The EPA ignored its own scientists on water contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exists to protect our environment and keep our land, water, air, and health safe.

But when the EPA’s own scientists found evidence that fracking was contaminating water, the EPA stopped or slowed down its scientists’ work in three states.¹

Why would the EPA back away from its own science?

Simple. Fierce pressure from industry and politicians interfering at every step—from a former Democratic governor reportedly hired by drilling industries to pressure the agency, to a U.S. Senator delaying scientists by demanding constant financial reports, even asking how many dollars were spent on individual lab tests.²

As the fracking boom continues, the EPA can expect even more interference. We can’t sit by and watch. We’re looking for 750 new UCS members to stand up this month to help counter misinformation, demand accountability, protect whistleblowers, and defend our health.

Become a UCS member now.

The future of fracking isn’t our only concern. UCS members are standing up for science on multiple fronts:

Stopping the attacks on clean vehicles. The Obama administration has proposed aggressive reductions in vehicle pollutants, but the oil and gas industry is trying to stall them, spreading misinformation about the costs of cleaner fuels.³ UCS’s efforts have already generated more than 50,000 letters this year to the EPA and Congress from members and supporters on the issue.

Fighting back against Big Coal. Coal companies and Fox News are up in arms about the Obama administration’s proposed carbon standards, which would finally retire most of the oldest coal-fired plants. As climate deniers spread misinformation about a “War on Coal,” UCS members and experts are spreading the facts about clean energy’s environmental and economic benefits—while pushing the Obama Administration to stand strong.⁴

We’re also making waves with our groundbreaking Ripe for Retirement report, which makes the economic case for closing 353 coal-fired power plants. Since November, when we released our first report, 45 plants already have been slated for closure—we’re on the right track!

Whether it’s fracking, vehicle pollution, or coal, the Obama Administration and the EPA are often ready to do the right thing—but they need vocal support from scientists and the public at large. They need people like you to refute lies from the fossil fuel industry and fact-denying politicians. They need you to counteract the millions of dollars being spent to convince the public that a future with clean energy isn’t possible.

Carmen, we need 750 people to stand up for transparency, accountability, and the sound use of science before September 30. Become a member now.

Help make sure all of our leaders—friend and foe—put science first in the national conversation about our energy and our health.

Thank you for being such a strong advocate for science—and for recommitting yourself with a gift to UCS today.

Sincerely, Kathleen Rest, PhD, MPA Executive Director

1. http://www.propublica.org/article/epas-abandoned-wyoming-fracking-study-one-retreat-of-many
2. Ibid.
3. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/29/17518351-epa-proposes-tighter-fuel-emissions-standards-could-push-price-of-gas-higher?lite
4. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/06/25/obama-declares-war-on-coal/

By CAP Action War Room

Another Successful Enrollment Report Underscores Importance Of Upcoming Supreme Court Ruling

More than 10.2 million people purchased insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act in the most recent sign-up period, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday. That number beats the 2015 goal of 9.1 million enrollees previously set by the Obama administration.

The millions of people enrolling and re-enrolling in plans through the insurance exchanges highlights once again that the ACA is working to deliver quality, affordable health care to those who need it. But it also serves as a stark reminder of the stakes surrounding the ruling in King v. Burwell that the Supreme Court is expected to hand down later this month.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers from the latest successful enrollment report, and what could happen if at least five Supreme Court Justices ignore the overwhelming evidence and strike down insurance subsidies for individuals on the federal exchange.

• 10.2 million: The number of Americans who have enrolled in quality, affordable coverage through the ACA’s marketplaces.
• 85 percent: The percentage of all enrollees receiving tax credits for their insurance premiums — 8.7 million people.
• 87 percent: The percentage of enrollees in the 34 states with federally-facilitated marketplaces receiving premium tax credits — 6.4 million people.
• $272: The average monthly tax credit for the 6.4 million enrollees in states with federally-facilitated marketplaces.
• 287 percent: The percent increase in enrollees’ average premium if the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell.

There are 6.4 million Americans who get insurance through HealthCare.gov (instead of a state-run marketplace) and qualify for tax subsidies to help them afford their coverage. Those people receive an average of $272 per month, scaled according to their income, to help them pay. A bad decision in King v. Burwell would remove that subsidy, almost tripling their premiums on average (for some, premiums could spike more than six times the amount they currently pay. A huge number of these people, no longer able to afford coverage, would become uninsured.

But they wouldn’t be the only ones affected. Such a shock to the marketplace would ricochet out and put the entire health insurance system into chaos, causing millions of others to see premiums increase and force health insurance to become unaffordable. All told, according to several studies, more than 8 million people would become uninsured and nearly 10,000 preventable deaths would occur each year.

