A New Day is Coming

Our group decided to move our presence into the Longworth House office building to find as many representatives as we could to show them we want green jobs and clean energy. Making our way through security and downstairs to the basement one of my fellow group members asked me what we should be doing. Beginning to answer her question I spotted my Representative, Dr. Steve Kagen, hurrying past me. I informed my group member to hold that thought and I went after my Representative.

On Friday June 26, 2009, I took part in a collaborative rally on Capitol Hill. The groups who sponsored the rally included the Energy Action Coalition, Avaaz Climate Action Factory, and the organization I intern for, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. The rally was sparked by the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which the House of Representatives were planning to vote on that evening.

Arriving at the site where the rally was being held, an image of PowerShift flashed before my eyes. The presence of green shirts and hard hats, Capitol Hill in the background, and the energy of people coming together to affect change. The only thing missing was weather I could handle. Being from Wisconsin, I like summer weather that has just a touch of cold. Since I’m in Washington, DC, the weather is unbearable for me. I decided to take refuge under a tree and watch the rally unfold before my eyes.

During the rally, the speakers spoke of the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a start towards what we want, but we need more from our elected officials. And that is something I agree with. We need a stronger bill. The rally came to a close and the speakers asked the crowd to stick around to make our presence felt through the halls of Congress. And our presence was felt.

Sitting outside of the House office buildings, our groups of green shirts and hard hats were met by Capitol police insisting arrests will happen if we kept standing in front of the office building. I recall one officer asking if we were planning to commit any civil disobedience.

“Man these cops really have nothing going today except hassling us for building awareness about clean energy and green jobs,” I thought to myself. As an instigator at heart, I felt answering, “Keep threatening us with intentions of arrests,” “Go ahead and throw us in jail, but our message will never be put in jail.” My instincts though informed me that this wasn’t the time for me to be put in jail and how true my instincts were.

Our group decided to move our presence into the Longworth House office building to find as many representatives as we could to show them we want green jobs and clean energy. Making our way through security and downstairs to the basement one of my fellow group members asked me what we should be doing. Beginning to answer her question I spotted my Representative, Dr. Steve Kagen, hurrying past me. I informed my group member to hold that thought and I went after my Representative.

“Congressman Kagen,” I said as I closed in. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Standing next to him, he began speaking,

“Hey there. I swear every time I see you, you get taller and taller.” I smiled and started laying down my concerns.

“Congressman Kagen you are voting on the American Clean Energy and Security Act tonight. I just wanted to let you know that this bill is very important to my people on the Menominee Reservation. I have recently been awarded a grant by the Clinton Global Initiative to implement renewable energy technology on the transportation system that serves the Menominee community and surrounding communities. I envision the renewable energy powering the transportation system in the fall, but that’s not all. I plan on turning the Menominee Reservation into a sustainable community and I know with your support my goal will be achieved.”
He looked at me with a smile and said: “You know that hits me right at the heart.” Right there we looked at each other and I knew that I was meant to relay this message to him. I kept talking to him up until Capitol police yelled at me for crossing the invisible line you cannot cross.

Walking back to the group, I felt something inside letting me know, “You did it Marc.” The rest of the afternoon involved getting as many Representatives as our group could find letting them know our generation supports clean energy and green jobs. We found a good number of them traveling through the tunnel connecting the Longworth and Cannon House office buildings. As the day turned to the evening, we decided to stop the campaign and flood the House galleries with our green shirts to see if our work paid off.

Going through the line leading up to the House gallery we were met by Capitol officials asking if we were planning to cause ruckus. Our group politely informed the officials that we were there to watch the vote and no ruckus would occur. The officials took us up to the House gallery and seated us in one of the best galleries you could sit in. Though the seats really didn’t pay off due to Representative John Boehner, holding the floor for one whole hour criticizing an amendment to the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

Representative John Boehner finished his rant about the amendment and our group was informed our time was up in the gallery. We left the gallery without causing the ruckus anticipated by Capitol officials, but we didn’t leave. Our group flooded the lines leading to the House gallery again. As I finally made my way back into the House gallery for a second time, the vote was almost over. I looked up at the wall to find my Representative’s name. I wanted to know if I really did make an impact on him. Spotting his name, Representative Kagen voted in favor of the bill. I sat there amazed.

As the vote ended and the sound of a gavel slamming down on wood, the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed 219-212. There was thundering applause on the floor and in the galleries. I sat there and thought, “Marc, take a deep breathe and remember this is only the first step. It is time to start mobilizing the Indigenous people of North America as you envisioned. The environmental community is going to be fighting an up hill battle and they need a platform of clean energy and green jobs to show Washington.”

Walking out of Capitol Hill, a burst of energy caught hold of me and I uttered the words, “A New Day is coming.” Suddenly the sky opened up and rain came thundering down. I ran to Union Station to catch the infamous red line home, feeling my ancestors’ hands in the raindrops, patting me on the back the whole way there.

-Marc ‘Swift Otter’

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