SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, new letters to Lincoln Journal Star, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are included, following Green Notes by Congressional District. Note the CD 1 Tuesday press conference, Tuesday meetings with TransCanada, and notice of weekly rally in Omaha below.

NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY AGAINST INVASIVE BODY SCANNERS . . . National Opt-Out Day Against Invasive Body Scanners in use at airports around the country is Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Air travelers are encouraged to decline the TSA’s technological strip searches en masse on Wednesday as a protest against the scanners and new enhanced pat-downs demanded of those who refuse.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

BIOMIMICRY IN ACTION: USING NATURE-BASED PRINCIPALS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS . . .Biomimicry is a conscious emulation of nature’s genuis. Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 11:00am to noon, MST, Marie Zanowick, Certified Biomimicry Professional in EPA’s Region 8 Pollution Prevention Program, will provide an overview of the emerging science and its direct application to sustainability. To reserve a Webinar seat, click here.  After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

PRESS CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS WITH TRANSCANADA . . . Tuesday, November 23, 2010, there will be a noon press conference at the Capitol Rotunda to release a new report on the *current* TransCanada pipeline and emergency response plan. The 60 page report shows huge safety concerns. If you’d like to speak, or represent your organization at the press conference, phone Jane Kleeb, 402.705.3622, or twitter: [at] janekleeb. After the press conference, a copy of the new report will be delivered to the governor and the attorney general.
TransCanada is holding meetings in Nebraska right now. In most cases, pipeline opponents don’t know about them until after they happen, although Bold Nebraska has learned about two meetings this week:  Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 10:15am, at the County Courthouse Boardroom, 411 4th Street, Fairbury; and Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 11:00am, at the Courthouse in Geneva, 900 G Street. (Meetings curiously timed so that opponents will be unavailable due to the press conference.) Again, if readers can be at either of these meetings with TransCanada, please speak with Jane at 402.705.3622.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

NON-PROFITS AND THE JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS PROCESS . . . On Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 2:30 to 4:30pm, Erica Swanson, with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, will speak about “Guardians of Justice–the Importance of Fair Courts and Independent Judges to Protecting our Civil and Human Rights,” and why non-profit organizations should be interested in the judicial nominations process. This free presentation will be at the Kroc Center Chapel in the new Salvation Army Center, 2825 Y Street, Omaha. Click “join us” here to register.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the UN-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action.”  Nearly all Indian lands in the U.S. face grave environmental threats – toxic waste, strip mining, oil drilling and nuclear contamination. A handful of activists are fighting back. Watch clips, beginning with Winona LaDuke speaking about The Last Slivers of Land, here.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

THANKSGIVING EVE GREEN DRINKS . . . There was a surprisingly good Green Drinks response in Omaha last year on Thanksgiving Eve, so the tradition will continue on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 5:30pm to close, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating, across from the coffee bar. Everyone working on, or interested in environmental issues is invited. Walk, cycle, bus, or carpool if possible. There are now regular Green Drinks gatherings in 756 cities worldwide.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will rally to protest the XL tar sands pipeline on Saturday, November 27, 2010, 1:00 to 2:30pm, at 72nd & Pacific, in Omaha. Walk, bike, or carpool to the rally if possible. Help educate and raise awareness of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline threat to the fragile ecosystem of the entire region. If weather is very cold, the rally will be canceled. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will meet Sunday, November 21, 2010, 6:00pm, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, Omaha, in the public seating area. To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.  November 19 through the 22nd, there is a XL Pipeline Summit in Missoula, Montana, where activists from all over North America will meet to work on creative ways to maximize protest energy and opposition. Contact the Indigenous Environmental Network for more information about the Summit.
“Opponents of pipeline question eminent domain,” in the November 18, 2010 Lincoln Journal Star, covered a Thursday press briefing in the Capitol Rotunda where a fifth generation Atkinson, Nebraska rancher joined Nebraska Sierra’s Ken Winston in expressing concerns about the XL pipeline, particularly in light of an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale that hit the Schuyler area, along the route of TransCanada’s first Nebraska pipeline that began carrying tar sands oil earlier this year. A November 17th letter to the editor, “TransCanada’s arrogance,” was followed by a letter from Jim Anderson, “Stop oil dependency,” published on November 20, 2010. Click here and scroll down the Green Notes Index to follow the TransCanada tar sands pipeline issue since May 30, 2010.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.”  The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened.
A Proposed Dirty Oil Pipeline Would Put Americans at Risk for Cancer and Asthma–Why Are Senators Pushing For Its Hasty Approval? was published by AlterNet on September 23, 2010. ” …We know the Keystone XL pipeline would put American health at risk. In addition to threatening drinking water, processing tar sands oil releases pollutants directly linked to asthma, emphysema and birth defects. Refining tar sands crude from the pipeline would create far more air pollution in American communities that are already burdened with cancer and poor air quality as a result of the oil industry. We also know the pipeline would cross the most important source of agricultural water in the United States, the Ogallala aquifer. And we know pipeline disasters happen.” Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL sand tars pipeline.  Nebraska’s Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244. Senator Mike Johanns is at 202.224.4224, 402.476.1400 in Lincoln; and Senator Ben Nelson is at 202.224.6551, 402.441.4600 in Lincoln. Please tell them all that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, or stop by Bold Nebraska at 1141 H Street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln, 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil.“

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente