by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins. Jun 26, 2009 10:00 AM
Crossposted from GreenForAll.org
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We now have a small window of opportunity to help pass ACES. The House of Representatives will vote today, and many members are still on the fence. Call now.
The critical equity improvements to the bill simply would not have happened without your support. In the past 48 hours alone, Green For All supporters have made close to 1000 phone calls to their Representatives.
Thank you for speaking up for opportunity and investment in our communities!
Now, the bill provides opportunity for low-income communities and communities of color. Now, there are protections in the bill that ensure that working families don’t bear the cost for big polluters. Now, there is significant funding for green job training programs that build pathways out of poverty. And now, these good jobs will be accessible to low-income and local workers.
Now, we can support the American Clean Energy and Security Act as truly green for all.
Tell your Representative to pass ACES. Call now!
“Vote yes on the American Clean Energy and Security Act.”
NOTE: Congress is being flooded with calls. Please keep trying if you don’t get through the first time.
You all have fought hard to get us this far, help us get across the finish line today.
Yesterday, President Obama called on the House of Representatives to pass ACES, saying “I can’t stress enough the importance of this vote. I know this is going to be a close vote. But my call to those members of Congress who are still on the fence, as well as to the American people, is this… now is the time to finally act.”
Let’s act today. And let’s make history.
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins
Chief Executive Officer
Green For All
“Now, we can support the American Clean Energy and Security Act as truly green for all.”
This seems a bit hard to swallow – have groups that closely watch equity issues like Friends of the Earth, the Indigenous Environmental Network, various environmental justice groups around the country now supporting the bill? Last I check, the vast majority of environmental justice concerned groups are NOT supporting this bill because of the many aspects of the bill that will encourage pollution in low income, non-white and politically disempowered communities around the US and the world.
Please clarify….
Hear hear. Many groups seem to be looking at this a bit ruefully, calling for an Overhaul or Scrapping of ACESA. more HERE: http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/2009/06/action-alert-overhaul-or-scrap-acesa-waxmanmarkey-climate-bill/
I’m sort of surprised something slanted so is riding the top of ItsGettingHotInHere
Hi Cascadia, thanks for the question. I think the one sentence you are calling out might be an example of a bit of rally-the-troops hyperbole in the 11th hour… The bill is not perfect, and i respect groups that have taken a principled stand in opposition.
Green For All’s approach was to strengthen the bill with two key equity provisions and, once those got into the bill at the last hour, to support ACES.
These two provisions do much to include low-income communities and communities of color in the economic benefits of a shift to clean energy. And a broad range of civil rights, faith, environmental, social justice, and community groups pushed to have them included in the bill.
Here’s an account of that push for the equity provisions, from Cheryl Contee at Jack and Jill Politics:
http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/06/green-jobs-for-black-people-victory-in-the-house/
The Indigenous Environmental Network DOES NOT support the ACES bill the way it now stands. It is entirely too weak in its language around carbon offsets. Here are some thoughts from Executive Director, Tom Goldtooth, around the issue of creating a carbon market: “What’s happening is that in this whole market system is that it’s put a market value on traditional people and traditional teachings. Those things that we hold sacred to our people. This is evil at its worst. They’re trading air that is sacred. We’re looking at some spiritually profound values that people of industrial society really have a difficult time grasping. So when we talk about commodities – whether it’s the sacredness of trees, and especially air now – is in order to trade CO2, in order to trade greenhouse gases – this is air – is they have to define it as a property. It’s a property. Someone has to own the air in order to trade it. Very fundamental. So, the question is: who owns the air then?”