Day of Action, Night of Mourning Against Offshore Drilling

Friday May 14, Nationwide

Once again the fossil fuel industry has brought crisis to the Gulf Coast. Devastation of untold proportions spews non-stop from BP’s oil well as politicians try to save face with empty promises, and oil companies preserve their profits with PR campaigns. This catastrophic spill comes on the heels of Obama’s plan to expand offshore drilling. The price of burning fossil fuels is too high. From combustion to extraction the oil industry poisons our communities, destroys ecosystems, and destabilizes the climate. Now is the time to stop offshore drilling dead in its tracks and drive another nail into the fossil fuel industry’s coffin.

Take action Friday May 14 to demand:

-An immediate ban on all offshore drilling

-A rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels

-No bailouts for the oil industry. All recovery costs must be paid for by BP, Halliburton, Transocean and other implicated companies.

-The federal government must remove any caps on liability for oil companies.

-BP provides full compensation for impacted communities and small businesses.

-BP provides full funding for long-term ecosystem restoration for impacted areas.

-Oil companies operating in the Gulf fully fund restoration of coastal ecosystems damaged by canals, pipelines, and other industry activities.

Take action at:

-BP gas stations and offices

-Halliburton and Transocean offices

-Federal buildings

-Offices of members of Congress

-State government officials in states affected by Obama’s offshore drilling proposal.

-Critical Mass bike rides

-Vigils to mourn the unspeakable loss brought by this spill

-Get creative!

Endorsing Organisations:

The Yes Men, Climate SOS, Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide North America, Institute for Social Ecology, Eastside Fellowship of Reconciliation, Biofuelwatch, Codepink Women for Peace, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Earth First!.

www.risingtidenorthamerica.org

endorse the day of action by emailing:

oilspill@risingtidenorthamerica.org

What would you say if I told you that BP, the oil behemoth responsible for the tragic oil spill in the Gulf Coast, could legally get away with paying for less than 3.75% of the total cleanup damages? Who is on the hook to pay the rest, you ask? Taxpayers like you and me.

Fortunately we aren’t alone in our outrage. Senate opponents of offshore drilling are expected to introduce legislation this week to combat these abuses by raising the cap on liabilities from $75 million to $10 billion.

Can you write a letter to your Senators supporting this vital measure?

If we don’t take action now, oil companies are going to continue to get away with this kind of abuse — in 1989, Exxon-Mobil dodged cleanup costs for the Exxon Valdez spill. And right now, Valero is sponsoring an anti-climate proposition in California while hiding its own toxic legacy.

Oil drilling has proven to be the perpetrator of widespread environmental and human health devastation. Irresponsible corporations must be held accountable for the damage and destruction they cause.

P.S. If you want to do something in your community to help with the oil clean up, ask your hair salon to donate cut hair to matteroftrust.org, a group that creates oil-removing materials from human and pet hair. (Yup, human hair sucks up oil, who knew!)

2007 Convergence for Climate Action at proposed Bradwood LNG site. The weeklong event, organized by Rising Tide with local communities was a critical moment for movement building.

By Nick Engelfried & Monica Vaughan.

After a five yearlong organizing effort by a diverse and passionate coalition of Oregonians and Southern Washingtonians, the grassroots No LNG coalition triumphed over Bradwood LNG.

Monday afternoon, the fight for the Pacific Northwest’s clean energy future achieved a long-awaited major milestone: the backer of the proposed Bradwood Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal announced suspension of their application for the project.  This renders Bradwood LNG essentially dead.  In a part of the country where there are new coal plants proposed (and where such projects are unlikely to be proposed anytime soon) LNG represents the cutting edge of the fossil fuel industry’s expansion.  Bradwood LNG’s defeat is a victory that should send a warning to fossil fuel projects across the region.

At word of the news, community members wept with joy and phones rang continuously to share the news. At a press conference, coalition members reflected on the complex and significant meaning of such a victory over the fossil fuel industry. As community leader and dedicated volunteer Cheryl Johnson put it, “They have money, but we have heart. In the end, heart always wins”.

Continue reading ‘Victory: High-Carbon LNG Project Suspended, Company files Bankruptcy’

“The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.“  -Utah Phillips

We can’t make up shit better than this.  In all the excitement around the new Arizona apartheid laws, the creeps in the right wing media and blogosphere have gone off their happy pills once again.

Rush Limbaugh, known as “The Great One” amongst the racist homophobic tea bagger cadres, came out on Monday and proclaimed that eco-terrorists must have caused BP’s oil rig spill.

“Now, lest we forget, ladies and gentlemen, the carbon tax bill, cap and trade that was scheduled to be announced on Earth Day. I remember that. And then it was postponed for a couple of days later after Earth Day, and then of course immigration has now moved in front of it. But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they’re sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they’re sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig?  I’m just noting the timing here.

