NOVEMBER 7th DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS: on Trump's sham review of the Keystone XL Pipeline

Keystone pipeline spilled about 97,000 barrels (410,340 million gallons)  of oil near Amherst, S.D.

Trucks and trains full of pipes slated for Keystone XL have started to arrive in South Dakota and Montana as TransCanada begins pre-construction.

We’ve stopped this pipeline before, and we’ll stop it again. Right now our best opportunity to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities and stop KXL is for thousands of us to submit a public comment to the state department calling out Trump’s latest sham environmental review of this project before the deadline in 8 days.

Tell the Trump Administration they won’t get away with this sham review: No Keystone XL.

The law requires that these comments are tallied, analyzed, and considered in the final environmental review. We can make our voices opposing this pipeline heard if we have too many signatures for them to ignore.

In August, a federal judge ruled that the federal review of the pipeline was inadequate – so the Trump Administration came back just 37 days later with another rushed job. The Trump Administration's State Department published another hastily-produced "Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)" on Keystone XL that concludes the pipeline would have only "minor" impacts to our land, water, endangered species and Native American sacred sites in Nebraska like the Ponca Trail of Tears. But just last year, the Keystone 1 pipeline spilled more than 200,000 gallons of dirty oil in South Dakota.

We can't let the Trump administration re-write the facts about the harm Keystone XL would do to the climate and communities. Submit a comment now.

There are only 8 days left before the deadline. This fight is about to ramp up, but we’re ready. There are three active lawsuits, 17,000+ people ready to take peaceful action in solidarity with Indigenous communities on the route if called upon, and a strong coalition led by Indigenous leaders that’s prepared to take on whatever comes.

- Kendall Mackey, 350.org

More info:

1. Keystone XL Pipeline materials begin moving into Montana - KRTV News
2. Judge orders full environmental review of Keystone XL in Nebraska - EcoWatch
3. Keystone pipeline spills 200,000 gallons of oil - National Geographic

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Click here to submit your revised version of the following public comment to Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State:

Dear Mike Pompeo, 

I am writing to state my opposition to TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL tarsands pipeline.

Your approval of a federal permit for Keystone XL was based on a stale environmental review from 2014, in clear violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement relies on outdated and incorrect data to draw conclusions that the pipeline would have only "minor" or "negligible" impacts on the land, water, sacred sites and endangered species in its path.

Additionally, the current proposed highly-expedited review schedule for the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement is insufficient, and additional public hearings must be scheduled to accommodate all affected communities on the pipeline route whose voices must be heard.

Keystone XL would be game over for the climate – and we must stop it with everything we’ve got.

NOTE ON PUBLIC COMMENTS: 

Folks who are submitting comments should keep in mind the number of signatures doesn’t mean anything in terms of NEPA. Petitions don’t count either. Substantive comments are what matter and simply opposing the project won’t be considered in the final SEIS and nor does it have to be under the law. 10,000 submissions of the same form letter count as one comment, and if it’s only a letter of general opposition, it counts for nothing. For public input to really make a difference, one needs to identify weaknesses in the review process or specific alternatives to the proposed action that weren’t considered. Unfortunately NEPA isn’t a democracy and submitting a public comment isn’t the same as casting a vote.

Drilling threatens Carlsbad Caverns National Park and sensitive ecosystems in the region. PUBLIC COMMENTS deadline Nov. 5

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American treasure. Every year, thousands of tourists travel to southern New Mexico to see the park’s wondrous caves and enchanting desert wildlife, including thousands of bats that take flight from the park’s caves every night.

But Carlsbad’s riches do not stop at park boundaries. The desert and grasslands surrounding the park harbor extensive cave networks and wildlife habitat for species like cougar, cave swallows and Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Sadly, this greater Carlsbad Caves and Rivers region is threatened by a massive oil and gas boom. Drill pads stretch over much of the land and the drilling is now threatening the park's caves, waters and wildlife.

Take action: Defend the Carlsbad region from more drilling.

Unfortunately, the Bureau of Land Management is considering handing over even more land to drilling.

More drilling would, at great magnitude, destroy rare desert rivers, intact grasslands and sensitive cave ecosystems. But we have an opportunity to weigh in and protect the most sensitive nearby areas.

Tell the BLM the sensitive lands in the Carlsbad Caves and Rivers region are too wild to drill.

