Don’t let corporations kill endangered whales: sign petition to stop seismic airgun blasting right now!

There are only a few hundred North Atlantic right whales alive today.

They live right off our east coast in the Atlantic Ocean, from Florida all the way up into the Gulf of Maine — right in the way of fossil fuel corporations’ oil rigs and billion-dollar profits.

Fossil fuel companies and our federal government want to bring offshore oil drilling to a coastline near you. In fact, President Trump already signed an executive order to expand offshore drilling off our nation’s coastlines, and seismic blasting could start as soon as this fall!

And with drilling comes the seismic airgun blasting used to find oil deposits beneath the ocean floor. These blasts are so ear-splittingly loud, they can be heard from 2,500 miles away — that’s about the distance from New York to L.A. — and the damage to the marine ecosystem will extend far beyond the Mid and South Atlantic region, as affected species of whales, sea turtles, and fish migrate throughout the Atlantic Ocean.

Sign our petition demanding that Congress protect the North Atlantic right whale, not billion-dollar oil corporations’ profits.

Experts on the North Atlantic right whale warn that oil corporations’ seismic blasting may be the “tipping point” that wipes one of the most endangered species on the planet out of existence.1 As you’ve likely heard by now, we’re sending the historic ship, Arctic Sunrise, up the Atlantic Coast on a tour of the right whale's habitat, where it will amplify the voices of coastal communities that are calling on us all to help them hold the line against fossil fuel corporations — and the climate science-denying politicians who support them. 

Please sign our petition to stop seismic airgun blasting right now!

If the hundreds of thousands of Greenpeace activists stand together, we can send Congress the message that we care about our oceans, coastal communities, and vulnerable species — not fossil fuel corporations and their obscene profits!

Sarah Rasmussen
Digital Director, Greenpeace USA

[1] https://nicholas.duke.edu/about/news/letter-to-obama-seismic-effects-whales

Demand that Wells Fargo & JPMorgan Chase defund the Line 3 pipeline

Caving into grassroots pressure, Europe’s 2nd largest bank, BNP Paribas, announced they would cut funding for tar sands, the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet, and shale gas. This means that BNP will not be funding the Line 3, KXL or Trans Mountain tar sands pipelines.

But Big Wall Street banks, like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase remain top funders for Enbridge, the company behind the Line 3 pipeline.

Join us to demand Wells Fargo & JPMorgan Chase defund the Line 3 pipeline

The Line 3 so-called “Replacement” Project is a proposal for a new pipeline that would cover more than 1,000 miles (1,660 km) from Hardisty, Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin,1 transporting an average of 760,000 barrels of tar sands crude oil from Alberta each day, with a capacity of 844,000 barrels per day.2 

Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline route would pierce the heart of the 1855 Treaty territory, where members of signatory Ojibwe bands retain the rights to hunt, fish, harvest wild rice, hold ceremony, and travel.3  Wild rice is the only plant specifically mentioned in any Indian treaty with the United States, in recognition of it being a fundamental and central component of Ojibwe culture and identity. If the wild rice beds of the Ojibwe people in this area are destroyed, the cultural impacts would be devastating.

Despite Indigenous and grassroots opposition, and testimony from the Minnesota Department of Commerce saying the pipeline is not needed, Wells Fargo--along with fellow bad actors like Citibank and JPMorgan Chase--are bankrolling the companies behind ALL three proposed tar sands pipelines: TransCanada's Keystone XL, Enbridge's Line 3 and Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain.

We are calling on Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase to cut financial ties with Enbridge. JPMorgan Chase is the top Wall Street funder of tar sands, and Wells Fargo has been plagued with scandals and poor business practices. They could take a bold step to support Indigenous Rights and a climate stable future by ending Enbridge funding today.

Demand Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase Defund Enbridge’s Line 3 Pipeline

We need to send a clear message to banks like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase that the funding of extreme fossil fuels like tar sands is no longer acceptable. We will not tolerate threats to our climate, health, land, and water.

Extreme energy means extreme weather. Climate change is not a threat of the future, but a major issue here now with back-to-back disasters like recent tragic hurricanes through the Gulf Coast and Island nations, and wildfires in the West, have made that clear. We must act now to to move towards a climate stable future.

This is your chance to tell David Kvamme, CEO of Wells Fargo Minnesota, to defund Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline.

