Tweet your support of this Morning's Border Wall Protest: against the Stinger, Bridge, & Iron - Fisher Industries

Please, share the twitter links below to show support of this morning's this Morning's Border Wall Protest: Akimel O’odham, Hia-Ced O’odham, Tohono O’odham, & Allies Against Stinger, Bridge, & Iron - Fisher Industries.

COOLIDGE, ARIZONA - On August 26, 2020 Akimel O’odham, Hia-Ced O’odham, Tohono O’odham, & Allies will gather at Stinger Bridge and Iron, a bridge manufacturing company that is owned by Fisher Industries, to protest its production of panels for the border wall extension. Fisher Industries prides itself in building “unbuildable’ walls”, using their patented bollard hanging system, allowing them to build one-mile of border wall per day. Located in Akimel O’odham territory in so-called Coolidge, Arizona, Stinger Bridge & Iron loads panels of steel slabs to be transported to Hia-Ced O’odham traditional territory - known to settlers as Organ Pipe National Monument, Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge, and the Barry Goldwater Bombing Range.

Tax fraud, environmental harms, underhanded dealings, and corruption were well documented in the Fisher family business long before Bannon’s ‘We Build the Wall” illicit dealings made headlines. Legal issues with the Fisher family range from tax fraud, to child pornography, to multiple infractions with the Environmental Protection Agency. These types of behaviors are unacceptable on O’odham jeved.

Current harms perpetuated by Fisher Sand and Gravel and its subsidiary companies includes the destruction of sacred sites, burial sites, and environment in unceded O’odham territory. The border wall’s impact is permanent. Depletion of vital water sources for the mixture of concrete and paving of roads has already caused irreversible damage. In the interest of protecting the water, our culture, and the future of our people we must stand together and against this attack on our traditional territory.

We demand that Fisher Industries, the United States Government, and all other occupying entities cease and desist building the wall. We demand that Stinger Bridge and Iron stop assembling panels for transport. We demand that Fisher stop abusing our sacred ecosystem, and stop using groundwater for their destructive projects.

-Dan Millis of the Sierra Club


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Tweets to share:

https://twitter.com/AlisaReznick/status/1298611626774417410?s=20 

https://twitter.com/RafaelCarranza/status/1298606052406001665

https://twitter.com/CourtBourgoin/status/1298613811931484161

https://twitter.com/SierraClub/status/1298611404681949184

https://twitter.com/PaulaHemlock/status/1298614441857224704  

https://twitter.com/RafaelCarranza/status/1298614122351861761  

Tell EPA to tighten national limit on dangerous smog pollution

Smog -- pollution caused by emissions from everything from coal plants to cars -- is choking too many of our communities. Even worse, when you look at the communities most impacted by bad air quality, almost all of them tend to be Black, Indigenous, or Latinx neighborhoods -- a remnant of decades of redlining and environmental racism which continues today.

In March of 2018 we fought TEP's proposal to install 10 gas-fired RICE engines at the Sundt power plant in Tucson's South-side. One of the problems the community faced in responding to how TEP's permit complied with PDEQ's code was the absence of cardon dioxide standards. That's right! The code doesn't include carbon dioxide standards because Scott Pruitt put a hold on the Clean Power Plan.

The Trump administration's new proposal for smog pollution is to literally do nothing -- another botched response during a time that demands radical change. Send in an official public comment now and be sure to tell your story about how air quality affects you and your community:

We're in the middle of a major pandemic that attacks our lungs, and the Trump EPA is proposing a 'do-nothing' smog pollution plan that will make it harder for Americans to breathe clean, safe air.

Smog pollution from power plants, factories, cars and other sources irritates the lungs, exacerbates conditions like asthma, and is linked to a wide array of serious diseases and even premature deaths. Children and seniors with respiratory illnesses are especially harmed by smog pollution, as are the people that live primarily in Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities.

To keep us safe from harmful smog pollution, the EPA is supposed to regularly update the national standard based on the best available medical and scientific evidence. But instead of following the strong evidence that the current standard is inadequate to protect Americans from smog, the Trump EPA wants to keep the existing weak standard in place.

