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Good riddance to 2017 – I like our chances next month

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It’s the last few days of 2017. And good riddance, I say, because we’ve got big plans for January 2018. It’s been a busy and mostly brutal year as the Trump team attacks one of our communities after the other. We end the year much as we began it – worried about deportations, awash in climate chaos, resolute in our desire to show up when and where we can to speak out and shut down fossil fuel projects and the political patsies that approve them. But in the face of all that, there is also hope: Major new divestments from big banks (and even the WORLD bank), opportunities to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)’s new leadership, and convergences and gatherings that will consolidate the strength of our movement to shut things down and renew your spirit to open new ideas up. Rebellions are built on hope, and two stories are giving me hope this week: A recent article in Reuters details how Canadian Tar Sands, the dirtiest oil on earth, are having a tough time getting to export …

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Two pipelines a week

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Last week the Army Corps of Engineers gave preliminary approval to the Bayou Bridge Pipeline (BBP). A few days earlier, the Virginia Water Control Board (VaWCB) voted 4-3 to approve the fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), but required a final review of several environmental studies. That second one is actually considered a partial victory, since the week before the VaWCB had voted to approve the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) — another, shorter, fracked gas pipeline — with no such condition. This not to mention the FCC ripping apart #NetNeutrality and the Republican Congress poised to ram through a tax bill that will steal our healthcare, deport our neighbors and drop a depth charge on the middle class from a luxury yacht. So, yeah, the last week wasn’t great. But here’s the thing, in moments of crisis this climate justice movement rises to the occasion in ways that never fail to startle and inspire me. So, short version – Can you chip in to support what we’re doing? Even $1.98 helps a lot, and there’s a ton of other (including non-monetary) stuff …

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Call now to stop the Dirty Tax Bill

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You’ve probably heard about the Republican Tax Bill being debated in the Senate this week. There is a lot to DIS-like in the bill — from the way it raises taxes on the middle class to give tax breaks to the super-rich and corporations;1 to the way it’s being rushed through with no hearings or due-process;2 to the fact that it undercuts renewable energy, opens new land to oil and gas drilling and threatens our climate.3 It’s a seriously dirty, dangerous, and ugly piece of work. And it’s about to get a final vote in the Senate. Mitch McConnell says he has the votes to pass the bill.4 But it’s incredibly close. So close that the Vice President is standing by to break a tie if even ONE Senator changes his or her mind. Can you make a quick call to tell your Senators to vote no? Click here for the number and some help on what to say. There’s still a chance to stop this bill today. And that’s why we should all call now. But even if they DO vote to …

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Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda from home!

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Hey! Are you stuck at home or work on September 20 and looking for an easy way to take action along with more than 30,000 other people to stop the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from implementing Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda? You’re in the right place! Use this page to call in, tweet along, and keep up with the latest from our campaign! What to do Follow along What’s next What to Do Call FERC at 202-502-6088 and tell them you support the efforts of national and frontline groups rallying on their doorstep this morning. Make sure to mention that you support the letter we’re delivering that calls for FERC & Congress to: Enact a moratorium on new fracked gas pipelines and infrastructure until there are hearings into FERC’s abuses in permitting pipelines and reforms put in place that give communities a real voice in FERC’s permitting process; Vote AGAINST the Dirty Energy bill (S1460), and any other legislation that would increase FERC’s authority and perversely speed up the approval process for fracked gas infrastructure. Communities and property owners nationwide need …

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Join us in DC To Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda!

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September 20, 2017 8:30 AM Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First St, NE, Washington, DC 20426 Afternoon lobbying on the hill to begin around 11:30, starting with a lunch time gathering in the Lower Senate park next to the Russell Senate Office Building, the corner of D St. and Delaware Ave NE. Agenda How to Participate! Housing Food & other logistics Day’s Agenda 8:30am: Gather and Rally from 8:30 until 9:30 am 10:00am: Attendees encouraged to attend FERC’s open public meeting which begins at 10 am 11:00 am (or thereabouts): At 11 am folks will be invited to grab a bag lunch and join together to drop in on Congressional offices to deliver the Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda sign on letters. 11:30am: Over lunch at the park outside the Senate office buildings we will talk about the message and how to effectively drop in and drop off materials. 12:30pm: Head into congressional buildings to drop materials and ask for drop in meetings 2:45 pm: reconvene in the park outside Senate building to share your experience of the day 3:30 …

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Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda

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For months, we successfully held up $13 billion in pipeline and gas-export projects by denying the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a quorum. Last month, on the last day before a 3 week vacation, Senator Lisa Murkowski successfully broke the bureaucratic logjam by herself. Using a unanimous consent motion mere moments before the Senate Adjourned for recess, she rammed through two radical Republican nominees and restored FERC’s quorum. Now FERC is set to reconvene on September 20th with Trump’s Senate-approved commissioners Robert Powelson and Neil Chatterjee eager to use their newly minted rubber stamps. Our best chance to stop them is with a big wave of citizen pressure right now, as they try and get back to work. That’s why we’re asking you to sign this petition, which we’ll deliver at a big rally and lobby day on September 20 that aims to shut down FERC’s first “public” meeting in months and keep it shut down by order of Congress. Sign here if you agree we need Congress to: Enact a moratorium on new fracked gas pipelines and infrastructure until there are hearings …

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Tune in with us Thursday – Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda at FERC

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For the last few months, at least 17 fracked gas projects worth an estimated $13 billion have been stalled at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). But now that FERC’s quorum has been restored, what’s next for the Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley, NEXUS Gas, PennEast, WB Express, Delfin LNG, and many other projects? That’s the topic of our Thursday night Webinar: Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda; the change starts here! Join us Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 6:30 pm ET / 3:30 pm PT All of this is happening as the Senate and House are moving bills that would expand FERC’s authority. One of the House bills actually strips the president of the border crossing authority used to stop Keystone XL and gives it to FERC. But the worst of the bills is the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, S. 1460. It expands FERC’s authority by requiring other permitting agencies to “give deference” to FERC and it limits FERC’s review of LNG facilities to 45 days. Plus, new court decisions are both strengthening and weakening our ability to battle …

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New Yorkers Arrested at Senator Schumer’s Office as Trump’s FERC Nominee Advances

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Republished with Permission from Beyond Extreme Energy Washington, DC— Senate Minority Leader and New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer’s Washington, DC office was rendered inoperable this morning when nearly two dozen people blockaded the office doors, delivering a letter backed by 15,000 supporters demanding that the Senator oppose Trump’s nominations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 (S 1460). Hailing from New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Virginia, and representing a coalition of over 190 groups pledged to fight Trump’s FERC nominees, seven individuals held up a banner and were arrested for refusing to move. The banner read “Senator Schumer: Don’t Trump Our Future. Vote no on FERC Nominees. Vote No on the Dirty Energy Bill.” These arrests happened only hours after Trump officially nominated Democrat Richard Glick, an energy aid to Senator Maria Cantwell, to FERC. Richard Glick will now have to pass through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources before coming up for a confirmation vote by the full Senate. Republican FERC nominees Neil Chatterjee and Robert …

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Reportback – day of action on FERC nominees

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This week, as part of our ongoing campaign to stop fracked gas pipelines and export terminals by keeping the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shut down, we visited the US Senate to deliver thousands of your letters, signatures and messages. Big Props to the Delaware River Keeper Network, who organized a lot of the logistics and set up dozens of meetings for our team on capitol hill. And special thanks (as always) to our besties at Beyond Extreme Energy and Berks Gas Truth who showed up to walk the halls, lobby legislators and work the press with us. Here’s a short video recap from our friends (I’m the one in the grey suit) and a written reportback follows: Our pipeline fighters were on the hill today to talk about FERC, and the #DirtyEnergyBill. I sat in on a meeting with Sen. Sanders staff that was predictably amicable. In fact, within hours of our catching up, Bernie had put out a statement opposed to the energy bill, and re-iterated his opposition to Trump’s extreme FERC nominees. But he is, frustratingly, the …

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BREAKING: New NPR story makes the case. Call now to keep FERC shut down.

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A great new NPR report out today shows why we need to stop the Senate from restoring a quorum at FERC.1 This is one of those media articles — well researched, solidly written, and beamed to a national audience of millions on public radio this morning — that can change a campaign. And the timing is perfect: If we can block a vote for another few weeks, we can prevent approval of any more fracked gas pipelines this summer — because FERC will be without a quorum at least until September. But one news story isn’t enough to change 51 Senators’ minds. So I’m asking you to back up your email with a call TODAY. Call Your Senators at (202) 224-3121 (you’ll need to tell the operator which Senators you want to talk to or which state you live in), and urge them to vote “NO” on Trump’s Nominees for FERC. You can simply say: I am calling to urge Senator ___________ to vote against President Trump’s two nominees, Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson, to be commissioners of FERC. Their records make clear that …

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