Tag Archives: Washington D.C

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Union of Concerned Scientists


A Huge Show of Support for the Power Plant Standard The Environmental Protection Agency received more than 2.3 million comments in support of the carbon pollution standard, breaking its previous public comment record by leaps and bounds. Thank you for making history with us.

You Made History! The EPA Received a Record-Breaking Number of Comments in Support of the Carbon Pollution Standard

 

We all understand that carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels—the gasoline in our cars and coal in our power plants—are contributing to global warming. With so much of the country undergoing drought, heat waves, and other weather extremes, many are asking if climate change is playing a role.

The latest science studying extreme weather events over decades indicates strong evidence for links between climate change and extreme heat, intense precipitation, and droughts. It’s clear that the time for climate action is now.That’s why I’m so excited to say that, with your help, more than 40,000 UCS supporters submitted comments in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed standard to reduce carbon pollution from new power plants.

Not only did UCS surpass our goal of 40,000 comments, but together with a broad coalition of public health, environmental, labor, faith, and other organizations, we made history and broke a record! More than 2.3 million citizens across the country submitted comments to the EPA in support of the carbon pollution standard.

This is the most comments the EPA has ever received on a proposed standard, and demonstrates the widespread public support for the EPA’s efforts to protect our health and clean up dirty power plants. In addition, UCS staff and members of the UCS Science Network—including doctors, nurses, and economists—testified in support of the standard at hearings in Chicago and Washington, DC. We also released a letter from 372 public health professionals who back the EPA’s efforts to address climate change.

This was truly an unprecedented showing of support for action to limit carbon emissions from power plants. Now, we’re ready for the next step.

We expect the EPA to finalize its standard for new power plants this year and then to follow up with similarly strong standards to limit carbon pollution from existing power plants—like our nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal fired power plants—which accounts for about 40 percent of our global warming emissions.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers have already announced that they plan to introduce legislation to block or delay this historic standard as soon as it is finalized this year. But I know I can count on you to help defend the EPA’s standard from congressional attacks in the coming months.

Thank you for helping make this a big success! The EPA has heard loud and clear that the country is ready to meet the climate challenge—and that this is only the first, small step towards protecting our health and the environment from the impacts of global warming.

Sincerely,

Chrissy Elles Outreach Associate UCS Climate & Energy Program

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

HIV/AIDS


This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, Brad Kiley, Director of the Office of Management and Administration, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted his life.More

This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted his life.More

This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted her life.More

This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff to the First Lady, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted her life.More

This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, Grant Colfax, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted his life.More

This week, the 2012 International AIDS Conference is being held in Washington, D.C. The Conference provides an opportunity for Administration officials to reflect on the effect that HIV/AIDS has had in their own lives, and how far we’ve come in the fight against the terrible disease. Here, Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, shares how HIV/AIDS has personally impacted her life.More
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

$9 for Title IX …Fatima Goss Graves, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center
Title IX Helped Leia Brugger

                Please help NWLC support the law. Donate today.
Donate Now

You’ve recently seen two important NWLC initiatives trumpeting the successes of Title IX in its 40th year: the Faces of Title IX website and our new report evaluating the help schools give pregnant and parenting students. But despite the advances we’ve made since Title IX became law in 1972, we still have a long way to go before its promise of equal access to educational opportunities is a reality for everyone.
Please donate $9 today to support the Center’s work on Title IX and so many other issues important to women and families.
The nine stories on the “Faces” website illustrate how the law has helped people over the last four decades, whether it’s a student like Leia Brugger facing bullying in school, a young woman pressured to leave school after becoming pregnant or a teenage runner physically blocked by a race official. “Faces of Title IX” explains the law through powerful words and images.
Our comprehensive and well researched report on pregnant and parenting students, “A Pregnancy Test for Schools: The Impact of Education Laws on Pregnant and Parenting Students,” ranks all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on the extent to which their laws and policies help pregnant and parenting students succeed. Plus, it offers a toolkit for local action and recommendations for federal, state, and local policymakers and school officials.
The “Faces” site and the report on pregnant and parenting students work in concert: one shows you Title IX in action, while the other tells you how well schools and states are doing as they try to implement one of its most important provisions. Together, they reach the heart AND the head.
Help us produce vital resources like these: please donate $9 today to support the Center’s work on Title IX and so many other issues important to women and girls.
Thank you for all that you do on behalf of women and our families.
Sincerely,
Fatima Goss Graves Fatima Goss Graves Vice President for Education and Employment National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. Please support the Center’s work today — $9 will make a difference.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

President Obama and Commander in Chief


Apr 30, 2012 by    

President Obama speaks at the Building and Construction Trades Department Conference about creating good jobs for American workers, who can help our economy grow by rebuilding our nation’s roads, bridges, train tracks, and airports. April 30, 2012

Apr 28, 2012 by    

President Obama at the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Apr 28, 2012 by    

President Obama discusses a new Executive Order designed to crack down on the bad actors who prey on our veterans and service members considering higher education.

Apr 25, 2012 by    

President Obama discusses the importance of a college education and why higher education should be affordable for all students willing to work hard, and calls on Congress to stop interest rates on federal Stafford loans from doubling in July. April 24, 2012

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Turning the tide on HIV/AIDS … Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign


It’s hard to believe, but just three years ago, people with HIV were banned from entering the United States. You couldn’t visit a loved one, and becoming a citizen was out of the question.

Thanks to the hard work of HRC activists like yourself, we finally overturned the 22-year  ban, and now we’ve arrived at another big moment: the return of the International AIDS Conference to the United States.

The conference unites the world’s most prominent activists, researchers, and policy makers to chart a path forward on HIV/AIDS.

And as the conference gets underway, The AIDS Memorial Quilt will also return to Washington, DC – serving once again as a powerful reminder of loved ones lost to HIV/AIDS and as a potent signal of the work left to be done.

You can help mark this historic occasion by submitting a quilt panel to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS. Click here for instructions on how to submit your own panel, which we’ll put on display at our headquarters.

Just as we have in the past, HRC will host a portion of The AIDS Memorial Quilt – along with your panel – at our national headquarters in Washington, DC. If you’ve already submitted a panel in the past and would like it displayed at HRC this summer, let us know here.

HRC is also bringing experts together for a discussion titled Addressing Stigma in Transgender and other HIV-Vulnerable Communities prior to the conference kickoff.

The return of the International AIDS Conference to the U.S. marks the beginning of a new era of progress on HIV/AIDS. The travel ban might be gone, but fear, stigma, and misunderstanding remain.

All around the world and here at home, there are still far too many new cases and too many lives shattered by this disease. The conference and the poignant tribute of The AIDS Memorial Quilt will serve to connect important thought leaders and bring attention to this still-critical issue.

HRC is honored to be a part of it all, and I hope you’ll help us mark this important event.

Learn more about submitting a panel to The AIDS Memorial Quilt now. We’ll display your panel at HRC’s headquarters in Washington, DC. When you send it in, you’ll be joining with world-leading researchers, activists, and policy makers to help turn the tide against HIV/AIDS.

25 years ago, The AIDS Memorial Quilt helped inspire a movement that stemmed the tide of the epidemic. Now we need to revive that same spirit to meet these remaining challenges.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Still fighting,

Joe Solmonese President

P.S. Volunteers for the International AIDS Conference get free access to sessions and a whole lot of other great opportunities. To apply to volunteer or to learn more about the Conference click here.