Tell The Senate: Reject Climate Denier Jim Bridenstine as head of NASA

Trump has nominated Jim Bridenstine — a member of Congress from Oklahoma without a formal science or engineering background — to be the administrator of NASA. Bridenstine is an anti-science climate change denier who has received more than $170,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry.

NASA performs critical climate science research, and if the Senate confirms Bridentine's nomination he could work with Trump to end NASA's earth science missions, and ground essential research satellites. Bridenstine sponsored legislation to remove earth science from NASA's remit, and he once demanded that President Obama apologize for spending money on climate change research. As a member of Congress, Bridenstine sponsored legislation to remove earth science from NASA's remit.2

For these reasons and more, bipartisan opposition to Bridenstine's confirmation has been growing, including concerns from both Florida Senators Nelson and Rubio.3 In a recent letter, Senator Patty Murray of Washington said, “Rep. Bridenstine's failure to accept fundamental scientific truths about Earth's climate make him an ill-suited and dangerous choice to lead the agency."4

- ClimateTruth.org Action team

Sign the following petition by clicking on this link:

Your letter will be delivered to the United States Senate:

I strongly urge you to oppose the nomination of Jim Bridenstine — a climate change denier with no formal scientific background — as the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

NASA must remain an independent scientific agency, and its critical earth science missions must continue.

Reject the appointment of anti-science ideologue Rep. Jim Bridenstine to lead NASA and insist on a true scientist or another qualified individual for the position.

READ MORE:

[2] “Would Jim Bridenstine Be a Down to Earth NASA Administrator?” Union of Concerned Scientists, 10-06-2017

[3] "Rubio, Nelson blast Trump’s NASA pick," Politico, 09-01-2017

[4] "Dem senator calls on Congress to oppose Trump's pick for NASA chief," The Hill, 10-26-2017

Sign petition: Demand a public investment in infrastructure that fully funds the needs of U.S. communities

Last night, President Trump called for a $1.5 trillion investment in our country’s infrastructure.

Such an investment would be welcome―creating jobs, boosting productivity and providing vital public services for millions of Americans―if done right.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s proposed public-private partnerships would pad the pockets of private investors, not boost wages or bring long-overdue infrastructure projects to underserved communities.

Most public investments in infrastructure―building roads, bridges, transportation systems, water and sewer systems―are funded by federal, state and local governments and their construction and maintenance are overseen by democratically accountable governments. Research shows that public investments accelerate productivity growth, providing the potential for pay increases for working people.

But Donald Trump’s apparent approach to infrastructure investment is to make a token federal commitment, put a heavier burden on already-stretched state governments and invite private developers in to receive subsidies. Worse, the Trump administration has already announced one specific plank of their infrastructure plan: under-funding the Highway Trust Fund by $140 billion over the next decade. The result is likely to be very little boost to actual infrastructure investment, further pressure on state governments and the opportunity for private-sector profiteering.

Demand a public infrastructure commitment that invests in our communities at scale and doesn’t just provide subsidies to private developers.

- Economic Policy Institute

To sign the petition below click here.

To: All Members of Congress

A federal infrastructure plan should prioritize services to the public that are available to all of us as basic rights―such as safe drinking water. Early versions of Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan instead proposed public-private infrastructure partnerships that would provide no efficiency gains, and would open up many avenues of crony capitalism, corruption and rampant inequality of public investments across communities. Recently-leaked plans detailing the Trump approach are little better, kicking responsibility for infrastructure investment to states and providing loan guarantees to private developers. We call on Congress to make a real investment in public infrastructure, not abdicate federal responsibility for financing while handing ownership of these investments to private investors.

Sign Now: Demand a public and accountable investment in infrastructure that fully funds the needs of U.S. communities

 

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump had little to say about infrastructure. It wasn’t until the end of the campaign―prodded by his opponent’s $250 billion plan―that Trump offered a no-details boast that he would spend …. $1 trillion on infrastructure.

A serious plan to invest in the nation’s infrastructure would be welcome indeed. Infrastructure investments would create jobs, boost the nation’s productivity growth, and provide vital public services to a wide range of Americans.

But the Trump campaign plan wasn’t just empty, but outright corrupt; offering tax credits to private developers that would have applied to past investments or investments that have already been planned or undertaken. And a recently-leaked plan is little better.

Today―in his first State of the Union address―we can expect President Trump to dedicate a significant portion of the speech to infrastructure, with a plan rumored to be on the horizon. But will it be a real plan, or empty promises?

