Fight Global Warming

Here are some opportunities.

Legislation to explicitly fight global warming is dead -- weakened and
then killed in the Senate. Environmental groups fought hard to push the
bill. A majority of Americans and a majority of senators wanted to do
something serious. Not this year. Sen. Harry Reid announced last week
that he could not find 60 votes for what had already become a weak,
compromised piece of legislation, so no vote would be held. Oil and gas companies
and their friends in the Senate- all the Republicans and a number of key
Democrats such as Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia, Sen. Lincoln of
Arkansas, and Sen. Conrad of North Dakota -- got their wish. No action
on global warming.

We know the planet is heating rapidly and that the consequences, already
visible, will get much worse for every year we postpone action to slow,
and then radically reduce, greenhouse gas emissions. At CREDO, we are
enthusiastic proponents of tough action on global warming but had
decidedly mixed feelings about all the compromises, backroom deals,
special incentives, and loopholes that worked their way into the
Kerry-Lieberman attempt to get to 60 votes.

The reality that we must face is that there are not 60 votes in the Senate
for even minimally acceptable global warming legislation. Not this year
and definitely not in the next few years.

But for us, unlike the Senate, no action is not an option. We have to
change the battlefield because we must make progress.

Fortunately, there are a great many fights to be engaged, now that energy
and resources are no longer focused on the dysfunctional U.S. Senate. We
have compiled a short list -- ten for simplicity -- of work you can join
in right now. You are all needed as each fight below is a tough one-but
not as tough as passing strong legislation through the Senate!

You can join with us and other aggressive groups to work beyond the
Senate:

  1. Defend, at all costs, the ability of President Obama's EPA to
  regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act either temporarily (as
  proposed by Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia) or permanently (Sen.
  Murkowski). The imminent attack is coming from Sen. Rockefeller. Click
  here to take action now: credoaction.com/campaign/stop_rockefeller_2/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5853&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=18

  2. Fight FOX News, the leading purveyor of lies about global warming.
  The blowhards at FOX are confusing tens of millions of people every day.
  Nobody fights FOX better than Media Matters. Keep up with them at:
  mediamatters.org/topic/onlyonfox/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5843&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=19

  3. Decisively defeat Prop 23 in California, the malicious attempt by
  Texas oil companies-like Valero-to eliminate California's pioneering
  global warming legislation -- which is already in place and much
  stronger than anything considered by the Senate. This is a national
  battle. Join the campaign at: stopdirtyenergyprop.com/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5844&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=20

  4. Eliminate the Senate filibuster. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico will
  propose this in January. Join the fight at:
  credoaction.com/campaign/senate_fix/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5854&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=21

  5. Block all new coal-fired power plants -- there is no such thing as
  clean coal. We love the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign -- they are
  fighting individual plants and changing the rules at:
  sierraclub.org/coal/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5846&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=22

  6. Eliminate the $75 million cap on oil company liability for oil spills
  and raise the damage fee from its current nickel a barrel to something
  serious -- at $10 per barrel. Ask President Obama to take this bold
  action at: credoaction.com/campaign/tax_oil/index2.html
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5855&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=23

  7. Urge EPA to adopt tough standards on reducing mercury poisoning from
  coal -- a leading source of brain damage for infants. Join the Sierra
  Club and submit an official public comment to the EPA to protect
  communities from mercury in toxic coal ash at:
 
secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4409
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5848&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=24

  8. Stop the practice of mountaintop removal mining, which literally
  blows off the tops of mountains in Appalachia and dumps the waste into
  streams. We like the approach of Rainforest Action Network -- take
  action at:
 
ran.org/content/epa-appoves-new-mtr-permit-demand-mountaintop-removal-mini
ng-be-abolished
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5850&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=25

  9. Block the import of filthy oil produced by the huge Canadian Tar
  Sands development, which requires a 2000-mile pipeline into the United
  States. The fine folks at 1Sky are fighting to convince Sec. of State
  Hillary Clinton not to issue the required State Department approval.
  1sky.org/blog/2010/07/stop-the-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5851&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=26

  10. Put solar panels back on the White House. Reagan took them down, and
  neither Clinton nor Obama have restored them. Check out 350.org's
  campaign at: putsolaron.it/whitehouse/
  http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5852&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=27

Okay, so the last one is not as big a deal -- but wouldn't it provide a
little inspiration if President Obama installed a highly visible solar
array on the White House with the components made in the United States?
We have a lot of fighting to do if we are going to save ourselves, and
every little bit of presidential leadership is welcome.

Cheers,

Michael Kieschnick, CEO
CREDO Action from Working Assets
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=11&id=10235-3034597-OYLRbxx&t=28