Couldn’t Congress step in and help correct a terrible Supreme Court decision? That would be the responsible course of action, but we aren’t betting on it. With more than 50 votes to repeal the law, Republican Congressional leaders have been destructive, not constructive. And while conservatives continue to promise a “replacement” plan for the Affordable Care Act, they haven’t proposed any credible alternatives — all of them take us back to the broken system we had before. There’s no reason to expect that to change.

BOTTOM LINE: While we should all cheer another strong enrollment report showcasing the success of the Affordable Care Act, the stakes are only rising for the potential effects of a negative decision in King v. Burwell. Insurance coverage for millions of people hangs in the balance, and the Republican Congress is not offering any serious solutions for them if the Supreme Court chooses ideology over the facts.

Greenpeace India is under threat — and could be shut down permanently. Keep the environmental movement in India strong. Ask the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to support free speech in India.

I’m writing you today because Greenpeace India is fighting for survival.

India is poised to lead the world on tackling climate change and reducing poverty by showing we can move from dirty to clean, renewable energy.

But over the last few months, government authorities here have been doing everything they can to stop our work — from putting travel bans on our staff to blocking our bank accounts. So far, the courts have been on our side and these orders have been overturned.

The relief is only temporary.

That’s why I’m asking Greenpeace supporters like you from around the world to take action and call on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to support free speech in India.

Why is this happening? Over the last 15 years, Greenpeace India has had some important victories. Sometimes, we disagreed with the government too. This has now earned us the wrath of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The Indian home ministry seems determined to silence Greenpeace India’s work. Soon, the campaigns we’re running here to protect the forests, for clean air and against dirty energy could be scrapped.

Attacks on freedom of speech and democracy here in India — and it’s not just Greenpeace — threaten our ability to be a major force in tackling climate change and poverty. We need a strong environmental movement in India to solve the most pressing issues of our generation. We need a strong Greenpeace India.

I know this issue isn’t unique to India. Freedom of speech and the right to question powerful people is under threat all over the world. The United Nations helps protect these rights, so ordinary people can speak out and help find solutions to the problems facing our planet.

Please take action today and ask the UN Secretary General to speak up for free speech in India.

Since 2001 Greenpeace India has worked with communities all over India to safeguard our natural environment and better the lives of all our citizens:

• We worked with the forest community of Mahan to save the lands on which their livelihoods depend. Small communities that might otherwise not be heard worked together to take on the might of giant coal companies — and won.

• Together with the people of Dharnai, we’ve shown the possibilities of solar energy in India. A whole village now has electricity for the first time — clean, renewable electricity.

• And after a Greenpeace India investigations showed unsafe pesticides in tea, four major Indian tea producers agreed to phase out their use. Good for tea drinkers and the natural world.

Now instead of being rolled out all over India — and the world — projects such as Dharnai are facing the prospect of being shut down because government authorities are threatening our very right to exist.

Take action now to keep projects like Dharnai alive in India.

If we can’t continue to speak out against climate-wrecking companies, and help lead the fight for clean energy in India, so much will be lost.

I’m proud of our tradition of free speech in India. I’m proud of Greenpeace India. That’s why I’m asking you to join me in standing up for Greenpeace India and speaking up for freedom.

For Free Speech,

Samit Aich,
Director, Greenpeace India

P.S. Stand with Greenpeace India and for free speech by taking action today.

“Let’s leave the oil beneath the ground… the oil industry is destructive for indigenous society, non-indigenous society, the planet, and nature. It disrupts our indigenous worldview and destroys our ecosystems.”
– PatriciaGualingaKichwa leader ofSarayaku,EcuadorDear carmen,This week, world leaders are in Bonn, Germany for the latest round of climate negotiations. They are working on a draft version of a major United Nations agreement to control greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the Earth’s climate. But the fossil fuel industry and other global corporations that have a vested interest in stopping progress on climate policymaking continue to delay, weaken, and block climate policy at every level.

The only way we’ll get an international agreement to reduce emissions is to end the corporate interference that has derailed and watered down climate talks time and again.

Please join us, Corporate Accountability International and many other allied organizations to call on world leaders to kick big polluters out of policymaking. SIGN TODAY to join this call.

We are more than halfway to our goal of 250,000 signatures! They will be delivered in just a few days while the meetings are still under way. Sign today because if the United Nations is serious about finding real solutions to our increasingly urgent climate crisis, fossil fuels have to go.

For our global climate,

Paul Paz y Miño
Director of Outreach and Online Strategy