Author: Drew

Lion statue in front of Congress in a mask

Stop Trump’s next Dirty Deal

May 25, 2020

Earlier this month, we warned you that Trump and team were bailing out fossil fuel companies with money stolen from Congressionally-appropriated funds to help families, workers and small businesses survive COVID-19. And we’ve been fighting ever since to make sure Congress’ next COVID-19 bailout bill protects people, not polluters.

On May 15, the House passed another the $3 trillion relief package, called the HEROES act. There’s some excellent stuff in the bill –including many parts of the Essential Workers Bill of Rights (EWBOR), which we support.

But in their haste to protect essential workers, House Leadership left out all the stuff that would have stopped Trump from stealing the money, again, and using it to Bailout fossil fuels– including the ReWIND act.

Congress is on a recess for Memorial Day, but when they come back, negotiation over this bill is expected to be their first priority. Will you email your Representative now and tell them to get it right this time – and make sure Congressional bailouts help people and essential workers, not polluters?

The ReWIND Act would prevent hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds from being diverted to fossil fuel companies, making more money available for essential workers and communities. And it’s not as if House leadership doesn’t know about the problem: numerous reports have documented that Trump and his dirty associates are already diverting billions of taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel companies.

With more than 40 House and Senate cosponsors already, it’s a popular idea with a real chance of being included in the next Congressional relief bill. But Senator McConnell and the Republican-led Senate have indicated they will not consider the HEROES Act, ReWIND, or any form of additional COVID response bill, saying they have “not yet felt the urgency of acting immediately”.  And then he adjourned the entire Senate for two weeks so they could go home and have a vacation.  

We have a lot more work to do. Can you email your Member of Congress and tell them:

  1. Get back to work NOW – take up the HEROEs act negotiation with the Senate ;
  2. Fight to pass, and keep key provisions of the Essential Workers Bill of Rights in the next COVID response bill;, And
  3. Cosponsor the ReWIND Act to stop another fossil fuel industry bailout at the expense of public health crisis and frontline workers, and add it to HEROES during negotiation!

header image by  Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

Tell the Senate to get serious about Essential Workers

May 23, 2020

Essential workers are on the frontlines of this pandemic, and many are working in high-risk conditions without appropriate equipment, safety standards, or job protections. But Mitch McConnell and his Republican Senate say they have “not yet felt the urgency of acting immediately. And to prove the point, they just went home for a two-week vacation.

Essential workers are home care workers, grocery and drug store employees, domestic workers, food service workers, government employees, janitorial staff, farm workers, delivery drivers, warehouse workers, transit workers, and child care workers. Anyone who has to remain on the job without the ability to telework during this emergency.

These workers put their health on the line when they go to work every day, often without adequate worker protections and benefits. But instead of helping Essential workers, Donald Trump and Senator McConnell have conspired to give hundreds of millions of dollars (and counting) to the fossil fuel companies profiting off climate change. That’s money stolen from Congressionally-approved funds designated to help families, workers and small businesses survive COVID-19.

If you agree that essential workers deserve labor and health care protections, pick up the phone and call your Senators right now at 1-833-933-0204. Tell them to get back to work by taking up the House-passed HEROES act, improving it by keeping the Essential Workers Protections, and adding in key pieces of the ReWIND act as well.

Here’s what’s been happening: Last week, the House passed another the $3 trillion relief package, called the HEROES act. There’s some excellent stuff in the bill –including many parts of the Essential Workers Bill of Rights (EWBOR), which we support. If you haven’t heard of it yet, the parts of the Essential Workers Bill of Rights included in the HEROES act would provide $200 billion for hazard pay, paid sick and family leave, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for workers, and improved collective bargaining. HEROES is also also inclusive of immigrants, which is something that got left out of the initial Congressional response, and broadens the definition of ‘essential’ workers to include people who work in sanitation, grocery stores or as domestic aides.

But in their haste to pass HEROES, House Leadership left out a bunch of other good ideas we support from the bill, – including the ReWIND act that we emailed you about last week. Remember, the ReWIND Act would prevent hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds from being diverted to fossil fuel companies, making more money available for essential workers and communities. And it’s not as if House leadership doesn’t know about the problem:  numerous reports in the last week have documented that Trump and his dirty associates are already diverting billions of taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel companies.

