Fuel the fight against the Keystone XL oil pipeline
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Very soon, a critical decision on the Keystone XL pipeline (KXL) will be made, for better or worse. If approved, the pipeline would transport tar sands oil — one of the dirtiest sources of oil on the planet — almost 2000 miles through the United States. But together, we can prevent this pipeline from being built. Will you help fuel our resistance to this disastrous project — and support all Greenpeace does to protect the environment — by making your strongest donation today? The main component of tar sands, bitumen, is a heavy, tar-like, oil that is so dense it sinks in water. That makes it exceptionally difficult to clean up — much more difficult than conventional oil. The process of extracting tar sands from the ground and converting it into fuel involves strip mining giant swaths of land while creating loads of toxic waste and air and water pollution. Tar sands extraction also creates three times more global warming pollution than conventional crude oil. Tar sands oil needs to stay right where it is: in the ground. If approved, the 2,000-mile-long KXL pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Canada down through the U.S. across to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, putting all of the communities along its path at risk. The KXL pipeline was given the green light by Trump a few months ago, ignoring the objections of sovereign Indigenous nations, private landowners, and citizen groups that oppose it. But the project still has a lot of hurdles to overcome, including a battleground in Nebraska, where TransCanada — the corporation leading the project — needs approval for the pipeline’s route from the state’s Public Service Commission. We are fighting this battle with a full-scale resistance on all fronts:
Let’s show Trump and polluters everywhere what this community is made of. Fuel the resistance against KXL, the oil and gas industry, and this administration’s disastrous environmental policies with your strongest donation today. In Solidarity, Diana Best P.S. Nebraska may well be our last stand in our battle to stop KXL. Please make an urgently needed gift now to support all of our work and to join us in this fight before it’s too late. |
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Keeping guns away from abusers … Alliance for Gun Responsibility
we reached a great milestone in our push for commonsense gun policies here in Washington this month. Authorities are now required to notify domestic violence survivors when a convicted abuser, or a person against whom a protective order has been taken out, tries to buy a firearm.
We know that our advocacy is working – the enactment of House Bill 1501 is proof of that. But every year, too many people are shot and killed by their abusers – so it’s on us to keep calling for the kind of legislation that will save more lives. Take our quiz today to learn more about this issue.
we need your help if we’re going to be successful in our efforts to protect survivors. No one should ever be afraid of what their abuser will do if they gain access to a gun. Let’s make sure states nationwide pass policies like House Bill 1501 that better ensure survivors’ safety. Spend one minute taking our quiz to learn more about responsible gun legislation that will protect survivors of domestic violence.
www.gunresponsibility.org/domestic-violence
Thank you,
Alliance for Gun Responsibility
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#BlackWomensEqualPayDay ~ 7/31/2017
Reclaiming my time…
Did you know black women need to work seven months into the year on average to be paid the same as their white male counterparts? Well, it’s true: Black women are paid 67 cents on the dollar relative to their white male equals, and today—#BlackWomensEqualPayDay—marks how far into the new year African American women must work to bridge this gap. This means that while Equal Pay Day for women overall—the date until which women need to work through 2017 to earn as much as white men did in 2016 alone—fell on April 4, 2017, black women must work through July 31 to earn as much as white men did in 2016.
Their work too often goes unrecognized, yet they play a critical role in the success of their families, their workplaces, and their communities. Compared with other groups, black mothers have the highest rates of being the primary or sole breadwinner for their families.
Janaye Ingram, a national organizer and board member of the Women’s March explains more here and will be featured on this week’s episode of Thinking Cap. For even more information, check out this CAP write up and today’s panel discussion on the importance of black women’s activism and the power of black grassroots leaders in the Trump era.
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Seattle: SmartMeters … get informed
POSTED 9:57 PM, MAY 11, 2017, BY ANNIE ANDREWS,
SEATTLE – Seattle City Light’s advanced meters will soon be coming to neighborhoods near you. Often referred to as Smart Meters, the wireless meters can keep track of customers’ electricity usage in real time and without the need for a reader to come to your home or business.
City Light said it will add accuracy and efficiency, but a small group in Seattle is fighting back against the meters, saying they are not safe or secure.
Jordan Van Voast put a sign up on the outside of his home near his meters that says “Do Not Install a Smart Meter.” He said he knows it won’t hold legal weight, but it does make him feel better.
“This is actually a bedroom on the other side of this wall,” said Van Voast, pointing at the outside wall his meter is mounted on.
Van Voast’s meter is soon to be replaced by a wireless meter, which he said is not safe. “There are adverse biological effects from radio frequency radiation,” he said.
Van Voast said he also has concerns about the security of the meter as well.
“There’s a big difference between what they’ll upload and what the meter is capturing,” said Van Voast.
Dubbed Smart Meters or Advanced Meters, Seattle City Light will be one of more than 500 utility districts across the country in the past decade to make the switch. In King County, they’ll be second to Puget Sound Energy.
“We are convinced that this is a safe technology to put into the field for our customers,” said Scott Thomsen, spokesman for Seattle City Light. Thomsen said the benefits will be captured immediately, once the two-year rollout is complete. Wattage information will be uploaded six times a day, providing more accurate bills. Immediate power outage notification and the eventual ability for homeowners to monitor their own usage will help save time and money, he said.
“Currently if we show up and a gate is locked, a dog is in the yard or a meter reader is sick and we can’t make it to your home, we have to estimate your electricity usage in order to generate a bill,” said Thomsen. “Sometimes we’re a little high, sometimes we’re a little low and then we catch up the next time we get a read.”
Thomsen said the technology is safe. “Much like what’s in your cell phone, only it’s less powerful than what is in your cell phone and other common household devices like baby monitors, even cordless phones,” he said.
Although Van Voast said he has security concerns, Thomsen said the data collected and transmitted is benign.
“The data that’s being transmitted is really simple. You get a meter number and you get kilowatt hours of data consumption, that’s it,” he said. “There’s no customer data about addresses, names, credit card info, Social Security, no customer information is shared across this. It’s only a meter number and the energy consumption of your entire building, whether that’s your home or your business.”
“There’s really no way of fact-checking that information,” said Van Voast.
He said his group is educating Seattle City Light customers about their concerns through the website www.safemeters.org. He said he’s hoping more customers will opt out after learning about the meters.
Seattle City Light reports less than 100 customers have opted out of the advanced meters, which comes at a cost. There is a $124.43 charge upfront, then customers will be charged an additional $15.87 on each billing cycle to pay for the meter reader coming to your home.
The last Pubic hearing is on Aug. 8 at 9:30 a.m, scheduled to be at Seattle City Hall. Hearings can also be watched on the Seattle Channel.
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