Tag Archives: Congress
President Obama announced TWO pieces of GREAT news
Sign on to support President Obama’s call to action:
Moments ago, President Obama endorsed the Elizabeth Warren-John Tierney plan to effectively lower student loan debt by allowing people to refinance their loans. Add your name to support the plan:
President Obama just announced TWO pieces of GREAT news:
1. President Obama is taking executive action to expand his “Pay As You Earn” student loan program to up to five million more Americans. That means millions of college graduates won’t be forced to pay more than 10% of their monthly income on student loan bills.
2. President Obama went one step further — he called on Congress to pass the Elizabeth Warren-John Tierney bill allowing graduates to refinance their student loans, and get cheaper rates. The measure is paid for by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share of taxes.
You can bet Republicans in Congress aren’t eager to support raising taxes on their billionaire backers — even if it helps college graduates struggling under crushing student loan debt.
That’s why we need to put the pressure on today — a vote could come as soon as this week.
Join President Obama: Help us reach 50,000 strong calling on Congress to pass the Elizabeth Warren-John Tierney Student Loan Reform Bill.
Carmen, click here to add your name >>
Thanks,
DCCC Breaking News
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No justice for Amazon massacre in Peru
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No Justice for Amazon Massacre in Peru Five years ago yesterday the Devil’s Curve earned its name. This wild stretch of highway outside the Peruvian town of Bagua was transformed from a peaceful protest site into a national tragedy now known as the Baguazo. Though the multi-week roadblock was due to disband that same day, militarized riot police entered by force in the early dawn and a deadly melee ensued. When the teargas and gunsmoke cleared, 34 people were dead and hundreds more wounded, including protesters and police officers. Today, 54 protesters and ostensible instigators are on trial for the infamous Baguazo. Government prosecutors have accused high-profile indigenous leaders of inciting their people to violence. Several indigenous representatives like Alberto Pizango, president of the Amazon-wide indigenous organization AIDESEP, face sentences of 35 years to life. |
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JPMorgan Chase dropping mountain destruction
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| Tell the Banks to Stop Financing Mountain Destruction |
This could be the tipping point for the horrific practice of Mountaintop Removal coal mining.
Just this week, JPMorgan Chase updated its environmental policy, revealing that it will be ending financial relationships with Mountaintop Removal coal mining companies.
Wells Fargo and BNP Paribas/Bank of the West have recently taken similar steps. If the other major banks commit to stop financing mountaintop removal, fossil fuel companies will have no choice but to end the obliteration of mountains and poisoning of communities for coal.
tell Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to stop financing Mountaintop Removal coal mining!
Mountaintop Removal (MTR) is a mining practice that uses explosives to literally blow the tops off mountains for the coal inside. The rubble is then pushed into streams and poisons the water supply for thousands of people. This is morally unacceptable and why many, many local communities in Appalachia, along with activists around the world, are taking a stand against MTR.
For more than five years, Rainforest Action Network members like you have demanded JPMorgan Chase and other banks drop MTR financing. And while we’ll have to remain vigilant to ensure JPMorgan Chase stays on the path away from MTR, the bank’s new policy demonstrates that your activism is working.
JPMorgan Chase will no longer be doing business with companies like Alpha Natural Resources—the worst of the worst when it comes to MTR. Last month, the EPA issued Alpha the largest water pollution discharge penalty in the history of the Clean Water Act. The company also faces ten lawsuits over water pollution at its MTR mines.;
JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, shows that the smart money is leaving companies like Alpha Natural Resources. Other major banks do not want to be singled out for continuing to support environmental destruction and poisoning communities.
Tell the banks to drop Alpha Natural Resources and adopt a policy to phase out MTR financing.
Our movement is truly turning the tide against MTR. Companies like Alpha Natural Resources need financing from big banks to continue the destruction. If we make sure the banks can’t hide their responsibility for keeping MTR alive, we can force them to act to protect their image.
JPMorgan Chase is acting to protect its image right now by moving out of MTR financing. Let’s use that momentum. Send the banks a message today and help end Mountaintop Removal coal mining once and for all.
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For healthy communities and a healthy ecosystem, |
Photo Credit: Kent Kessinger/Appalachian Voices
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Blair Mountain …
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Blair Mountain used to be an idyllic place in southwestern West Virginia where the hills rolled for miles. Blair is also a historical treasure—the mountain is the site of arguably the most important post-Civil War battlefield in the US. Now, Arch Coal is planning to decimate this historical treasure for the tiny seams of coal that lie beneath the mountain. This is mountaintop removal coal mining at its worst. These devastating coal mining practices could not happen without nine big banks (Bank of Montreal, BBVA, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial, Royal Bank of Scotland, Union Bank, and Bank of America as a lead lender) pumping $250 million dollars into keeping Arch coal afloat last November. Protect Blair Mountain and tell these 9 big bank CEOs to STOP funding Arch Coal. Blair used to be a thriving community of 700 people—and now has merely 50 residents because of the extreme dangers posed by existing mountaintop removal mines near the town. And the people who stayed behind live with constant dynamite blasts behind their town, carcinogenic dust rolling off the mine sites, and heavy metal contamination. Enough is enough. When bank financing enables Arch Coal to displace an entire community and wreack havoc on mother nature we cannot remain silent. If we want to protect the future of these communities and our climate we need to cut funding for coal.
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