Most frustrating is that Senator McConnell and the Republican-led Senate have indicated they will not consider the HEROES Act, or any form of additional COVID response bill, anytime soon. And then he adjourned the entire Senate for two weeks so they could go home and have a vacation.  We have a lot more work to do.

HEROES has passed the House, so the first step is to get the Senate back to work, and back at the negotiating table. Some Republicans are beginning to realize they can’t just deny, lie, and dismiss the pandemic like Trump does. So if we we can get them back, and get them talking, we have room to negotiate. And right now the items we want on the table are HEROEs, the Essential Workers Bill of Rights, and ReWIND.

Call your Senators now at 833-933-0204 and tell them to get back to work by taking up the House-passed HEROES act, fight to keep the Essential Workers Protections, and improve it by adding in key pieces of the ReWIND act.

Reject Trump's Dirty Deal, ReWIND Act now!

No Dirty Deals, pass the ReWIND Act instead!

May 12, 2020

Congress is already negotiating on the next COVID-19 stimulus package, and Trump and his allies are pushing hard for another big bailout for fossil fuels. Alarmingly, some elected leaders are considering a dirty deal where they’d trade another fossil fuel bailout  for good-but-inadequate tools like tax credits for renewable energy and electric cars. 

Fortunately, not everyone is tempted by this devils bargain:  Dozens of Democrats in the House and Senate have signed on to support a new bill called the ReWIND act that would ban fossil fuel bailouts, and give us more control over the +$2 trillion Congress has already appropriated.  

So far, we’ve got more than 30 members of Congress on our side, but we need more than 200 to stop the dirty deal and pass the ReWIND act as part of the next Congressional stimulus bill. Can you write to your member of Congress now?

Now is the time to speak out: Amid a historic shock to energy and fossil fuel markets, the corrupt Trump Administration and their allies are scrambling for any way to use our tax dollars to prop up the fossil fuel industry. They’ve already tried offering special loans to fossil fuel companies, stopping enforcement of key environmental laws, waiving payments and taxes the oil and gas companies are supposed to pay, and more. Last week the Federal Reserve relaxed allowed more risky and un-profitable fossil fuel companies to get federal bailout dollars, and Republicans in Congress promptly demanded the fossil banks give them a loan.

Trump and his cronies can only get away with all this because Democrats in Congress failed to negotiate tough oversight and restrictions in their last relief bill, called the CARES act. A new bill called the ReWIND Act seeks to fix that and stop future fossil fuel bailouts. The ReWIND Act would block the Trump Administration from using COVID-19 stimulus funds to bail out big polluters, stop many of the schemes Trump has taken or may attempt to benefit the fossil fuel industry, and ensure that the public has a say to protect our health and wellbeing.

With nearly 40 cosponsors already, it’s a popular idea with a real chance of being included in the next Congressional relief bill. But some Corporate Democrats would rather negotiate a dirty deal than stand up to Trump and his corrupt cronies. An internal Morgan Stanley report leaked to the media showed that big banks are working with the fossil fuel industry to trade a fossil fuel bailout for renewable energy tax credits. 

​We can’t let that happen. We need to tell Congress NOW that there’s no time for a dirty deal as part of the next stimulus package​, and that passing the ReWIND Act would stop another fossil fuel industry bailout at the expense of public health crisis and frontline workers. Click here to tell your member of Congress: No Dirty Deals, cosponsor the ReWIND Act and push for its inclusion in the next stimulus bill!

Join the Wet'suwet'en day of action!

Virtual Rally: Rise with the Wet’suwet’en!

May 7, 2020

For the last few weeks, we’ve been honored to follow the indigenous leadership of the Wet’suwet’en people fighting the Coastal Gaslink pipeline on the frontlines of the COVID and climate crises.

Tomorrow, May 7, we’re gathering online for a #ShutDownKKR virtual rally and communications blockade where we’ll deliver more than 200,000 signatures (including yours!).Join us!

We’ve already told you how despite the pandemic, TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) — the same company behind the KeystoneXL pipeline — is still sending workers to build the Coastal GasLink pipeline. TC Energy staff, backed by armed police are invading Wet’suwet’en lands without consent, putting Indigenous elders and land defenders that already don’t have easy access to healthcare at a higher risk of getting COVID-19. Workers are living by the hundreds in “man camps” that are also breeding grounds for violence against Indigenous women.