- Wilderness Society

To add your comment to the one (below) click here.

(Please, consider personalizing it a bit it so they won't throw it away.) 

In developing the Carlsbad Regional Management Plan (RMP), the BLM should consider the following resources to conserve the region’s rare desert river systems and sensitive cave ecosystems. The BLM should protect all Lands with Wilderness Characteristics and restrict oil and gas development in the final RMP to ensure these places continue to provide quality backcountry recreation and wilderness experiences for future generations.

 

The BLM should designate the 10 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) identified in the draft RMP for protection. The BLM should also designate 4 additional ACECs proposed by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance: Birds of Prey, Chihuahuan Desert Rivers, Desert Heronries and Salt Playas. These are some of the last untouched places in the region and should be protected.

 

This arid region is also heavy hit by the impacts of a changing climate. Yet the BLM’s preferred alternative does not have any emission reduction requirement and opens 97% of the planning area to development. The BLM must acknowledge the impact that increased oil and gas development will have on climate change, implement a management plan that reduces emissions and ensure the plan includes adaptation for wildlife species at risk to a changing climate.

Tell Congress: Ban all toxic nerve agents in our food

Organophosphates are in the same chemical family as sarin nerve gas.

The petition to Congress reads: "Organophosphates are extremely toxic pesticides linked to neurological disorders, long-term damage to children's brains and cancer. Pass Rep. Nydia Velázquez's Ban Nerve Agents in Our Food Act of 2018 to ban all classes of organophosphates." Add your name:

Rachel Carson called them "among the most poisonous chemicals in the world."1 They're linked to a whole host of debilitating neurological disorders, long-term damage to children's brains and even cancer. And they're in the same chemical family as sarin nerve gas.2 Yet, despite overwhelming evidence that organophosphates are extremely toxic and deadly pesticides, Trump's EPA continues to allow Big Ag to spray millions of pounds of the chemicals on our food and public spaces each year, posing a massive threat to consumers, children, wildlife and farmworkers, many of whom are immigrants.3 Rep. Nydia Velázquez has introduced legislation called the Ban Nerve Agents in Our Food Act of 2018 to finally ban all classes of organophosphates. We must demand that Congress pass this legislation immediately. Tell Congress: Ban all toxic nerve agents in our food. Click here to sign the petition. Worldwide, an estimated 3 million people are exposed to organophosphates, resulting in approximately 300,000 deaths every year.4 Chlorpyrifos, a popular organophosphate, is one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States, and people who have been exposed to the chemical have experienced permanent changes in brain structure, loss of IQ, an increased likelihood of children developing ADHD or other developmental and behavioral disorders, reduced lung function, asthma, and cancer.5 In 2015, President Obama's EPA proposed banning chlorpyrifos for all agricultural uses, but in March 2017, Trump's former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reversed that decision, claiming the science behind the chemical's toxic effects were inconclusive.6 Media reports at the time suggest Dow Chemical, the major manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, significantly influenced Pruitt's decision.7 This past August, our allies at Earthjustice, which represents environmental and farm worker groups, won a huge victory when a federal appeals court reversed the EPA's decision not to enforce the ban and forced the EPA to comply within 60 days.8 But late last month, Trump's EPA filed a motion to rehear the case, further delaying the ban and putting more lives at stake. As Patti Goldman, Earthjustice managing attorney, put it, "Every day we go without a ban, children and farmworkers are needlessly eating, drinking and breathing this dreadful pesticide.”9 Tell Congress: Ban all toxic nerve agents in our food. Click here to sign the petition. Activism to force lawmakers to regulate and ban organophosphates is starting to work – but we can't let up. After massive pressure by CREDO members and our allies at the Pesticide Action Network, Friends of the Earth and other organizations, California regulators finally added chlorpyrifos to its "Prop 65" list of chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.10 However, California – where more than 900,000 pounds of the chemicals are applied each year to crops and fields affecting the lives of countless farm workers and children – has failed to ban chlorpyrifos and other deadly organophosphates. With insufficient action at the state level and Trump's EPA siding with the chemical industry over consumers, we must speak out and build public pressure to pass Rep. Velázquez's important legislation to protect children, farm workers and our food supply immediately. Tell Congress: Ban all toxic nerve agents in our food. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/ban_nerve_agents?t=8&akid=30497%2E3130208%2E5iVwki - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring," 1962. Zoë Schlanger, "The US government is ignoring its own scientists’ warning that a Dow pesticide causes brain damage in children," Quartz, March 30, 2017. Donald Atwood and Claire Paisley-Jones, "Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2008 – 2012 Market Estimates," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2017. Erika L. Robb; Mari B. Baker, "Organophosphate Toxicity," StatPearls, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Sept. 8, 2018. Pesticide Action Network, "Chlorpyrifos," accessed Oct. 15, 2018. Eric Lipton, "E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency’s Science, Chooses Not to Ban Insecticide," The New York Times, March 29, 2017. Lorraine Chow, "EPA Chief Met With Dow Chemical CEO Before Deciding Not to Ban Toxic Pesticide," EcoWatch, June 28, 2017. Maura Dolan, "Appeals court orders Trump administration to ban pesticide harmful to children's brains within 60 days," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 09, 2018. Earthjustice, "EPA Again Drags Its Feet On Banning A Pesticide Linked To Brain Damage In Children," Sept. 24, 2018. Sammy Caiola, "Chlorpyrifos Makes California List Of Most Dangerous Chemicals," Capital Public Radio, Dec. 1, 2017.

