Jobs & Economy
Ohio Enviros Dress as Cavemen to Protest GOP's "Stone Age" Energy Stand
Published September 03, 2009 @ 08:25PM PT
Above: Highly amusing video by Bring Ohio Back about the Stone Age 5 -- GOP representatives who oppose the ACES energy and climate bill.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), an avid opponent of federal climate and clean energy policy reform, got a special welcome yesterday from constituents dressed as cavemen to protest "stone age" GOP energy policies.
Or as the group Environment Ohio puts it, "backpedaling, coal- and oil- promoting alternative to the historic clean energy legislation finally being considered in Congress."
The occasion was a panel discussion in Columbus, where Rep. Boehner was joined by Rep. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek), Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), Pat Tiberi (R-Columbus) and Jean Schmidt, (R-Loveland). The five legislators appeared before the public to discuss the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which passed the House in June; most House Republicans voted against the bill. The public was not invited to comment at the hearing, which according to a local TV station, also featured several invited speakers who supported the Republican position.
Outside the meeting, around 60 protestors from Environment Ohio dressed up as cavemen to protest the GOP's prehistoric energy policies. “We think we need clean energy tax credits, clean energy programs, programs that will drive innovation in wind, solar, geothermal and other clean, renewable energy resources,“ Amy Gomberg of Environment Ohio told NBC 4 Columbus. “We’re suggesting we need to shift our energy policies to actually get us on a path to a clean, sustainable and renewable energy future,“ Gomberg said.
Duke Energy Quits Coal Group Over Its Opposition to Climate Action
Published September 02, 2009 @ 07:01PM PT
Above: Pro-coal lobby's "Clean Coal Carolers" campaign was last December's Christmas jeer.
Major electric utility Duke Energy has left a prominent coal industry lobby group over the group's opposition to climate change action. But some critics wonder why its CEO is still involved with another business group that's determined to derail energy policy reform.
Citing disagreements with "influential member companies who will not support passing climate change legislation in 2009 or 2010," Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke yesterday announced that it would drop out of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, reports the National Journal.
Duke Energy's move has cheered prominent voices in the climate change blogosphere, but only to a point.
Banishing Cars From Broadway Revives Midtown Manhattan
Published August 26, 2009 @ 05:46PM PT
How do you make cities safer for pedestrians, more pleasant for cyclists, and more conducive to healthy civic life? And cut greenhouse gas emissions in the process?
Just break the grip of "Carmageddon" and let a few streets live free of cars.
This video from Streetfilms takes you on a tour of New York City's newly car-free blocks of Broadway. Far from creating a traffic nightmare as predicted by naysayers, the city's move to close sections of Broadway to traffic has succeeded wildly.
Even businesses, which hated the idea, are benefitting, now that delivery trucks can actually do deliveries, instead of sitting mired in traffic.
Over a Dozen Senators Working to Strengthen Climate Bill
Published August 25, 2009 @ 07:31PM PT
Related post: Citizenship 101: How to contact Congress
Although four senators recently floated the idea that climate legislation was dead in the Senate, over a dozen of their colleagues are working on measures to make it stronger.
According to the progressive political blog Wonk Room,
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced the IMPACT Act, "Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology Act of 2009," which would create a $30 million revolving loan fund to "help small and medium-sized manufacturers finance retooling, shift design, and improve energy efficiency.” The act has been added to the Senate legislation, and over 150 businesses around the country have endorsed it.
Sen. Brown has been joined by nine other Democratic senators in urging President Obama to be sure the legislation includes strong support for American manufacturing. They include Russ Feingold (D-WI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Robert Casey (D-PA), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Robert Byrd (D-VW), Al Franken (D-MN), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Tom Carper (D-DE) are working on adding language to the bill to “regulate power plant emissions of mercury, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide.”
Sen. Carper is also seeking to improve the bill's funding for cleaner transportation. His Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act (S. 575 / H.R. 1329) would allocate a share of the proceeds from carbon cap-and-trade "to transit, bike paths, and other green modes of transport.” Co-sponsoring the bill are Senators Arlen Specter (D-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have co-sponsored the legislation.
Oil Lobby Responds to Change.org Questions, Defends Claims on Climate Bill Costs
Published August 25, 2009 @ 08:13AM PT
Above: "Photo of caribou walking alongside the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, taken July 1998 by Stan Shebs." Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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Last week I asked the American Petroleum Institute questions about its criticisms of the American Clean Energy and Security Act -- the climate and clean energy legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives earlier in the summer.
Jane Van Ryan, New Media Coordinator of the American Petroleum Institute, has answered. I've added some extra paragraph breaks to make the text more readable on-screen, and links as relevant to the content.
Do Ms. Van Ryan's talking points hold up? If not, why not? There are a lot of them, so I'm asking the Change.org community to help me out:
Please pick a point or a few to check out, and post your findings in the comments.
More after the jump.
Questions for American Petroleum Institute's @janevanryan #ACES #ec09
Published August 21, 2009 @ 11:33AM PT
UPDATE, Tues., Aug 25: I've posted Jane Van Ryan's answers.
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UPDATE, 20:48 ET: Jane Van Ryan has responded, via Twitter, that she'll look over my questions and post answers online. Thank you, Jane. Stay tuned, readers...
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August 21, 2009
Jane Van Ryan
New Media Advisor
American Petroleum Institute
Dear Ms. Van Ryan,
I noticed you using Twitter, today, from an energy industry-backed political rally in Lima, Ohio. (I see you're blogging about these rallies, too.)
API's members have such a huge role in the nation's energy and climate policies. The oil and gas industry has already spent $55 million lobbing Congress, According to CNNMoney. It's on track to beat 2008's record-setting $83 million in lobbying expenditures.
Given how much influence this kind of money can buy, I'm encouraged to see you out in the social media scrum, where you can take questions directly from the public and the press.
Since you were tweeting from your mobile phone in Lima, however, it's very possible that you missed my messages. So the salient bits of our not-exchange are reposted below.
I hope you can look them over and get back to me soon with answers.
Best regards,
Emily Gertz
Journalist and Editor
twitter.com/ejgertz
Astroturf Fail? Join the real grassroots climate action movement
Published August 14, 2009 @ 12:52PM PT
It’s more important than ever that we keep the pressure up for strong climate policy. As Emily wrote earlier this week, a fake-grassroots campaign is being unleashed against energy and climate policy reform.
Big Oil is eager to evade regulation of their dirty energy supplies. It's taken a cue from the health care reform protesters, who have managed to seize the media spotlight with intimidation tactics like shouting down members of Congress at their in-district town hall meetings.
Kevin Grandia recently wrote on HuffPo about an email memo, written by American Petroleum Institute (API) president Jack Gerard, that was leaked to colleagues of mine here at Greenpeace. The memo details how API, a lobbying group for Big Oil, "plans to launch a nationwide Astroturf campaign attacking climate legislation at public events scheduled throughout the final weeks of recess before the Senate returns to debate the issue in September."
The best cures for astroturf are real grassroots. So here are ways that you can get involved right now, to help keep the record straight and demand solutions on climate and energy policy:
Green the Block's national day of service on September 11:
This campaign builds off President Obama's call for citizen's to join in national recovery and renewal efforts on September 11th, 2009. Enter your event into Green the Block's online system, so that anyone looking for something to do on 9/11 will be able to find it.
This campaign is organized by green jobs group Green for All and the Hip Hop Caucus “to educate and mobilize communities of color to ensure a voice and stake in the clean-energy economy.”
Above: Green for All has put together a really great video, called "The New Sound," to help get the word out about "Green the Block" day of service on Sept. 11, 2009.
The International Day of Climate Action on October 24th:
Being co-ordinated by 350.org, which has tools online to help you plan and promote an event in your community.
The goal is to unite activists worldwide around getting the greenhouse gas pollution in the atmosphere down to 350 parts per million (right now we're at around 389 and climbing), and demand that world leaders take action to solve global warming.
As writer and 350.org activist Bill McKibben told us right here on this blog this week, there are over 1,500 or so events already scheduled around the world, from rallies in big cities to "climbers high in the Himalayas, and underwater demonstrations off the coral reefs of the Maldives, and teams of 350 bike riders, and churches ringing their bells 350 times, and an endless variety of other creative and impassioned ways to drive this most important number into the consciousness of the world!"
Maybe you don't want to wait until 9/11 or 10/24:
Well, Greenpeace has organizers around the country who’d be happy to help you plug in to your local activist community. Check out greenpeace.org/volunteer to find an organizer near you, or to sign up to get more information from one of our national organizers if you’re not near one of our field organizers.
I know I’m really stoked about the Mobilization for Climate Justice happening here in the Bay Area this weekend, to protest the expansion of a Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA.
[Other organizing / action efforts and events to consider: 1Sky's "Summer Recess Beach Party" campaign, the Alliance for Energy Education's climate assemblies, and the Energy Action Coalition youth movement. - Ed.]
The important thing is that we all get out there and make sure that corporate-backed astroturfers don’t hijack this debate. Don't let Big Oil drown our voices out! The time for real global warming solutions is now. Let’s make it happen.
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Image via Energy Action Coalition.