“From The Hill, about the Senate bill: “Sierra Club chief Michael Brune told The Hill’s E2 Wire: ‘We will go to the mat for defending Clean Air Act authority.’  Brune also pointed to another potential stumbling block: offshore drilling. ‘We will not be able to accept the dramatic giveaway that offshore oil drilling represents,’ he said.”  The five hurdles the climate bill must clear, and one of them is offshore drilling.  That’s in TheHill.com.

Wow.  You’d think stories like this would be sent off to Fox’s writers at “24” and not their news desk.  But, “The Great One’s” idle speculation fueled a wildfire of hysterics about lurking environmentalists with dark motives for the Gulf Coast’s wildlife and the oil industry’s less than squeaky clean reputation.  Teabagger bloggers, Fox News chuckleheads and at least one former Bush official joined the chorus exposing the black helicopters manned by the Sierra club’s special forces plot.

In a moment of classic irony, Rush received a ringing endorsement from former FEMA director Michael “Heck of a job, Brownie,” Brown.   Of course, Brown is one of the people most responsible for the last disaster to hit Louisiana.  “I think it’s a possibility clearly… This plays right into the real policy of this administration, which is ‘we hate big oil, we hate off-shore drilling and now we have an excuse not to do it.”

Hey Brownie, just a quick FYI for you, Obama has been and continues to support offshore drilling.  Why don’t you go back under your rock and check your facts?

And it’s not just about the conspiracy fires being fanned by the right wing nutters but the more mainstream folks making this an easier atmosphere for belief in the eco-terror boogey man.  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has regularly framed this tragedy as “a threat to our way of life,” comparing the ecological disaster to “terrorism” and a threat to “freedom, safety and security.”  Sounds like Gov. Jindal is trying to avoid going the direction of his predecessor Gov. Blanco after her rather pitiful attempt at disaster relief during Katrina.  And there is not better way to look engaged than talk about terrorism, freedom and safety.  Americans lap that up like kitty’s milk.

GreenistheNewRed.com blogger Will Potter (the inspiration for this blog,) always keeping it real like a true Upton Sinclair muckraker, points out in “Did “Eco-Terrorists” Cause the Gulf Oil Spill?” that Limbaugh’s comments are merely a deflection from the real eco-terrorists- BP, Transocean and Halliburton, and from the bigger questions about the sustainability and safety of offshore drilling and the oil industry in general.  Potter notes that in true American fashion when the chips are down the right-wing, opportunist politicians and the corporations love them look for a scapegoat and lately shouting “terrorist” seems to resonate with the public.   Continue reading ‘The Oil Spill’s Real Eco-Terroristas’

It started as just another hearing on an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality “Title V” air pollution permit for the Boardman Coal Plant, owned and operated by Portland General Electric (PGE).  Representatives of the DEQ sat down last night to take formal testimony on the proposed renewal of Boardman’s Title V permit – which regulates pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, mercury, and other toxic emissions.  Though the DEQ proposes to strengthen limits for some target pollutions, environmental groups like the Sierra Club argue it falls far short of what’s actually required.  Unbeleivably, the new Title V permit would fail to hold the biggest polluter in Oregon to standards imposed on other coal plants in around the country in 1978; essentially, it’s a green light for Boardman to continue business as usual.

And last night started out as a business as usual hearing.  Around a hundred people packed the main hearing room plus the overflow room, and DEQ reps must have noticed the abundance of “Beyond Coal” T-shirts.  But the first several people to give testimony were the usual suspects the DEQ is no doubt quite used to hearing from: industry reps from the utility that owner of Boardman, spokespeople from trade groups that represent Oregon’s biggest polluters and energy hogs, and representatives of labor organizations that unfortunately have chosen to believe PGE’s arguments.  One after another, these folks trotted out PGE’s talking points predicting skyrocketing energy prices, economic catastrophe, and general mayhem in the state of Oregon unless PGE is allowed to pollute its heart out.  But then something new happened. Continue reading ‘Students Re-Frame Debate Over the Boardman Coal Plant’

There’s something afoot in Chicago’s City Hall and it’s not the politics you would expect in Illinois.

On April 14, Alderman Joe Moore introduced an ordinance to City Council that, if passed, would make Chicago the first U.S. city to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants. In the absence of federal climate legislation that takes serious action on the public health effects of coal pollution, this could be Chicago’s chance to shine.

While the proposed legislation wouldn’t shut down the fossil fuel behemoths, its passage would send a strong message to the state and federal government. Where the two legislatures have failed to act, Chicago is asserting its right to protect its citizens from harmful pollution while looking forward to the economic benefits of a clean energy economy.

