Tag Archives: Obama Administration

If you’ve filled up your gas tank recently, you don’t need the newspapers to tell you gas prices are on the rise. But oil and gas prices are in the news, and politicians are grabbing headlines with plans that they claim will bring immediate relief at the pump. But these plans always fall short while real, long-term solutions are often missing from the conversation.

There is no “silver bullet” solution to high gas prices, but there are practical steps we can take to begin the transition from our oil-based transportation system. As a driver, you can take simple steps to cut down on your fill-ups, if you haven’t already. As a citizen, you can push for a plan to cut projected U.S. oil use in half in 20 years. These steps will help insulate us all from even higher prices as we scrape increasingly expensive and dirty oil from the bottom of the barrel.

Oil companies are working hard to maintain the status quo because they are profiting more than ever at the expense of the American public. We must push back and demand a transportation system that works for us—one that is powered by less oil and more American innovation through the development of electric cars, advanced biofuels, and better transportation options.

The Obama administration has taken action to cut U.S. oil use by moving forward with strong new fuel efficiency and global warming emissions standards. This is an important piece of the puzzle, but we can and must do more. We need a combination of smart federal policies and private sector innovation to expand consumer transportation choices and cut U.S. oil use in half in 20 years—and the Union of Concerned Scientists has a plan to do just that.

You can help get the story of real solutions out—submit a letter to the editor of your local paper today showing how we can cut our oil use through a national oil savings plan and how that will help your bottom line.

Take Action Today!

Sincerely,

Rachel Cohen
National Field Organizer
UCS Clean Vehicles Program

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

UCS Tell President Obama: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

03/12/2012 Nativegrl77

Protect Coffee from Climate Change
Post this video on the White House Facebook page today with a message about why YOU want climate actionnow.

Tell President Obama: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

I’ve got some bad news and good news.

The bad news: Global warming is threatening premium coffee crops in places like Ethiopia, India, and Costa Rica. Higher temperatures, drought and intense rainfall, and more resilient pests and plant diseases—all associated with global warming—have contributed to dramatically reduced coffee supplies and played a role in increasing coffee prices.

The good news? The Obama administration has the opportunity to protect our coffee from the effects of climate change! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on the verge of releasing draft standards that will limit global warming emissions from new power plants. These historic new standards will not only help save your cup of coffee, they will help us avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change and move us toward a cleaner, more modern electricity system.

But the Obama administration is under enormous pressure from dirty energy companies to release weak standards that will do little to nothing to protect our health and environment. Fortunately, people are standing up to these tactics and calling for climate action. Activists like you sent us their “mug shots,” and we’ve compiled a video demonstrating that global warming is already affecting our everyday lives and people are demanding climate action.

Tell President Obama to protect coffee from the effects of climate change by posting this video on the White House Facebook page today, with a message about why YOU want climate action now.

The Obama administration needs to hear that dirty energy companies don’t represent your interests. By posting this video on the White House Facebook page, you’ll make a public statement to the White House and your friends and family that the president should ensure that the EPA finalizes strong global warming standards this year.

Take Action Now!

Sincerely,

Chrissy Elles
Outreach Associate
UCS Climate & Energy Program

Black History

On Contraceptive Coverage, We Need Your Voice …Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

02/09/2012 Nativegrl77

Last week, together we secured a victory against efforts that would have harmed women’s health. After hearing from women and men across the country, Susan G. Komen for the Cure reversed its decision to stop funding breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health clinics. When people come together to protect access to critical women’s health services, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

But opponents of women’s health are at it again. They’re attacking the recent Obama administration decision to make contraception widely available to women without co-pays. Help us push back on these attacks on affordable access to birth control — tell the Obama administration you support no-cost birth control by signing the petition on the White House website.

The Administration’s decision did give 335,000 houses of worship exemptions from providing this critical coverage to their employees. But contraception opponents aren’t satisfied with that and want to take away contraceptive coverage to millions of women. They are filling the airwaves and editorial pages with messages opposing contraception coverage for women who need it to protect their health and the health of their families. We can’t let them shout us down!

We need your help! Thank the Obama administration for moving women’s health forward and for making no-cost birth control a reality. The Obama administration has committed to responding to petitions that collect 25,000 signatures on its website, and while we’re closing in on that number, opponents of birth control have already surpassed it with their own petition. They don’t want you covered, but we won’t be silent!

It takes just a few minutes to add your name to the petition on the White House “We The People” website

—Create your own account on WhiteHouse.gov, which allows you to sign petitions.

— Once you’ve created an account, look for an email with the subject line “Almost done! Verify your WhiteHouse.gov account.”

–Click the link to verify your account, sign in, and then click “Sign This Petition.”

Don’t forget, once you’ve signed, forward the petition to your friends!

We’ve been telling you for months, but it bears repeating: contraception is more than about preventing pregnancy— it also has proven health benefits that improve women’s health. Women must have access to affordable birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the timing and size of their families, and protect their health. Nearly all sexually active women in the U.S., regardless of their religious beliefs, use contraception at some point in their lives.

All women should have access to contraception, have it without a co-pay, and have it no matter where they work. But, opponents of birth control don’t want you covered, and we can’t let them sway public opinion — sign the petition on the White House website supporting this big step forward for women’s health.

You helped before and we won.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Update on Keystone XL … James Kvaal – Policy Director, BarackObama.com

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

I wanted to make sure you heard the news: Earlier today, the State Department denied the permit to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

President Obama had made clear that a project of this magnitude — with high stakes for public health, the environment, and our country’s energy supply — needed a thorough review. But Republicans in Congress demanded an up-or-down decision in just 60 days, cutting short a process that was already under way with an unreasonable deadline.

Our opponents have some powerful friends in the oil industry, and they’re fighting back hard.

Say you stand with the Obama administration’s effort to protect the environment, develop our natural resources responsibly, and create jobs:

http://my.barackobama.com/Keystone-XL

Get the full story here.

Thanks,

James

James Kvaal
National Policy Director
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

BREAKING: Administration takes step forward with family unity waiver

01/06/2012 Nativegrl77

New procedure change could keep more families together

Last month, we resolved to make 2012 the year for immigrant families — the year we show our united strength to defend our communities from the threats of the broken, unjust American immigration system.Today, the administration is proposing changes that would keep hundreds of thousands of families together.Imagine this scenario: your father leaves home to apply for his US visa — and finds himself barred from returning. Or your wife, finalizing her application to gain a visa, is stuck waiting months across the border, with no form of recourse.

Situations like these are reality for hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their families. It’s a catch-22 in the American immigration system: if you return to your country of origin to apply for a visa, you trigger a bar of 3 or even 10 years that prevents you from coming back to the US.

The administration is proposing family unity waivers that would allow spouses and children of US citizens to file for visas while remaining in the US.

Today’s announcement is welcome news. This reform could prevent parents from missing a decade of their children’s lives, and spouses from facing years without the support and care of their partners. There’s nothing abstract about potentially sparing hundreds of thousands of individuals from being separated from their families for years.

With hope,

Donna De La Cruz
Reform Immigration FOR America