*Ten fights on global warming now that the Senate will do nothing*
* Beyond the Senate * [image: 10 Things]
Dear Friend,
Legislation to explicitly fight global warming is dead — weakened and then
killed in the Senate. Environmental groups fought hard to push the bill. A
majority of Americans and a majority of senators wanted to do something
serious. Not this year. Sen. Harry Reid announced last week that he could
not find 60 votes for what had already become a weak, compromised piece of
legislation, so no vote would be held. Oil and gas companies and their
friends in the Senate- all the Republicans and a number of key Democrats
such as Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia, Sen. Lincoln of Arkansas, and
Sen. Conrad of North Dakota — got their wish. No action on global warming.
We know the planet is heating rapidly and that the consequences, already
visible, will get much worse for every year we postpone action to slow, and
then radically reduce, greenhouse gas emissions. At CREDO, we are
enthusiastic proponents of tough action on global warming but had decidedly
mixed feelings about all the compromises, backroom deals, special
incentives, and loopholes that worked their way into the Kerry-Lieberman
attempt to get to 60 votes.
The reality that we must face is that there are not 60 votes in the Senate
for even minimally acceptable global warming legislation. Not this year and
definitely not in the next few years.
But for us, unlike the Senate, no action is not an option. We have to
change the battlefield because we must make progress.
Fortunately, there are a great many fights to be engaged, now that energy
and resources are no longer focused on the dysfunctional U.S. Senate. We
have compiled a short list — ten for simplicity — of work you can join in
right now. You are all needed as each fight below is a tough one-but not as
tough as passing strong legislation through the Senate!
You can join with us and other aggressive groups to work beyond the Senate:
1. Defend, at all costs, the ability of President Obama's EPA to regulate
carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act either temporarily (as proposed by
Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia) or permanently (Sen. Murkowski). The
imminent attack is coming from Sen. Rockefeller. Click here to take action
now: credoaction.com/campaign/stop_rockefeller_2/
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5853&t=4>
2. Fight FOX News, the leading purveyor of lies about global warming. The
blowhards at FOX are confusing tens of millions of people every day. Nobody
fights FOX better than Media Matters. Keep up with them at:
mediamatters.org/topic/onlyonfox/
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5843&t=5>
3. Decisively defeat Prop 23 in California, the malicious attempt by Texas
oil companies-like Valero-to eliminate California's pioneering global
warming legislation — which is already in place and much stronger than
anything considered by the Senate. This is a national battle. Join the
campaign at: stopdirtyenergyprop.com/
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5844&t=6>
4. Eliminate the Senate filibuster. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico will
propose this in January. Join the fight at:
credoaction.com/campaign/senate_fix/
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5854&t=7>
5. Block all new coal-fired power plants — there is no such thing as clean
coal. We love the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign — they are fighting
individual plants and changing the rules at: sierraclub.org/coal/
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5846&t=8>
6. Eliminate the $75 million cap on oil company liability for oil spills
and raise the damage fee from its current nickel a barrel to something
serious — at $10 per barrel. Ask President Obama to take this bold action
at: credoaction.com/campaign/tax_oil/index2.html
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5855&t=9>
7. Urge EPA to adopt tough standards on reducing mercury poisoning from
coal — a leading source of brain damage for infants. Join the Sierra Club
and submit an official public comment to the EPA to protect communities from
mercury in toxic coal ash at:
secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4409
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5848&t=10>
8. Stop the practice of mountaintop removal mining, which literally blows
off the tops of mountains in Appalachia and dumps the waste into streams. We
like the approach of Rainforest Action Network — take action
at:ran.org/content/epa-appoves-new-mtr-permit-demand-mountaintop-removal-mi ning-be-abolished
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5850&t=11>
9. Block the import of filthy oil produced by the huge Canadian Tar Sands
development, which requires a 2000-mile pipeline into the United States. The
fine folks at 1Sky are fighting to convince Sec. of State Hillary Clinton
not to issue the required State Department approval.
1sky.org/blog/2010/07/stop-the-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline
<http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5851&t=12>
10. Put solar panels back on the White House. Reagan took them down, and
neither Clinton nor Obama have restored them. Check out 350.org's campaign
at: putsolaron.it/whitehouse/ <http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=5852&t=13>
Okay, so the last one is not as big a deal — but wouldn't it provide a
little inspiration if President Obama installed a highly visible solar array
on the White House with the components made in the United States? We have a
lot of fighting to do if we are going to save ourselves, and every little
bit of presidential leadership is welcome.