Speak out! President Trump "doesn’t believe" his own administration's climate report

Key federal agencies released a damning new scientific climate change report last week (yes, on Black Friday), and it lays out the truth in stark terms: Climate change is a clear and present danger to the American people, it’s getting worse, and its impacts on our country will be more and more devastating — but there’s still time to stop its most extreme effects, if we take drastic action now.

Yet even as his own scientists ring the alarm bells, President Trump is doubling down on his dangerous rollback agenda and climate change denial. Tell him he must confront this threat and lead the U.S. to the clean energy future we need — or face certain climate catastrophe.

Click here to send the following message to the President:

(Consider adding a personal comment for more impact.) 

Dear President Trump,

Your own administration's scientists recently released the Fourth National Climate Assessment, and its conclusions couldn't be clearer: Climate change caused by fossil fuels will only get worse, and the suffering of millions of Americans impacted this year by extreme flooding, devastating hurricanes, and deadly wildfires is a mere preview of the environmental crises our country will face if we continue to do nothing about it. 

As president of the United States, you are responsible for safeguarding the health and well-being of the American people. It's your duty to confront -- not deny -- this growing threat to our environment, and our nation's future. I demand that you take immediate action to drastically reduce the carbon pollution that is fueling dangerous climate change -- and lead the U.S. to the clean energy future we need in order to avert climate catastrophe.

Tell Congress: Stop letting Big Pharma rip off Americans

Rep. Ro Khanna's and Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill would force pharmaceutical companies to reduce their prices or lose their lucrative monopolies.

Petition to Congress: "Support the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, which would stop Big Pharma from ripping off the American people and lower drug prices by more than 40 percent." Add your name:

Big Pharma knows it can count on Donald Trump to make noise about drug prices but stay loyal to pharmaceutical companies. After all, Trump appointed Alex Azar, whose company tripled the price of insulin and faces an investigation, as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.1 But the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has real plans to crack down on Big Pharma. At the top of the list is a new bill from Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Bernie Sanders that would force pharmaceutical companies to reduce their prices or lose their lucrative monopolies.2 We need to show how many Americans support bold action against Big Pharma by getting behind this progressive proposal in a big way. Tell Congress: Stop letting Big Pharma rip off Americans. Click here to sign the petition. America, unlike most other countries, allows Big Pharma to set its own prices, hold exclusive patents with no limit and corner the market on a particular drug and jack up the price.3 So far in 2018, for every one cut in pharmaceutical prices, there were 96 drug price hikes. Pfizer already announced it will jack up prices on 41 more drugs in 2019. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 Americans cannot afford the medicine they need.4 No more. That's why we are standing with our friends at Social Security Works to support the big, bold, progressive Khanna-Sanders plan. The Khanna and Sanders bill is simple. It says that Big Pharma must sell medicine for the same price or cheaper in the United States than it does in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Japan. If companies don't, the government will take away their monopoly – allowing other companies to produce cheaper, generic versions of the exact same drug.5 Almost every politician claims to want to do something about skyrocketing drug prices. Now we have a progressive plan that could lower prices by more than 40 percent across the board.6 Members of Congress must choose between Big Pharma's deep pockets and the American people's health. Tell Congress: Stop letting Big Pharma rip off Americans. Click here to sign the petition. One recent study found that taxpayer funding helped develop every single one of the 210 new FDA-approved medicines between 2010 and 2016. We are investing in new cures while Big Pharma spends more on advertising than research and development and ridiculously claims that companies need obscene profits to fund new cures.7 Big Pharma cannot keep charging Americans more for the same drugs – and members of Congress must take a clear stand to stop it. Tell Congress: Stop letting Big Pharma rip off Americans. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/sanders_khanna_big_pharma?t=8&akid=30787%2E3130208%2EnM-cm7 - Josh Nelson,CREDO Action Add your name: References: Alex Lawson, "Sanders and Khanna have a plan to lower your drug prices," The Hill, Nov. 18, 2018. Sen. Bernie Sanders, "Sanders, Khanna to Introduce Legislation to Drastically Lower Prescription Drug Prices," Nov. 20, 2018. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Zach Carter, "Bernie Sanders And Ro Khanna Have A New Plan To Tackle Prescription Drug Rip-Offs," HuffPost, Nov. 19, 2018.

