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Is this the future of Ecuador’s Yasuní-ITT? |
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In 2007, Ecuador pledged to refrain from oil drilling in the Amazon’s Yasuni National Park in exchange for financial compensation from several foreign governments. The so-called Yasuni-ITT initiative, named for the park’s Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini oil fields, which together contain some 846 million barrels of heavy crude, sought to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, prevent deforestation and protect one of the world’s most biodiverse areas. To offset the renounced revenue, then estimated at over $7 billion, Ecuador requested $3.6 billion to be paid over a period of 13 years by some of the world’s richest nations. It was the first time a country had proposed keeping such a large reserve permanently in the ground. The initiative, managed through a trust fund administered by the United Nations Development Program, was popular in Ecuador. But in 2013, with only $13 million in cash raised, President Rafael Correa pulled the plug. Last month, the same week Mr. Correa condemned Chevron for its toxic legacy in Ecuador’s northern Amazon, the Environment Ministry approved plans for drilling in Yasuni by Petroamazonas, a subsidiary of state-run Petroecuador. The first crude could flow by early 2016. |
Tag Archives: democrats
California Legislature passes $156.4-billion 2014-15 budget
Los Angeles Times | June 15, 2014 | 6:23 PM
The Legislature on Sunday passed a $156.4-billion budget, approving new funding for preschool, the bullet train and welfare payments. The budget includes a plan for eliminating the shortfall in the teacher pension fund.
For the latest information go to www.latimes.com.
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Key teacher job protections violate California’s constitution, judge rules
An L.A. County Superior Court judge ruled today that key job protections for California teachers violate the state’s constitution.
The ruling came in a lawsuit challenging laws governing the process for laying off, granting tenure and dismissing teachers.
A Silicon Valley-based group called Students Matter brought the lawsuit on behalf of nine students, contending the targeted laws hinder the removal of ineffective teachers and disproportionately hurt low-income and minority students.
For the latest information go to www.latimes.com.
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Reduce Jacob’s charges to misdemeanor possession instead of life
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Jacob Lavoro is a teenager facing life in prison for baking marijuana brownies in Round Rock, Texas. He’s a young man who has never been in trouble with the law before, and has always been a great kid who we love very much. I started the petition because I live in the same city as Jacob Lavoro and I felt a responsibility to help stand up for him. Our county has a history of excessively punishing minor crimes or even innocent people to “send a message” that has little do with justice or the best interests of the community. In this case, the sentencing rules are being abused and stretched to increase a punishment that does not fit the allegations. The police apparently included the full weight of the brownies: flour, sugar, water, etc and the plastic containers that held them to determine the weight of the illegal hash oil used to bake the brownies. If our petition can convince Jana Duty, the District Attorney in Williamson County, to follow through on her campaign promises to clean up Williamson County’s justice system and offer alternative sentencing options then we hope that there will be justice for Jacob Lavoro and that county residents can breathe easier under a less oppressive atmosphere. If Jacob Lavoro receives a harsh sentence, it will destroy this young man’s life and leave a permanent mark of injustice in Williamson County, Texas. Please join us today to stand up against unfair sentencing and ruining a young man’s life. Sign and share the petition today! |
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