Sign the petition to Congress demanding a public investment in infrastructure that is accountable to American taxpayers―not one that pads the pockets of private investors.

In his State of the Union address, Donald Trump will likely try and sell his infrastructure plan as a nearly-free investment in our communities, claiming that private developers instead of taxpayers will provide the funding. But we should be extremely wary of claims about free lunches―in the end, it is American households who will pay for this.

By their nature, investments in transportation, water systems, and other vital components of infrastructure will be under-provided by private-sector investors. Take, for example, toll roads that are primarily used by more-affluent communities―padding the pockets of developers―compared to water systems in rural and underserved communities.

The recently leaked Trump plan would kick the responsibility for funding infrastructure to states, or allow private developers to obtain federal loan guarantees in exchange for the privilege of collecting tolls from American taxpayers.

That’s not an investment in the public good. It’s an open invitation for crony capitalism, corruption and rampant inequality of public investments across communities.

Sign the petition telling Congress to reject any infrastructure plan that doesn’t spread benefits widely and which relies overwhelmingly on subsidizing private developers with insufficient oversight to stop profiteering and cronyism.

Infrastructure investment should prioritize services to the public that are available to all of us as basic rights.

Instead of Trump’s empty calls for somebody else to find the money, we need a real investment in our country’s future because, in reality, no bridge is actually free.

- Josh Bivens, Director of Research, Economic Policy Institute

STAND UP FOR THE PUBLIC’S VOICE AND SOUND DECISION-MAKING ON PUBLIC LANDS!

For nearly 50 years, the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, has been an empowering legal tool that allows communities to defend themselves and their environments from dangerous, rushed or poorly planned federal and industry projects. The law ensures that your community has a say when special interests want to build a toxic waste incinerator in your neighborhood or a dangerous pipeline next to your child’s school.

Now, the United States Forest Service, under pressure from the timber and mining industries, is considering putting our nation’s oldest and most important environmental law on the chopping block. This decision could result in massive logging, drilling and other extractive projects being rammed through without proper oversight, accountability or input from people like you.

But under the very law that special interests would like to gut, the Forest Service must solicit public input on their plan to undercut their NEPA process. Tell them that this won’t be the last time you have a say in how your public lands are managed.

To send the following petition, click here. 

Dear Chief Tooke,

I urge you to reject any proposal to weaken the Forest Service’s National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA] process, and keep the law as it is. NEPA ensures that our communities have a say in major federal decisions that affect our public lands, health and safety. It is often the only way for people to voice their concerns about the consequences federal projects will have for their communities and demonstrate how local expertise can improve them. Our communities are safer and healthier because of NEPA.

While some argue that environmental analysis required by NEPA takes too long and results in bulky, unhelpful documents, such outcomes are caused by funding, staffing and training issues wholly unrelated to following the law. Instead of amending its NEPA regulations, the Forest Service should fight for more funds, personnel and education to ensure effective environmental review and public participation.

The Forest Service manages 193 million fragile acres of our national forests and grasslands from Puerto Rico to Alaska, from lands close to cities to remote wilderness. The Forest Service should conduct thorough analysis and weigh the irreversible consequences of each project the agency considers. These are serious decisions that deserve the “hard look” at environmental impacts that NEPA requires.

Robust public engagement and sound science are essential to informed decision making. This is, and must remain, the public’s right under NEPA. When we take the time to understand each other, we can jointly develop solutions to manage our public lands. Undercutting our founding environmental law in the name of “streamlining” is not and never will be the answer.

Sign the petition: No drilling at Chaco Culture National Historical Park

The petition to the Bureau of Land Management reads: "Protect one of our nation's most significant cultural and historical Native sites. Stop the proposed fossil fuel lease sales near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park." Add your name:

If the Trump regime's war on public lands wasn't already dangerous enough, Big Oil is now set to destroy one of the nation's most significant cultural and historical sites if we don't stop them. On the heels of Donald Trump's reckless decision to slash the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Trump and his fossil fuel regime are ready to hand over drilling rights near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, threatening 1,000-year-old Pueblan artifacts and structures of immense cultural, historical and tribal value. Public lands enemy Sec. Ryan Zinke, who oversees the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), plans to put these lands up for lease to the fossil fuel industry this March. We must act now to prevent these sales from moving forward. Tell the Bureau of Land Management: No drilling at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Click here to sign the petition. The areas in and around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park contain the threatened ruins of Chaco Canyon – what some have referred to "as close as the U.S. gets to Egypt’s pyramids and Peru’s Machu Picchu" – as well as "the remnants of great houses, kivas, ancient roads and sacred places built a millennium ago by an indigenous people who became proficient in architecture, agriculture, astronomy and the arts."1,2Today, the Navajo people, whose land surrounds the park, regard the Chaco region as culturally important, and a number of New Mexican Pueblos consider these sites sacred.3 In response to massive backlash by the public and Native people to potential drilling and fracking in the region, the BLM promised tribal leaders and lawmakers it would delay lease sales inside a 10-mile radius of the park until 2020, when the agency could complete a full assessment to determine the impact drilling would have on ancient sacred sites. But last summer, the BLM reversed course, and in accordance with Sec. Zinke's plan to rapidly open up public lands for fossil fuel drilling, put up 4,800 acres of land near Chaco for sale, some of which lay within the buffer zone, potentially endangering sacred Native sites.4 Right now, progressive activists and tribal leaders are organizing protests on the ground to resist this wholesale giveaway of sacred Native lands to the fossil fuel industry.5 We must have their backs and demand that the Trump regime back down from these lease sales immediately. Tell the Bureau of Land Management: No drilling at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_chaco_drilling?t=7&akid=27001%2E3130208%2ESqb0VZ - Josh Nelson CREDO Action Add your name: Elizabeth Miller, "'As close as the US gets to Egypt’s pyramids': how Chaco Canyon is endangered by drilling," The Guardian, Nov. 8, 2017. Richard Moe, "The Treasures of Chaco Canyon Are Threatened by Drilling," The New York Times, Dec. 1, 2017. Sen. Tom Udall, "Udall, Heinrich, Luján Urge Secretary Zinke to Defer All Leases on Land Near Chaco Culture National Historical Park," Sept. 6, 2017. Rebecca Moss, "N.M. leaders urge feds to protect Chaco from oil and gas encroachment," The Santa Fe New Mexican, Sept. 8, 2017. Rebecca Moss, "Over 100 protest BLM plans to lease land near Chaco Canyon for fracking," The Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 17, 2017.

Sign the petition telling the Department of Justice to let states regulate marijuana

medical marijuana helps all these patients

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing an assault on states that have legalized recreational marijuana. That means people who grow, sell, and use cannabis in states where it’s perfectly legal to do so could have their lives ruined by arrest, confiscation of their property, and prosecution. But the tide is turning, and more Americans support legalized cannabis than ever before.(1) Twenty-nine states have legalized medical marijuana, and nine have legalized its recreational use. Fifty-four members of Congress from both parties just sent a letter to President Trump asking him to overrule the DOJ’s decision.(2) If enough of us speak out along with the growing chorus of elected officials who support legalization, we can force Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end his crusade against marijuana. That’s why we’ve joined a broad coalition of organizations and elected officials to tell Sessions that the people have spoken: states should decide how to regulate marijuana. Will you join us? Sign the petition telling the Department of Justice to let states regulate marijuana. Sessions just repealed an Obama-era rule that directed the DOJ not to prosecute cannabis growers, sellers, and users in states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Now federal prosecutors can resume their failed War on Drugs. It’s not 1960 anymore. Decades of evidence show that cannabis is relatively safe, yet federal law treats it the same way it treats heroin -- as a dangerous drug of abuse. That’s why on top of the 29 states that have legalized it medicinally -- 9 of which have legalized it for recreational use as well -- 13 have decriminalized marijuana in attempt to reduce our prison population, which is the largest in the world thanks to the War on Drugs, which has disproportionately targeted communities of color.(3) Americans’ attitude towards cannabis has profoundly changed. For the first time ever, even a majority of Republican voters support legalization. All told, 61% of Americans support legalization and 71% oppose the administration trying to stop state regulation.(4) That support is beginning to extend to politicians. In direct response to Sessions’ announcement, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) has vowed to block DOJ nominees unless Sessions rescinds his decision, while Representative Tom Garrett (R-VA) is sponsoring a bill to remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances.(5) And 54 members of Congress from both parties have signed a letter urging Donald Trump -- who promised to leave marijuana alone while on the campaign trail -- to rein Sessions in. We’re at a critical juncture. Backing up the growing number of politicians and business interests with demonstrable public support could stop Sessions in his tracks. Will you sign the petition and lend your voice to the growing chorus of people who demand legalization? Yes, I'll sign the petition demanding the DOJ let states regulate marijuana! - the Courage team Footnotes: 1. http://news.gallup.com/poll/221018/record-high-support-legalizing-marijuana.aspx & https://www.cbsnews.com/news/support-for-marijuana-legalization-at-all-time-high/ 2. http://www.newsweek.com/members-congress-marijuana-791086 3. http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total & http://www.governing.com/gov-data/state-marijuana-laws-map-medical-recreational.html 4. Refer to note 1. 5. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/pot-showdown-congress-uniting-to-stop-sessions-war-on-drugs-w515595