But pipeline construction can’t continue without investors funding the project — and the biggest Coastal GasLink pipeline investor of all is KKR, a New York-based equity firm.

KKR still has still time to walk away from the pipeline, if they want. So our plan is to flood KKR with calls, emails, and tweets and make it clear that nobody will ever do business with them again if they invest in genocide, colonization and climate chaos!

Join our event on Facebook tomorrow and we’ll share easy and accessible tools to email, call, and post on KKR’s social media accounts. While the COVID-19 pandemic may keep us from gathering in the streets, it will not stop us from being defiant and uncompromising in our opposition to fossil fuel profiteers.

Take one minute right now to RSVP join the May 7th #ShutdownKKR virtual rally and communications blockade on Facebook.

Pipeline Closed

Dirty, Dishonest Dominion can’t duck divestment online

May 5, 2020

Dirty, dishonest, Dominion Energy – the principal company backing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline – is holding their annual shareholders meeting (AGM) online tomorrow, May 6. They hope that because the meeting is online this year, due to the pandemic, that we’ll stay home and not pressure them to stop investing in fossil fuels, especially the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, like we have in the past

Dominion’s wrong – and we’re showing up online tomorrow right before the shareholder meeting to give them a piece of our mind. Can you join us?

Here’s what’s going on: Last year, Dominion held their shareholders meeting in my hometown of Columbia South Carolina. We worked with a team of activists from SC, NC, VA and beyond to show up and hold a protest outside the meeting while a crew of activist shareholders went inside to lobby Dominion to divest from fossil fuels and especially the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).

In the year since, things have not gone well for Dominion and the ACP. The pipeline has been mired in court over legal objections to their plan to cross the Appalachian Trail on US Forest Service Land. That court case landed at the US Supreme Court in late February, and we were there as part of a street protest and Non violent civil disobedience action lead by North Carolinian’s impacted by the project.

While the pipeline has been stopped (for now) by the courts, the costs haven’t stopped going up. In fact, a new report out today from our friends at NC Warn and Friends of the Earth found that sticking with the ACP will increase energy costs $30 billion across VA, NC and other impacted states.

But while the news is mostly-bad for the pipeline, it has been mostly good for Virginians who want to invest in clean power. In March, Virginia passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which mandates that the state’s utilities, including Dominion, switch to pollution-free energy by 2045.

That one decision basically makes the ACP un-viable. But the pandemic, combined with a major drop in oil and gas prices have pushed fracking and pipeline companies to the brink of bankruptcy and dramatically slashed demand for gas pipelines and power plants. While Trump and co are angling to bail out big oil and gas producers, it would take months or years for that money to trickle down to utilities like Dominion.

Faced with all these headwinds, you’d think that Dominion would drop its support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. But instead, they’ve been doubling down on their support – taking on more investment in the pipeline and lobbying to get around the Virginia law and scuttle clean energy requirements in North Carolina and South Carolina.

So, tomorrow, before their shareholders meeting, we’ll gather online and make some noise telling Dominion and their shareholders that it’s time to divest from fossil fuels and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Join us tomorrow (May 6) at 8:30 am before the shareholders’ meeting on zoom to take action. Together we’ll post on social media, call executives and take online action! We’ll hear reports and briefings from experts and shareholder advocates and give you all the info and talking points you need.

PS we’ll also be meeting at 11am on Thursday May 7 before the Duke Energy Shareholders meeting. Join us for that one too!

People not polluters by Aaron Hughes

Big Oil Got Bailed out. We got sold out. #PeoplesBailout NOW.

May 1, 2020

All over the country and around the world, people need help. They need a bailout to afford medical care, feed their kids, stay safe, and eventually get back to work.

But instead, what did Donald Trump and his corrupt, fossil-fascist cronies do? They gave big oil a bailout. You heard that right, after weeks of us warning this would happen, and just days after the fossil fuel industry lobbied them to do so, Trump & Co announced today that they’re sending big oil and gas companies billions of dollars from the coronavirus lending programs that are supposed to help small business.

We can’t accept this. And tomorrow, millions of us are speaking out, going on strike, and demanding action as part of the #PeoplesBailout day of action. Can you join us?

