EARTH CIRCLE . . . On the first day of every month, people around the world stop everything for five minutes, joining with thousands of others to visualize peace and focus on new levels of kindness, understanding, and compassion necessary for collectively facing the challenges of the 21st century. New Dimensions invites peacemakers everywhere to join at 4:00pm Greenwich Mean Time, 10:00am in Lincoln and Omaha, 9:00am in District 3 where Mountain Time begins, Saturday, October 1, 2011, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its people. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

STOP THE MACHINE – CREATE A NEW WORLD . . . “October 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan and the beginning of the 2012 federal austerity budget. It is time to light the spark that sets off a true democratic, nonviolent transition to a world in which people are freed to create just and sustainable solutions.”

SUSTAINABLE HOUSING CONFERENCE . . . The 2011 Sustainable Housing Conference will be at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, Missouri, September 27 and 28. Representatives from cities and counties, builders and developers, real estate agents, nonprofit community development organizations and local, state and federal government agencies from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska are invited to attend. Learn how to develop more sustainable homes and neighborhoods.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S TRANSCANADA KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE. State Department public hearings in Lincoln on Tuesday, September 27th, and on Thursday, September 29th, in Atkinson, Nebraska are detailed below in CD 3 Green Notes.

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 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.  A Lincoln Journal Star front page feature story about 84-year old Norma Fleisher’s summer tour of all Nebraska counties calling for an end to the death penalty is here.

Department of State Public Hearings on the Keystone XL Pipeline will offer the final opportunity to speak for preservation of Our land and water. Plan to attend the Lincoln hearing on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at Pershing Center, 226 Centennial Mall South, 12:00pm – 3:30pm, and 4:00pm – 8:00pm. Rally at 11:00am in front of Pershing.  There will be an After Party at 8:00pm, Duggans Pub, 440 South 11th Street, with bands, pipeline materials, and more!

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.

BUDRUS . . . Friday, September 30, 2011, 7:00pm, there will be a free preview of BUDRUS, a film that looks at the unintended consequences of the wall erected between Israel and Palestine, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, Lincoln. A discussion will follow the 58 minute film. For more information, e-mail J. Eileen Durgin-Clinchard, jeaneileen [at] gmail [dot] com

SUSTAINABLE LIVING FESTIVAL . . . Saturday, October 1, 2011, 10:00am to 4:00pm, this year’s Sustainable Living Festival will feature interactive, family-oriented activities designed to provide information about sustainable living practices at SouthPointe Pavilions, 2910 Pine Lake Road, Lincoln. Click here [pdf] for more information, including participating sponsors.

BAG IT . . . Open Harvest and Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso will host a free showing of Bag It, a powerful, funny and informative documentary about the impacts of plastics on society, Saturday, October 1, 2011, 7:00 to 9:00pm at Meadowlark, 1624 South Street, in Lincoln–next to Open Harvest. A community discussion will follow the film. View a 2:54 minute trailer here.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAIN TIMES . . . Sunday, October 2, 2011, the Annual InterFaith Coalition Peacemaking Workshop will be at First United Methodist Church, 50th & St. Paul, Lincoln, from 1:30 to 4:45pm. The focus is Ethical Leadership: Leading with Moral Courage. Speakers include Martha Gadberry, Chair of Peacemaking Workshop; Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha, Chris Blake, professor of English and Communication at Union College; Rev. Bill Selby, Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies; Katie LeBaron of Lincoln Industries; and others. For more information, e-mail margeschlitt [at] mindspring [dot] com

THE PIPE . . . The PIPE runs through Thursday, September 29th at The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln. The film follows a small community in Ireland torn apart by a proposed Shell pipeline. A synopsis is here.  Watch the trailer here.

WEEKLY WALKABOUTS AT WILDERNESS PARK . . . Friends of Wilderness Park is hosting weekly hikes through the Park, led by Adam Hintz, starting at 1:00pm every Saturday, now through October. Each week will focus on a different area, highlighting the diversity of life in the Park. Hikes will start in parking lots according to the following schedule: the first and second Saturday of the month, meet at the Pioneers Boulevard entrance; the third Saturday, meet at Old Cheney Road; the fourth Saturday, meet at 14th Street north of Rokeby Road; and every fifth Saturday, the hike will start at Saltillo Road east of the Jamaica Trail. For more information, contact Adam at 402.421.8464.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . The Haymarket Farmers Market is open every Saturday, 8:00am to noon, in the Haymarket District at 7th & P Streets. Expect to find more than 120 vendors with fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and handmade items plus a performance showcase featuring local folk, jazz, blues and classical music. The Market continues through October 15th. Every Sunday, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, the Old Cheney Road Farmers Market at 5500 Old Cheney Road features in-season heirloom and traditional produce, artisan breads and cheeses, homemade baked goods, wild-crafted and traditional jams, jelly, honey, meats, fish, eggs, and bedding plants. The Piedmont Farmers Market is open Saturdays, 8:00am to noon, at 1265 South Cotner, through mid-September. Saturday Farmers Markets at the FARM, 11855 Yankee Hill Road, 9:00am to noon, run until October 29th. Community CROPS, 1551 South 2nd Street, has garden pick-up 4:00 to 6:00pm Monday and Thursday, through October 20. Through mid-September, a Wednesday market in University Place is open from 3:00 to 7:00pm at the former Green’s Plumbing site, 48th & Madison Streets. Thursday’s market from 4:00 to 8:00pm at Fallbrook Town Square Park on the corner of Fallbrook Blvd. between NW Sixth and Seventh Streets will be open through October 13th. Check an interactive map of Lincoln’s Farmers Markets, Farms and Community Supported Agriculture programs, and learn more about markets, CSAs, and local farms at the Buy Fresh, Buy Local Facebook page.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

