Our Line in the Sand
Table of Contents
Obama: NO KXL
Rally Recap
NVDA Training A Success
January General Meeting – Jan 26
Gas Pipeline Foes Blast Energy Study
Join our working groups to fight the pipelines
National phone call for pipeline organizers
Divestment: Save the Date for the Climate March Alliance
Book Reading: Don Ogden’s Bad Atmosphere – Jan 20
Concert for Freedom and Justice – Jan 16
Solidarity moment
Article of the Week
Culture Corner
Get Connected with 350MA
Climate Action To-Do List
People from all over US rally to tell Obama No KXL- decision expected Friday
Our fight against the Keystone XL pipeline is at a critical juncture. The House and Senate are now controlled by Republicans who are trying to ram through legislation that would approve the pipeline, but the final decision still rests with President Obama. For six years we have been pushing him to do the right thing, and now a decision may be imminent. On Tuesday, people across the country rallied to raise our voices louder than the cacophany of lobbyists, corporations and greedy legislators who want to approve KXL. This is our line in the sand.
Photos – Rene Theberge © copyright 2015
Media roundup time!
Hampshire Gazette – Rally Against Keystone XL Pipeline Draws 60 Protesters in Downtown Northampton
The Republican – Pioneer Valley Activists Call on President Obama to Reject the Keystone XL Pipeline
22 News – Protesters Hope Obama Will Veto the Keystone XL Pipeline Proposal
And some national perspective:
Activists Rally Across the US, Calling on the White House to Reject the Keystone XL
Katie Valentine, Climate Progress
January 13, 2015
Anti-pipeline activists held rallies in states across the U.S. Tuesday, calling on the president to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Activists gathered in cities and towns in nearly every U.S. state Tuesday as part of a coast to coast anti-Keystone XL event organized by multiple environmental organizations, including 350.org, CREDO, and the Indigenous Environmental Network.
In Washington, D.C., a group of about 35 people gathered in front of the White House to deliver anti-Keystone XL petitions with more that 500,000 signatures to the president. A White House Council on Environmental Quality staff member accepted the petitions from the group, an act that Deirdre Shelly, a 350.org member who helped organize the rally, found encouraging. Read the rest here.
….
Non-Violent Direct Action Training a Success
People from all over Western Massachusetts gathered on Saturday, January 10 for a training on how to take direct action to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. We discussed the current status of the pipeline, planned the vigil for Tuesday, January 13, prepared for future actions, and talked about passing town resolutions calling for a ban on tar sands oil. Great work by all the dedicated Pioneer Valley organizers who put the training together! Check out this coverage of the training from Springfield’s ABC Channel 40.
….
Check out this video to get a different perspective on the Nebraska Supreme Court ruling on the KXL route.
Video- KXL Pipeline Uncertainty Following Court Ruling
After a break for the holidays, we’re back! Please join us for our January General Meeting.
What: CAN/350MA General Meeting
Where: Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 N Pleasant St., Amherst
When: Monday January 26, 7pm
In order to change everything we need everyone so please join us! Newcomers are warmly welcomed. Hear the latest news on our campaigns and find out where you would like to plug in. Workgroups will offer on the spot actions you can take that will make a difference. And meet others who share your passion for climate justice.
Gas pipeline foes blast energy study released on the last day of Patrick administration
The Republican
January 12, 2015
Opponents of Northeast Energy Direct, the proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline which would course through Berkshire and Franklin counties on its way to New England markets, said over the weekend there are critical flaws in a long-anticipated energy report released by former Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday, the last day of his administration. Read more here
…
Are you interested in joining in one of our working groups to fight the Kinder Morgan Fracked Gas Pipeline?
We need boots on the ground to make sure KM never gets to break ground.
1) Towards a Fossil Fuel Free and Renewable Massachusetts: No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
Work locally, and statewide as well as regionally to oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure, (the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the Salem gas plant, the Spectra pipeline expansion, and Access Northeast) and to promote renewables, energy efficiency, conservation, and fixing of gas leaks (to reduce or eliminate the need for fossil fuel-based energy). This new 350MASS statewide campaigns will focus on working strategically with other groups and communities to continue building and strengthening the growing grassroots movement. Please come to our next General Meeting on January 26th to find out more. Contact Irvine Sobelman – mirvinea@gmail.com, Jenny Daniell jennyadaniell@gmail.com or Susan Theberge susantheberge@comcast.net if you would like to get involved.
2) Amherst Town Meeting Resolution against the pipline:
Please join our working group to get a resolution passed in Amherst. Contact Rudy Perkins if you can lend a hand. We would love to hear your comments and feedback so please read the Amherst draft resolution here. We will be offering a short training at the January 26 CAN/350Mass meeting.
All about Drafting local laws and resolutions.
….
National phone call for shale gas organizers
Margaret Flowers from We Are Cove Point, one of the groups fighting the first approved LNG facility on the East Coast, is helping convene a national networking call for shale gas organizers. From coast to coast, communities are taking a stand against fracking and the hazardous infrastructure required to process and transport it. Communities are resisting expansion of fossil fuels when we should be building clean sustainable sources of energy. We are holding a call to get to know each other, to share our struggles and to learn from each other.
