SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes. Note the Pipeline Education and Action Forum in Stuart, Nebraska on Sunday, April 17, 2011.
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1
GREEN WHEELS COMMUTER CHALLENGE . . . Registration deadline is Monday, April 11, 2011, for the Lincoln Earth Day Green Wheels Commuter Challenge. Any group can form 4-person teams, and participation is free. The Challenge: reduce your carbon footprint by riding a bicycle, taking public transportation, carpooling, or walking the week of April 11 through 18, 2011. Team members will record the number of miles utilizing alternative modes of transportation. After the week’s results are submitted and counted, totals will be posted on the website and announced at Earth Day. There will be prizes for the biggest carbon reducing team. Challenge your co-workers, and then sign up here.
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 when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. 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.
FOCUS ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH . . . A free program, “Protect Your Health Heritage,” will address the changing outlook for African Americans in today’s society on Monday, April 11, 2011, 5:30-8:00pm, at the Center For People In Need, 3901 North 27th Street, Lincoln. Reservations are requested. Phone 402.219.7000 to rsvp. For more information, contact Christine Bleich, 402.423.4893 ext. 4106, or e-mail christine [dot] bleich [at] cancer [dot] org.
ERNIE CHAMBERS TO HEADLINE LINCOLN RALLY . . . Nebraska political legend Ernie Chambers will lead a rally at the Lincoln Federal Building, 100 Centennial Mall North (15th & ‘O’ Streets), in front of the West Entrance, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, starting at 5:30pm, calling on Congress to slash America’s bloated military budget instead of essential domestic programs. Be part of a Global Day of Action on Military Spending–an international mobilization to cut world military spending. Ernie Chambers will be joined by his former legislative colleague, Rev. Lowen Kruse, UN-L Associate Professor of Accountancy Linda Ruchala, and Nebraskans For Peace President Emeritus Paul Olson. Learn more at the NFP website here.
WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 3:30 to 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. The series runs through April 27th. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after they have been presented here.
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.
THINK GREEN IT’S THURSDAY . . . TGIT is a new happy hour for planning a sustainable future at the Eco Stores Conference Room, 530 West P Street, Lincoln. This is an informational, educational, and social weekly event, with locally grown food and beverages. (Beverage donations will be accepted.) Learn about the latest green products, businesses, policies and practices every Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. For the spring schedule of TGIT speakers, click here. For more information, e-mail Mitch Paine at mitch [dot] paine [at] ecostoresne.org.
WACHISKA ANNUAL AT SPRING CREEK PRAIRIE . . . The 2011 Wachiska Audubon Annual Awards Banquet/Potluck will be at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, south of Denton, on Thursday, April 14, 2011, 6:15pm. Open to the public, everyone is asked to bring one or two dishes to share, along with your own table service. Beverages will be provided. No reservations or costs are involved. Click here for directions to SCPAC. Phone 402.797.2301 for more information.
NATURE’S MARKET . . . There will be a “Nature’s Market” at Pioneers Park Nature Center, 3201 South Coddington Avenue at the west end of Pioneers Park, on Saturday, April 16, 2011, 9:00am to 2:00pm. The free family event will feature art, music, food and activities, including a silent auction. Thirty-three birdhouses designed by local artists, currently on display throughout Lincoln, will be auctioned by local radio personality Tom Bassett at 9:30am.
MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM . . . Saturday, April 16, 2011, 1:30pm, Friends of Wilderness Park, Wachiska Audubon, and the Nebraska Chapter of Sierra Club will co-sponsor a Forum for mayoral candidates at Gere Library, South 56th and Normal Blvd., in Lincoln. The Forum is open to the public. Anyone planning to attend is encouraged to submit candidate questions ahead of time to friendsofwildernessparkne [at] yahoo [dot] com. Questions may also be submitted the evening of the Forum.
NEAC ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET . . . This year’s Nebraska Environmental Action Coalition Annual Meeting is Saturday, April 30, 2011, 10:00am to 4:00pm, in Lincoln at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Morning speakers include Ted Thieman and Laura Krebsbach from NEAC. The 1:15pm Keynote is by Lynn Henning, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, winner of the 2010 Goldman Prize for North America. The movie Food, Inc. will be shown at 3:00pm. Please make reservations for the noon local food lunch–vegetarian pasta salad or roast beef–by calling 402.276.7321, or e-mail chrisneac [at] gmail [dot] com before Monday April 18th. The meeting is free and open to the public, with a small charge for the lunch.