Urgent: Call Senator Schumer and tell him #AnyoneButManchin

A fossil fuel-backed Senator who consistently votes the wrong way is on the verge of becoming the top-ranking Democrat on the pivotal Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee – unless Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer steps in. 

Tell Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to pick ANYONE BUT MANCHIN for ranking member of the Senate ENR Committee. Let's make sure that the phones at Senator Schumer's office are ringing off the hook.

Call Sen. Schumer's DC office at (202) 224-6542 using the sample script (below) or the talking points below. 

Talking Points:

• Senator Manchin as ranking member of the Energy Committee would send the exact wrong message about Democrat’s commitment to climate change.
• Senator Manchin is in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry and is the WRONG CHOICE to lead the Democrats in standing up to the disastrous Trump "energy dominance" agenda.
• Senator Manchin has a 45% LCV lifetime score on environmental votes – he has no business leading the Democrats on energy matters.
• Senator Manchin has received nearly $1 million in contributions from the fossil fuel industry. He is in the pocket of Dirty Energy and shouldn’t be the face of the Democrats on energy policy.

If the phone lines are busy, or the office is closed, please leave a message. If the voicemail is full, try calling back later.

Sample Script:

Hello,

I’m calling to express my dismay that Senator Schumer may allow Senator Manchin to become the ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Senator Manchin is in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry and the WRONG CHOICE to be the face of Democrats on energy policy. Senator Schumer needs to take control and find a suitable alternative – anyone but Manchin!

I'm paying attention and will hold the Senator accountable for his actions

Thank you.

You can also tweet at Sen. Schumer at @SenSchumer, and/or fill out the webform on his website here. 

MORE INFORMATION:

"Bernie Sanders not stepping into Senate Energy void as liberals fear Manchin," Politico, 11-28-2018
"Senate panel advances Trump’s energy nominee despite Dem objections," The Hill, 11-27-2018

"Tracking Progress in the Age of Trump," FiveThirtyEight, 10-10-2018

"National Environmental Scorecard: Joe Manchin," League of Conservation Voters

Tell your Members of Congress to make nutrition a priority in any farm bill deal!

The farm bill expired more than two months ago, and Congress still has not worked out a deal on a new one.

Please take 30 seconds and tell your Members of Congress to make nutrition a priority in any farm bill deal!

For months, the farm bill has been in conference with little noticeable progress, until recently. While rumors of a farm bill deal have surfaced, few specifics have been shared publicly. Millions of America’s most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, are unsure of what changes may come of programs they need to put food on the table, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

For decades, these programs have played a vital role in providing food security for millions of vulnerable and underemployed individuals. They are proven to positively impact health and economic self-sufficiency, as well as add much needed fruit and vegetables to American diets.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed vastly different versions of the bill and will now come together as a conference to try to come to an agreement. We need to make sure that Representatives and Senators make nutrition a priority in these discussions and that they don’t restrict access to vital programs that help feed millions of Americans.

Please help protect access to vital government nutrition programs by contacting your elected officials today!

(Consider including a personal comment for more impact.) 

- AHA’s Advocacy program

Add your name: Sign the People's Demands for Climate Justice

Last week, the US government tried to bury a major climate change report by releasing it the day after Thanksgiving. But its findings are too important to ignore: it confirms that climate inaction will lead to catastrophic consequences for our society and the global economy.¹

To add insult to injury, Trump responded by attacking his own administration’s research, saying he “can’t believe” that climate change is a clear and present threat.² 

Next week, world leaders will gather in Katowice, Poland for COP 24, the UN’s annual conference on climate change. No matter what Donald Trump believes, the science is clear, and we need governments everywhere to face the facts: fossil fuels must stay in the ground to avoid calamitous warming, and world leaders must deliver solutions that reflect this reality.