This is your chance to tell Melissa Bean, Chair of Midwest Operations for JPMorgan Chase to defund Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline.

We need your voice — today. Tell Wells Fargo that you expect banks to live up to their commitments to Indigenous Rights and the environment.

- Ruth Breech, Climate and Energy

---

1. “Line 3 Replacement Program,” Enbridge, accessed 1 September 2017.
2. Mike Hughlett, “Enbridge's New Pipeline Across Northern Minnesota Not Needed, State Says,” Star Tribune, 11 September 2017.
3. “Stop Line 3,” accessed 1 September 2017.

Tell the Federal Energy Regulation Commission: No handouts for coal and nuclear power

The petition to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission reads: "Rick Perry's proposal to bail out coal and nuclear power would increase energy bills, harm public health and threaten the transition to clean, safe renewable energy. Do not adopt any rules to prop up dying industries at the cost of our future." Add your name:

Rick Perry has come up with a creative new way to bail out failing coal and nuclear plants – by forcing electricity customers to pay for them. As Trump's Secretary of Energy, Perry has proposed a new rule that would actually require customers to subsidize certain coal and nuclear plants, guaranteeing their profits.1 Worried that cheaper, cleaner and safer forms of energy are beating out their favorite industries, Trump and Perry want the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stack the decks. We must let FERC know that this is unacceptable. Tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Reject Rick Perry's plan to bail out coal and nuclear plants. Click here to sign the petition. To justify his plan, Perry is claiming that coal and nuclear power are necessary to make sure the electricity grid stays reliable. But his own agency released a study just months ago concluding that closing coal and nuclear plants has not threatened grid reliability, and neither has the increased use of renewable energy.2 In reality, the main threat to our electricity grid is its aging infrastructure – but forcing customers to prop up unprofitable power plants will do nothing to help with that. FERC is the independent expert agency in charge of managing the electricity grid, and ultimately FERC commissioners will decide on Perry's proposal. A bipartisan group of eight former FERC commissioners wrote a letter opposing Perry's plan. They said that it won't help with grid reliability but will cost customers more and disrupt energy markets.3 Not only would Perry's proposed rule lead to higher energy bills and more dangerous pollution, it would increase the chances of catastrophic climate change. In a year when climate-fueled storms and wildfires have already left thousands of Americans homeless, we should be investing in the cleanest, most affordable energy sources available. We cannot let Trump and Perry stop our progress to renewable energy. Tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Reject Rick Perry's plan to bail out coal and nuclear plants. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no-coal-handouts?t=7&akid=25782%2E3130208%2E_Qk8Re - Brandy Doyle, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: David Roberts, "Rick Perry’s plan to subsidize coal and nuclear plants is bonkers," Vox, Oct. 4, 2017 Ibid. Steven Mufson, "Bipartisan group of former FERC commissioners rejects energy secretary’s bid to help coal plants," The Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2017.

Tell EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to save bees by imposing a moratorium on bee-killing neonic pesticides.

 What's scarier than ghosts, witches, zombies, and vampires? A world without bees.

America's bees are dying at alarming rates, struggling to survive a deluge of toxic pesticides known as "neonics". Yet the EPA continues to allow neonic products to enter the market, without considering the impact they have on endangered bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.

So earlier this month, NRDC sued the EPA.

But as they fight in court, we must also mobilize a massive public outcry to show EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt that we're watching what he does next — and demand that he crack down on these dangerous chemicals.

Tell EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to save bees by imposing a moratorium on bee-killing neonic pesticides.

An astonishing 33 percent of honeybee colonies collapsed between April 2016 and March 2017, in large part due to the skyrocketing use of neonics.

Why is that scary? We depend on bees to pollinate many of our leading crops — from apples and blueberries to watermelon and zucchini. In fact, one in every three bites of food we take depends on bees.

What's worse, President Trump has proposed slashing the EPA's budget by 31 percent, which will make it nearly impossible for the agency to crack down on neonics. And at the same time, agrochemical giants Monsanto and Bayer are pursuing a merger into the world's biggest seller of these bee-killing pesticides.

We must do everything we can to keep the momentum going and stop the alarming decline of bees, before it's too late.

So, please send a message to EPA Administrator Pruitt now, urging him to save bees and our food supply from toxic pesticides.

Despite Trump's and Pruitt's anti-environment assaults, we've made some important progress lately in our fight for bee survival. Under pressure from another NRDC lawsuit, the Trump administration restored endangered species protections to the rusty patched bumble bee. And major retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's have committed to phasing out neonic products and/or neonic-treated plants from their stores.

Now, it's the EPA's turn to take action.

So, while our lawyers pursue their lawsuit to save endangered bees and other pollinators, we must also ratchet up public pressure on the EPA to save all bees.

Please make your voice heard immediately in defense of bees.

- Sylvia Fallon, Wildlife Conservation Project Director, NRDC

Support the Open Our Democracy Act

Washington is a mess. Gerrymandering and closed partisan primaries have created a gulf between the US Congress and the American people. And that gulf is growing every day.

One member of Congress is saying “enough is enough!”

Congressman John Delaney has introduced the Open Our Democracy Act to create open primaries and end partisan gerrymandering for all federal elections.

He is standing up to the entire Washington establishment. Will you stand with him?

Send your congressional representatives an email in support of the Open Our Democracy Act today. Let’s get this bill a hearing and send a message to John Delaney that we have his back.

Video on Open Primaries

Sign the petition from OPEN PRIMARIES.

Manafort indicted: ask your senators to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from potential firing

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chair, just surrendered to law enforcement after being indicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.

With the arrest of Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates, we’re more concerned than ever that President Trump may fire Mueller, so we need to speak up.

Congress must take action IMMEDIATELY to ensure Trump can’t interfere in Mueller’s investigation. Call your lawmakers today at (202) 224-3121!Here’s a suggested script for when you call:

The American people deserve answers about Russian meddling in our elections -- and whether or not President Trump, his campaign or his associates were involved or obstructed justice to cover it up. Please co-sponsor the Special Counsel Integrity Act and the Special Counsel Independence Protection Act (S. 1735, S. 1741, & HR 3771), the bipartisan legislation to protect Mueller’s investigation and that of future Special Counsels.

We need Congress to act quickly on this legislation and make it clear to President Trump that he is not above the law.

-David Donnelly, Every Voice

Tell Senators: OPPOSE Trump's extreme and partisan judges!

Full Senate votes on four partisan, far-right Trump nominees will be happening THIS WEEK. Senators need to hear from the grassroots now that they should strongly oppose these unacceptable Trump appeals court nominees:

Joan Larsen -- nominated to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals -- was on Trump’s infamous list of 21 potential Supreme Court nominees, prepared for him by far-right groups the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. Larsen is probably favored by Trump because she would allow immense presidential authority to disobey the law -- she defended George W. Bush’s abuse of signing statements as “the president’s independent vision of what the Constitution requires” and approvingly wrote that “if the circumstances arose in which the law would prevent [the president] from protecting the nation, he would choose the nation over the statute.”

Amy Coney Barrett -- nominated to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals -- has written that courts should be freer to overrule precedent they disagree with and co-authored an article in which she acknowledged that her personal views could prevent her from carrying out her responsibilities as a judge. Yet, at her Judiciary Committee hearing, she said she couldn’t think of an instance in which this conflict would warrant her recusal from a case!

Allison Eid -- nominated to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals -- is also on Trump’s SCOTUS list. Her writings suggest an extreme view of federalism and hostility to the New Deal; she dissented in a State Supreme Court case and would have upheld a voucher program that the majority recognized as violating the Establishment Clause; in another dissent she distorted the plain meaning of a statute to side with a conservative candidate in a nonpartisan school board election.

Stephanos Bibas -- nominated to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals -- once wrote in favor of replacing much of the prison system with corporal punishment including stress positions, electric shocks, and putting offenders in stocks to be pelted with food by bystanders and victims

Sign the People for the American Way petition here.

Tell Congress: Pass H.C.R. 81 to halt unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Republic of Yemen

The petition to Congress reads: “Pass H.C.R. 81 to immediately halt unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Republic of Yemen.” Add your name:

On August 25, an American-made laser-guided bomb killed seven children in Yemen’s capital city.1 Before the strike, a five year-old named Buthaina had five brothers and sisters. After the strike she had none. The ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen has killed thousands, forced millions to flee their homes, resulted in the world’s worst cholera outbreak, and left 7 million people at risk of starvation.1,2 American-made bombs – dropped by American-made planes and refueled by American military forces – have been used by the Saudis and their allies to destroy crops, cut off access to ports, and wreak havoc on the people of Yemen. This war depends on American support, and now we have a chance to shut that down. Congress has never approved American involvement in this war, and progressive Reps. Ro Khanna, Mark Pocan and others have introduced legislation to demand the United States immediately halt all unauthorized military involvement in Yemen. Under the War Powers Resolution, this important legislation is guaranteed a vote, which means in the next few weeks, the House of Representatives will finally debate and vote on this completely unauthorized war. Tell Congress: Pass H.C.R. 81 to immediately halt unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Republic of Yemen. Click here to sign the petition. For nearly three years, under the guise of our reckless, illegal “war on terror,” the United States has assisted Saudi Arabia in their conflict with the Houthis – a Yemeni Shiite rebel group. We have provided weapons, helped refuel coalition jets as they dropped bombs and provided logistical and intelligence support. But the Houthis have absolutely nothing to do with Al Qaeda, ISIS or any other terrorist organization that could conceivably fall within the scope of military intervention authorized by the current Authorization for Use of Military Force.4 In providing the Saudi-led coalition targeting intelligence, mid-air refueling and other logistical support, the United States is complicit in violations of international law. We are also helping create one of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The civilian death toll in Yemen has been heart-wrenching – with over 10,000 casualties and rising – but the United States continues to offer resources to the Saudi-led coalition. Last October, a coalition airstrike targeted a funeral procession, killing over 130 innocent people and injuring 500 more.5 The United States responded by doubling down on the amount of fuel we provide to the jets that drop those bombs of devastation.6 Tell Congress: Pass H.C.R. 81 to immediately halt unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Republic of Yemen. Click here to sign the petition. This conflict is devastating the Yemeni people, and U.S. involvement has not been authorized by Congress– whose responsibility it is to debate, vote on and authorize military action. By participating in this war in this way, Congress and Donald Trump are robbing the American people of their right to be represented in these decisions. Congress must remove us from this conflict, immediately. Tell Congress: Pass H.C.R. 81 to immediately halt unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Republic of Yemen. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/No_War_In_Yemen?t=8&akid=25750%2E3130208%2ExKJEJ5 - Tessa Levine, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images References: 1. The New York Times, “Young Yemeni Girl Is Sole Survivor After Airstrike Topples Her Home,” Aug. 26, 2017. 2. Bethan McKernan, “Yemen: almost one death per hour as cholera epidemic spreads like wildfire,” Independent, June 9, 2017. 3. Robert Naiman, “Rand Paul: Unconstitutional Saudi War In Yemen Is Not In Our Interest, And Congress Should Vote,” HuffPost, Sept. 18, 2017. 4. Joost Hiltermann, “The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah,” ForeignPolicy, Feb. 27, 2017. 5.Naiman, “Rand Paul: Unconstitutional Saudi War In Yemen Is Not In Our Interest, And Congress Should Vote.” 6. Samuel Oakford, “U.S. Doubled Fuel Support for Saudi Bombing Campaign in Yemen After Deadly Strike on Funeral,” The Intercept, July 13, 2017.

Tell congress: Let DREAMers Stay

Last week almost 800 colleges and universities sent a letter to Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and the rest Congressional leadership to make one single request: Pass a 2017 DREAM Act.

Email and call your representatives in Washington now to let them you know you demand a long term solution for DREAMers.

TAKE ACTION:

Call your Congressperson and tell them:

"I'm [Name] and a constituent of Rep. [Name]. I urge him/her to pass a 2017 DREAM Act. DREAMers have proven that they're law-abiding, hardworking young people by submitting to rigorous background checks and serving in the military or working towards a college degree. These are exactly the kinds of immigrants we should be supporting, not deporting. This is the only country they've ever known and they deserve a chance to work towards their American Dream. Thank you"

Sierra Vista Office
Phone: (520) 459-3115

Tucson Office
Phone: (520) 881-3588
Fax: (520) 322-9490

https://mcsally.house.gov/contact

3) Call your two Senators at the numbers that appear below and tell them:

"I'm [Name] and a constituent of Senator [Name]. I urge him/her to pass a 2017 DREAM Act. DREAMers have proven that they're law-abiding, hardworking young people by submitting to rigorous background checks and serving in the military or working towards a college degree. These are exactly the kinds of immigrants we should be supporting, not deporting. This is the only country they've ever known and they deserve a chance to work towards their American Dream. Thank you"

United States Capitol switchboard  (202) 224-3121.

Sen. Flake

Washington, D.C. Office
P: 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232


Sen. McCain

Phoenix Office
Main: (602) 952-2410
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Tucson Office
Main: (520) 670-6334
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Washington Office
Main: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Protect our communities, coasts and climate: say NO to seismic blasting!

When you think “ocean life,” you may picture the iconic blue whale, frolicking dolphins, or even majestic sea turtles gliding through the water. North Atlantic right whales don’t get a lot of notice — probably because there are so few of them. They’re one of the most endangered large whales in the world.

These critically endangered whales live right off our shores in the Atlantic Ocean, with habitats stretching from Florida, along the Southeast U.S. coast, up through the Gulf of Maine — exactly where fossil fuel corporations are intent on drilling for oil.

Sign the petition demanding that Congress protect the North Atlantic right whale, not billion-dollar oil corporations’ profits.

What's worse, before drilling comes the seismic airgun blasting used to find oil deposits beneath the ocean floor. These ear-splitting blasts are so loud they can be heard from 2,500 miles away, and by government estimates, could deafen or kill up to 138,000 dolphins, whales, and other marine life — including nine critically endangered right whales.

For the North Atlantic right whale, this could mean extinction.

Scientific experts on the North Atlantic right whale warn that seismic blasting may be a “tipping point” toward extinction for one of the most endangered species on the planet.1 In response, we’re sending the historic Arctic Sunrise down the Atlantic Coast on a tour of the right whales’ habitat, and amplifying the voices of coastal communities speaking out against fossil fuel corporations’ use of seismic airgun blasting in oil exploration.

-Sarah Rasmussen, Greenpeace USA

Please sign our petition today — our oceans are depending on us.

[1] https://nicholas.duke.edu/about/news/letter-to-obama-seismic-effects-whales

Sign Ocean Conservatory's petition.

Call your Rep with this call script for climate-disaster relief

The Senate is voting today on a $36.5 billion bill to aid survivors of the hurricanes and wildfires that have ravaged Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands and California. Republicans in Congress dragged their feet for months. It’s on us to make sure this one passes, but also to make sure that much more is done in the coming months.

We need to drive as many calls to our Senators as possible to let them know we’re watching their vote today. But we also need to make it clear that we expect them to do much more for the survivors of these devastating climate disasters.

Hi. I'm NAME, calling Sen. NAME from TOWN, ZIP. I expect Senator NAME to vote for the climate-disaster relief supplemental bill H.R. 2266. I also want Senator NAME to lead the fight on the work to come.

* The situation in Puerto Rico is dire — millions of American citizens are at risk of starvation and death
* The total amount of the disaster bill is far too low—the survivors of in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the survivors of the Western wildfires need much more help
* Instead of increasing Puerto Rico’s debt by $5 billion, Congress should eliminate all of its debt
* There must be relentless oversight of the Trump administration’s response to these crises
* Congress should investigate conflicts of interest around awards for government contracts in rebuilding disaster zones
* The fossil-fuel industry must be held accountable for its deliberate profit from climate pollution

Thank you. Please let me know what Sen. NAME is doing to help our fellow Americans survive these climate disasters.

United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Sen. Flake

Washington, D.C. Office
P: 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232


Sen. McCain

Phoenix Office
Main: (602) 952-2410
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Tucson Office
Main: (520) 670-6334
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Washington Office
Main: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862

 

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Demand that Congress reinstate Section 5’s preclearance process to the Voting Rights Act to stop discriminatory voting laws

In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act that determined which states must get preclearance from the Department of Justice before making any changes to their voting laws, including changes to their district maps.

According to the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, our country had “changed” and no longer required the protection of Section 5. But nothing could be further from the truth. After Section 5 was effectively rendered meaningless, state after state passed voting laws that discriminated against communities of color. The last four years have shown that without Section 5, the ideal of equal representation in our democracy cannot and will not be realized.

Congress has the power to restore Section 5 through legislation -- but so far they have not acted.

Add your name to demand that Congress pass legislation to reinstate Section 5’s preclearance process and stop discriminatory voting laws before they happen.

ESPN just caved to Trump

The petition to ESPN reads: “With a white supremacist in the White House who is actively trying to undercut the power of the media, media outlets must do everything it can to defend its reporters, especially when they are fighting back against Trump’s racism and hate. Apologize to Jemele Hill for suspending her and publicly commit to protecting your journalists’ First Amendment rights.” Add your name:

ESPN’s suspension of “Sportscenter” host, Jemele Hill, is a win for white supremacy and a threat to free speech. When African-American journalist, Jemele Hill, called Donald Trump a white supremacist, Trump’s fascist regime immediately tried to discredit her and called on ESPN to fire her.1 When Hill called out Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, for threatening to bench players protesting police brutality against African-American people, ESPN caved to pressure from pro-Trump NFL owners and suspended her for two weeks.2 Trump is using the White House to crack down on any member of the media who criticizes his bigoted administration – and ESPN helped him silence one of its own journalists. Jemele Hill just got back from suspension, but it is still important that we hold ESPN accountable. Add your name now to demand that ESPN apologize to Hill and publicly commit to defending its journalists from Trump’s attacks. Tell ESPN: Apologize to Jemele Hill and commit to protecting her First Amendment rights. Click here to sign the petition. ESPN is making an example of Hill to appease racist sports fans and pro-Trump NFL owners like Jerry Jones. Jones wants to keep African-American football players in their place. He is the only NFL owner who has publicly threatened to bench his players for exercising their right to free speech by protesting racial injustice during the national anthem. This is a clear attempt to keep African-American football players from using their influence and power to lift up and fight against the crisis of police terror, brutality and killings in the African-American community. It’s an attack rooted in white supremacy. Trump has called white supremacists and neo-nazis “very fine people,” and African-American football players protesting racial injustice “sons of bitches.” He has stacked his administration with white nationalists who are undermining the voting rights, civil rights and civil liberties of African-American people and other people of color daily. ESPN’s failure to defend the First Amendment rights of its African-American employees when they call out racism actively legitimizes and aids Trump’s bigoted attempts to quash dissent and uphold white supremacy. That is dangerous and unacceptable. Under Trump’s fascist administration, everyone must make a choice, including executives at sports media outlets like ESPN. Will they side with a racist bigot and his craven base of supporters, or will they stand up to Trump’s hate and fiercely protect African-American journalists? Tell ESPN: Apologize to Jemele Hill and commit to protecting her First Amendment rights. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/standwithjemele?t=7&akid=25673%2E3130208%2ENl_Vm6 - Nicole Regalado CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: 1. David Nakamura, "White House: ESPN’s Jemele Hill should be fired for calling Trump a ‘white supremacist’," The Washington Post, Sept. 13, 2017. 2. Frank Pallota, "ESPN suspends Jemele Hill over NFL tweets," CNN, Oct. 9, 2017.

Reject Trump's coal lobbyist pick at the EPA

The petition to the Senate reads: "Block and resist the nomination of coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency." Add your name:

If you thought Donald Trump's war on the climate and our environment couldn't get any worse, think again. Trump recently nominated coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to fill the number two spot at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), doubling down on his anti-climate agenda and his dangerous campaign promise to prop up the failing dirty coal industry. If confirmed by the Senate, Wheeler would be responsible for regulating the very industry he lobbied for. We must urge the Senate to block and resist this dangerous climate change denier’s nomination before it comes up for a vote in the next few weeks. Tell the Senate: No coal lobbyists at the EPA. Click here to sign the petition. For nearly a decade, Wheeler lobbied for the coal industry and other polluters, and since 2009, he has been a registered lobbyist for Murray Energy, the largest coal mining conglomerate in the country. Murray Energy's CEO, Robert Murray, who famously tried to sue HBO's John Oliver over an accurate exposé about the coal industry, is an outspoken climate change denier who regularly peddles in blatant lies, believes the Earth is cooling and recently falsely claimed 4,000 scientists told him that "mankind is not affecting climate change."1 During the time Murray Energy was Wheeler's client, the coal giant regularly sued the EPA to prevent stricter regulations on ozone and carbon emissions and other pollutants, including leading a lawsuit with a number of Republican-led states against the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, of which Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt recently moved to reverse.2 Wheeler, who believes the Earth may be going through a "cooling phase," also previously served as a close adviser to notorious anti-science climate change denier Sen. James Inhofe, who once brought a snowball to the Senate floor in a pathetic attempt to disprove climate change.3 Time and time again, Trump is attempting to put the fox in charge of watching the henhouse and packing the EPA with anti-climate zealots to line the pockets of his friends in the fossil fuel industry. The Senate will be holding a confirmation hearing for Wheeler's nomination soon, so we must act now to demand they stop this climate-denying coal lobbyist from ever setting foot inside the EPA. Tell the Senate: No coal lobbyists at the EPA. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/reject_wheeler_epa?t=7&akid=25610%2E3130208%2EXiDQpq -Josh Nelson, Deputy Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: Photo: Educational Images/Getty Images References Marianne Lavelle, "Coal Boss Takes Climate Change Denial to the Extreme," InsideClimate News, Oct. 11, 2017. Samantha Page, "Coal company loses 'war on coal' case," Think Progress, June 29, 2017. Natasha Geiling, "Trump nominates a coal lobbyist to the number two spot at EPA," Think Progress, Oct. 5, 2017.

Sign our petition and urge Secretary Zinke not to delay the Bureau of Land Management's Natural Gas Waste Rule

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is trying to give corporate polluters a free pass to dump millions of tons of pollution into the air and waste hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American energy resources by suspending rules to limit methane waste. We will pay for this recklessness with our health, not to mention our pocketbooks.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently finalized natural gas protections aimed at putting an end to wasteful leaks, venting and flaring of natural gas and dangerous pollutants on federal and tribal lands.

This wasted natural gas harms the health of local communities and, since methane is a potent heat-trapping gas, contributes to climate change.

Now, Secretary Zinke is attempting to stall these vital standards for two years. We deserve better – we cannot let the Trump administration sell out the health of local communities and greenlight the loss of revenue needed to fund our schools, local infrastructure, and more.

ACT NOW: Don’t let Secretary Zinke give into pressure from corporate polluters

When companies extract oil and natural gas from public lands, they pay royalties on our behalf. Inefficient practices that allow leaking of natural gas waste American energy and add up to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost taxpayer revenue every year. That’s why these protections are cost-effective, common sense, and keep our communities healthier.

Make no mistake: if Zinke is allowed to stall these standards, he’s letting corporate polluters off the hook, and American taxpayers will pay the price. We cannot allow this to happen – our communities and our health depend on it.

ACT NOW: Tell Secretary Zinke that he needs to put our health first

For our own health and to ensure a healthy future for our children, we must hold Secretary Zinke accountable.

- Todd Larsen
Green America

Sign our petition and urge Secretary Zinke not to delay the BLM Natural Gas Waste Rule. For the health of our nation, we cannot afford to go backward.

Secretary Zinke,

The U.S. has taken important strides to address dangerous methane pollution, and we can’t afford to go backward. Leaking, venting, and flaring from natural gas facilities wastes hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer owned natural resources and puts our families at considerable health risk.

Strong protections on methane and toxic pollution from oil and gas production are a win-win, keeping us safer and providing needed revenue that benefits our local schools and infrastructure like roads and bridges. Suspending the BLM methane waste rule means wasting American energy and is unacceptable. If you care about families like mine, I urge you not to suspend natural gas waste limits.

Tell Betsy DeVos: Help Puerto Rico’s student borrowers

Petition to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: "Help student borrowers in Puerto Rico by automatically enrolling them in a forbearance program that allows borrowers to forgo payments on their loans, interest-free, for six months or until the island is no longer in a state of emergency." Add your name:

Students in Puerto Rico may face a lifetime of consequences because of Betsy DeVos. Failing to make a payment on student loans can result in fines and fees and lifelong damage to credit scores. But how can we expect young people in Puerto Rico to find a way to make their monthly payment when much of the island is without food, running water, electricity and other basic necessities?1 DeVos has it within her power to give these students a pass on paying their bills until the crisis has passed.2 But since she has shown zero interest in student welfare in the past, we will need to push her to make it happen. That is why we are joining with our friends at the American Federation of Teachers to demand that DeVos help Puerto Rico’s student borrowers. Tell Betsy DeVos: Help Puerto Rico’s student borrowers. Click here to sign the petition. So far, the administration has left Puerto Rico’s students to fend for themselves. The Department of Education told borrowers to contact their student loan servicers. But they didn’t post instructions in Spanish, and many cannot find the right number to call without internet access. Even if students can postpone making their loans, they’ll be stuck paying interest for the time missed.3 More than 300,000 people on the island have student loans – around 10 percent of all Puerto Ricans.4 Their lives and communities have been devastated, but Betsy DeVos still wants them to fight through student loan bureaucracy. There is a better way: DeVos has the authority to automatically enroll borrowers who were victims of a national emergency in a forbearance program. That means no payments until after the disaster, no paying interest and falling deeper in debt and no hoops to jump through.5 We need to make it clear to DeVos that failing to help after a crisis is simply unacceptable. Tell Betsy DeVos: Help Puerto Rico’s student borrowers. Click here to sign the petition. The administration needs to allow people to skip payments for at least six months, or as long as the state of emergency in Puerto Rico lasts. It must also do so automatically, without requiring students to somehow get word and sign up, and announce the move and its implications in both Spanish and English. Any less is the exploitation of suffering people, plain and simple. Trump and DeVos have done little to show they care about Puerto Rico and people with student loans. We need to speak up, force them to act and expose how willing they are to let people suffer to fit their own agenda. Tell Betsy DeVos: Help Puerto Rico’s student borrowers. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/devos_puerto_rico?t=8&akid=25615%2E3130208%2Et_YU2G - Murshed Zaheed, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Randi Weingarten, “Calling on DeVos to Help Puerto Rico,” Sept. 28, 2017. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid.

Stop the corporate “right to work” race to the bottom

Petition to Congress:  "Stop the corporate race to the bottom that pits states against each other to lower wages and weaken workers’ rights by supporting the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act to ban states from enacting so-called 'right to work' laws." Add your name:

Donald Trump loves to rant about low pay and promise that he alone can change things – but the phony populist has  embraced so-called “right to work” laws that depress wages.1. So-called “right to work” laws are designed to give more power to corporate bosses by allowing some people to take advantage of union bargaining without supporting the union. The weaker unions are, the lower wages are for everyone – one study found that wages for all workers were 16 percent lower in so-called “right to work” states.2 The race to the bottom affects all of us, even in states that support working people. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Brad Sherman are leading a handful of other Democrats to fight back,3 and we need to get behind their new bill – the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act – to institute a federal ban on these so-called “right to work” laws. Tell Congress: Stand with Sen. Warren: Stop the corporate “right to work” race to the bottom. Support the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act. Massive international corporations play one state off against another, seeking ever-more extreme anti-union laws. Instead of competing to make sure everyone can find a good-paying job to support a family, state governments rush to bow down before mega corporations and beg for their favor. It’s a race to the bottom, and only one national standard will put an end to it.4 The so-called “right to work” laws reward people who want the good pay and strong benefits that come from having a union without paying the dues that make the union possible. All of us tend to pick to save money now rather than invest in the future. But corporate executives count on people making the wrong choice and thus hollowing out unions and leaving no one to resist. Trade deals like North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) hurt workers, but Trump wants us to put all the blame on foreigners and ignore the Wall Street puppet masters here at home. As Sen. Warren puts it: "The country is in the middle of renegotiating NAFTA, which was a bad deal for American workers. If we want to protect workers and expect a level playing field in international trade deals, we need to start at home – and that means banning states from imposing restrictions that prevent workers from joining together to fight for their future."5 Tell Congress: Stand with Sen. Warren: Stop the corporate “right to work” race to the bottom. Support the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act. If people can quit a bad job to get more pay and better benefits at a union worksite, companies face pressure to raise wages for everyone. Corporations know this, and target unions directly – hurting every single person who works for a living, hourly or salaried, union or non-union, in so-called “right to work” states or states that value working people.6 Warren and Sherman’s simple bill takes the pressure off state governments and individual workers by removing this weapon from the corporate arsenal. Ending so-called “right to work” laws mean higher wages and better benefits for everyone. Stand with Congress: Stand with Sen. Warren: Stop the corporate “right to work” race to the bottom. Support the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/warren_right_to_work?t=8&akid=25639%2E3130208%2EfMxG4Z - Murshed Zaheed, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Dave Jamieson, “Republicans Want To Pass A National Right-To-Work Law,” HuffPost, Feb. 1, 2017. Eric McAdams, “Elizabeth Warren Introduces Bill to Ban So-Called ‘Right-to-Work’ Laws,” Paste Magazine, Sept. 20, 2017. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, “Sens. Warren, Brown, Gillibrand, Rep. Sherman Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers Ahead of Upcoming NAFTA Renegotiations,” Sept. 20, 2017. Ibid. Ibid. Eric Levitz, “Senate Democrats: Canadian Unions Shouldn’t Have to Compete With Cheap American Labor,” New York Magazine, Sept. 20, 2017.