Food and Water Watch & Common Dreams – 2017-07-21 00:26:35
https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/send-a-custom-email-to-your-senators-stop-the-trump-mcconnell-dirty-energy-bill
ACTION ALERT: Stop the Trump/McConnell Fracking Bill
Food and Water Watch
(July 20, 2017) — The US Senate is poised to make this hot, dirty summer even worse. As fossil-fueled heat waves bring wildfires, drought, and killer storms to the nation, Donald Trump continues to stack his administration with fossil-fuel lobbyists and climate change deniers. Now our allies on Capitol Hill warn us that Mitch McConnell will try to pass a pro-fracking, pro-drilling, pro-coal energy bill next week to give Trump and the Kochs a much-needed victory.
The Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, authored by Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington, would greatly expand fracking and natural gas infrastructure when we need to be moving at full speed to 100% renewable energy for 100% of the people. The Senate has bypassed committee hearings to avoid public scrutiny — just as they’ve been doing with the failed attempts to kill Obamacare.
This bill would:
* Expedite review of fracked gas export terminals, requiring a decision on such proposals within just 45 days of an environmental review. This will encourage more fracking, and create front-line sacrifice zones for the sake of overseas gas export and profit.
* Make the pro-industry Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the lead decision maker in authorizing all new interstate fracked gas infrastructure projects.
* Instruct the Bureau of Land Management to create a pilot program for expediting drilling and fracking permits.
* Authorize the discovery, development and extraction of methane hydrate deposits in US coastal waters.
* Authorize $3 billion in “clean coal” subsidies for the coal industry.
On top of that, the “Renewables” section of the bill doesn’t even mention solar or wind energy!
So far, not a single Democrat has come out against this frackers’ dream. For some reason, too many Senate Democrats still think they can be climate champions by compromising with Trump and with the laws of physics.
Only the intervention of impassioned and informed citizens can slow down this carbon catastrophe. We’ve teamed up with DailyKos on a tool that allows you to write a personalized letter directly to your Senators. These personal letters are an important way to show our members of Congress we are watching these critical votes and urging them to do the right thing.
ACTION: Please email your senators today to say: Reject the dirty energy bill S. 1460!
Tell your senators: Reject S. 1460.
Whether your senators are Democrats or Republicans, it’s important to contact them so they know that the American people will hold them accountable.
Your fellow climate hawk,
Brad Johnson
ACTION: Stop the Trump-McConnell Dirty Energy Bill!
Mitch McConnell is bypassing Senate procedure to ram a terrible dirty energy bill through Congress. And he’s hoping to sneak it in during the Trumpcare chaos. S 1460 would expedite approval for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities to ship more fracked gas abroad. It would enable more pipelines. On top of that, the “Renewables” section of the bill doesn’t even mention solar or wind energy! What?!
This is an energy bill for an entirely different reality from ours. In our actual world, we cannot afford to produce more fossil fuels; they must stay in the ground. Climate change is already having disastrous impacts. We need to transition to 100% renewable energy, and quickly.
Yet Trump and McConnell don’t give a f*ck about us or this planet, just profit. Luckily, many of our senators can block this, but they need to hear from us. We cannot let this bill pass.
Please email your senators today to say: Reject the Trump-McConnell dirty energy bill!
350+ Groups Oppose Dirty Senate Energy Bill
That Would Promote Fossil Fuels, Pollute Air
and Water, and Hasten Climate Chaos
Common Dreams
Letter to Sen. Schumer Demands Democrat
Opposition to Industry-Backed Bill
Food and Water Watch
WASHINGTON – As the Senate considers a broad energy policy package that would encourage increased fossil fuel extraction and consumption, more than 350 national, statewide and local groups sent a letter to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer today calling on him to lead opposition to the bill — S. 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 — and ultimately prevent its passage.
The letter, organized by the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, states in part:
“No energy legislation is better than bad energy legislation that serves to increase our dependence on dirty fossil fuel production instead of building on successful policies to expand clean energy sources . . . . We find it astounding that any energy bill could contain a ‘Renewables’ subtitle but not include provisions on solar and wind energy.”
The letter is signed by notable national organizations including: Food & Water Watch, League of Women Voters, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America, CREDO, Working Families Party, Friends of the Earth and Center for Biological Diversity.
“This energy bill is long-term commitment pledge between America and the fossil fuel industry, and it will hasten our reckless advance toward climate chaos,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “The bill doesn’t even mention solar or wind energy. It’s simply a license to continue fracking, continue polluting, and continue cooking our planet. Senator Schumer must marshal resistance to this dangerous legislation immediately.”
Among the many pro-fossil fuel provisions in the bill are: streamlining the approval process for liquid natural gas export terminals; expediting the review of new oil and gas drilling and fracking permits; granting new authority and deference to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a rubber-stamp approver of natural gas infrastructure projects; and expanding research and development for extracting methane hydrates.
“This is a dirty bill that makes it easier for polluters to contaminate our air and water, said Chris Carson, president of League of Women Voters. “Instead of pursuing harmful legislation that will destroy our precious natural resources and move our country backwards on our dependence on fossil fuels, Congress should be working to promote clean energy policies that put people before polluters.”
“We’ve come to expect Donald Trump to put frackers and big oil above the American people. What makes no sense is that Senator Cantwell is helping him advance his extreme agenda by pushing a dirty energy bill,” said Ben Schreiber, senior political strategist at Friends of the Earth. “Americans are in the streets rejecting not only Trump but also those in Congress who are enabling his extreme agenda.”
“Given the Trump administration’s blatant disregard for climate science, public health and the future of our planet, it’s more imperative than ever that Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats stand firm and resist this legislation,” said Dan Cantor, executive director of Working Families Party. “The bill would deepen our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and forestall the rapid transition to clean, renewable energy which we know is critical to avoiding climate catastrophe.”
“This energy bill is, at its core, a bad bill that expands upon the billions of taxpayer dollars already given to the fossil fuel industry,” said Bill Snape, senior counsel with the Center for Biological Diversity. “This special interest bonanza would take our country and our people in the wrong direction. It’s about more fracking, more dangerous exploitation of public lands and waters, and more environmental rollbacks. With all the economic and ecological opportunities provided by renewable energy, why is this bill embracing such a dirty future?”
Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink.
