An Energetic Start for the Maryland Wind Bill

The last time the United Steelworkers and clean-energy activists descended on the Maryland State House on the same issue in 2008 they were going toe to toe, and the steelworkers managed to kill the global warming bill the clean energy activists were working on. But yesterday, when the old adversaries descended on the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Maryland General Assembly they stood arm in arm in support of Md. Governor Martin O’Malley’s forthcoming offshore wind energy bill.

The rationale for this unlikely but inspiring alliance is encapsulated in the slogan printed across the front of the bright-blue t-shirts we all sported at the statehouse yesterday: “Good Jobs, Clean Power”. The development of clean energy has long been touted as a dual solution to the economic and environmental woes facing the world today, and Maryland is a perfect case study of that promise with over 4000 jobs, and significant greenhouse-gas pollution reductions projected to accrue to the state if the Governor’s wind bill passes. For the steelworkers and clean-energy activists, the bill represents the quintessential win-win situation that makes for really successful political initiatives. Continue reading

Appalachia Rises; Let's Do the Same

Media reports of the massive and important One Nation Working Together demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday reported on its diversity, the mix of cultures and issues represented. Indeed, when compared to the Tea Party/Glenn Beck, virtually-all-white event on August 28th, the contrast is striking.

This isn’t surprising, of course, given that the Tea Party is essentially re-packaged, big money-supported, ultra-right-wingism: hostile to affirmative action, immigrants, an African American President, low-income people, the idea of health care for all, equality, justice and much more.

Regarding diversity at yesterday’s rally, the Washington Post commented in its news story that “members of the mine workers union rallied with environmental activists.”

It was intriguing to read this just a few days after helping to organize and participating in the very successful “Appalachia Rising” (www.appalachiarising.org) conference and demonstration September 25-27 in Washington, D.C. The major emphasis of this mobilization was to demand an end to the devastating practices of mountaintop removal and strip mining. On a rainy Monday morning, the 27th, hundreds of Appalachia residents joined with hundreds from outside of Appalachia, 2,000 or more strong, for a rally at Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C. and a march to the White House.

At the White House, in the biggest climate-related civil disobedience action ever in the United States that led to arrests, 118 people were arrested as they conducted a sit-in in front of the White House. Four others were arrested down the street at a sit-in inside PNC Bank, one of the major financers of mountaintop removal coal mining.

The importance of this action for the climate movement and for the broader progressive movement cannot be overstated. As Gary Houser put it in an article about Appalachia Rising on the Common Dreams website, “Those who traveled to Washington DC to take part in Continue reading

"Don't Let Up, Fight Harder"

Judy Bonds may not be physically present when thousands of people take action September 27th in Washington, D.C. to demand an end to mountaintop removal and strip mining, and that would be a real shame. If there is one person who has done more in their life to shake up the coal barons and, in her words, “put them on the ropes,” it’s Judy Bonds, co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch.

Judy may not be there because she learned last month that she has stage three cancer. Treatment will take at least three months.

There’s no question, however, that Judy will be there in spirit, and that her spirit is guiding the growing Appalachia Rising coalition (http://www.appalachiarising.org). This coalition is organizing a two-day “Voices of the Mountains” conference the weekend of September 25-26 followed by a mass demonstration on Monday the 27th.
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Will the BP Oil Spill Be the Spark?

“The fact that 11 human beings were killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion (their bodies never found) has become, at best, an afterthought. BP counts its profits in the billions, and, therefore, it’s important. . . This is the bitter reality of the American present, a period in which big business has cemented an unholy alliance with big government against the interests of ordinary Americans who, of course, are the great majority of Americans. The great majority of Americans no longer matter.”
-Bob Herbert, “More Than Just An Oil Spill,” NY Times, May 22, 2010

Just about a week ago I was on a conference call with leaders of about a dozen national and regional groups which have made the climate crisis a top priority of their work. The two main things we talked about were the prospects for decent climate legislation in the Senate and how we should be responding to the catastrophic BP oil spill.

Most of us were not very hopeful about the prospects in the Senate, absent the kind of leadership on this issue Barack Obama gave to achieve passage of a not-so-good health care reform bill. Indeed, there is legitimate reason to be concerned that if he did so, he could advance a bill strongly supportive of nukes, coal and offshore drilling, based on things he has said and done as President, and based on the Kerry-Lieberman “American Power Act” released on May 12th.

As far as the BP spill, there was discussion on this call about the idea of local actions around the country on the one-month anniversary of the spill, May 20th. One important national organization, the Energy Action Coalition, took the initiative and organized 45 local actions around the country beginning on that day, to their credit.

Could the BP spill be the spark that generates an on-going, in-the-streets movement for a rapid shift away from dirty fossil fuels to a justice-based, green jobs, clean energy economy? It sure seems to have a number of the elements that make that a possibility. Continue reading

Cardin speaks for (and meets with) constituents at Senate Climate Hearings

With the Senate climate fight really kicking off this week with a round of hearings in the EPW Committee our Senators need to hear from us more than ever. That’s why I arranged a little meeting between Maryland Senator Cardin (who sits on the committee) and Maryland climate activist MA Sheehan. To remind the Senator what hard core climate activists many of his constituents are, MA gave him copies of some photos from our big October 24th climate march through the driving rain to the White House. She also handed over a few dozen handwritten letters from constituents, to add to the 1000 that we delivered to the Senator over the summer. Cardin photo delivery

The mere fact that the Senator took the time to meet with (and pose for the lovely picture shown here) speaks volumes about the impact all the grassroots love we’ve showered upon him has had. An even better indicator is the statement Cardin made at the start of the EPW hearings on Monday. In it he talked about the plight of his constituents on Smith Island, the economic benefits of clean energy, and his excitement over the increased transportation funding and consumer protections “polluter pays” principles built into the Kerry Boxer bill. All of this

Oct 24, 2009- A Turning Point in Human History- Be There

If you’re still looking for a good reason to come out and join our big International Day of Climate Action rally and march in DC on Saturday try this on for size: the day of action won’t simply be the biggest day in the history of the global climate movement; it could very well be one of the biggest days in human history. And that’s not an exaggeration.

The truly wonderful thing about Saturday’s action is that it will be much bigger than just a single rally, or a single march on a single location in a single city in the world. It will be a truly global event. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it will be the first truly “global event” in history. For while there have been global days of action for this and other causes before, as far as I know none of them have ever included more than 4000 actions taking place in almost every single country on the planet. And while any given world cup final or Olympic opening ceremony may draw a global viewing audience of hundreds of millions, the ultimate measure of any “global” event lies not in its scale but in its spirit. And in terms of its global spirit I’d say our Day of Action on Saturday will beat even the Olympics hands down.

As the first truly global-scale crisis humanity has ever faced, the climate crisis is forcing us for the very first time to start perceiving ourselves as a true global community, facing a common threat as a species, as a global civilization. It’s forcing us to act globally, and seek solutions globally, as a true global community rather than as a collection of competing nations negotiating our way towards compromises that preserve our individual interests. By its very nature the global climate movement is leading us all through a door to a new era of global consciousness, to a transformation not just of the way that we consume energy, but of the way that we perceive ourselves, and our relations and responsibilities to each other.

So, considering that the Day of Action on Saturday will be the first truly global-scale expression of the movement that is driving us toward that new era of global consciousness and solidarity, I think it’s safe to say that it will be the first truly global event in human history. And those of us who participate in it won’t just be helping to usher in a new stage in the global climate movement; we’ll helping to usher in a new era of human history, a new era of global community.

And come snow or rain or heat or gloom, I’d say that’s definitely something to show up for. Go to www.350.org/dc today to RSVP today and claim your place in the vanguard of our global future.

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