Call Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake: Support the resolution of disapproval to save net neutrality.

The FCC voted to kill the open internet, but Congress has the power to overrule it. Fifty senators have already signed onto a resolution of disapproval that would overturn the FCC's repeal of net neutrality. We need just one more, and Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake has not yet signed on to save the internet. Call now. Click below for a sample script and the number to call:

Fifty senators signed on to the resolution of disapproval to overturn the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and save net neutrality.1 We need just one more. If Sens. McCain and Flake sign on, the resolution will pass the Senate and move on to the House. Call Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake: Support the resolution of disapproval to save net neutrality.  When the FCC voted to kill the open internet, they ignored millions of Americans and gave big cable companies control of what we say and do online. But this fight isn't over. Congress has the authority to overturn the FCC's vote. Congress can use a "resolution of disapproval" to reverse this disastrous decision and restore the rules that protect the open internet.2 Thanks to the Congressional Review Act, Congress can review new regulations (in this case, the FCC's Orwellian-sounding “Restoring Internet Freedom” rule) and overrule them by passing a joint resolution of disapproval. Republicans in Congress used the process last year when they repealed important broadband privacy protections. And in the Senate, even the minority party can force a resolution of disapproval to a vote – making every senator go on the record for or against net neutrality. Trump's FCC chair has shown that he is in the pocket of Big Telecom companies. But unlike the FCC, our senators are elected and they must answer to us. Call Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake: Support the resolution of disapproval to save net neutrality.  Sample Script:  Hello my name is ____________ and I live in Tucson, AZ. I'm calling to ask Sens. McCain and Flake to sign onto the resolution of disapproval that would overturn the FCC's repeal of net neutrality. Will Sens. McCain and Flake sign on and stand up for a free and open internet? Sen. John McCain P. 202-224-2235 (Got a recording. Left a message) F. 202-228-2862 Phoenix Office P. 602-952-2410 F. 855-952-8702 Tucson Office P. 520-670-6334 (Reached a staffer here.) F. 855-952-8702 https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form Sen. Jeff Flake P. 202-224-4521 (Got a recording. Left a message.) F: 202-228-0515 Phoenix Office P: 602-840-1891 F: 602-840-4092 Tucson Office P: 520-575-8633 (Reached a staffer here.) F: 520-797-3232 https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff - Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action References: Brian Fung, "The Senate’s push to overrule the FCC on net neutrality now has 50 votes, Democrats say," The Washington Post, Jan. 15, 2018. Kate Conger and Dell Cameron, "Wait, Can Congress Stop the FCC From Trampling Net Neutrality?" Gizmodo, Dec. 14, 2017. Here's a petition you can sign too.

Demand your representatives raise the minimum wage to $15

Trickle-down shills have 3 arguments against increasing the minimum wage: Jobs will disappear, businesses will go bankrup, and the price of goods will skyrocket. Wrong! These are claims are really just intimidation tactics masquerading as economic theory.

For decades, GOP trickle-down stooges have fed you lies about the minimum wage. But here are the facts -- since Seattle raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour:

• Instead of workers losing jobs, they reported more job stability.
• Instead of shops and restaurants going out of business, workers finally had money to spend and contribute to the local economy.
• There was no overall impact of the minimum wage on restaurant prices. Period. And there was no overall impact of the minimum wage on grocery prices. Period.

Let’s bring this minimum wage success nationwide!

Demand your representatives raise the minimum wage to $15 nationally:

Contact Your Representatives NOW >>

Why does Seattle’s county have more restaurants now than at any point in its history?

It’s because those workers who got a raise now have more money to spend in the city around them. Those restaurant workers are eating in more restaurants. They’re buying more groceries. They’re buying more clothes and cars. That increased consumer demand is creating jobs, and more than paying for the increased minimum wage. The $15 minimum wage established a positive feedback loop that created growth in Seattle by including more people in the economy.