Tomorrow, May 1, 2020, Amazon workers are going on strike for safer working conditions. Renters and homeowners are calling on landlords and banks to cancel rent and mortgage payments. Families are demanding utility corporations put an end to water and utility shutoffs. Small business owners are fighting to get relief funds so they can pay their employees, instead of bailing out Big Oil. Community members are calling for the release of people trapped in unsafe jails and detention centers. Nurses and grocery workers are calling for better safety protections and pay.

More than ever, it is clear: Our fights are connected. We need a people’s bailout that includes us all.

On May Day we’re coming together to make some noise and tell our stories in solidarity with one another. To unite our individual fights into a shared struggle.

May Day is an international day of action historically led by immigrants and workers to demonstrate strength and solidarity. This year as the pandemic forces us to keep our distance physically, it’s especially important that we come together in solidarity with those who are hit first and worst by climate change and the Pandemic: frontline workers, immigrants, black, indigenous, and communities of color. All those at the edges of our society at this moment.

All week long, we’ve been supporting digital actions with the amazing crew at #ShutDownDC. Tomorrow, they’re hosting a safe, physically distanced, car and bike parade connected to a live webinar on the #PeoplesBailout website. Together, we’ll tell those in power – from Congress to the White House, law enforcement, corporations, landlords, and Wall Street – that we need a #PeoplesBailout – relief that is informed by the people and supports the people directly.

Click here to join us in action online tomorrow.

strike divest vote

Earth Day Live 2020

April 22, 2020

This week, millions will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It should have been a day of rallies and protests, concerts and action in the streets. But, as we’ve explained, this year, however, is anything but normal.

Instead of mass protests, from April 22 to 24 we’re joining a massive online action for Earth Day Live. That plan is for a three-day live stream focused on climate action, with each day hosting a different theme: Strike. Divest. Vote.

Each day will include training sessions, performances, and appearances to keep people engaged, informed, and inspired. There will be panel discussions, call in days, art builds, divestment, and lots and lots of social media with celebrities, politicians, scientists, and youth activists.

Click here to join us live online at EarthDayLive2020.org.

The coronavirus has laid bare the brutality and injustice of our current system. Millions of people have lost their jobs, are no longer able to pay their rent, student loans, credit card bills, utilities, or healthcare costs. That’s why we’re coming together for online action at a scale the climate movement has never done before.

Here’s an overview of what’s happening each day:

Wednesday, April 22, is a day to demonstrate our collective power and unity through community building and storytelling. Originally a day of mass mobilization, we are leaning into healing and togetherness to provide comfort and inspiration during this time of unknown and are centering the voices of frontline, Indigenous, and POC leaders. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.

Thursday, April 23, we will target financial institutions across the country. Led by the Stop the Money Pipeline Coalition, this day of action will bring urgent public attention to the fact that banks, insurance companies, and asset managers are complicit in funding, insuring, and investing in the climate crisis. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.

Friday, April 24, we will focus on political change with a nationwide voter registration day. We need leaders who will address this existential threat, and for this to happen, we need people to show up at the polls this year. We will be holding a digital, relational voter registration challenge to see which region of the country can register the most voters, and call on elected officials to support our demands. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.As the 24th is the first day of Ramadan, organizers will be working with the Muslim community to make sure events are accessible for those who are observing and use it as an opportunity to educate people on the holiday.

Click here to find out more about Earth Day Live and take part in one of the biggest days of digital action the climate movement has ever seen.

Online or offline, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day is a day to demonstrate our collective power and unity through community building and storytelling. Social distancing doesn’t have to mean collective disengagement.

See you online at Earth Day live 2020

Earth Day to May Day

Shut Down DC, Earth Day to May Day Starts Tomorrow!

April 21, 2020

From April 22-24, we’re going to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, as part of the massive Earth Day Live 2020 event online. The next week, we’re taking bold action online and in the streets (safely) of DC to Shut Down the status quo – which continues to approve pipelines, permit racism, and prolong attacks on our communities during the pandemic.

Months ago, young people from all around the world put out a call for urgent direct action to confront the climate crisis. Today, in the midst of the pandemic, we find ourselves in a much different world than when we first prepared to answer that call. But it is clear that bold direct action is as essential as ever.

That’s why we’re still planning to 5 days of bold action April 27-May 1, so that every weekday from Earth Day (April 22) to May Day (May 1) there’s an action or actions for you to join.

And tomorrow (April 22) at 7pm, the Shut Down DC crew is hosting a kick off meeting to explain our plan, and tell you how to connect with each day’s actions. Can you join us?