Tell Safeway/Albertsons: lose the plastic bags!

Do you ever shop at Albertsons, Safeway, ACME, Jewel-Osco, or Shaws?

These stores and others are owned by Albertsons Companies LLC, the nation's second-largest grocery chain.1 If Albertsons follows the lead of Krogers (the nation's largest chain) and bans single-use plastic, we could keep billions of bags out of our oceans.

Most of the plastic produced in the United States is made from natural gas.2 The continued proliferation of disposable plastic bags, straws, and soda bottles creates an incentive to tear up our landscapes with dirty and dangerous fracking operations -- all to create products made to last forever, but be used only once.

The good news?

Retailers have a huge opportunity to help eliminate plastic waste. If Albertsons took action, based on sales, they could eliminate an estimated 3 billion bags per year.

How many of the 3 billion bags end up here?

Albertsons says they still carry plastic bags because they offer recycling as an option, but only 9 percent of plastics are ever recycled.3 Instead, most of this waste ends up in our backyards, oceans, and even our beer!4

Will you tell Albertsons CEO Robert G. Miller that, as customers, we want them to be a part of the solution?

We know that companies can do this. Just a few weeks ago Kroger -- the only U.S. grocery chain larger than Albertsons -- committed to phasing out bags and other single-use plastics as a part of their zero-waste commitment. If we can get the two largest grocery chains in the United States to eliminate the wasteful distribution of single-use plastics, we can create a domino effect across the market.

Plastic pollution is a problem we cannot ignore; giant plastic islands are floating around our oceans, acting as a trap for fish and sea animals. And our plastic use is growing so rapidly it's estimated that, by weight, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050.5

If we work together, we can reduce fracking AND stop plastic waste from suffocating our waterways, wildlife, and environment.

Will you speak up?

- The SierraRise team

References
1. "Albertsons, About Us," accessed September 20, 2018, Albertsons.
2. Thomas Kevin Swift, et al., "The Rising Competitive Advantage of U.S. Plastics," May 2015, American Chemistry Council.
3. Laura Parker, "A Whopping 91% of Plastic Isn't Recycled," July 19, 2017, National Geographic.
4. Mary Kosuth, et al., "Anthropogenic Contamination of Tap Water, Beer, and Sea Salt," April 11, 2018, PLOS ONE.
5. "The New Plastic Economy," January 2016, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Other Sponsors:

- Friends of the Earth Action
- Climate Hawks Vote
- Greenpeace USA
- Plastic Pollution Coalition

SUBMIT A COMMENT: STOP THE DIRTY POWER SCAM

The Trump administration’s “Dirty Power Scam” is a dire threat to everyone’s right to clean air and a healthy environment. This thinly veiled attempt to dismantle President Obama’s Clean Power Plan ignores settled climate and health science and eviscerates the first limits on carbon pollution from existing fossil-fueled power plants.

We only have until October 31 to submit comments on this outrageous proposal. Tell the EPA to stop the Dirty Power Scam.

The administration’s own analysis found that the Clean Power Plan could prevent as many as 4,500 early deaths each year by 2030 and provide up to $54 billion in health and climate benefits. It also encourages investment in cleaner, safer energy sources like wind and solar, which already employ three times as many Americans as every fossil fuel industry combined.