In other words, it worked exactly as intended. And it can work in cities and states around the country.

It’s time to act:

Tell Congress to raise the minimum wage >>

It’s time to show trickle-downers they are full of shit. It’s time to raise the wage.

http://go.civicaction.com/Raise-The-Wage

-The team at Civic Action

TAKE ACTION! Our nation’s oldest environmental law is under attack

Protect your community's voice on public lands

Robust public engagement and sound science are essential to informed decision making.

Tell the Forest Service: This is, and must remain, the public’s right under NEPA.

For nearly 50 years, the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, has been an empowering legal tool that allows communities to defend themselves and their environments from dangerous, rushed or poorly planned federal and industry projects. The law ensures that your community has a say when special interests want to build a toxic waste incinerator in your neighborhood or a dangerous pipeline next to your child’s school.

Now, the United States Forest Service, under pressure from the timber and mining industries, is considering putting our nation’s oldest and most important environmental law on the chopping block. This decision could result in massive logging, drilling and other extractive projects being rammed through without proper oversight, accountability or input from people like you.

But under the very law that special interests would like to gut, the Forest Service must solicit public input on their plan to undercut their NEPA process. Tell them that this won’t be the last time you have a say in how your public lands are managed.

Extractive industries have long pressed the Forest Service to “streamline” public participation opportunities right out of NEPA. But without the feedback of stakeholders and the public, we could see ancient forests harvested with impunity, coal mines fast-tracked and watersheds decimated on our public lands.

NEPA is woven so deeply into our political framework that we often take it for granted, but it’s so fundamental to our democratic process that it’s considered the “environmental Magna Carta.” It can help reduce public controversy, build consensus with local officials and ensure that projects are done correctly from the start, often saving time and money. NEPA permits the public to hold the Forest Service accountable in court when the agency ignores important information or refuses to consider alternative measures that could better protect our air, water and communities. NEPA is a powerful legal tool because it works. Federal agencies have responded to the public’s concerns by modifying projects to reduce their impacts.

The Trump administration shouldn’t undercut NEPA—which applies to major federal decisions across all 190 million acres of National Forest lands—so that unaccountable bureaucrats can hawk your public lands to the highest bidder and ignore public outcry. Tell the Forest Service to keep the law as it is. Stand up for the public’s voice and sound decision-making on public lands!

- Ted Zukoski, Staff Attorney, Earth Justice 

Don’t let Trump’s Justice Department silence dissent

One year ago, on January 20, police arrested more than 200 individuals protesting the inauguration of Donald Trump. Last month, the first six defendants were acquitted on all charges.

But now, federal prosecutors are refusing to drop the charges against 187 remaining defendants, even though the vast majority were peacefully protesting the election of President Trump, and there is no way they could have been involved in any property damage.

This attempt by police and prosecutors to jail individuals who were merely present at these protests, exercising their free expression rights, is a direct assault on free speech.

The aggressive prosecution of these remaining protesters smacks of politics, not the law. The Justice Department is sending a clear message that dissent against the policies of the Trump administration will be dealt with severely.

Sign the petition calling on federal prosecutors to drop the charges against the remaining protesters unless they have direct evidence that particular individuals engaged in property damage. 

Join us in calling on the D.C. City Council to launch a truly independent investigation into how police were allowed to use a controversial tactic called “kettling” to indiscriminately round up and arrest over 200 protesters—in violation of D.C. laws meant to protect First Amendment activity.

Peaceful protest and dissent are protected legal rights. And the appetite for patriotic dissent against the Trump administration is likely only to grow.

With Washington, D.C., being the epicenter of much of that protest, it is critical that the D.C. City Council strengthen free speech protections to prevent another unlawful mass arrest of peaceful protesters.

One recently acquitted protester said that the verdict “shows the country that the jury was unwilling to do what the government wanted them to do, which was criminalize dissent.”

Sign the petition to protect the First Amendment free speech rights of all protesters.

