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President Obama urges Congress to extend the middle class income tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses without delay, making it clear that a balanced approach to deficit reduction means that Republicans in Congress must agree to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay higher tax rates.
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Unleash Clean Power
The Union of Concerned Scientists has a practical plan to cut U.S. oil use in half over the next 20 years, which will save billions of dollars each year, dramatically cut global warming emissions, and ease many other serious problems, including oil spills, the high cost of oil and gas price spikes, and health threats from air pollution that have become the all-too-familiar face of oil.
A key piece of that plan is cleaner fuels. Imagine a future where the fuel in our cars and the electricity that powers our homes and businesses come from fast-growing grasses and agricultural and other wastes, which can serve as non-food sources of biofuel or bioenergy. This future may not be far off if we put smart policies in place to spur growth in this emerging industry.
In the coming weeks, an innovative company—INEOS Bio—will begin producing clean fuel and electricity from vegetative waste at a first-of-its-kind biorefinery. And this plant is just the beginning. Our new report, The Promise of Biomass, finds that, by 2030, we could sustainably produce enough non-food bioenergy to make four times the corn ethanol produced in the United States in 2010, or nearly 20 percent of total U.S. power consumption that year.
But the policies that have set the stage for clean bioenergy to become a large-scale power source are under attack from the fossil fuel industry and its allies, who profit handsomely from the status quo. If Congress fails to act, a key policy supporting production of clean bioenergy from sustainable, non-food sources will expire at the end of 2012, slowing the development of this burgeoning industry at a critical time.
Choose a clean power future.
Urge your member of Congress to promote innovation by extending production tax credits for clean, non-food-based fuels and renewable electricity.
Sincerely,
Rachel Cohen
National Field Organizer
Clean Vehicles Program
Union of Concerned Scientists
Over the last week we’ve asked you what $2,000 more in taxes would mean to you and your family, and we’ve already received more than 370,000 responses — including one from Tiffany.
Today, President Obama will meet Tiffany and her family in their Northern Virginia home, where he’ll talk more about why it is so important for Congress to pass the middle-class tax cuts before the end of the year, both for families like hers and our economy.
Meet Tiffany, and find out why $2,000 means so much to her family.
Continuing the Progress in Tribal Communities
Yesterday, President Obama hosted the 2012 White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Department of Interior. This conference continued to build upon the President’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian Country
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Dear Friend of the Museum,I want to thank you for making 2012 an exciting year of progress for the Museum.
It has been a busy, productive year.
Of course, the biggest event over the past 12 months was our groundbreaking in February. It was marked by a special ceremony attended by President and Mrs. Obama, and featured speeches by the President and other dignitaries. This event stands as one of our major milestones and accomplishments thus far. Today, our future site on the National Mall is a hive of activity. The bulldozers, backhoes and other construction equipment are drawing a lot of attention from people visiting the Capitol, the national monuments, and the museums that line the Mall. I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are knowing that in 2015, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will open its doors and take its place among the great family of Smithsonian institutions — provided we continue to progress on schedule. Your support is vital to the Museum. Now, before we ring in the New Year, I hope you will consider making a special year-end contribution and help ensure we stay on schedule. Remember, your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law — so, while you are helping the Museum, you are benefiting with a tax deduction, too. Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the best in the coming year. Thank you for your kind generosity to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture — and for making this dream a reality.
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 A secret deal could allow China’s energy companies to take over an enormous toxic oil reserve with devastating consequences for the planet. A lawsuit is our big chance to stop it. Click to chip in and Avaaz will only process your donation if we raise enough money to make this important case happen :
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Right now, the tar sands, a toxic oil reserve almost the size of Saudi Arabia’s but over 3 times as dangerous for climate change, sits landlocked in Northern Canada. People power has twice blocked new pipelines into this poison, but now we have a bigger challenge.
A new trade deal, negotiated in secret with China, could allow China’s companies to take over the tar sands and sue the Canadian government if it hampers their exploitation with environmental or health laws. Canada’s right-wing Prime Minister is an oil-man with a history of climate-denial, and he’s using this tactic to bypass democracy, with potentially devastating consequences for the planet.
Our big chance to stop this is that the deal may not be legal. It’s likely to be signed in the coming days or weeks and we need to be ready to hit back when that happens. If 20,000 of us pledge now to help hire outstanding lawyers and fund research and public campaigning, we can be sure to hit the ground running when the government acts — Avaaz will only process the pledge if we get enough to make this important case happen. Our climate is already under grave threat, and tar sands could push it over the edge. Pledge now to defend the planet:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/canada_fipa_pledge_en_nrc/?biEWLbb&v=19706
Tar sands oil would harm all of us: The emissions from this dirty oil are up to 35% greater than regular crude oil, the process for getting it out of the ground alone emits three times the pollution, and the production of one gallon of oil poisons up to 35 gallons of fresh water. Not to mention that the exposure of another huge oil reserve would skyrocket the destruction of our planet.
That’s why experts and campaigners all over joined the fight to stop pipelines from being built in the US and Canada that would unlock this toxic sludge from the ground. Now those hard-fought victories could be wiped out.
We have already reached out to one of the top constitutional law firms in Canada and they are standing by to help us fight this dirty deal. But it’s going to take a powerful legal fund to stand up to the government’s deep pockets, campaign to win in the court of public opinion and make sure we keep dirty oil in the ground. Let’s all pledge our support now. Then, if the deal goes through, we’ll be able to get started right away defending our planet in Canada’s courts. Chip in to join the fight for our planet:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/canada_fipa_pledge_en_nrc/?biEWLbb&v=19706
We’ve taken on the Canadian government before, and won — striking a blow against a Fox News-style television network and beating back attempts to stop Canadian Avaaz members from campaigning during federal elections. This is our chance to win a battle for the entire world’s survival against a trade deal that threatens our water, air and land.
With hope and determination
Dalia, Ricken, Emma, Morgan, Rewan, Ari, Grant and the rest of the Avaaz team
MORE INFORMATION:
Chinese FIPA now a lose-lose proposition (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/OPINION+Chinese+FIPA+lose+lose+proposition/7545141/story.html
What if the Canada-China investment treaty is unconstitutional? (The Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/what-if-the-canada-china-investment-treaty-is-unconstitutional/article4629972/
Even Canada doesn’t believe its own spin on tar sands (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/dec/20/oil-sands-tar-canada-uk-lobbying-emissions
Canadian Government: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Tar Sands May Double by 2020 (Think Progress)
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/08/08/291116/canadian-government-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-tar-sands-will-double-by-2020/
Background: Environmental Impacts of Tar Sands Development (Sierra Club)
http://www.sierraclub.org/energy/factsheets/tarsands.asp
Be a Seed for Change 
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