Despite overwhelming evidence of the devastating effects of burning fossil fuels, and broad public support for the Clean Power Plan, Donald Trump and Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler are attempting to turn back the clock on its protections. Instead of safeguarding our health, they want to protect corporate polluters.

Time is running out to take meaningful action on climate change. For the sake of our planet, and for this and future generations, we must stop Trump and Wheeler from overturning the Clean Power Plan.

It’s time to mobilize to stop this giveaway to Trump’s greedy dirty industry allies. Tell the EPA we want clean, renewable energy that will help stop climate change, not the Dirty Power Scam.

- Earth Justice 

CLICK HERE TO SEND THE COMMENT BELOW

(Please, add a personalized paragraph so they don't disregard it as a form letter.) 

Dear Environmental Protection Agency,

I urge you to reject the Dirty Power Scam -- the Trump administration’s proposal to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with a scheme that benefits big polluters. Instead of taking the lead on clean energy solutions and combating climate change, the United States has been lagging behind, and worse, is now signaling an about-face. This is unacceptable. 

As you know, the Clean Power Plan placed the first limits on the carbon pollution responsible for climate change from the electric power sector – one of the worst contributors. Forgoing carbon limits puts public health at risk and puts the U.S. economy behind other nations that are embracing clean energy alternatives. Your own estimates indicate that the plan will prevent 4,500 early deaths each year by 2030 and generate $54 billion in climate and health benefits. 

Fighting climate change, improving public health, and boosting our economy go hand in hand. The Dirty Power Scam would do nothing to solve climate change: It’s nothing more than an ill-fated and desperate attempt to bailout greedy corporate polluters. 

Again, I urge you to shelve the Dirty Power Scam or any other effort that seeks to backtrack on or stall the Clean Power Plan. Thank you for considering my views.

We only have until October 31 to submit comments on this outrageous proposal. Tell the EPA to stop the Dirty Power Scam.

Tell the mainstream media: Don't let Trump perpetuate lies about the Central American migrant caravan

Petition to mainstream media outlets: "Push back on Trump's racist, nativist fear-mongering about migrant caravans from Central America. Fact-check and refuse to cover his blatant falsehoods and provide objective coverage on immigration and all the important issues in this midterm election." Add your name:

Some are fleeing death threats against themselves or their children. Others want to escape some of the highest murder rates in the world. Most seek what we all seek: a job, a way to feed their family or the hope of a better life. A huge number are senior citizens or small children. Day after day, mile after mile, in 90 degree heat, they walk.1 Yet Donald Trump insists the migrant caravan from Central America is an invasion force of "criminals" and "Middle Easterners," without the slightest bit of evidence for his racist lies.2 This week's attempted attacks on Trump's political enemies shows that his reckless lies and incendiary rhetoric are dangerous. His vitriol has turned toward the caravan as a way to gin up his supporters before the midterms. We need to remind the media that we expect them to call out Trump's lies, and let them know that we'll have their backs when they do. Tell mainstream media outlets: Push back on Trump's lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click here to sign the petition. For years, people fleeing horrific conditions in Central America have banded together for safety and headed north. Facing homelands and hometowns with some of the highest murder rates in the world, groups leave every few weeks. One caravan of migrants is not an invasion or a crisis for the United States. Media coverage of this particular caravan that replicates or elevates Trump's talking points serves only to boost his nativist fear-mongering and distract from the real issues facing the country as we head into the midterms. The media should be reporting that there is an ongoing crisis for the people of Central America that does not have simple solutions. They should remind Americans of our role in contributing to instability in Central America by overthrowing governments, fueling civil wars, mounting a flawed "War on Drugs" and pursuing a reckless policy of mass deportations of U.S. gang members.3,4 They should be reporting that we have a system for processing asylum requests at the border and letting asylum seekers begin to build lives for themselves in the United States while their cases proceed. They should be reminding readers and viewers that Trump's attacks on those systems have created long waits, overwhelmed immigration judges and the family detention and separation crisis. They should be calling Trump's tweeting out as a craven strategy to influence the midterms and refusing to play into his hands.5 Tell mainstream media outlets: Don't let Trump perpetuate lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click here to sign the petition. It is unacceptable but not surprising that mainstream media outlets are tuned in and so responsive to Trump's messaging. There is an entire right-wing media ecosystem, including FOX, Sinclair Broadcasting, online propaganda outlets and AM radio shows, which incubates and amplifies it. That ecosystem's relentless claims of liberal media bias – though false – have encouraged mainstream outlets to give far too much room to conservative viewpoints, no matter how unfounded.6 And the media itself has been a target of some of the worst of Trump's vitriol, leading to CNN being one of the targets of this week's attacks. Mainstream media outlets know nativist race-baiting is Trump's strategy.7 We have to make sure they refuse to help. While conservatives demand favorable coverage, we need to speak out and demand that the mainstream media provide fair and objective reporting on the caravan, immigration and the issues really influencing voters ahead of the midterms. Tell mainstream media outlets: Push back on Trump's lies about the Central American migrant caravan. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/media_migrant_caravan?t=8&akid=30475%2E3130208%2E_9drIG -Heidi Hess, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: David Agren, "'God will decide if we make it': Central American caravan presses northward," The Guardian, Oct. 23, 2018. Ryan Bort, "What to Know About the Migrant Caravan (Beyond Trump’s Lies)," Rolling Stone, Oct. 22, 2018. Leon Krauze, "Trump vs. the Caravan," Slate, Oct. 22, 2018. Roque Planas and Ryan Grim, "Here’s How The U.S. Sparked A Refugee Crisis On The Border, In 8 Simple Steps," HuffPost, Nov. 5, 2014. Joan Walsh, "Trump’s Midterms Strategy Is Fear, Lies, and (White) Nationalism," The Nation, Oct. 23, 2018. Matthew Yglesias, "The hack gap: how and why conservative nonsense dominates American politics," Vox, Oct. 23, 2018. Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey, "Trump and Republicans settle on fear – and falsehoods – as a midterm strategy," The Washington Post, Oct.