Please, tell the EPA to tighten the national limit on dangerous smog pollution -- down to 60 parts per billion -- to protect Americans from smog.

We must raise our voices and demand the EPA stop putting Americans' health at risk, including those living in our most polluted communities. The best way to do this is by sharing your own personal story.

Do you or a loved one have asthma or a respiratory disease that is particularly dangerous by smog pollution? Please tell the EPA your story and why it's important for the administration to strengthen the smog standard today.

EPA is taking comments from the public on its 'do-nothing' smog pollution plan through October 1. The agency is also hosting virtual hearings on August 31 and September 1. Share your story here.

The medical and scientific evidence is clear, and the status quo is insufficient. EPA must strengthen the outdated smog pollution standard now.

- Jonathan Levenshus
Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club

Sign up to testify for EPA's virtual hearings here!  Mon, Aug 31, 2020 8:00 AM (Eastern) - Tues, Sep 1, 2020 6:30 PM (Eastern)

Want to receive a text alert every time the air is unsafe in your area? Sign up here or text BADAIR to 69866.

More Information:

The American Lung Association "State of the Air" report.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality: Air Quality Hourly Forecast | Tucson

http://azdeq.gov/tucson/forecast

Formaldehyde is top air pollutant in South Tucson, according to EPA’s outdated data - Jan. 2020

Tucson's air pollution violates federal ozone standards for the first time - July 6, 2020

Say “No” to the Lake Powell Pipeline

There is a massive proposed diversion of the Colorado River to provide municipal water to Washington and Kane Counties in southwest Utah. These municipal water users are among the most wasteful water users in America, using more than twice the national average of water, per-person.

The 140-mile-long Lake Powell Pipeline would pump 86,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water each year to Utah’s Washington County. The proposed routes for the Lake Powell Pipeline would pass through lands that are culturally significant or sacred to the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, potentially disturbing or impeding access to these areas. 

Reducing water consumption through conservation is a better way for Utah to meet its water needs, rather than building the Lake Powell Pipeline. Too much is at stake for the people and wildlife that rely on the Colorado River.

The Colorado River Basin not only supports 40 million people, but also some of the most abundant and diverse bird communities in the arid West. We must find water solutions that work for both people and nature.

Take action, and tell the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that any alternative approving the Lake Powell Pipeline is unacceptable.

The environmental analysis for the Lake Powell Pipeline fails to document the complete range of expected impacts to Colorado River flows and the 27 endangered, threatened, and sensitive species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, birds—such as the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Yuma Ridgway’s Rail—and other wildlife that depend on downstream habitats. Compounded by a changing climate and 21-year drought effectively reducing water flows in the Colorado River, the additional depletion of more than 80,000 acre-feet of water annually through the proposed Pipeline will increase the magnitude of these impacts.

Without rectifying these problems, both the environment and the Basin’s communities—including those in Utah—face a great risk.

- Karyn Stockdale
National Audubon Society

Send a message to the Bureau of Reclamation telling them you do not support the Lake Powell Pipeline, and that there are alternatives that support people and nature. 

https://act.audubon.org/a/take-action-against-lake-powell-pipeline?ms=a2dshare

The deadline for comments is September 8, 2020.

For more impact, please, include a personalized message with the following statement (follow link to the petition above.) :

Subject: Please reconsider alternatives to the Lake Powell Pipeline

To the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation:

At this time, the only alternative I support for the Lake Powell Pipeline is the "no action" alternative. As presented, this project poses a threat to the Colorado River and the people and wildlife that rely on it. We must find solutions to our water demands that work for both people and nature.

The environmental analysis for the Pipeline fails to document the complete range of impacts expected with development of the proposed project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has a responsibility--not presently met in the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)--to provide a full analysis and accounting for all impacts of the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. The DEIS is based on an incomplete hydrologic assessment, does not adequately address the water conservation alternative, fails to fully consider senior Tribal water rights, and does not take into consideration the unresolved legal implications of inter-basin transfers.

Water demands exceed supply in the Colorado River Basin, and climate change is further exacerbating this supply-demand imbalance. An additional depletion of more than 80,000 acre-feet annually through the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline will increase the magnitude of each of these impacts.

The Bureau of Reclamation should follow past successes by working with the seven Colorado River Basin states, Mexico, and water providers and users throughout the Basin to find solutions that work for both people and nature. The Bureau of Reclamation should not issue a Record of Decision for the Lake Powell Pipeline until the seven Colorado River Basin States reach consensus on the nature of any required legislation to permit the Pipeline's inter-basin water transfer.

At this time, the only supportable alternative is the "no action" alternative for the Lake Powell Pipeline.

MORE INFORMATION

Ad

Video: A county in Utah wants to suck 77 million gallons a day out of Lake Powell

https://westernresourceadvocates.org/lake-powell-pipeline/

https://westernresourceadvocates.org/action/say-no-to-fast-tracking-the-lake-powell-pipeline/

A county in Utah wants to suck 77 million gallons a day out of Lake Powell - Los Angeles Times

Lake Powell - The Story of Water in the West

LPP Public Comments now being accepted:

https://lpputah.org/

Protect native voting rights now!

Voting rights are under under attack in America. It's time to pass legislation protecting our most vulnerable communities. The Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) — co-authored by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) — will ensure tribal polling places have proper voting equipment, require tribal consultation on polling site locations, and provide tribes with the resources they need to carry out full and fair elections. Join us in calling on Congress to pass NAVRA. Let's ensure that the voices of Native communities are counted and heard.

Find the call to action here: https://action.lakotalaw.org/action/pass-navra

Watch video: https://youtu.be/MBS6_s6r_vY

You likely recall that, in 2018, North Dakota passed a voter ID law specifically aimed at disenfranchising Native citizens without street addresses. I remain grateful that you leapt into action at that time, helping us Standing Rock the Vote. Together, we put 100 tribal volunteers on the street, printed 800 new IDs, and doubled turnout over the prior midterm.

But other Indigenous communities around the U.S. aren’t so fortunate. Many face significant hurdles, such as remote or difficult-to-reach polling locations, language barriers, and no vote-by-mail option. NAVRA will address these concerns and more.

I also want you to know that we’re just getting started. We intend to engage the members of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association — the leaders of 16 tribes throughout North and South Dakota and Nebraska. We’ll also organize with tribal nations around the country to gain bipartisan support, and we’ll train a group of ambassadors from Standing Rock to phonebank and turn out the national Native vote, come election time. The tribe has also requested a congressional hearing.

Voter suppression within communities of color must end, right now. We have the opportunity to make a tremendous difference — not just for folks on reservations, but for the future of our nation. Please join us in what could be the most important action we’ve ever undertaken together.

Wopila tanka — my thanks for standing with Native voters!

Phyllis Young
Standing Rock Organizer
The Lakota People’s Law Project

Calls needed: Congress extend unemployment benefits now

The clock is ticking for many of the 30 million people who have been receiving unemployment benefits. Across the country, those benefits have either already expired or are set to expire tomorrow, because Republicans in the Senate refuse to take action to provide real relief.

Instead, Senate Republicans unveiled a new stimulus package bill that seeks to lower unemployment benefits for folks who are already struggling to put food on the table while, infuriatingly, doubling the so-called "three-martini lunch deduction."1 The Trump administration and Senate Republicans are not listening to the American people, and we need them to do better.

Will you call your senators and demand they extend the $600 COVID-19 unemployment benefit until the pandemic is over?

• Sen. Sinema - (202) 224-4521
• Sen. McSally - (202) 224-2235

Under the plan released by Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP, unemployed workers would receive only $200 per week. This is not enough to survive on, let alone manage household, health care, childcare, food, and transportation expenses. What's more, this plan would require states to switch to a new and complicated system to calculate and distribute payments to jobless workers.

This is especially cruel, given that many states are already struggling to meet the demands of distributing the current benefits, which are much simpler to administer. This would delay payments for many families who are already struggling, nearly 50% of whom are people of color, who have been hardest hit by the pandemic. 