If you want to know more, check out the Shut Down DC website, with details on each day of action, and read their message below setting the whole plan up:

The COVID-19 pandemic has cracked open the veneer of our economic and social system. It’s putting the inequities in health care, wealth, housing, education, and much more on full display, and exacerbating existing crises. And unless we stop them, the politicians and lobbyists will continue to take advantage of this pandemic to suppress the vote, funnel hundreds of billions of dollars to their corporate cronies, and loosen already inadequate environmental regulations.

In the 10 days between Earth Day and May Day (International Workers Day) we are going to take bold direct action online AND in person (safely) to disrupt the interlocking systems that are threatening our collective survival and build a collaborative framework for a healthier, more just and sustainable world.

April 22-24 – Earth Day Live

Between April 22 and 24 young people are organizing online actions to strike, divest and vote for our future. From April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, to April 24, activists, performers, thought leaders, and artists will come together for an empowering, inspiring, and communal three day livestream mobilization. We will support and lift up these activities and while leaving space for youth to lead in this important moment.

The action starts online TOMORROW (April 22):
 7pm-ShutDownDC: How we’re going to make it happen

April 27-May 1 – #ShutDownDC

​Throughout the week of April 27th we’ll take bold direct action online AND in person to shut down business as usual and create space for a healthier and more sustainable world. Each day of the week will focus on a theme to highlight the ways that the climate crisis threatens our communities and lifts up our opportunities to build resilient alternatives.​

Learn more at https://www.shutdowndc.org/
Bank financing of fossil fuels is on the rise

Join us for the Bank of America Shareholder meeting

April 21, 2020

From April 22-24, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, millions of people around the world are going online for a three-day mobilization to stop the climate emergency. And on Earth day – Wednesday, April 22 – Bank of America is holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Shareholders.

As shareholders show up online for the meting online, we’ll join allies from across North Carolina to demand they “Stop The Money Pipeline.” Can you join us?

At 9am, we’ll meet up in a video-chat to sign letters, call Bank of America Executives, tweet at them, and leave reviews on their social media accounts! We’ll share a few memes – just for fun 😉 We’ll inform, educate, and welcome new activists!

Bank of America is headquartered in Charlotte, and is the lead funder of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline – a climate and human rights disaster. BofA is also the 4th largest funder of climate-killing fossil fuel projects in the world, having invested $156 billion in the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015.

BofA is ignoring science, public comment, and international law by continuing to fund the ACP and fossil fuels. And with every dollar they spend, they are driving all of us closer to climate catastrophe. Their funding of fossil fuels is also bad for business! With oil prices tanking, and fossil fuels in steep decline across the economy they’re wasting money and momentum that could be used to build a sustainable future.

During their shareholders meeting BofA is especially attuned to public and investor opinion. If we call them out on these destructive behaviors and encourage them to invest in renewables instead, we can make an impact!

Join Us! We need your voice at this moment!

Tell Congress to bailout #PeoplenotPolluters

Use the power of art and social media to bail out #PeopleNotPolluters

April 16, 2020

For the last few weeks, thousands of us have been sending letters to Congress telling them to bail out #PeopleNotPolluters. But the pandemic has disrupted daily life for our elected leaders as well, and we’re hearing that most congressional offices are flooded in emails, and don’t have good systems for answering the phones while all their staff are quarantined at home.

Enter the magic of social media, art, and visual storytelling! If you’ve got an account with facebook, a twitter, or instagram (or any other social media platform) use it now to make sure they see and respond to our messages.

Here’s how:

The goal is to use your social media channels to send personal messages to your representatives in Congress:

  1. POST a video of yourself on twitter or facebook with a personalized message to Congress about why congress should put people first and not bail out the Fossil Fuel Industry – make sure to use the hashtag #PeopleNotPolluters so we can find you.
    1. Click here to find your member of Congress’ accounts on Facebook and Twitter
  2. TWEET at Congresspeople using the sample tweets in this toolkit (or come up with your own!)
  3. SHARE: Share these designs from the #PeopleNotPolluters & Stop The Money Pipeline Art Kit on social media. make sure to credit the amazing artists and illustrators who made them!

That’s it!

Want more easy, one-click actions? Share the letter campaign with your family and friends online:

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Or, just forward this post to your friends!