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Rights Versus Resources in the Amazon
Tar sands, hydraulic fracking, deep water drilling. All are examples that we are living in the age of extreme oil. With most major reserves of traditional crude found or tapped, the industry is encroaching into some of the most geologically-complicated, environmentally-risky and socially-conflictive terrain than ever before. As the price of crude hovers at $100, companies are eager to get at what was once impossible crude, much to the peril of people and the planet. In some cases, this means pursuing non-conventional sources of oil, once technologically or financially out of reach, but now lucrative, despite being more energy intensive to extract than the final crude produced. In other cases, this means attempting to access “shut in” reserves – oil fields trapped by local resistance or above-ground ecological importance. There is no greater example of this clash than what is playing out in the forests of Ecuador’s Amazon. There is a new oil boom underway, fuelled by the country’s rising debt, China’s energy demands, Ecuador’s leftist government’s plans to finance its “citizen’s revolution”, and the massive increase in public spending with expanded drilling. |
Tag Archives: Congress
Ensuring 2014 is a Year of Action to Grow the Economy
Promise Zones: The President announced on Thursday the first five “Promise Zone” locations, an initiative to partners with local communities and businesses to create jobs, expand access to educational opportunities and spur economic mobility.
President Obama was joined in the East Room by students from Harlem Children’s Zone, an educational undertaking that inspired the Promise Zones, where he spoke about the importance of making sure a child’s path isn’t determined by their zip code, but rather by their hard work and determination. In his speech, the President mentioned how he wasn’t so different from one of the students who has benefitted from the Harlem Children’s Zone.
“If you want to know why I care about this stuff so much, it’s because I’m not that different from Roger,” President Obama said.
There was a period of time in my life where I was goofing off. I was raised by a single mom. I didn’t know my dad. The only difference between me and Roger was my environment was more forgiving than his. That’s the only difference. If I screwed up, the consequences weren’t quite as great. So if Roger can make it, and if I can make it, if Kiara can make it, every kid in this country can make it.
The Promise Zones, located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, are the first of 20 being launched over the next three years.
Extending Emergency Unemployment Insurance: On Tuesday, President Obama called on Congress to extend emergency unemployment insurance. Two weeks ago, Congress failed to renew the vital lifeline that temporarily extends insurance for 1.3 million Americans who are currently looking for work. “Now, I’ve heard the argument that says extending unemployment insurance will somehow hurt the unemployed because it zaps their motivation to get a new job,” the President said.
I really want to go at this for a second. That really sells the American people short…I can’t name a time where I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job. The long-term unemployed are not lazy. They’re not lacking in motivation. They’re coping with the aftermath of the worst economic crisis in generations.
The President noted that this insurance is not an abstraction but rather a way to provide a bit of extra security, so that losing your job doesn’t mean you lose everything you’ve worked to build.
Affordable Care Act: This week, a new report showed that the growth of health care spending is continuing to slow, and Dr. Biden shared her personal connection to the fight against breast cancer to help highlight a new announcement about no-cost chemoprevention medication for women at high risk of the disease.
Since January 1, Americans across the country who signed up for health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces have new access to quality and affordable health coverage. Read one man’s story as well as stories from 10 others who have received coverage and what it means to them.
We the Geeks: It was a big week for “We the Geeks,” which hosted two Google+ hangouts, one on the future of computing and the other on the polar vortex. Scientists and tech experts answered your pressing questions on computing advancements and climate change. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out this video that explains the polar vortex in two minutes and why climate change means more extreme weather is likely in the future. Want to know about future “We the Geeks” hangouts? Make sure to sign up for email updates here.
Strengthening our Nation’s Energy Infrastructure: On Thursday, the President signed a memorandum that established the first federal government Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) process. Throughout the next four years, the QER will provide a review of federal energy policies and make sure they are keeping up with the changing energy landscape.
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This amendment could kill food safety
U.S. Congress: Stop the King Amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill
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Right now, a House and Senate conference committee is hashing out the details of the 2013 Farm Bill.
Within the House version of the bill is an amendment offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) that has the potential to wipe out states’ rights to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The amendment includes sweeping language about states’ rights to regulate food and farming, and could nullify a wide range of state and local measures regarding food safety, labeling, environmental requirements, humane treatment of farm animals, labor standards, and other important issues.
The amendment could also overturn current bans on dangerous agricultural chemicals like methyl iodide, and allow a flood of these pesticides into our food supply.
