Write the Amy Corp of Engineers: Reject the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

 The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will go through 430 acres of Forest Service land.

Dominion Resources and Duke Energy have plans to build a big new pipeline, called the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. It would run through three states and transport 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day for years, spelling out bad news for the climate and communities along the route.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline first won approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Now, the U.S. Forest Service recently approved the pipeline to be built right through national forests, even though the construction would disturb about 430 acres of Forest Service land and leave a permanent 21-mile, 50-foot wide right of way for the pipeline on these public lands.

But the project still needs approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and from the states the project runs through. This week, help fight new fossil fuel infrastructure by asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s permit requests. You can call 202-761-5903 or write by following the link below, and selecting “Regulatory (Permits)” from the drop-down menu under Recipient.

If you live in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, please also contact your state officials and urge them to oppose this pipeline.

LINK TO ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS CONTACT PAGE

Here is my message that I just posted. Please, personalize yours for even more impact.

Please, reject the Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit requests.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will go through three states transporting 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day for years. How can you even consider putting all those communities and waterways at risk after 5,000 barrels of oil recently gushed out of the Keystone Pipeline? Pipelines leak frequently. More than a million gallons leaked from a pipeline into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010, and 50,000 gallons of oil gushed into the Yellowstone River in Montana in 2015, contaminating drinking water there.

The pipeline will be built right through our national forests, even though the construction would disturb about 430 acres of Forest Service land and leave a permanent 21-mile, 50-foot wide right of way for the pipeline on these public lands.

Thank you for your consideration.

Jana Segal

#noatlanticcoastpipeline, #nopipeline, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rxqUXqPzog

Since 1986 there have been nearly 8,000 incidents (nearly 300 per year on average), resulting in more than 500 deaths (red dots on the video), more than 2,300 injuries (yellow dots on the video), and nearly $7 billion in damage. 

More information: 

Keystone Pipeline Leaks 210,000 Gallons of Oil in South Dakota, November 16, 2017

30 years of pipeline accidents mapped (up to 2016)

Wikipedia List of pipeline accidents in the United States in the 21st century (up to 2016)

DON’T LET BIG POLLUTERS DUMP FOR FREE!

Why should profitable corporations be allowed to spout hazardous gasses into the air and leave them for the rest of us to clean up? How is that fair?

Climate change threatens our economic growth and our way of life. As the U.S. pulls out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the threat of climate change remains as real as ever. Big polluters need to start paying for the harm they’re causing our communities.

Last year was the hottest on record, ice the size of Delaware recently broke off from an Antarctic ice shelf, and coastal communities from Florida to New Jersey live in fear of the next Superstorm Sandy. These MAJOR threats are only expected to intensify in the coming decades. We NEED to take action to curb greenhouse gas pollution.

Right now, big polluters can dump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for free. That’s not fair – and it threatens American families.

The good news is that there’s an effective and efficient way to curb the impacts of climate change. By pricing carbon, we can make sure big polluters pay for the costs they impose on society.

WHAT IS CARBON PRICING?

Carbon pricing puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions – making big polluters pay for their damage to the environment, and allowing clean energy alternatives the chance to compete.

Economists and climate scientists agree that an economy-wide carbon price is the best way to achieve significant emissions reductions and protect our environment.

By pricing carbon pollution, we can reinvest that revenue and fund renewables, projects that improve our nation’s infrastructure, and grow our economy.

JOIN THE FIGHT!

We are taking on big polluters and building a carbon pricing movement that politicians can’t ignore. Add your name and join us in taking action!

Read more: When it Comes to Greenhouse Gases, CO2 Isn’t the Only Game in Town

Urgent action required: Tell Congress to oppose the Trump FCC’s plan to destroy net neutrality and the open internet

Note from Jana of Desktop Activist Tucson: This really concerns me because I spend hours everyday looking up references to back up the calls of action and petitions I post.  If net neutrality is destroyed it would block those sources that I count on and force me to stop posting on Desktop Activist Tucson because it will cost money to look up those sources. If the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is successful,  they will widdle away one of our most powerful forms of free speech and our freedom to protest. They will destroy everything the net was created to be - a free exchange of ideas and technology. This is wrong on so many levels - and all for the profit of a few - like the Verizon lobby that spent millions to control our members of Congress and Trump. We can't let them erode our freedoms as Americans for Verizon's profit!  

Time is running out before Trump’s FCC and Big Cable destroy net neutrality — but we can still stop them. Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, is expected to announce a vote on a plan to end net neutrality as soon as November 22, the day before Thanksgiving.

Add your name to send a message (below) to Congress:

"If implemented, the plan from Trump’s FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to end net neutrality would be catastrophic for the open internet.

"Net neutrality is the core principle that protects our free speech on the internet, and ‘Title II’ of the Communications Act is what provides the legal foundation for real net neutrality. Without strong Title II net neutrality rules, Big Cable companies like Comcast and Verizon will be able to block, censor, and control what we see and do online.

"Now is the time to stand up against this plan to destroy net neutrality — which would kill free expression and innovation online. Stand with your constituents, not Comcast.

"As your constituent, I urge you to strongly and publicly oppose Pai’s plan to end Title II net neutrality protections."

More information:

If Pai gets his way and ends net neutrality, Big Cable companies like his old employer Verizon, as well as Comcast and AT&T, will be able to slow down and block websites, or charge sites extra fees to reach an audience — fees that will get passed directly to people like you. Big Cable will be able to curtail free and open expression on the internet. This will affect online campaigning, especially among communities of color, who also rely on online media to share their stories.

The U.S. public overwhelmingly supports net neutrality, regardless of political affiliations. Now, we’re hearing that key lawmakers are considering taking action to slow Pai down — but they need to hear more from constituents to push them to act. That’s where you come in.

If we flood Congress with petitions and calls, there’s a chance we can still stop Trump’s hand-picked FCC Chair Ajit Pai and Big Cable before November 22. Will you sign the petition and call Congress to let your lawmakers know you want them to publicly oppose Pai’s plan to destroy net neutrality?

Without net neutrality, the Internet will look more like cable TV — where the content we see is controlled by corporations like Comcast and Verizon. We can’t afford to see the internet—a place where the exchange of ideas, democratic participation and the ability to organize has flourished—turn into cable TV.

Sign the petition and call Congress today.

Sample script: "I support 'Title Two' net neutrality rules and I urge you to oppose the FCC's plan to repeal them. Specifically, I'd like you to contact the FCC Chairman and demand he abandon his current plan."

Tell Congress: Domestic abusers should not have guns. Pass the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act

Tell Congress: “Domestic abusers should not have guns. Pass the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act.” Add your name:

Last week’s mass shooting in Rancho Tehama, California was just the latest reminder that domestic violence, misogyny and guns are a deadly combination. The gunman had a history of violence against women.1 Reports indicate that the murder of his wife may have been what prompted the deadly rampage that included killing a female neighbor who obtained a restraining order against him earlier this year and firing a semi-automatic weapon into a school.2 The statistics on the links between domestic violence and gun violence are chilling. Fifty-four percent of mass shootings are connected to domestic or family violence. The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that domestic abuse will turn into murder. And people with a history of committing domestic violence are more likely to subsequently kill an intimate partner.3 Today, loopholes in current gun laws allow some domestic abusers to keep their guns. The Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act would close them. It is time for Congress to pass it. Tell Congress: Domestic abusers should not have guns. Pass the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act. Click here to sign the petition. Last week’s massacre was preceded by a long list of others where domestic violence was a key part of a mass tragedy.4 The man who killed 25 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas earlier this month was jailed for assaulting his wife and child.5 In September, a man killed his wife and eight others in Plano, Texas. She had left him days earlier because of abuse 6 The man who killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016 allegedly beat his ex-wife, took her paycheck and isolated her in their home.7 And behind the spotlight of these mass shootings are the daily incidents where gun violence makes domestic violence more dangerous and more deadly. Current gun laws prohibit gun ownership by an intimate partner who is convicted of domestic abuse, but the definition of intimate partner is narrowly defined and excludes people who have not been married, lived together or had a child.8 The Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act would close this so-called “boyfriend” loophole by adding dating partners to the definition of intimate partner. It would also prohibit convicted stalkers from buying or possessing guns.9 These changes will not close all the loopholes that help arm domestic abusers but they will close big ones, and they will save lives. But the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has most congressional Republicans in its pocket, is against even this kind of commonsense bill to protect survivors of domestic violence. We need to remind our representatives that, in the face of our gun violence epidemic, their constituents are demanding more than blind allegiance to the NRA. Tell Congress: Domestic abusers should not have guns. Pass the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/DV_Guns?t=7&akid=26112%2E3130208%2ENmyVjQ - Heidi Hess CREDO Action from Working Assets Why do we wait until there is a mass shooting to even consider closing the loopholes allowing domestic abusers access to guns? What about the 50 AMERICAN WOMEN WHO DIE EACH MONTH at the hand of their partner or previous partners? *Arizona citizens: note the bill Senator Flake is sponsoring. (Information below.)  Add your name: References: Addy Baird, "The Northern California shooter had a documented history of abusing women," ThinkProgress, Nov. 15, 2017. Ray Sanchez, Jason Hanna and Phil Gast, "Gunman in Northern California rampage was not supposed to have guns," CNN, Nov. 15, 2017. Everytown for Gun Safety, "Guns and Violence Against Women," accessed Nov. 16, 2017. Media Matters for America, "If media don't point out the clear connection between domestic abuse and mass shootings, they're not doing their job," Nov. 6, 2017. Ibid. Casey Quinlan, "The shooting of 9 people in Texas fits into a disturbing pattern," ThinkProgress, Sept. 13, 2017. Media Matters for America, "If media don't point out the clear connection between domestic abuse and mass shootings, they're not doing their job." Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Domestic Abusers Are Barred From Gun Ownership, but Often Escape the Law," The New York Times, Nov. 6, 2017. Ibid *Note from Desktop Activist Tucson: If you are contacting Senator Flake, it might be helpful to know his position on this issue. Sens. Jeff Flake and Martin Heinrich recently introduced bipartisan legislation that will close the background check loophole exploited by the Sutherland Springs,Texas shooter and ensure that any individual convicted of domestic violence whether in criminal or military court cannot legally purchase a firearm.that he is called the Domestic Violence Loophole Closure Act. According to AZCentral: The killer, Devin Kelley, had been court-martialed, convicted and served time in prison for viciously assaulting his wife and baby stepson, fracturing the baby’s skull. Under current law, Kelley's history of domestic violence should have prevented him from buying firearms. But the Air Force did not report his conviction to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This is not unusual. The most current data from 2016 shows the Department of Defense “has reported only one misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” to the federal background check database since 2007, according to a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis from Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake and Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. The reason is simple: There is no specific charge of domestic violence in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Such crimes are charged as general assault. Clearly, the law needs this 'clarification.' The solution is simple, tooIt’s called the Domestic Violence Loophole Closure Act. *You can tell Senator Flake that you appreciate him introducing the Domestic Violence Loophole Closure Act, but this needs to go beyond the military.  Tell him to also vote in favor for the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act to close the loopholes in the gun laws that allow domestic abusers to keep their guns. Contact Sen. Flake: https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff Phoenix Office 2200 East Camelback Road Suite 120 Phoenix, AZ 85016 P: 602-840-1891 F: 602-840-4092 Tucson Office 6840 North Oracle Road Suite 150 Tucson, AZ 85704 P: 520-575-8633 F: 520-797-3232

Tell IBM: Don’t help Trump spy on immigrants. Refuse to build his Extreme Vetting Program

Donald Trump’s Extreme Vetting Program is designed to criminalize immigrants and Muslims and keep them out of the country – and his Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is recruiting tech companies to help build it.

Tech giant IBM has already shown interest in designing the advanced computer system that will help Trump spy on, target and terrorize immigrants.¹ We must act now to stop IBM from building this racist machine.

Tell IBM: Don’t help Trump spy on immigrants. Refuse to build his Extreme Vetting Program. Click here to sign the petition.

DHS’s Extreme Vetting Program will try to use a computer algorithm to predict whether an immigrant applying for a visa will become a positive member of society or a criminal who will commit acts of terror.² Leading data scientists agree that it would be impossible to create a system to accurately evaluate anyone based on these criteria.³ It is also impossible to create algorithms that are free of systemic racism as they mirror and replicate the biases of the people and cultures that create them.⁴

If the Trump regime – an administration stacked with white nationalists and neo-Nazis – succeeds at building an algorithm to expand and automate DHS’ visa vetting process, it would make the country’s immigration system even more discriminatory, ramp up the federal government’s surveillance of immigrants, and strengthen and institutionalize Trump’s racist, xenophobic and anti-Muslim policies. We cannot allow IBM to help make that happen.

Tell IBM: Don’t help Trump spy on immigrants. Refuse to build his Extreme Vetting Program. Click here to sign the petition.

IBM claims to be a global company that supports immigrants, but its actions tell a different story. IBM executives have been playing both sides with Trump’s anti-immigrant administration. When Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, IBM publicly condemned his decision and the company’s CEO Ginni Rometty visited members of Congress to demand they restore the program immediately.⁵ But Rometty also helped normalize and legitimize Trump’s Muslim ban, attacks on sanctuary cities and his entire hateful agenda by serving on his business council until it dissolved, despite demands from shareholders and customers that she step down.⁶ Now the multinational technology company is one of many corporations that have shown interest in building Trump’s Extreme Vetting Program.

Enough is enough. IBM must pick a side, which is why we are teaming up with our friends at Center for Media Justice, Color Of Change, Daily Kos and United We Dream to force IBM to make its position clear. Whether IBM lives up to its commitment to support immigrants and refuses to build Trump’s extreme vetting machine or helps him surveil, target and terrorize people simply because they were born in another country is up to us.Add your name to make sure IBM does the right thing.

Tell IBM: Don’t help Trump spy on immigrants. Refuse to build his Extreme Vetting Program. Click the link below to sign the petition.

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/ibm-trump?t=8&akid=26096%2E3130208%2EneGV1Z

- Nicole Regalado
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References:

1. Sam Biddle and Spencer Woodman, "There are the technology firms lining up to build Trump's 'Extreme Vetting' Program," The Intercept, Aug. 7, 2017.
2. April Glaser, "ICE Wants to Use Predictive Policing Technology for Its “Extreme Vetting” Program," Slate, Aug. 8, 2017.
3. Abelson et al., "Technology Experts Letter to DHS Opposing the Extreme Vetting Initiative," Nov. 16, 2017.
4. Glaser, "ICE Wants to Use Predictive Policing Technology for Its “Extreme Vetting” Program."
5. Ina Fried, "Apple, IBM among tech companies challenging Trump's effort to revoke DACA," Axios, Nov. 1, 2017.
6. Tony Romm, "Here are the business leaders who are — and aren’t — officially advising Trump," Recode, Aug. 16 2017.

Sign petition: Don't open Grand Canyon to new uranium mining leases

The petition to the Trump administration reads: "Do not open the Grand Canyon to new uranium mining leases." Add your name:

It’s unbelievable that we have to protect one of America’s most precious national treasures – the Grand Canyon – from something as dangerous and destructive as radioactive uranium mining. But that’s exactly what we have to do right now. Thanks to an executive order from Donald Trump, the U.S. Forest Service has taken the first step toward ending a 20-year moratorium on uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed. Uranium mining would threaten ancient forests, Native American communities and the Colorado River – a source of drinking water for millions. We must push back now on this dangerous and misguided proposal. Tell the Trump regime: Don't allow destructive uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. Click here to sign the petition. This March, Trump signed an executive order telling federal agencies to review their rules to find ways to allow more destructive oil drilling, natural gas fracking, and coal and uranium mining. In response, the U.S. Forest Service has proposed ending a ban on uranium mining in and around Grand Canyon National Park.1 The Obama administration enacted a moratorium in 2012 that was intended to last for 20 years, but now the Trump administration could lift the moratorium at any time. Uranium mining would threaten the land, water and communities around the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai Tribe, who live at the bottom of the canyon, use water from the canyon's seeps and springs to water their beans, corn, melon and other crops.2 Mining around the canyon could release uranium pollution into the groundwater, threatening the Havasupai community's health for generations. We know how destructive uranium can be. On the nearby Navajo Nation, where mining companies have blasted 4 million tons of uranium from more than 500 mines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found uranium already present in newborn babies.3 Uranium exposure is linked to lung cancer, bone cancer and impaired kidney function, all of which have plagued Navajo people around the mines.4 Uranium mining in the Grand Canyon could also threaten the health of people hundreds of miles away. The Colorado River, fed by the watershed, supplies water to 40 million people in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and other cities.5 It is unconscionable to risk human health by re-opening the Grand Canyon to mining uranium. Tell the Trump regime: Don't allow destructive uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. Click here to sign the petition. The Forest Service has admitted that the federal government will receive no revenue from any uranium mining that happens. Rather than saving money, reversing the ban on mining would actually force taxpayers to shell out funds for pro-mining studies.To get rid of the ban, the administration would have to undertake environmental studies that try to refute the scientific findings that uranium is harmful to local wildlife and communities.6 The Grand Canyon ecosystem is unique and incredibly complex. The Obama administration enacted a 20-year ban in part because 20 years is the estimated time required to complete an Environmental Impact Statement on such a large-scale ecosystem.7 Now the Trump administration wants to barrel ahead without any understanding of the harm that could be caused. Tell the Trump regime: Don't allow destructive uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/save-grand-canyon?t=8&akid=26065%2E3130208%2Ev9TMDX -Brandy Doyle CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Erin Ford, "USFS proposes revisions to 20-year uranium mining ban," Grand Canyon News, Nov. 7, 2017. Joanna Walters, "In the Grand Canyon, uranium mining threatens a tribe's survival," The Guardian, July 17, 2017. Laurel Morales, "For The Navajo Nation, Uranium mining's deadly legacy lingers," NPR, April 10, 2016. Susan E. Dawson, "Navajo uranium workers and the effects of occupational illnesses: A case study," Human Organization, Vol. 51, No. 4, 1992. Ron Dungan, "Is uranium mining near the Grand Canyon safe? The answer may be in the water," The Republic, March 8, 2017. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, "Trump administration targets uranium mining ban near Grand Canyon," Sierra Club, Nov. 1, 2017. Earthjustice, "Protecting the Grand Canyon against uranium mining," accessed Nov. 13, 2017.

Fight for a humane tax plan and healthcare: Share your personal story with these maverick senators

First, Senator Ron Johnson, an arch-conservative from Wisconsin, came out against the Republican Party's misguided plan to cut taxes for the wealthy and sabotage Obamacare.1 Then, 13 Republicans voted against the House tax bill. Now, Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski seem to be leaning our way, and a new analysis shows the Senate tax plan will actually RAISE taxes on the poor and the middle class--a huge political blow to the bill's chances.2,3

If Sens. Collins, Murkowski, and Johnson vote no, the bill is dead. That's why we're making Senate phones ring off the hook in Washington, D.C., and organizing our members in key states to tell their stories about what this tax DEFORM plan would mean for them.

Desperate for a win, Senator Mitch McConnell and Trump are pushing to pass their rich-person giveaway when they come back after Thanksgiving. That means we've got just one week to raise hell in Maine, Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska--the same kind of organizing that helped us kill Trumpcare earlier this year.

But just like this summer, we have to keep the pressure on senators from these states. We've got the cold hard facts: 13 million will lose their health insurance.4 Americans earning less than $75,000 a year will see their taxes INCREASE.5

We have to back up those facts with the stories of real people, real voters, who can't afford for this dangerous tax plan to become law.

- UltraViolet Action

Sources:

1. GOP tax plan in trouble after Republican senator says he won’t back it, The Washington Post, November 15, 2017
2. Why Republicans may have lost Susan Collins in their tax reform fight, Bangor Daily News, November 16, 2017
3. Murkowski Tax Vote Contingent on Stabilizing Individual Health Insurance Market, Roll Call, November 17, 2017
4. Repealing the Individual Health Insurance Mandate: An Updated Estimate, Congressional Budget Office, November 8, 2017
5. $1.5 Trillion Tax Cut Passed by House in Mostly Party-Line Vote, The New York Times, November 16, 2017

Does the #GOPTaxPlan treat corporations and individuals the same in terms of who gets to keep deductions and who doesn’t? Nope, not even close. WATCH VIDEO.

Contact Republican Senators Susan Collins
https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Washington office (202)224-2523

Contact Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email

Phone: (202)-224-6665
Fax: (202)-224-5301

Tax reform roadblocks emerge in Senate: Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski have been wildcards, avoiding taking a public position on the proposal.

Senator McCain is also also a key player in this fight. 

You can contact Sen. McCain at his Tucson Office:

(520) 670-6334
Fax: (855) 952-8702

One way to reach him is to share you personal stories on his website:

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

Here's mine for inspiration:

Dear Senator McCain,

I live in Tucson where so many of your constituents are living paycheck to paycheck. They are one medical emergency from going bankrupt and losing their homes. Everyday I see more and more homeless people - some vets, some people who had to quit their jobs to care for a sick loved one, some who had a medical emergency. I'm urging you to take care of vulnerable Tucsonans. It is just heartless to pass a huge tax cut for the wealthiest Americans on the back of the most vulnerable. Why are you raising taxes on married couples who make less that $19050 a year? When my husband left me, I struggled to get by on spousal support. No one would hire me because I had been a stay at home mom. I could have easily become homeless. So many of us are just one emergency away from being homeless.

My parents in Missouri are just getting by on their limited retirement plan and social security.  My dad recently had gallbladder surgery. He could not have had that surgery without the help of Medicare.  They finally had to get a home health aide. That is also paid for by Medicare. This immoral tax plan even cuts the dependent deduction that enables families to take care of their elderly parents at home AND the deduction for their medical expenses. How are people supposed to get by? 

Senator McCain, please, don't take away our healthcare or make it even harder on the poor. I know you are a moral man; vote your conscious. Vote no on that cruel tax bill.