Omaha area: Congressional District 2
FATHER JACK GOES TO COURT . . . Father Jack McCaslin, an 82 year old Omaha peace activist, will go to court again on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 2:00pm, at the 2nd floor Federal Court of Judge Thomas Thalken, 18th and Douglas Street. A National Catholic Reporter article “Behind peace witness, a prophetic, transforming priest: Fr. Jack McCaslin – friends,
reflect on priest’s ministry, impact,” by Joshua McElwee, was published March 25, 2011. Father Jack crossed the line at STRATCOM last August 9th. An 8 minute Youtube clip of statements by the four peace activists arrested at the line crossing is here. To show support and solidarity with Father Jack, please be at the Court House on Tuesday. Remember to bring a photo ID (for access to the building). Leave cameras and cell phones at home. Court will likely last 45 minutes. For updates or any questions, e-mail The Omaha Catholic Worker, cwomaha [at] gmail [dot] com, or phone 402.502.5887.
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 a Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store parking lot. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068 for more information about Saturday vigils.
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 “The New Jim Crow – A Videotaped Talk by Michelle Alexander.” An LA Progressive article “More Black Men Now in US Prison System than Were Enslaved,” and 9:10 minute interview with Alexander here. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.
GREEN NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP . . . Become the Sustainability Leader in your Neighborhood. The Green Omaha Coalition’s Green Neighborhood Council is presenting a “Green Neighborhood Leader Workshop” on April 14, 2011, 5:30 to 7:00pm, at The Neighborhood Center, 115 South 49th Avenue. The organization hopes to find individuals throughout the community to become “Green Neighborhood Leaders.” The workshop is free, and light refreshments will be provided. For more information, and to RSVP, e-mail kdeffenbacher [at] cox [dot] net.
“SEARCHING FOR ANGELA SHELTON” . . . Thursday, April 14 2011, 7:00pm, in an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault, Voices of Hope will host a screening of “Searching for Angela Shelton, a documentary following filmmaker Angela Shelton as she interviewed 40 other Angela Sheltons in the United States, more than half of whom had been sexually abused. The film, followed by a brief discussion, will be at the UN-L East Campus Union Cottonwood Room. Admission is free of charge. Voices of Hope provides services to survivors of sexual assault, including a 24-hour crisis line at 402.475.7273.
PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protests with Guardians of the Good Life continue. E-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net for details of this week’s protest. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 402.453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org. SAVE THE DATE: An Omaha Pipeline Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, 2011, 7:00 to 8:30pm, at First Unitarian Church, 31st & Harney.
BENSON COMMUNITY GARDEN . . . Omaha’s newest community garden is at 60th & Lafayette, at the south side of the historic Benson neighborhood. The Benson Community Garden is looking for individuals and families interested in garden plots. The garden needs sponsors to help with the costs of building (hardware, lumber, etc.). For more information, phone 402.714.0290 or e-mail goetzinger2 [at] cox [dot] net. To get involved, or help support the garden, please register here.
Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3
HOLT COUNTY STOP THE PIPELINE FORUM . . . A Stop the Pipeline Education and Action Forum will be presented in CD 3 on Sunday, April 17, 2011, 2:00 to 3:30pm, at the Stuart Auditorium, 204 Parnell Street, Stuart, Nebraska. Nebraska Green Party is a co-sponsor with Audubon Nebraska, BOLD Nebraska, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Sierra Club, Guardians of the Good Life, Nebraskans for Peace and the Nebraska chapter of 350.org. T-shirts, bumper stickers and yard signs will be available for purchase. Action Guides will be distributed at no cost. Click here for the FaceBook Link.
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . This past week, Nebraska Green Party joined 34 other national and state groups, 12 from Nebraska, in signing a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting an extention of the proposed time period for comments on the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Keystone XL pipeline. The letter [pdf] was mailed on Monday, April 4, 2011. “Koch Industries, Keystone XL Pipeline … a BP on the Prairie?” published at TruthOut April 7th reported “Tar sands are plentiful in the US and Canada, but environmentally treacherous to mine and transport – yet, this is the ‘green energy’ the Obama administration has leaned toward – with heavy prodding from its most threatening political enemy, Koch Industries – disputed founders of the Tea Party movement.”
The Lincoln Journal Star’s April 10, 2011 editorial, “Make Sand Hills off limits,” describes how easy it would be for Nebraska legislators to end the threat to our Sand Hills by making crude oil pipelines off limits there. “The Legislature should simply pass a law declaring the Sand Hills off limits to any future crude oil pipeline. The in-state ramifications will be few. The giant oil pipeline company simply would have to reroute the pipeline farther east in Nebraska to a location where the land and Ogallala Aquifer are not as vulnerable.”