Sign the People’s Demands for Climate Justice to urge politicians from around the world who are attending COP 24 to commit to bold climate action.  

Decades of deception from fossil fuel billionaires and the inaction of the policymakers in their pockets have created the climate crisis. Now, we’re running out of time to turn the tide. We need real leadership to keep warming below 1.5°C and urgently transition towards 100% renewable energy for all by keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

The People’s Demands is a bold plan created by people around the world whose communities are impacted by climate change. With our partners, we’ll deliver the demands and signatures to government delegates to urge them to take the necessary strong action to combat the scale of the climate crisis.

If hundreds of thousands of us sign these demands, we’ll create enough noise to force politicians to listen — so every signature makes a difference. Together we can make sure people-powered solutions take center stage at COP 24 — not more big polluter obstruction.

Add your name to the People’s Demands for Climate Justice.

The People’s Demands put forth common-sense, necessary solutions we need from world leaders to curb the climate crisis.

Climate disaster isn’t inevitable. The fossil fuel industry is a wealthy, formidable enemy; but together, we are powerful. We can still choose our future — and we can do so by taking action, today.

- Kristy Drutman, 350.org

---

1. New U.S. Climate Assessment Forecasts Dire Effects On Economy, Health
2. Trump on Own Administration’s Climate Report: ‘I Don’t Believe It’

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Tell senators: Reject racist judge Thomas Farr

Thomas Farr became an expert in suppressing Black votes as the protege of notorious racist Sen. Jesse Helms and spent decades developing close ties to one of the most despicable white supremacist organizations in the United States.1 Now Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell want to give Farr a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.2 We cannot let the Senate confirm Farr without a fight. Every voice in opposition to putting a racist like Farr on the federal bench helps illuminate Republican leaders' open embrace of white nationalists and voter suppression. Tell the Senate: Reject racist judge Thomas Farr. Click here to sign the petition. The Rev. Dr. William Barber, leader of the Moral Mondays Movement and the Poor People's campaign, declared that Farr is unfit to be a federal judge because of his “long record as an advocate for hyper-partisan, segregationist causes.”3 In fact, nearly every civil rights organization has lined up to oppose Farr. Farr's record :4 Helped draft and defend a 2013 North Carolina's 2013 voter ID law that a federal court struck down because it targeted black voters "with almost surgical precision” Has close ties to the Pioneer Fund, a hate group "established to use science to pursue the goals of its founder: the preservation of white supremacy and white racial purity from the threat posed by blacks and undesirable immigrants, especially Jews," which was one of the major funders of the fight in the South against the Civil Rights Movement Spent years working alongside Thomas Ellis, a strident segregationist and racist who built a political network to maintain white supremacy May have lied about his role in illegal voter suppression efforts while working on the campaigns of unrepentant racist Sen. Jesse Helms Continues to praise his mentor Helms, despite Helms' refusal to apologize for opposing civil rights and his fights to keep Black judges off of the federal courts Racism. Voter suppression. Eugenics. It's all there in Thomas Farr's friends, clients and mentors. This man has no place on the federal bench. Mitch McConnell is determined to ram through as many right-wing judges as possible before the end of the year. All 49 Democratic Senators oppose Farr and Sen. Jeff Flake has said he will refuse to vote for any judicial nominees until there is a Senate vote to protect the Mueller investigation. McConnell has to hold every other Republican vote to get Farr confirmed. We must raise our voices now to show Republicans we are paying attention and to demand they vote no on this racist judge. Tell the Senate: Reject racist judge Thomas Farr. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/reject_farr?t=7&akid=30727%2E3130208%2EF04Tlg Thank you for speaking out, Heidi Hess, Co-Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Alex Amend, "From eugenics to voter ID laws: Thomas Farr's connections to the Pioneer Fund," The Southern Poverty Law Center, Dec. 4, 2017. Jordain Carney, "Senate barrels toward showdown over Trump's court picks," The Hill, Nov. 18, 2018. Amend, "From eugenics to voter ID laws: Thomas Farr's connections to the Pioneer Fund." Ibid.

Pelosi and Democratic Party Leadership: Democrats have the House. Now we demand a real climate plan.

Target: Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership

We have 12 years to transform our economy and society to stop climate change. Democrats must put forward a plan to protect our planet, our communities, and our economy. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress have the power to create one.

But recent developments show the Democratic Party leadership has no intention of fighting for a real climate plan in the new Congress. With the UN’s recent climate report, the Democratic Party leadership’s position is tantamount to climate denial. The science is undisputed, we have the technology, and the public is overwhelmingly on the side of bold action on climate and jobs -- the only thing standing in the way of a livable future is the failure of political leadership.

Add your voice with Climate Hawks. Tell Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership:

1. Champion a Green New Deal that would create millions of good jobs to transform society over the next decade to stop climate change. This means creating a committee tasked specifically to write policy on creating jobs and moving our country off fossil fuels over the designated 12 years that the IPCC has given us. Let’s protect the lives of all working people -- black, brown, and white -- from the ravages of disaster and pollution.

2. Mandate that any Democrat in leadership must take the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge and reject campaign contributions from fossil fuel executives and lobbyists and prioritize the health of people and planet over industry profits. Oil and gas executives profit off a business model that's incompatible with the future of human civilization. It's time for the Democratic Party to reject their influence wholesale.

A rising generation of young people of all backgrounds just helped flip the House with a record turnout. We will no longer tolerate empty promises and words without action. We’re not expecting miracles -- we understand that the GOP is corrupted by dirty oil money and will stall us at every turn. We know that sweeping change isn’t possible until Trump is gone -- but we need to start laying the groundwork and put forward our vision for America now.

We’re asking Democrats to step up to the fight alongside us.

1. "We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report

2. "Dems damp down hopes for climate change agenda."

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/411766-dems-damp-down-hopes-for-climate-change-agenda

3. "House Democrats’ Agenda: Ethics, Infrastructure and Medical Legislation"

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/politics/house-democrats-nancy-pelosi.html

4. Nofossilfuelmoney.org

Click here to send the following message.

(Please, personalize it a bit so it won't be disregarded as a form letter.)

To: Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership
From: [Your Name]


Dear Congresswoman Pelosi and Democratic Party leaders,

We’re calling on you to commit to using your leadership over the next two years to create a select committee to develop legislation for a total economic mobilization to transition our country toward a 100% renewable energy economy — as the IPCC has tasked every nation to do.

We have 12 years to transform our economy and society to stop climate change. Democrats must put forward a plan to protect our planet, our communities, and our economy. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress have the power to create one. But recent developments show the Democratic Party leadership has no intention of fighting for a real climate plan in the new Congress. With the IPCC’s recent report, the Democratic Party leadership’s position on climate is tantamount to climate denial.

The science is undisputed, we have the technology, and the public is overwhelmingly on the side of bold action on climate action — the only thing standing in the way of a livable future is the failure of political leadership.

A rising generation of young people of all backgrounds We will no longer tolerate empty promises and words without action. We’re not expecting miracles; we understand that the GOP is corrupted by dirty oil money and will stall us at every turn. We know that sweeping change isn’t possible until Trump is gone -- but we need to start laying the groundwork and put forward our vision for America now. 

We’re asking our leaders to step up to the fight alongside us and create a climate plan.