The next national conference call to talk about our work to stop fracking and its associated infrastructure from coast to coast will be Friday, January 23 at 6 pm Eastern/3 pm Pacific.
Save the Date: The Climate March Alliance to Show Our Power Again on the Global Day of Divestment
February 13 is the Global Day of Divestment, with events scheduled in the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand! The 350Mass Divestment Campaign has announced plans to participate with an all-day event at the State House on February 12 (a day early). The lineup of events for February 12 includes: a panel discussion for legislators and legislative aides, sponsored by Senator Ben Downing and Rep. Marjorie Decker; a rally featuring speakers from a broad range of organizations and groups that endorse divestment; constituent lobbying to divest the state pension fund from fossil fuels; a panel on climate justice; special activities for students. Mark your calendar, stay tuned for more details, and contact Susan Redlich at sredlich2010@hotmail.com to get involved in the planning!
WHAT: Global Divestment Day
WHEN: Thu, February 12, 10am – 5pm
WHERE: Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston
Local Author Book Reading
On Author Night Tuesday, January 20, from 7 to 9pm in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library in Amherst the climate crisis will be the focus as local writer/activist Don Ogden reads from his recently released Levellers Press book, “Bad Atmosphere – A Collection of Poetry & Prose on the Climate Crisis“.
Solidarity Moment(s!)
Indigenous people in western Canada are blocking pipelines on their land by reclaiming it for their traditional hunting and fishing. In this photo, Chief Toghestiy looks over the Unis’tot’en trapline on the Wedzin Kwah (Morice River) in northern British Columbia. They are occupying the land where the Enbridge tar sands pipeline and several gas pipelines are planned to cross Unis’to’ten territory without their consent.
The camp is calling for helpers to raise the blockade. We have two more weeks to line up support and helping hands for this campaign. Volunteers and sponsors can find out more here: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/2tHr8/
Deep Green Resistance is honored to work in solidarity with indigenous people defending their land and water against corporate invaders. More about our indigenous solidarity work here.
Article(s) of the Week
Report: Forget Stocks, Invest in Solar Panels
Tom Kenworthy, Climate Progress
Jan 13, 2015
Think solar is a poor investment? Guess again.
A new study by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center finds that in all but 4 of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., installing a fully-financed 5 kilowatt solar panel system makes more financial sense than investing in a popular stock market index fund. Further, the same system would beat the costs of buying energy from local utilities in 42 of those 50 cities.
“(S)olar is now not just an option for the rich, but a real opportunity for anyone looking to take greater control over their monthly utility bills and make a long-term, relatively low-risk investment,” concludes the study which was done under funding by the U.S. Department of Energy. Read the rest here.
Culture Corner
A Horror Movie About K-Cups
From Grist:
‘K-Cups are a terrible invention. Keurig took something as simple, delicious, and cheap as a cup of coffee and jacked up the price by sealing ground beans in impossible-to-recycle plastic and aluminum foil. And people love the stuff. The trash from K-Cups sold in 2013 could circle the globe nearly 11 times… this new video is pretty funny and seems like it was quite expensive to make, although not quite as pricey as your garbage caffeine habits. I can’t figure out who funded it, but I’m firing up the French press and signing on anyway: Kill the K-Cup.’
This week’s Climate Action To-Do List
Join the working group for one of our Climate Action NOW/350MA campaigns. Collaborating across the state enhances our power and helps us build solidarity. It is a powerful way to get our voices heard.
–Towards a Fossil Fuel Free and Renewable Massachusetts: No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
Contact Irvine Sobelman (mirvinea@gmail.com), Jenny Daniell (jennyadaniell@gmail.com) or Susan Theberge (susantheberge@comcast.net).
-Divestment from Fossil Fuels: We will work to divest the Massachusetts pension fund from fossil fuels. Contact Adele Franks adele.franks@gmail.com
–Fair and Equitable Carbon Tax Campaign: Contact Dave Roitman droitman1@verizon.net
Climate Action NOW work groups
-Stop the KXL Pipeline: Dave Roitman droitman1@verizon.net
–Climate Action Plan for Springfield: Springfield Climate Justice Group: Contact Susan Theberge susantheberge@comcast.net
New group forming: Climate Action Performance Group (puppets, music, street theater!) Come to our next meeting on January 26th to find out more!
Get Connected!
Just can’t get enough climate news and events? Climate Action Now is part of a wonderful statewide organization, 350 Massachusetts, that puts out a fantastic weekly newsletter of their own. The newsletter covers all sorts of great campaigns from all over the state. Click here to sign up!
Have an event you would like us to include in our calendar? You can send it to us using this form and we will post it.
Help us grow our Climate Action Now community by inviting your friends to join our Weekly Newsletter and update alerts using this link!
Climate Action Now is a local, volunteer, grassroots Western Massachusetts organization, and also functions as the regional node of the statewide organization 350 Massachusetts.