Tell Congress: End U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen

The petition to members of Congress reads: “Co-sponsor and support H.Con.Res 138 to end U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.” Add your name:

Saudi Arabia's gruesome assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has captured worldwide attention, but it is just one example of the Saudi regime's brutal disregard for human rights.1 For more than three years, Saudi Arabia, with massive U.S. support, has been waging a war in Yemen that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.2 With international outrage focused on Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's murder, there is political momentum to finally end U.S. support for Saudi-led war in Yemen – which could lead to the end of the war for good. Progressive champions in the House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan privileged resolution to end U.S. military involvement and withdraw its support from the conflict.3  Tell Congress: Pass H.Con.Res 138 to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Click here to sign the petition. The United States backs Saudi Arabia's war under the guise of confronting Iran. Saudi Arabia sees Iran's support for the Houthis – a Yemeni Shiite militia group originally formed around the historical economic and political marginalization of Yemen’s northwest – as a threat to its power in the region.4 Since the start of the war in 2015, the United States has provided the Saudis with weapons and logistical and intelligence support and helped refuel coalition jets as they dropped bombs on Yemeni civilians. After one such attack in August, the Saudis dropped an American-made bomb on a school bus that killed at least 40 children.5,6 The strike was just one in a long string of Saudi attacks on civilians. Despite the international coverage of the bus bombing and calls for greater U.S. oversight, the United States is still supporting the Saudi war – all without explicit congressional authorization. That is because the Houthis have limited ties to Iran and absolutely nothing to do with Al Qaeda, ISIS or any other terrorist organization that could conceivably fall within the scope of military intervention under the current Authorization for Use of Military Force.7 This unauthorized war started under the Obama administration. But after the Saudis used a U.S. missile to strike a Yemeni market and killed 97 people, President Obama scaled back United States involvement by banning the sale of precision-guided military technology.8 Donald Trump overturned that ban and gave Saudi Arabia the green light to double down on its disastrous air campaign.9 The death toll in Yemen has been heart-wrenching. There are as many as 50,000 direct casualties of violence and more than 113,000 children – 130 a day – dying of malnutrition and preventable disease.10,11 Right now, a massive public outcry to end United States support for these atrocities could finally bring an end to this brutal war. Tell Congress: Pass H.Con.Res 138 to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Click here to sign the petition. Beyond the direct violence, the ongoing war in Yemen has forced millions to flee their homes. It has contributed to a fast-moving cholera outbreak – the largest documented in modern history – that has already affected more than 1.2 million people.12 It has also led to widespread starvation: 400,000 Yemeni children are at risk of death from starvation while the United Nations estimates that as many as 13 million people in Yemen are on the verge of famine.13,14 Saudi forces are using food as a weapon of war by enforcing a blockade that has stopped much needed food, medicine and supplies from entering the country.15 Trump's coziness with the Saudi regime is unacceptable, whether it's supporting the war in Yemen or refusing to hold its leaders accountable for assassinating Khashoggi. It is Congress' responsibility to debate, vote on and authorize military action. But unless Congress asserts its authority and supports this War Powers resolution, it will continue allowing Trump to make the United States complicit in Saudi atrocities. Congress must remove us from this conflict, immediately. Tell the Senate: Pass H.Con.Res 138 to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/go/25479?t=8&akid=30467%2E3130208%2EUfKp2_ - Kaili Lambe, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Peter Holley, Felicia Sonmez and Karoun Demirjian, "Bipartisan calls for Saudi Arabia to face repercussions mount in wake of Khashoggi killing," The Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2018 Mohamad Bazzi, "The United States Could End the War in Yemen If It Wanted To," The Atlantic, Sept. 30, 2018. Congressional Progressive Caucus, "CPC Leads Renewed Congressional Effort to End Illegal U.S.