On April 6, 2011, the Omaha World-Herald editorialized “Let’s settle the question.” It begins “Someone in Nebraska state government needs to clear up an important matter about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Maybe that someone is the Attorney General’s Office. Maybe it’s the professional staff of the Legislature’s Natural Resources committee. At any rate, Nebraskans deserve to have a key question answered clearly and thoroughly, citing the relevant law, whether state or federal. Namely: Does the State of Nebraska have any legal authority to regulate the pipeline, or doesn’t it?” Our coalition response will be linked in Green Notes after it is published by OW-H.
The New York Times joined citizens, experts and opinion leaders in opposition to the pipeline in an April 2nd editorial “No to a New Tar Sands Pipeline,” concluding “Last July, an older bitumen pipeline in Michigan spilled 800,000 gallons of the stuff into the Kalamazoo River. A new TransCanada pipeline that began carrying diluted bitumen last year has already had nine spills. …From all of the evidence, Keystone XL is not only environmentally risky, it is unnecessary.” Read the entire editorial here.
A Congressional Study and Memo from the Congressional Research Service dated September 20, 2010, determined that primary authority over location of interstate pipelines belongs to individual states. BOLD Nebraska and Stop the Pipeline coalition members held a roundtable with press on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, to discuss the recently unearthed memo. Coverage of the discovery was in the Omaha World-Herald, and on NTV. Other articles covering the memo are at KVNO News, at Lincoln Journal Star, and at statepaper.com. A BOLD Nebraska blog post including background information, a transcript of the roundtable, and action alert is here. The Congressional Memo is here.
To help with the campaign to save Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills and Ogallala Aquifer from potential environmental devastation at the hands of Canada’s tar sands pipeline promoters, please write your state senator asking for personal involvement in opposition. The legislature’s Natural Resources Committee has stalled all three pipeline related bills that were introduced this session. Find your state senator’s contact information is at the map linked here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline. Contact information for 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.
The Secretary of State has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can ask her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Tell them 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.
What else can you do? Keep writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper. “Langemeier’s comments ridiculous,” a letter by Barbara Bailey, was published in Lincoln Journal Star March 20, 2011. From the letter, “It was with great disappointment and anger that I read Sen. Chris Langemeier’s comments (“Pipeline regulations languish,” March 15) concerning the pipeline bills before the Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Langemeier and the six members of the Committee voting against advancing these basic safety regulations for our citizens and natural resources are not providing responsible legislating.” Another excellent letter by Jan Enstrom, “Lack of Civil Stewardship,” was published March 21, 2011.
Nebraska Greens John Carlini and Shari Schwartz have produced a 30-minute public access tv show “Cornhuskers vs. Dirty Oil.” It airs on cable channel 13, Sundays at 8:00pm, and Wednesdays at 9:30pm. BOLD Nebraska’s Jane Kleeb, and Nebraska Sierra’s Ken Winston participated in phone interviews about pipeline concerns aired April 9th on KZUM, 89.3FM Lincoln’s Community Radio Station. “Science Odyssey: TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline: Boon or Threat?” also questioned a TransCanada spokesperson.
Keep the issue alive in conversations at the kitchen table, in cafes, churches, and clubs around Nebraska. We have a brief window. The State Department has called for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study with a new 45 day comment period. The State Department’s news release is here. “We welcome the news from the US State Department on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study,” declared Duane Hovorka for coalition member Nebraska Wildlife Federation. “However, we want to be clear, our state elected officials must now lead by providing an alternative route for the risky TransCanada pipeline.”
The National Farmers Union has passed policy language opposing “any infrastructure or resource development that jeopardizes the health, safety and quality of the Ogallala Aquifer and other freshwater resources.” The new policy also addresses Eminent Domain, and pipeline development specifically. The Nebraska Farmers Union, a Stop the Pipeline coalition member, was successful in calling for this new policy language.
From previous Green Notes: A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,” by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
“Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club. The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here. [pdf]
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. A website refuting TransCanada’s myths with an interactive graphic is here. More actions EveryOne can take are listed here. For comprehensive references in media since May 30, 2010, click here and scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Green Notes coverage.
Be a community educator and organizer. Let’s change the world together.
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.”
PETITION THE EPA . . . Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately prohibit the use of clothianidin and conduct a full scientific review to determine its impact on honey bee populations. Learn more about clothianidin and sign the petition here.
TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, the Obama administration has unbelievably chosen to approve three biotech crops, Roundup Ready genetically modified alfalfa, Roundup Ready genetically modified sugar beets and a new industrial biotech corn for ethanol production. These decisions are a devastating blow to our democracy and the basic rights of farmers to choose how they want to grow food on their land and the rights of consumers who increasingly choose organic and sustainably grown food for its positive health and environmental impacts. Please tell the President it’s time to stand up to Monsanto and reject GMO crops.
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.
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