Trump
Two pipelines a week
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 …
Break the internet in order to save it
This Thursday, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could destroy the open internet. Big cable and phone companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T have been lobbying for years to end net neutrality so they charge us extra fees, throttle the speed of content they don’t like or outright censor speech critical of corporations or the political elite. There’s no two ways about it, without an open internet, the Resistance is in trouble. But Congress can put a stop to all of this by demanding the FCC uphold the principle of net neutrality. Net neutrality is a basic concept: your internet provider cannot slow down your browsing on certain pages, block websites, or charge apps and sites extra fees to reach an audience. All legal content is treated the same. It’s been crucial to new movements around the world because it ensures activists can share news and ideas at the same speed as corporations and governments. If you streamed a video from Standing Rock, shared a photo of that Greenpeace RESIST banner over the white house, or just shared an online petition with …
198 methods to [do what exactly?]
Last week I told you about why I think it’s important to start 198 methods as another non-profit, environmental advocacy group (Missed it? Click here for the refresher, 5 charts and 2 maps). This week, I’m all about how we win. I lay out some specific examples, strategies, and ideas below. But the TL;DR is this: It costs about $100 a week to keep all this going, and we want to scale UP the project in 2018. So I’m looking for about 50 people to donate $1.98 a week for the next 6 months. Can you help?
Call now to stop the Dirty Tax Bill
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 …
Taking action while waiting for Keystone.
I hate waiting for news. And this morning, we were waiting on a doozy of an update: A few days after a massive oil spill on the keystone 1 pipeline, the the Nebraska Public Service Commissions (PSC) was to decide whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline route. (See this post if you want to catch up on the spill.) They did, with a really important caveat. And now I’m thinking about what’s next. But as fortune would have it, I wasn’t stuck home alone, worrying about the vote; Or out at work trying to stay busy while clicking the refresh button on my news feed every few minutes. I was in Pittsburgh at the People Vs Oil & Gas conference, surrounded by pipeline fighters from British Columbia, Canada, South Texas, New York, California and everywhere in between. So when a couple friends from the local Rising Tide chapter asked me to pitch in (and do what 198 methods does — digital communications support for direct action campaigns), I said yes in a heartbeat; Even if it meant …
Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda from home!
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 …
Join us in DC To Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda!
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
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 …
Tune in with us Thursday – Stop Trump’s Dirty Energy Agenda at FERC
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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