Puget Sound Energy’s long-term plan lacks the vision for a carbon-free future that Washington residents expect from our state’s largest utility

WHY THIS MATTERS

Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) most recent long-term plan lacks the vision for a carbon-free future that Washington residents expect from our state’s largest utility.

The plan projects that Colstrip will continue to pump coal-fired electric onto PSE’s grid as late as 2035! This flies in the face of trends in the energy industry, where coal plants are being forced to retire years ahead of schedule due to competition from cheaper and cleaner alternatives.

PSE’s long-term plan also calls for new fracked gas plants, locking Washington into fossil fuels for at least another 30 years. Equally alarming, PSE is moving swiftly to build an eight million gallon liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Tacoma despite strong local opposition from the Puyallup Tribe and beyond.

And they’ll be passing the cost of this reckless fossil fuel investment onto you and the rest of their customers.

TAKE ACTION! Call on regulators to reject any plan that does not include a commitment to get off coal-fired electricity from the Colstrip coal plant by 2025 and explicitly reject new fossil fuel infrastructure, including LNG.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

CCR ALERT, Everytown for Gun Safety ~

02/05/2018 Nativegrl77

#StopCCR

Friends:

we’re preparing to stop the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017” — a dangerous gun bill that would gut state gun laws — on the Senate floor this year, and you will lead the way.

Last year, when we set out to inundate Members of the House of Representatives with postcards from their constituents, you and other gun sense champions answered the call, and hundreds and thousands of people across the country signed them. Then, Moms Demand Action volunteers and supporters hand delivered thousands of these postcards to lawmakers offices to make sure your voice was heard, and it made a difference. After the gun-lobby hijacked a modest gun safety bill, the House only narrowly passed the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.”

We can stop this bill in its tracks in the Senate and make sure it doesn’t get to President Trump’s desk. That’s why we need your powerful voice once more: Sign a postcard urging your senators to OPPOSE the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.”

It’s important for us to remind all Senators, even our closest allies, where their constituents stand.

The “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017” is waiting for a vote on the Senate floor, and because of you, senators are already committing to vote NO on this dangerous bill. NRA leadership knows that their time is running out to pass this bill.And they also know that with YOUR help, we’ve loosened their chokehold on state legislatures in all 50 states, helped to enact gun safety laws, and defeated their deadly proposals that would gut our existing common sense laws. They’re afraid of your power and your voice.

That’s why we need you to use that voice now. Send a postcard to your senators: Tell them to OPPOSE the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.”

Thank you for lending us your strength in the fight to end gun violence.

Everytown for Gun Safety

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Racial matters continue to divide

02/04/2018 Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Demand justice for janitors, immigrants – Call Home Depot today!

02/04/2018 Nativegrl77

Friends –

My hometown of Minneapolis is in the global spotlight this weekend, as the Super Bowl comes to town this Sunday. Here at RAN, however, we’re looking beyond the game to an unusually bad corporate actor in the area: Home Depot.

For years Home Depot has ignored the demands of sub-contracted low-wage janitors that clean its stores here in the Twin Cities. At the same time, Home Depot has funded attacks on immigrant communities by giving $1.2 million in campaign contributions to politicians working to repeal DACA protections for Dreamers and immigrant families.

Today, low-wage janitors, immigrants, and their allies are taking a stand and taking their demands directly to Home Depot in Minneapolis — and they’re asking us to stand in solidarity with them. Will you join us?

Call Home Depot CEO Craig Menear today! Demand that his company adopt a Responsible Contractor Policy for the low-wage janitors that clean his stores! Demand that Home Depot publicly support DACA.

Your call today helps push this issue into the national spotlight and end Home Depot’s refusal to meet the demands of low-wage workers and protect immigrant families.

Luciano Balbuena and allies delivering demands to a Home Depot store manager

Make no mistake, Home Depot appears to be actively trying to silence these demands. For example, recently a retail janitor and active immigrant leader contracted to clean Home Depot, Luciano Balbuena, was transferred to a different store and is now forced to drive an additional 20 miles to and from work 6 days a week. As an immigrant leader who is fighting for justice in his workplace, many believe Luciano is experiencing direct and illegal retaliation. Home Depot has refused to even respond to Luciano’s request for an explanation of why he was moved.

Call today and demand Home Depot listen to the demands of Luciano and other immigrants and low-wage janitors that clean its stores.

As a Minneapolis resident I’ve marched in the frigid streets alongside Luciano and other immigrants and low-wage workers who are risking everything to demand fair wages to feed their families. After years of relentless organizing they’ve convinced almost every major retailer in the Twin Cities–except Home Depot–to adopt Responsible Contractor Policies for the janitors who clean their stores.

As my community is subjected to the Super Bowl corporate take-over this weekend we ask for your solidarity as we look beyond the bright lights and flashy ads and demand justice for low-wage workers and immigrants.

In solidarity,

Ethan Nuss
Senior Organizer
Rainforest Action Network

P.S. You can follow today’s action at Home Depot in Minneapolis on Facebook and Twitter.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What You Need to Know About the Solar Tariffs

02/03/2018 Nativegrl77

THE SOLAR TARIFFS

Learn what President Trump’s solar tariff decision means for Americans and the future of our planet.

LEARN MORE

Dear Friends

Last week, President Trump announced new tariffs on imported solar panels and cells under the guise of protecting American jobs.

What does this decision mean?

The US solar industry relies on imports for about 80 percent of the panels it installs across the country. The 30 percent hit on imports after the first 2.5 GW exempted each year is a big one, and it’s going to make solar more expensive for everyday Americans – and could lead to many American solar workers losing their jobs.

READ THE FULL STORY

How much more expensive will solar panels be?

GTM Research looked at the final ruling and projected that a 30 percent tariff will add $0.10/watt on average in the first year (stepping down in future years). All told, this translates into roughly an 11 percent net reduction in US solar installations through 2022, representing about 1.2 million homes that now won’t be powered by solar.

What’s the bottom line?

The new solar tariffs will make solar more expensive in the US and cost American jobs. All while failing to spur more domestic manufacturing and slowing our response to the climate crisis.

That’s bad for American workers, bad for the economy, and bad for our planet.

Ready to learn more? Read our full blog post on what the solar tariffs means for Americans and the future of our planet.

– Your friends at Climate Reality