The pandemic is far from over, and the Senate needs to take the kind of action that will make sure each and every American can get through these difficult times. This is why, last week, Move on delivered over 1.6 million signatures in Washington, D.C., to demand that Congress and the Senate extend the $600 COVID-19 unemployment benefit.

We need the Senate to act with the American people in mind and pass the HEROES Act, which will ensure that the $600 unemployment benefits are extended until the end of the pandemic.

- Move on team

Source: 

1. "Senate GOP won't extend pandemic food stamps but doubles 'three-martini lunch' deduction," The Washington Post, July 28, 2020 

More Information:

Here’s How Congress Might Replace the Extra $600 Weekly Jobless Benefit - The New York Times,  July 27, 2020 

Call now: Demand the Senate pass the HEROES Act

The #GOPVacation is over, and we need to make sure the Republican Senate stops blocking relief for essential workers, the unemployed, and all of us still coping with the pandemic. 

Every senator needs to hear from constituents on this: Democrats need to hear that constituents are ready to fight to get HEROES passed—and Republicans need to know we won't stand for their obstruction! Will you call your senators, Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally, today to demand they pass the HEROES Act? 

Here's where to call: 

• Sen. Sinema - (202) 224-4521
• Sen. McSally - (202) 224-2235

Congress is back in session after two weeks of vacation, and Republicans are still stalling, even as the coronavirus crisis spirals further out of control and the economy heads toward another cliff. In the two months since the House passed the HEROES Act, there’ve been nearly 2 million confirmed cases and 50,000 more confirmed deaths from COVID-19. Just last week, the U.S. saw a record-setting 77,200 new, confirmed cases in one day alone.¹

It’s urgent the Republican-controlled Senate act today, and it’s urgent all senators hear from their constituents today. Democrats must continue to fight for HEROES, and Republicans must be pressured to act.

Call Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally now and ask them to pass the HEROES Act to protect essential workers and provide essential relief to the people who need it most.

MoveOn's executive director Rahna Epting is in Washington, D.C., today delivering your petition signature with over 2.5 million other MoveOn members signatures, all calling upon the Senate to support essential workers by providing critical COVID-19 relief, hazard pay, and funding. Coronavirus is still raging across the U.S., but the Republican-controlled Senate still hasn’t acted to provide essential workers and our communities with relief.

The country is being ravaged by Republican inaction, and the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have an especially enormous impact on low-wage frontline workers and Black, brown, Asian American, Indigenous, and migrant communities. It’s urgent the Senate act immediately to provide critical relief for all workers and communities in the U.S.

Call now to demand Sens. Sinema and McSally get back to work right away to pass the HEROES Act before essential programs expire. 

Let’s flood their phone lines so all senators hear this loud and clear: Pass the HEROES Act now.

*Also, see links to their website in the column to the right.

- MoveOn Civic Action 

1. "U.S. reports 77,200 new coronavirus cases, shattering one-day record," CNBC, July 17, 2020

https://act.moveon.org/go/141178?t=9&akid=269223%2E18315738%2EN9z35a

Sierra Club 2020 Environmental Report Card

Actions by the 2020 Arizona Legislature and Governor Ducey Doing more harm than good

Sierra Club released its 2020 Environmental Report Card for the Arizona Legislature and Governor. This year’s report card broke heavily along partisan lines and while fewer harmful bills reached the Governor’s desk, the ones that did were detrimental to efforts to address the climate crisis and protect endangered plants and animals.

Two damaging bills reached Governor Ducey’s desk and he signed them. That is enough for him to earn a failing grade on the 2020 report card. He signed HB2686 , a measure that pre-empts local action on climate change relative to utilities within cities and counties and that was promoted by Southwest Gas to keep communities from limiting the expanded use of fracked gas within their jurisdictions. The Governor also signed HB2749, which allows data about endangered species on private lands to be kept a secret from the public. This enables big developers, mining operations, and agribusiness to hide vital information about endangered species from the people and even from other agencies.

You can find the complete report card in English here and in Spanish here.

Contact Governor Ducey

https://azgovernor.gov/engage/form/contact-governor-ducey

Arizona Governor Office, Phone

520) 628-6580