has been silent on how this review will work, and how the public can participate. But we got a clue to their thinking on March 15 when a three member majority — Chairman McIntyre and Commissioners Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson, all Republicans appointed by Trump — Signaled their intention to …

Back to FERC with new demands Read More »

7 years ago was the BP spill, in 9 days we’ll see you at the People’s Climate March

Leave a Comment / Action, Home / By

Donald Trump hates big protests. So we’re gonna give him the biggest one yet to cap the first 100 days of resistance. I’m sure you’ve already heard about the PCM March for climate, jobs, and justice on April 29. What you might not have heard or remembered is that today is the 7th anniversary of the BP horizon oil spill.1 Seven years ago today, the rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and started the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Almost five million barrels of oil were spilled, and less than 25% have ever been recovered.2 But despite the loss of life, livelihoods, and long-lasting health impacts – no person was ever sent to jail.2 And things are not likely to get better under Trump: The EPA, is facing a budget cut of nearly one-third.3 Scheduled for elimination are programs to clean up the Gulf of Mexico, address environmental justice, and criminal enforcement divisions to punish polluters like BP.4 Last month, the Department of the Interior announced 73 million more acres of the Gulf will be auctioned off this …

7 years ago was the BP spill, in 9 days we’ll see you at the People’s Climate March Read More »

About that Republican Carbon Tax

Leave a Comment / Home, Opinion / By

Editorial boards everywhere are positively swooning over the dulcet crooning of a new boy band called The Climate Leadership Council (CLC). That’s right, the carbon tax band is back together! But as usual, for backers of a carbon tax, the editorial boards are missing a fundamental truth: Climate change will not be solved by a bipartisan consensus of old white men. And we know this is so because 1) We’ve heard all this before; 2) This isn’t a sincere attempt to solve climate change, it’s grandstanding by paid pundits; and 3) Sincere, workable plans to solve climate change exist, but they’re never written by bipartisan old white men from the pundit class.

Reject Rex

Leave a Comment / Action, allies, Home / By

First of all – great job on Monday with the #DayAgainstDenial events. Thousands of people rallied in all 50 states – marching, meeting with senators, demanding accountability for the least ethical, most racist, least qualified, and most climate-denying cabinet ever nominated. Those actions (which many of you attended) gathered media attention around the world – and they helped demonstrate a fierce resistance to Trump’s plans to govern in defiance of facts, science, and common decency. But we can’t rest on our laurels – Trump and Republican leaders in the Senate are trying to ram through confirmation hearings on four nominees today. ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is testifying today and is probably the highest profile, but certainly not the only, dangerous nominee. To stop Rex Tillerson, or any of these nominees, we need every Democrat in the Senate and at least 3 Republicans to vote against them. There’s good news: Some Republicans like McCain, Graham, and Rubio have voiced hesitations about Tillerson. We can win, but we need to put pressure on these senators. Call your senators TODAY: Call the Senate switchboard at …

Reject Rex Read More »

Day Against Denial – stop Trump’s Cabinet

Leave a Comment / Action, allies, Home / By

This week Senators will begin hearings on Donald Trump’s picks for his cabinet — including the climate deniers he’s chosen for every major environment related position in the White House. Tomorrow, Monday January 9, is our chance to push back. A huge coalition of groups are organizing actions at Senate offices in all 50 states to oppose the Climate Denier Cabinet. The #DayAgainstDenial will put pressure on every single Senator to stand up against Trump’s reckless picks — and there’s an event near you in Columbia. RSVP here for the Day Against Denial action in Columbia on January 9th and help keep Trump’s climate deniers out of the cabinet. Most Senators don’t have a position yet on Trump’s cabinet choices, and are waiting to hear from their constituents to pick a side. We need to make sure every Senator knows that the climate is changing and anyone who denies it should not be in the White House Cabinet. Here’s who Trump has nominated: Secretary of State: ExxonMobil’s CEO Rex Tillerson, a top funder of climate denial and attacks on climate action …

Day Against Denial – stop Trump’s Cabinet Read More »

Scroll to Top