Sincerely,

- Climate Hawks

Call Sens. Flake and Kyl: Block Trump's CFPB nominee

Kathy Kraninger, Trump's nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is expected to face a confirmation vote in the Senate as soon as this week. Call Sens. Flake and Kyl now and urge them to vote no on Kraninger's confirmation. Click below for a sample script and the number to call:

The Senate is expected to vote this week to confirm Kathy Kraninger, Trump's nominee to lead the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau.1 Kraninger currently works as a deputy in the Office of Management and Budget, overseeing and providing policy advice to the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. That places her right in the thick of the Trump administration's decision to separate children from their parents.2 As Sen. Elizabeth Warren pointed out in Kraninger's confirmation hearing over the summer, Kraninger's role in separating families is a "moral stain" that will follow her the rest of her life. This week's vote follows a vote in the Senate Banking Committee in August in which every single Republican Senator voted in Kraninger's favor.3 To stop Kraninger and protect the CFPB, we need a few Republicans to join Democrats in opposition. Can you make a call to Sens. Flake and Kyl now? Call Sens. Flake and Kyl: Block Trump's CFPB nominee Kathy Kraninger. Click here for a simple script and the number to call. Even before her role in Trump's family separation policy became public, Kraninger's nomination to lead the CFPB was already controversial: She has no relevant experience and appears to be a stalking horse to allow current CFPB Acting Director Mick Mulvaney, her boss at OMB, to continue his campaign of destruction at the agency.4 Earlier this year, as the Trump administration was preparing to announce the family separation policy, Kraninger and her staff met with key officials at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and DHS, indicating that she played a role in planning for the policy's implementation. Her staff even met with an executive from the GEO Group, one of the private prison operators making huge profits as a result of Trump's cruel immigration policies.5 No one should get a promotion after helping tear children away from their parents. We need to stop Kraninger's nomination. Call Sens. Flake and Kyl: Block Trump's CFPB nominee Kathy Kraninger. Click here for a simple script and the number to call. Kraninger has no record of sticking up for consumers. In fact, she has no relevant experience at all in finance, regulation, banking or even leading an important institution like the CFPB.6 Sadly, her lack of qualifications may be the exact reason Trump nominated her. Predatory financial interests clearly see something about Kraninger they like, and Trump has launched a crusade to destroy the consumer watchdog from within. We need to act fast before the Republican-controlled Senate rubber stamps Kraninger's confirmation, as they have with so many unqualified Trump nominees in the past 18 months. Call Sens. Flake and Kyl: Block Trump's CFPB nominee Kathy Kraninger. Click the link below for a simple script and the number to call: https://act.credoaction.com/call/kraninger_senate_calls_r_2/?t=8&akid=30734%2E3130208%2EBewhkw - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Click below for a sample script and the number to call: References: Ben Lane, "Housing industry pushes Senate to confirm Kathy Kraninger as next CFPB director," HousingWire, Nov. 13, 2018. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown, "Letter to Kathy Kraninger," June 18, 2018. Jim Puzzanghera, "Senate committee narrowly confirms Kathy Kraninger to head CFPB," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 2018. David Lazarus, "Trump's pick for consumer agency chief has never stood up for consumers," Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2018. Emily Stewart, "Democrats want answers on CFPB nominee’s involvement in family separation," Vox, June 27, 2018. Lazarus, "Trump's pick for consumer agency chief has never stood up for consumers."

Tell congressional Democrats to join the Medicare for All Caucus

Petition to congressional Democrats: "Join the Medicare for All Caucus. Every Democrat should be able to support an idea that produces universal healthcare at lower overall costs." Add your name:

This year, more Democrats campaigned for office supporting Medicare for All than ever before – and they were swept to victory in a massive wave. In 2010, only 27 percent of Democratic candidates supported something like Medicare for All and Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives. This year, voters looked at a Democratic slate where more than 58 percent of candidates supported Medicare for All – and gave them control of the House.1 More than 70 House Democrats have launched a new Medicare for All Caucus to fight for this commonsense, life-saving and cost-reducing solution.2 But after the ringing endorsement of voters, we need to make sure every other Democrat gets the message and joins the Medicare for All Caucus. Tell all Democrats in Congress to join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click here to sign the petition. Despite eight years of Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act and universal health care coverage, the midterms showed that voters demand more and better healthcare. Voters in red states demanded the expansions of Medicaid that Republicans once blocked. Republican members of Congress were punished for trying to repeal the ACA. And a new wave of Democrats was swept into office while openly declaring their support for Medicare for All.3 Predatory insurance companies and Big Pharma stand between people and their doctors and use monopoly power to rob us blind. Medicare for All would replace the for-profit leeches that drive up costs without making us any healthier. Even one recent right-wing study found that Medicare for All would result in more health care coverage and better outcomes while reducing overall U.S. medical costs.4 Medicare for All would also improve the program for today's seniors by including younger people and adding dental and hearing coverage into Medicare. Medicare for All has become the mainstream, common-sense position. Even some newly elected Democrats who intend to join the corporate "New Democrat" caucus actually support Medicare for All.5 But with many conservative Democrats still resisting, we need to build big momentum for Medicare for All going into the new Congress. Tell all Democrats in Congress to join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click here to sign the petition. Medicare already covers 40 million Americans over the age of 65, providing quality care at prices that are much lower than the private market. If we start by lowering the Medicare eligibility age, it will provide competition to bloated predatory insurance companies and bring us closer to the day when people are covered from birth. Medicare and Medicaid are our nation’s most effective and efficient health care programs, but right-wing Republicans have long had their sights set on dismantling our social safety net. Now, Trump is helping them do it. Their ultimate goal has been to end Medicare as we know it and cause skyrocketing premiums and loss of coverage for nearly 57 million of us. We cannot fight back with half-hearted, corporate solutions. After Nov. 8, every Democrat should have heard the message loud and clear – but some may need a bit more volume. That's where we come in. Tell all Democrats in Congress to join the Medicare for All Caucus. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/medicare_for_all_midterms?t=8&akid=30704%2E3130208%2Ek9DrYw - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Aida Chavez, "Democrats have moved significantly to the left since 2010, new study shows," The Intercept, Nov 6. Nancy Altman, "Two Visions for Medicare’s Future: Destroy It, Or Expand It To Cover Everyone," Social Security Works, July 30, 2018. Paul Waldman, "Yes, it was a wave. Here are all the other ways progressives won." The Washington Post, Nov. 7, 2018. Dylan Scott, "Bernie Sanders’s $32 trillion Medicare-for-all plan is actually kind of a bargain," Vox, July 30, 2018. Chavez, "Democrats have moved significantly to the left since 2010, new study shows."

Immediate Action: Stand with the young people urging Congress to adapt a Green New Deal

It’s been 10 days and my home state of California is still being devastated by the most destructive and deadly wildfires in its history. These fires are an urgent reminder that we need bold action to address the climate crisis and we need it now.

That's why we're joining with our allies and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to call for a Green New Deal that would put millions of people to work building a just and equitable 100% renewable energy economy.

Call your member of Congress today and tell them to reject fossil fuel influence and embrace a Green New Deal today.

The idea of a "Green New Deal" is spreading rapidly thanks to the bold action of over 200 youth with the Sunrise Movement. Last week, they did a sit-in at Nancy Pelosi's office in DC that sparked a national conversation. Now more than 10 members of Congress have signed onto the idea and it's being debated on the pages of the Washington Post and the New York Times. 

Specifically, this growing movement is calling on Speaker Pelosi to set up a special select committee that will lay out how a Green New Deal can get us off fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy over the next decade in a way that prioritizes the needs of low-income and communities of color who have been on the frontlines of climate impacts. It's a bold, progressive solution at the scale of the crisis we face.

Tell your Representative to endorse the plan that tackles climate change to the scale of the crisis: A Green New Deal.

Our movement has also made it clear that whoever joins the Green New Deal committee -- whoever wants to be considered a climate leader -- must pledge to say no to all fossil fuel money. We know we won’t see real climate leadership from elected leaders who’re in the pocket of the fossil fuel billionaires. That’s why we need to make sure every new leader in the Democratic party shows they’re serious about climate action by refusing big polluters’ dirty dollars. 

Click here to call your Representatives and ask them to support the Green New Deal and refuse to take a single dollar from the fossil fuel industry.

- Julian Brave Noisecat, 350 Action 

P.S. - If you’re on Twitter, there’s one more way you can push for real climate leadership right now. Today, our friends with the Sunrise Movement are visiting hundreds of Members of Congress to demand more elected leaders support a Green New Deal — and you can support them by tweeting at key Congressional leaders today. Click here to take action on Twitter.

Stop the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery

Washington State has been targeted by polluters who want to build the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery there, threatening the Columbia River and the community of Kalama, Washington. The facility would lock the Pacific Northwest into decades of using dirty fracked gas at a time when we need to transition to clean energy. 

Luckily, we have chance to stop this project— will you join us in saying no?

Protesters rally in Kalama, WA

Together we can protect our climate and the Columbia River. A critical public comment period is now open on the supplemental environmental review of the Kalama fracked gas-to-methanol refinery. Key decision makers need to hear your voice: the impacts of this project on our community and our environment are unacceptable. 

The refinery would consume a stunning amount of fracked natural gas—one-third as much gas as used by the entire state of Washington. By 2025, the project could become Washington’s single largest source of climate pollution.

Tuesday, a report written by the company proposing the world's largest fracked-gas-to-methanol refinery was released by the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County, Washington. The proposed fossil fuel refinery is controversial because of the impacts on both local residents' health and our climate. Despite the company's claim that the refinery could result in a climate benefit, the refinery would consume a stunning amount of fracked natural gas—one-third as much gas as the entire state of Washington. 

"There is no way to make the world's largest methanol refinery look pretty. The project is dangerous, harmful to our health, and locks in decades of fossil fuel use," said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper.

Please, include your own personal comment to be counted in EcoWatch's action:

ECOWATCH's Action

A 2016 study by the Stockholm Environment Institute concluded that Northwest Innovation Works' proposal could increase overall global greenhouse gas emissions and is likely inconsistent with a low-carbon future. Last year, Northwest Innovation Works lost a lawsuit that required the company to evaluate the lifecycle greenhouse gas impacts of the methanol refinery. The report, released Tuesday as part the project's environmental review by local governments and Washington State, underestimates the refinery's greenhouse gas impacts: the report relies on cherry-picked studies, outdated information and highly speculative assumptions to frame the project as a win-win for climate and business.

"Governor Inslee understands the dangers of fracking and fossil fuels," said Cecile Gernez, conservation organizer with the Sierra Club Washington State Chapter. "Now is the critical moment for our governor to call out this fracked gas refinery for what it is: a dirty fossil fuel project."

Columbia Riverkeeper, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity faulted Northwest Innovation Works' report because it:

• Underestimates both the the amount and the potency of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, that would be associated with the Kalama facility due to increased fracking. The company ignores or downplays multiple comprehensive studies finding a significantly higher methane-leakage rate than the report relies on and, in turn, underestimates the climate impacts of extracting and transporting the gas that will be processed at the facility. The report also relies on outdated metrics that underestimate the climate-disrupting impact of methane.

• Fails to properly evaluate the climate impacts of fracking if the company relies on fracked gas from the U.S. rather than Canada in the future. The report primarily assumes that Northwest Innovation Works will purchase gas from British Columbia for the lifetime of the project, ignoring shifting gas markets and plans for more gas pipelines from the Intermountain West to serve Pacific Northwest markets. Furthermore, the report underestimates the amount and greenhouse gas potency of U.S. gas.

• Relies on highly speculative assumptions about global methanol markets and China's use of coal-based methanol production. The report relies on a series of questionable assumptions about global methanol markets, energy commodity prices, Chinese government policy, and U.S.-China trade relations to conclude the project results in a net climate benefit.

• Does not properly account for the greenhouse gas impacts of methanol as a fuel source, a probable use of the methanol produced in Kalama. An April 2017 China Daily article quotes We Lebin, the chairman of the Kalama project's parent company, saying that the plant's output could "replace diesel, coal and gas with methanol to power vehicles." Lebin doubled down on the claims in a December 2017 Reuters article, saying that, "[the company] also wants to drive use of methanol as a transportation fuel for cars and ships." Yet the report does not analyze the greenhouse gas impacts of using the facility's methanol as fuel in comparison to non-fossil alternatives such as electric vehicles.

"The report spills a lot of words trying to justify polluting our air, risking our health, and taking private property to make petrochemicals to send to China. We're hopeful that Washington leaders choose a brighter future over this dirty plan," said Marrene Jenkins, a retired nurse and Kalama resident.

"This massive refinery would be a disaster for the climate, public health, and wildlife that rely on clean air and water," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity. "The last thing we need is another fossil fuel project spewing pollution into our environment."

In addition to climate and health impacts, the methanol refinery would require a new pipeline to carry fracked gas. Landowners on the pipeline route have already received notice that the company can use eminent domain to take their land.

The Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County will hold a public hearing on Dec. 13. The Port of Kalama, Cowlitz County and the Washington Department of Ecology have authority to deny the project.

The good news: You can protect our climate and the Columbia. A critical public comment period is open now on the supplemental environmental review of the Kalama fracked gas-to-methanol refinery.

Protect the Pacific Northwest from new mega-fracked gas infrastructure by submitting a comment today!

Tell SAExploration: No seismic testing in the Arctic Refuge

The petition to SAExploration Chairman Jeff Hastings and its executive leadership team reads: "Do not conduct seismic testing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Add your name:

SAExploration recently applied for a permit to conduct seismic testing for oil in the Arctic Refuge.1 Seismic testing is brutal. Ninety thousand pound "thumper trucks" would send shock waves deep into the ground, disturbing polar bear dens and other critical habitat in the Refuge.2 And it could start as early as next month.Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke made a catastrophic decision to sell out the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling. Now the first company is lining up to profit. The big oil giants are used to making headlines, but little-known companies like SAExploration usually fly under the radar – they are not expecting negative attention from activists. We need to show SAExploration that the company will face massive backlash if it moves forward with seismic testing. Tell SAExploration: Do not conduct seismic testing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to sign the petition. The Arctic Refuge includes more than 19 million acres of protected land in northeastern Alaska, and it is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It is sacred land to the Gwich'in people, who live just outside the refuge and subsist on migrating caribou. Seismic testing is the first step to drilling in the refuge. It is a destructive process that would harm the Arctic tundra's delicate ecosystem for decades – or even permanently – even if oil and gas are never found.3 Seismic testing threatens the main calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd and the cultural future of the indigenous Gwich’in people. SAExploration’s heavy machinery may also disturb mother polar bears and their cubs – or even run them over in their underground dens. At a time when scientists are urging us to keep oil in the ground to protect our climate, seismic testing in the Arctic would destroy an irreplaceable and sacred place – all for short-term profit. SAExploration needs to hear that seismic testing in the Arctic will make them infamous – for undermining the human rights of the Gwich’in Nation, harming threatened polar bears and destroying our country’s last great wilderness. Our friends at the Sierra Club and the Alaska Wilderness League are calling on us to join them in protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.4 Tell SAExploration to pull their application for testing in the Refuge now. We need to stop this climate, environmental and cultural catastrophe now, before it's too late. Tell SAExploration: Do not conduct seismic testing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/saexploration?t=7&akid=30666%2E3130208%2ElPHiRL Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Lorraine Chow, "Feds Receive First Application to Explore ANWR for Oil," EcoWatch, May 31, 2018. Ibid. Chris D’Angelo, "The Arctic Refuge Still Bears Scars From Oil Exploration In The 1980s," Huffinton Post, Feb. 9, 2018. David Thompson, "Take Action," Gwich'in Steering Committee, Sept. 7, 2016.