- Suzanne Nossel

Executive Director. PEN America

Sign the petition: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides

Sign the petition to the Environmental Protection Agency: "Numerous studies, including research conducted by your own agency, show that the neonicotinoid pesticide thiamethoxam poses a significant risk to pollinators, including fragile bee populations. Deny Syngenta's application to expand its use of this toxic pesticide." Add your name:

There is a massive new threat to fragile bee populations, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the power to stop it. Syngenta, the Swiss-based agro-chemical rival to Monsanto, is seeking government approval to spray its bee-killing pesticide thiamethoxam on more than 165 million acres of American crop land.1 If the Scott Pruitt-led EPA under Donald Trump’s regime approves the company's application to apply massive amounts of this toxic pesticide on popular crops like wheat, barley, rice, alfalfa and potato, we could see even more dramatic and rapid declines of bee colonies. We must urge the EPA to deny Syngenta's application immediately. Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click here to sign the petition. In recent years, bee populations have plummeted significantly due in large part to the expanded use of bee-killing pesticides. More than 700 North American bee species are at risk for extinction, and in 2016-2017 alone, beekeepers lost 33 percent of their bees, yet the EPA has failed to take significant steps to limit pesticide use.2,3 In fact, just before Donald Trump took office, the EPA publicly acknowledged that neonic pesticides pose a significant risk to honeybees but backed away from a proposed rule to limit their use.4 Incredibly, this proposal by Syngenta to significantly ramp up its use of this toxic chemical on crop land fell on the very same day the EPA released a stunning new report detailing the dangers neonicotinoids such as thiamethoxam pose to animal life, including birds of all sizes.5 This most recent EPA study comes on the heels of numerous studies detailing the risks neonics also pose to invertebrate aquatic life. As Lori Ann Burd, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's environmental health program, put it: "If the EPA grants Syngenta's wish, it will spur catastrophic declines of aquatic invertebrates and pollinator populations that are already in serious trouble."6 Activism to protect bee populations works. Hundreds of thousands of CREDO members have mobilized in recent years to pressure the EPA to restrict expansion of Monsanto's bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. But with Trump occupying the White House and Pruitt leading the EPA, we need to double down our efforts to keep these toxic pesticides from dramatically worsening the bee crisis. Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/epa_bees_2018?t=7&akid=26926%2E3130208%2Em15Ppq - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action #SAVETHEBEES Add your name: Grace Guarnieri, "EPA Might Let Bee-Killing Pesticide Be Sprayed On 165M Acres of Farmland," Newsweek, Dec. 21, 2017. Justin Worland, "More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction," TIME, March 2, 2017. University of Maryland, "American beekeepers lost 33 percent of bees in 2016-17," May 25, 2017. Center for Biological Diversity, "Same Day: EPA Acknowledges Proven Dangers of Bee-killing Pesticides But Refuses to Restrict Them," Jan. 12, 2017. Center for Biological Diversity, "EPA Considers Allowing Bee-Killing Pesticide to Be Sprayed on 165 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland," Dec. 19. 2017. Ibid.

Tell your Rep to support the Coastal Anti-Drilling Act to protect our fragile coastal regions

Oil spill clean up. Is this Trump's idea of creating jobs? 

Trump announced his plans to open up vast areas of coastal waters to offshore drilling earlier this month. This week, you can act on climate change by calling your senators and representatives and asking them to support the Coastal Anti-Drilling act (H.R. 2272 and S. 999), which would oppose Trump’s offshore drilling plans. It takes just a few minutes and could make a big difference.

Here’s a sample script for calling your Member of the House:

“I’m calling to express my shock at Trump’s decision to open US coastal waters to offshore drilling. I ask [REP NAME] to support H.R. 2272, the COAST Anti-Drilling Act, to protect our fragile coastal regions.”

And here’s a sample script for calling your Senators:

“I’m calling to express my shock at Trump’s decision to open US coastal waters to offshore drilling. I ask [SENATOR NAME] to support S. 999, the COAST Anti-Drilling Act, to protect our fragile coastal regions.”

Sen. John McCain

P. 202-224-2235
F. 202-228-2862

Phoenix Office
P. 602-952-2410
F. 855-952-8702

Tucson Office
P. 520-670-6334
F. 855-952-8702

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

Sen. Jeff Flake

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

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

For your Rep's contact information, click on the blue square around the big dirty oil spill below. 

CALL YOUR OFFICIALS To join with the members of Congress who are fighting against offshore drilling, click on this link to find their petition.

Tell Congress: Re-open National Parks and Properly Fund Them!

Congress has failed to fulfill its responsibility to fund the federal government, which has now closed for business. 

Many of our national parks are closed as well. However, the Department of the Interior has decided to keep some parks open, but with closed facilities, no services and without the necessary staff to safely operate the parks. Leaving park gates open with little to no staff compromises visitor safety and jeopardizes park resources.