-Saudi War in Yemen," Sept. 26, 2018. Declan Walsh, "This is the front line of Saudi Arabia’s invisible war," The New York Times, Oct. 20, 2018. Nima Elbagir et al., "Bomb that killed 40 children in Yemen was supplied by the US," CNN, Aug. 17, 2018. Hakim Almasmari, Sarah El Sirgany and Tamara Qiblawi, "Saudi-led strike kills dozens of children on school field trip in Yemen," CNN, Aug. 10, 2018. Joost Hiltermann and April Longley Alley, “The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah,” Foreign Policy, Feb. 27, 2017. Elbagir et al., "Bomb that killed 40 children in Yemen was supplied by the US." Samuel Oakford, "U.S. Doubled Fuel Support for Saudi Bombing Campaign in Yemen After Deadly Strike on Funeral,” The Intercept, July 13, 2017. Shireen Al-Adeimi, "Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance has accomplished what 50,000 Yemeni deaths could not," NBC News, Oct. 16, 2018. Kareem Fahim, "The deadly war in Yemen rages on. So why does the death toll stand still?" The Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2018. Reuters, “Yemen cholera outbreak accelerates to 10,000+ cases per week: WHO," Oct. 2, 2018. Hannah Summers, "Yemen on brink of 'world's worst famine in 100 years' if war continues," The Guardian, Oct. 15, 2018. AFP, “ Yemen war: 5,000 children dead or hurt and 400,000 malnourished, UN says, The Guardian, Jan. 16, 2018. Clarissa Ward, “In Yemen, the markets have food, but children are starving to death,” CNN, Dec. 19, 2017.

Tell Interior Sec. Zinke: No coal exports from military bases

Interior Ryan Zinke is considering using West Coast military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas.

The petition to Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke reads: "Using military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas would fuel climate change and undermine national security. I urge you not to move forward with this dangerous and misguided proposal." Add your name:

Trump's scandal-plagued Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering a dangerously misguided proposal to use West Coast military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas.1 This short-sighted proposal would help supercharge climate change, endanger the public and could undermine our national security. As Washington Governor Jay Inslee put it, "the men and women who serve at our military bases are there to keep our country safe, not to service an export facility for private fossil fuel companies."2 We must create a massive public outcry in opposition right now before this scheme moves forward. Tell Sec. Zinke: No fossil fuel exports from military bases. Click here to sign the petition. The fossil fuel industry and Republican politicians have been scheming for years to ship millions of tons of dirty coal from Wyoming and Montana to overseas markets. Local communities and environmentalists in the Pacific Northwest have fought back and successfully blocked every single one of these proposals due to their consequences for the climate and public health.3 Now the Trump administration wants to ignore the will of the local communities that have unequivocally said that they do not want to become a hub for shipping fossil fuels overseas. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden pointed out that the Trump administration is "not only disregarding the realities around climate change, it’s trampling on local communities that have already rejected such proposals."4 Grassroots opposition has stopped countless fossil fuel export proposals, and it can do so again. That starts today as we work to build widespread public opposition to the fossil fuel industry's latest attempt to ship dirty fossil fuels overseas. Tell Sec. Zinke: No fossil fuel exports from military bases. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/coal_export_bases?t=7&akid=30408%2E3130208%2Eq5FZSI - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References Matthew Brown, "West Coast military installations eyed for US fuel exports," Associated Press, Oct. 15, 2018. Jennifer A Dlouhy, "Trump Plan to Export Coal From Military Ports Draws Condemnation," Bloomberg, Oct. 16, 2018. Mary Anne Hitt, "Major Grassroots Victory: Last Coal Export Terminal Goes Down in the Northwest," Sept. 27, 2017. Niclas Rolander, Jesper Starn and Elisabeth Behrmann, "The Dirt on Clean Electric Cars," Bloomberg, Oct. 15, 2018.

Signatures needed: No wall. No new family prisons

The petition to Congress reads: "No wall. No new family prisons. Block the Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act (H.R. 7059)." Add your name:

Republican extremist Rep. Kevin McCarthy is trying to advance his political career on the backs of immigrant children and families. Rep. Kevin McCarthy just introduced a draconian border bill that panders to the far-right Freedom Caucus and his party's racist base to boost his bid to become speaker of the house. McCarthy's extreme bill would hand Donald Trump billions for his border wall, supercharge ICE and worsen the country's mass incarceration crisis.1 We need to make clear to every member of Congress that a vote for this bill is a vote to help McCarthy and Republicans build political power by throwing children and families in jail. Tell Congress: No wall. No new family prisons. Block Trump Republicans' latest border bill. Click here to sign the petition. Blind loyalty to the white supremacist in the White House and a willingness to enable state-sanctioned child abuse and indefinite immigrant incarceration seem to be the new litmus test for Republicans, especially those vying for leadership positions within the Party. The Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act is a clear attempt by McCarthy to prove that he is racist and cruel enough to lead. No member of Congress should support this hateful bill. The bill would:2 Appropriate $23 billion for the construction of Trump's border wall and new family prisons. Penalize sanctuary states and cities that prevent ICE and CBP from violating people's Fourth Amendment rights and detaining them without due process. Allow DHS to detain immigrants indefinitely. Expand the definition of illegal reentry to include people seeking asylum at the border. Empower ICE to conduct sweeps of Latinx and immigrant communities and detain anyone who seems in any way connected to a gang member, including people with no criminal record. Any member of Congress who is willing to hurt children, imprison families and punish states that uphold the Constitution for political gain is unfit to govern, let alone lead a chamber of Congress. To protect our democracy and the soul of the country, we must make sure Democrats and Republicans of good conscience do everything they can to block McCarthy's cruel border bill. Tell Congress: No wall. No new family prisons. Block Trump Republicans' latest border bill. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/block_mccarthy_borderbill?t=7&akid=30435%2E3130208%2EeqSqjo - Nicole Regalado, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Dean DeChiaro, "McCarthy Bill Would Fund Border Wall, Boost Speaker Bid," Roll Call, Oct. 15, 2018. Melanie Zanona, "McCarthy introduces bill to fully fund Trump's border wall," The Hill, Oct. 12, 2018.

Pres. Trump ramping up to stop rallies

Donald Trump is ramping up his attack on free speech and the First Amendment.

At a recent rally in Montana he praised a Republican member of Congress who body-slammed a reporter last year, and said it helped him win the election.¹

But that's just part of Trump's widening war on free speech. His Interior Department is considering proposals to ban protests on the sidewalk in front of the White House and also charge organizers "event-management" fees for rallies on the National Mall that could run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.²

We know what this is about: Trump wants to shut down the next Women's March, March for Our Lives, or Battle for the Net rally.  Publicly addressing our grievances with our government is a fundamental right, and the Constitution prohibits the restriction of that right by any law or policy.³

But Trump's interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, says that protests impose a "heavy cost" on government that protesters need to cover—and his proposal will force protesters to pay for everything from barriers to law-enforcement salaries to repairing grass that is stepped on. These costs would make protesting prohibitive for most people—which is exactly what Trump wants.⁴

And this new policy would cover nearly every public space in Washington, D.C.—including the National Mall and the space in front of the White House—as well as other public spaces managed by the National Park Service, like the sidewalk in front of Trump Tower.⁴

If Trump's policy stands, it could be only a matter of time until states and municipalities follow suit, taking away our most public and effective means of protesting unfair and inhumane government practices. Demand Progress would have our legs cut out from under us—we could no longer stage game-changing actions like our Verizon Wireless protest last year.