But there’s still time to keep this dangerous amendment out of the final version of the Farm Bill. Please sign and share our petition today!
To read more about this flawed and potentially disastrous amendment, click here.
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VA punishing veterans in debt?
The Department of Veterans Affairs: Change Medical Debt Policies; Stop Punishing Veterans with Debt
By Bob Gardner
W. Warwick, Rhode Island
The way that the Department of Veterans Affairs collects medical debts from veterans is unacceptable. As a disabled veteran trying to pay my medical bills and get treatment, I struggle every day to navigate a backwards system that creates unnecessary stress for veterans, produces significant paper waste, and punishes veterans trying to pay off their debt.
Here’s how the current system works: When a veteran like me makes a payment, it is applied to the oldest invoice on record, instead of being applied to the most current invoice. The vast majority of healthcare companies in America do the opposite – they pay off new invoices first and use any remainder to pay down debt. Paying new invoices first allows patients to pay down debt without going into more. But the Department of Veteran’s Affairs’ backward system makes it really hard for vets to ever catch up on payments.
When veterans have debt, they must submit a complete 3+ page paper financial statement every 90 days for every facility they go to, otherwise the Department of Veterans Affairs seizes the veteran’s total disability payment as well as 20% of any other federal income that the veteran is receiving, like Social Security Disability Insurance payments.
Filling out these forms every 90 days puts an unnecessary burden on our veterans, violates the intent of the Paperwork Reduction Act, and means that if a veteran misses getting his/her financial statements in on time just once, the government can seize that person’s income.
The VA needs to fix this broken system so that veterans can pay off their medical debt like other Americans and keep the income they need to live.
I propose that payments made on a veteran’s debt be applied to the newest invoices first, with the excess going to older debt, so that the new debt doesn’t age past the 90 day limit every 90 days. This is how most healthcare companies in America address debt. Also, a website should be set up so that the veteran can update just the information that has changed since his/her last financial statement once per year.
These changes would improve financial freedom, reduce stress for veterans who have served their country, comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, reduce waste, and save filing space in the Department of Veterans Affairs offices. Join me in asking the Department of Veteran’s affairs to change their medical debt collection policies.
“Any nation that does not honor its heros will not long endure” – Abraham Lincoln
“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
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A Traffic Study?
10 Must-Read Stories On The Christie Bridge Scandal
Here are ten items on the developing controversy directly implicating New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s senior staff to a petty case of political retribution.
- Timeline of Port Authority’s George Washington Bridge controversy: A detailed timeline of the scandal dating back to August 2013.
- Bridge Closures Led To Emergency Response Delays, Disrupted Treatment For 91-Year-Old Woman Who Died: Of the four medical situations that emergency personnel reportedly had difficulty responding to due to the unannounced bridge closures, one involved an unconscious elderly woman who later died at the hospital.
- The Four Key Questions Chris Christie Didn’t Answer at His Press Conference: The New Jersey Governor certainly talked a lot at his 115 minute press conference this morning. But there are still unanswered questions that won’t make this controversy just go away.
- Stories Add Up as Bully Image Trails Christie: The bridge scandal isn’t the first time that Christie has been dogged by reports of bullying and political retribution.
- Christie Appointee Pleads The Fifth Before State Committee In Bridge Fiasco: After losing a bid in court to avoid testifying earlier in the day, David Wildstein, the former Port Authority director of interstate capital projects, refused to answer any questions about the bridge controversy.
- Why Conservatives Aren’t Rushing To Chris Christie’s Defense: Christie has been at odds with his party’s right wing since the final days of the 2012 campaign, and now conservatives are delighting in the political scandal.
- Here’s Proof That Governor Christie Is Still Misleading The Public On Bridge Scandal: What’s that again about this being a traffic study?
- Christie Administration May Have Violated Public Records Law: Emails disclosed Wednesday raise questions about whether the Christie administration complied with a public-records request filed by The Bergen Record last month.
- After Christie Firing, Schundler Fires Back: In 2010, Christie fired his Education Commissioner, Bret Schundler, for supposedly lying to him. Schundler says he had told Christie exactly what Christie said the commissioner had not. Was Christie himself lying? “It’s hard to understand how when you gave the correct information you end up being asked to resign,” said Schundler.
- Christie’s Carefully Devised, No-Nonsense Image in Peril: Christie’s brand in Republican politics to this point has been driven by a desire to transcend partisan rancor and petty politics in the service of the public good.
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