National parks -- and visitors -- cannot be adequately protected without the expertise of the National Park Service. 

- Theresa Pierno, President and CEO

National Parks Conservation Association 

Take action right now! Tell Congress to do its job -- fund the government and re-open our parks with the staff they need to meet their mission.

To send the following message, click the link above. 

(Consider personalizing it for even more impact.) 

Message

Re-open National Parks and Fund Them Adequately

Dear [Decision Maker],

• US Senator Jeff L. Flake
• US Senator John McCain III
• US Representative Martha E. McSally
• 
  

Along with all 1.3 million members and supporters of the National Parks Conservation Association, I want you to end the government shutdown immediately and fund the federal government -- including our national parks and all who work in them.

Congress should not allow our national parks to be the victims of a failed budget process, especially when parks are so important to millions of Americans like me and do so much to benefit many local economies. Congress must work to keep national parks open and help parks recover from years of underfunding which has resulted in too few staff, constraints in protecting wildlife and serving visitors, and an $11 billion maintenance backlog.

I urge you to work with your colleagues to end the shutdown so our national parks can once again serve visitors and local economies. And as you finalize a spending plan for FY18, I urge you to increase the currently insufficient funding for the National Park Service.

Thank you.

Tell governors: Don’t help Trump destroy Medicaid

To the governors of all 50 states: "Do not help Donald Trump destroy Medicaid and steal health care from countless people. Oppose any attempt to impose labor requirements on Medicaid participants." Add your name:

Donald Trump is trying to do by administrative fiat what his Republican enablers in Congress couldn't: Destroy Medicaid as we know it.1 The Trump administration recently announced that states could impose labor requirements on people who receive health care through Medicaid. Not only does this rip the heart out of Medicaid’s coverage guarantee, it robs health care from people who cannot work because of a chronic condition or because they care for loved ones.2 Some states have declared they will refuse to help Trump destroy Medicaid, but others – like Kentucky – are jumping on board.3 We desperately need to convince our nation’s governors that they will face a backlash if they collaborate with Trump to end Medicaid. Tell governors: Don’t help Trump destroy Medicaid. Click here to sign the petition. All Trump has done is open a loophole big enough to drive a truck through. States still have to choose to impose labor in return for health care. That is where we come in: If we can demonstrate that people are as outraged by this sneak attack as they were about Republican attempts to end Medicaid through Trumpcare, even some right-wing governors could decide it is not worth the political trouble. Make no mistake, Trump is trying to destroy Medicaid. The core of Medicaid’s mandate is to make sure even people trapped in poverty can access doctors, medical care and long-term health care coverage. Imposing labor, which Republicans euphemistically call “work requirements,” undermines Medicaid's mission. It is also a backdoor attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid access.4 Worst of all, these changes will kill people. Losing health care coverage results in people losing their lives. Republicans are trying to demonize Medicaid as welfare even though nearly all participants are already working. Recent studies prove that "able-bodied" Medicaid participants who are not working are either providing care for a loved one or are actually disabled – since states can choose to ignore some chronic conditions or mental illness in their definitions of "able-bodied."5 Right now, governors and state legislatures are weighing whether requiring labor in exchange for health care helps or hurts them politically. We need to remind them that doing so is not just politically foolish, it is absolutely immoral. Tell governors: Don’t help Trump destroy Medicaid. Click here to sign the petition. Past Democratic and Republican administrations have agreed that states, which administer Medicaid programs, cannot force people into labor. But suddenly, Trump is trying to change all that. In fact, the new administrative guidance strongly implies that this administration will authorize any labor requirement, no matter how stringent. States could decide that people with long-term conditions have to work, anyway. Or, they could steal health care coverage from people who cannot work because they serve as caregivers for loved ones – a move that could disproportionately hurt women of color, who are more likely to care for family.6 Donald Trump is leaning on false, racialized stereotypes about lazy welfare beneficiaries to gin up hatred and steal health care from countless Americans. The ultimate goal is to leave Americans dependent on big corporations and cruel bosses for their very survival. We cannot let that happen. Tell governors: Don’t help Trump destroy Medicaid. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/trump_medicaid?t=8&akid=26915%2E3130208%2EPdUjXm - Murshed Zaheed, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: 1. Dylan Scott, “The Trump administration’s plan for Medicaid work requirements, explained,” Vox, Jan. 12, 2017. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid.