SCROLL DOWN for this week’s Keystone XL pipeline Update.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, 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. When weather is bad, 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.

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.

AMERICA’S GREAT MIGRATION . . . Thursday, January 10, 2013, 7:00pm, Bill Taddicken, Director of the Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary will discuss America’s Great Migration: Cranes and the Platte River at the monthly Wachiska Audubon meeting, Room 3, the Dick Administration Building at Union College, 3800 South 48th, Lincoln. Half a million sandhill cranes visit the Rowe Sanctuary each year during spring migration. The presentation is free and open to the public. Phone the Wachiska office, 402.486.4846 for more information.

OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) will hold weekly Workshop/Skills Teaching Sessions, The Repair Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 5:30pm. (The time coincides with the start of FoodNet.)  Toss It? No Way! Fix it, find another use, use some of its parts, recycle it, and say no to the throw away culture. Everything and everyone has value. We must discover the value. For more information, contact Barbara van den Berg, 402.488.6926, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com.

CHASING ICE AT ROSS . . . Chasing Ice, the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change, will show at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln, Friday, January 11 through Thursday, January 17, 2013. National Geographic photographer James Balog uses time-lapse cameras to compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Sunday, January 13th, Movie Talk will feature four experts on climate change at 2:30, following the 1:00pm showing. Check the website for showing schedule.

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . There is a calendar of Occupy Lincoln events here. The Facebook page is here.  The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln. For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, January 9, 2013, the film will be “Carbon Nation,” an 86 minute climate change solutions movie. Discover what people are doing, what we as a nation could be doing, and what the world needs to do to about the impending climate crisis. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils.

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.
Leafletting in Omaha.

ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Robert Redford has voiced opposition, again, to the Keystone XL pipeline in a Reader Supported News commentary, “Another Looming Cliff of Grave Consequence,” published January 4, 2013. Quoting, “…The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a disaster in the making. It will cause expansion of the expensive and dirty tar sands oil excavation up in Canada’s Boreal forest. It threatens our own farms, and waters throughout our heartland. And it is going to make climate change worse as more tarry gunk is dug up, turned into gasoline and diesel and burned in cars and trucks.
All of this is for a pipeline that is meant to export tar sand oil overseas from America’s Gulf Coast. Our heartland, aquifers and climate are meant to sustain us. Instead the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline means that we take all the risks – from pipeline leaks and blows to the aftermath of toxic pools of wastewater – and Big Oil reaps all the benefits. Canadians know better – they haven’t let new tar sands pipeline be built yet to either of their own coasts. In fact, the proposed Northern Gateway tar sands pipeline to the west coast is considered dead by many.
…This is a time for climate leadership. … it will make sense to reject this dirty energy project. With extreme weather taking its toll on communities all over America, we can’t afford another major dirty energy project such as the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.”
From “Resignation of EPA’s Jackson is “serious warning” that climate in danger from Obama White House,” by Jill Stein, also January 4th: “…A story this week in the NY Post said that the final straw in Jackson’s departure was a decision by Obama to allegedly move ahead with the Keystone XL Pipeline, a decision which NASA scientist James Hansen said would be game over for climate change.
America needs a strong environmental leader at EPA who will push for life-saving, economy-saving action on climate change rather than roll over for the short-term political considerations of the White House. The Obama White House far too often puts the need of campaign contributors and polluters ahead of the well-being of the American people,” added Stein. “We need an EPA committed to protecting the environment, and to a transparent, democratic process within the agency. This is essential if the EPA is to apply science in the public interest, free from the corrupting influence of industry that has historically had too much influence over EPA scientific decisions.
…Stein concluded, “With the resignation of the EPA administrator, President Obama has the opportunity to rethink this disturbing environmental record. This is a time for urgent action to transform the economy for the carbon-free, nuclear-free future. The Earth is at the tipping point where climate change must be faced as a life and death issue. Our economy, civilization, and the very survival of our children are all at stake. There’s no time to lose.”
Lincoln Journal Star reported that “Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit over pipeline siting law,” January 1st: “A Lancaster County judge on Monday refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by landowners along the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline. The suit challenges the constitutionality of the state’s new pipeline siting law.” Omaha World-Herald coverage, “Judge rules that Keystone XL pipeline lawsuit can proceed,” by Paul Hammel, begins “A district judge ruled Monday that the heart of a lawsuit seeking to nullify the state’s review of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline can proceed. Lancaster County District Judge Stephanie Stacy left intact all but one allegation raised by three landowners who are affected by the high-pressure, crude-oil pipeline project. The judge rejected a request by the State of Nebraska to dismiss the entire case.”  Please comment on both of these articles to show continued support for this lawsuit challenging LB 1161.
A January 3rd Daily Record article, “Legal Defense Fund Focused on Pipeline Project, Protecting Landowner Rights,”  focused on Nebraska Easement Action Team (NEAT) attorneys Brian Jorde and David Domina. The article suggests 2013 “could be a year of significant development in the life of the highly-anticipated (by some) and staunchly-opposed (by others) Keystone XL Pipeline.” “Knowledge is power,” said Jorde. “Eminent domain and condemnation and the notion that a for-profit, private, foreign company can come into our state and dictate what our citizens can and can’t do with and on their land is so unbelievable that it is helpful to get educated about what this all means and what can be done.” Jorde talks to landowners about Eminent Domain, Landowner Easements, and the Keystone XL Pipeline at the 99th Annual Nebraska Farmers Union Convention in a 21:53 minute video here.
Keystone XL Infographic: Risks and Citizen Concerns Ignored, was posted on the Bold Nebraska website January 3rd. “Bold teamed up with Oil Change International to create an infographic with basic facts on the pipeline in a visual way that we can all share on Facebook, Twitter and email. The graphic was designed by fellow Nebraskan Justin Kemerling. Citizens and landowners asked us to create a visual that had the basic facts on why we are fighting this export tarsands pipeline.”
From “2013: A tipping year for climate change?” All Things Considered, December 30th, “While the public is in shock by extreme weather events that have taken place, environmentalist Bill McKibben and other members of the science community say it is a result of climate change. Next month, President Obama will be sworn in for a second term, and McKibben is curious about his approach to the problem. ” The audio is 4:07 minutes.
“Pipeline Safety Enters National Spotlight in 2012,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, was published December 26, 2012. It begins “After news broke that human error caused the Enbridge oil spill and fears spread over Keystone XL, pipeline safety moved into the mainstream.” Page 2 of the article includes a map of the Sand Hills, and proposed routes.
The TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline is Number One of the “Top Three Dirty Energy Battles to Watch in 2013,” followed by Fracking, and Oil and Gas Subsidies. Beth Buczynski, Care2, reports “three issues that were put on hold during the campaign season, despite the fact that they directly threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans” in the Reader Supported News article published December 26, 2012.
           It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline.  Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . 4 Scary New Finds About Fracking, by Tara Lohan for Alternet, adds to the continually growing list of warnings about fracking.
From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.”  Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”
A new article, “Fracking Our Food Supply,” was published by Reader Supported News, and Truthout published “Fracking’s Health Calamaties Left to Fester,” both on December 1, 2012.

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 asks you to name your cause at http://www.goodsearch.com/default.aspx.  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!

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“