In its current state, the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance (CPO) aims to reduce emissions from the Fisk and Crawford Power Plants in three major categories:

• PM/PM10 limit of .015 lb/MMBtu: This is a 90% reduction over the current PM/PM10 limit and
  equivalent to the standard that is widely set for new coal fired power plants.
• PM2.5 limit of .010 lb/MMBtu: The plants have no PM2.5 limit now; this PM2.5 limit is critical because fine particle pollution poses a very serious threat to the health (especially respiratory health) of local residents.
• CO2 limit of 120.36 lbs/MMBtu: This is equivalent to that of a natural gas plant. Continue reading ‘Where the Federal Government Has Not Acted, Chicago Will — Announcing the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance’

I have a column out today in the University of Maryland’s Diamondback about the offshore drilling disaster, and the need for America to get off of dangerous and dirty fossil fuels.

Oil spill: The drilling disaster was always doomed

By Matt Dernoga

I really do feel for President Obama. The president recently split with the base of his party and announced the approval of offshore drilling in areas all along the east coast. A few days later, in North Carolina, the president stated, “I don’t agree with the notion that we shouldn’t do anything. It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced.” As I write this, an oil slick the size of Jamaica is hitting the Louisiana coast and threatening several states all the way east to Florida. Continue reading ‘My Op-Ed on the Offshore Drilling Disaster’

On April 30th, 2010, 50 or so students from across Vermont came together with clean energy advocates from across the state to urge the candidates for governor of Vermont to ensure that the aging, leaking Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is shut down on time in 2012 and replaced with 100% clean electricity. Our first big action in the Race to Replace Vermont Yankee was a massive bike mobilization that brought passionate advocates from Montpelier, the state capital, to Burlington, the biggest city in the state. Check out our video:

Vermont’s abundant clean energy resources, from numerous micro-hydro sites to bountiful wind going untapped, make Vermont Yankee an unnecessary resource for the state. In order to renew Vermont’s economy, spur job creation in a state where young people are leaving in droves, and ensure Vermont’s status as a clean energy leader in the country, advocates are rallying round the 2010 governor’s election as an opportunity to point Vermont’s energy future in a new direction. Most importantly, we’re having a lot of fun while doing it!

All summer long, a crew of organizers from across Vermont will be working to push the candidates towards a bold clean energy plan, mobilize young clean energy voters to get out and vote, and raise the salience of clean energy in the election as a whole. While we’ve got an unlimited amount of people power, we do have a little bit of a shortage of dollar power, so it would be awesome if we could have the support of the youth climate movement to help guarantee Vermont is put on a path towards a clean energy future. Thanks!

Written by Billy Astrove (Rockin’ West Virginia Wesleyan College in the picture) in the Student Environmental Action Coalition’s Threshold Blog

Hello all,

I am writing today to inform you about an exciting opportunity for West Virginia youth this summer. On Brighterplanet.com, there is a grant that would bring $5,000 to the West Virginia Youth Action League to develop a summer program to work side by side with other grassroots groups to develop various sustainability projects. All of our sites are low income communities who are looking to build their economy.

The grant will allow for up to 15 West Virginians to work in these communities and work with the residents living there to develop jobs. Those who work will earn a fair-wage stipend to work with these communities.

The link to vote is http://brighterplanet.com/project_fund_projects/145

In addition, you can read more about the summer program at:http://www.seac.org/wvyal/summer

Continue reading ‘Vote Now for Healthier Economies in the Coalfields!’

Obama is talking tough on holding BP accountable for the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf, but is he really willing to bite the hand that feeds him. According to an article on Common Dreams, Obama received more money from BP than any other candidate in the 2008 elections, raking in $71,000 of their oily money.  Obama is  playing his cards in typical politician fashion, assuring us that his new drilling plans are on hold while the government reviews safety protocol. Which of  course means that Obama will put a few more weak regulations in place, assure us everything is OK, and then drill baby drill! Think I’m being cynical? The Associated Press reports, “A White House spokesman said this week that President Barack Obama remains committed, at least for now, to plans to expand drilling to new areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.”

We cannot allow offshore drilling to continue. For our oceans, deltas, marshes, and coastal communities that depend on these ecosystems for their sustenance, not to mention a stable climate, we must leave that oil in the ground. BP, state and federal politicians, must be held accountable for this disaster. Unfortunately we must add to the list of the usual suspects in environmental disasters such as these, some unusual ones: environmental groups like Environmental Defense Fund who have recklessly supported a climate bill that would open up more of our coasts to offshore drilling. Let me get this straight, we are going to reign in carbon emissions by drilling for more oil. Brilliant!

Grassroots climate groups are gearing up for a day of action against offshore drilling on May 14, stay posted for more details. We must ensure that Obama’s offshore drilling plans are stopped dead in their tracks, coastal communities are fully compensated for the devastation unleashed on them, and that BP, not tax payers, foot the bill.