It's clear that Trump is determined to silence free speech, whether from the media or from protesters. Trump consistently belittles the White House press corps and repeatedly threatens the media with violence. 

Robert Cruickshank, , Demand Progress

Sources:

1. CNN, "Trump jokes about congressman assaulting reporter: 'Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy'," October 19, 2018
2. Department of the Interior, "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, National Capital Region, Special Events and Demonstrations," August 7, 2018
3. Legal Information Institute, "First Amendment," accessed October 19, 2018
4. Department of the Interior, "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, National Capital Region, Special Events and Demonstrations," August 7, 2018
5. The Washington Post, "The Trump administration wants to tax protests. What happened to free speech?" September 11, 2018

Tell Ford: Stop pinkwashing cancer-causing cars and trucks

The petition to Ford Motor Company CEO James Hackett reads: "Stop pinkwashing and put the brakes on the breast cancer epidemic. Stop making vehicles that produce cancer-causing exhaust and switch to 100 percent zero emission vehicles." Add your name:

Ford is already one of the most polluting car companies in the world,1 and now it plans to switch almost exclusively to even more polluting trucks and SUVs. Ford even lobbied the Trump administration to repeal vehicle emissions standards.2 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink ribbons are everywhere. Even Ford Motor has its own pink PR campaign. But Ford's gas-guzzling vehicles increase women's risk of breast cancer. Covering that up with pink ribbons is hypocrisy – what our friends at Breast Cancer Action call "pinkwashing." Until Ford gets serious about ending its own contribution to the breast cancer epidemic, it has no business claiming to fight for survivors. Tell Ford Motor: Stop pinkwashing and help put the brakes on the breast cancer epidemic by switching to 100 percent zero emission vehicles. Click here to sign the petition. Ford runs Warriors in Pink, a donations program that encourages women to be "warriors" in the fight against breast cancer.3 But it doesn’t matter how hard women “fight” if the air they breathe is more toxic because of Ford’s hypocrisy. Auto exhaust contains carcinogens and hormone disruptors such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that increase the risk of breast cancer.4,5 As one of the Big Three automobile manufacturers in the United States, Ford could make a big difference in cutting down on these chemicals in our environment. Instead, Ford plans to focus its U.S. sales on SUVs and trucks – vehicles with the highest cancer-causing emissions. SUVs and trucks also have lower emissions standards than cars, so by encouraging people to buy larger vehicles, Ford can duck stricter rules and pump more cancer-causing chemicals into the air.6 If Ford truly wanted to help women reduce our risk of breast cancer, it would switch to 100 percent zero emissions vehicles. When it comes to electric vehicles, Ford lags far behind its competitors. The company has not offered a single new hybrid or battery electric vehicle since the 2013 model year.7 Ford plans to produce more electric vehicles by 2022, but most will not be sold in the United States.8 Over 100 years ago, Ford made its name by bringing the Model-T to the masses. Now it’s time for Ford to stop the pinkwashing and revolutionize transportation again, this time with a zero-emission fleet that will protect our health and environment. Tell Ford to stop pinkwashing and help put the brakes on the breast cancer epidemic by switching to 100 percent zero emission vehicles. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/ford-pinkwashing?t=7&akid=30418%2E3130208%2EKC4nwl Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Dan Becker and James Gerstenzang, "The hypocrisy behind Ford's 'green' reputation," Detroit Free Press, March 30, 2018. Ibid. Ford Motor, "Models of courage," accessed Oct. 18, 2018. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, "Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)," accessed Oct. 17, 2018. Kathryn Rodgers et al., "Environmental chemicals and breast cancer: An updated review of epidemiological literature informed by biological mechanisms," Environmental Research, January 2018. Hiroko Tabuchi, "The World Is Embracing S.U.V.s. That’s Bad News for the Climate." The New York Times, March 3, 2018. John Voelcker, "Ford's future hybrid, electric-car lineup: 5 things to know," Green Car Reports, March 16, 2018. Anton Wahlman, "Ford Outlines Its Electric Car Plans Vs. Tesla Model Y," Seeking Alpha, March 19, 2018.