FORUM ON IMMIGRATION REFORM . . . Omaha Together One Community, and local churches, will sponsor a Public Forum for immigration reform on Monday, September 26, 2011, 7:00 to 8:30pm, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall on the Southeast corner of 23rd and “O” Streets. Arizona-style anti-immigrant legislation is pending in the Nebraska Legislature. Confirmed Forum participants include State Senators Brenda Council, Gwen Howard, and Burke Harr, as well as Patrick Leahy, Staff Assistant to Senator Ben Nelson, and Jim Cunningham, Executive Director, Nebraska Catholic Conference. There will be on site voter registration. Click here [pdf] for a fact sheet about the High Costs and Risks of an Arizona-style Law in Nebraska.

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 GREEN DRINKS . . . Omaha Green Drinks will meet at 5:30pm till close on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room across from the coffee bar. Green Drinks is an informal, self-organizing social network for anyone studying, working on, or interested in environmental issues. There are now Green Drinks meetings in 795 cities worldwide. Walk, bus, car-pool or bike if possible. Contact Rick Yoder, ryoder [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu for more information.

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. Wednesday, September 28, 2011, the film will be “Remote Control,” a Free Speech TV film that “focuses on the effects of young people spending much of their time on various media versus possibly more useful pursuits.” The weekly event is always free and open to the public. A discussion will follow the film. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

MAKE PEACE AND PRACTICE NON-VIOLENCE . . . There will be a public prayer and action for peace on Sunday, October 2, 2011, 2:30 to 3:20pm, at STRATCOM, Offut Air Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. For details, click here.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protests with Guardians of the Good Life continue. E-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net for details. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator xMark Welsch, 402.453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org.

BENSON COMMUNITY GARDEN . . . Omaha’s newest community garden is at 60th & Lafayette, at the south side of the historic Benson neighborhood. 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.

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 here.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

Department of State Public Hearings on the Keystone XL Pipeline will offer the final opportunity to speak for preservation of Our land and water. Plan to attend the Lincoln hearing on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at Pershing Center, 226 Centennial Mall South, 12:00pm – 3:30pm, and 4:00pm – 8:00pm. BE THERE EARLY. See Ken Winston’s suggestions for testimony immediately below. Thursday, September 29, 2011, 4:30pm – 10:00pm, the second Nebraska hearing will be at West Holt High School, 1000 North Main Street, in Atkinson, Nebraska. There will be a rally starting one hour before the hearing at both venues.

From Ken Winston at Nebraska Sierra Club: “We want a huge turn out so the State Department will get a sense of the level of concerns to Nebraskans. The State Department’s decision is based on “National Interest Determination,” so it is important to tell them why this pipeline is not in the national interest.  We have been told that testimony will be on a first come, first served basis and each person will have only 3 to 5 minutes to testify.  No signs will be allowed in the venue and we expect that testifiers will need to go through some type of security.
So I suggest the following: Get there early, write out your testimony and focus on only one topic since 3 minutes goes by really fast. It’s a good idea to practice your testimony ahead of time.
Testimony can also be provided on line here.

Here are some ideas for testimony:
Make it personal; tell about your own experiences and concerns.
Talk about the importance of the Ogallala aquifer to Nebraska; the largest freshwater aquifer on the North American Continent, with as much water as Lake Erie.
Talk about how once an aquifer is polluted, it is almost impossible to clean up.
Talk about the economic and strategic importance of the freshwater in the Ogallala aquifer in a world where the demand for food is expected to double by 2050.
Talk about the environmental devastation of the tar sands process.
Talk about the increased greenhouse gas production of the tar sands process.
Talk about the threats to endangered species, including the magnificent whooping crane.

Talk about TransCanada’s poor safety record on the brand new Keystone I pipeline, with 14 leaks in their first year of operation, including a 21,000 gallon leak that created a 60 foot geyser of oil.
Talk about the explosion on TransCanada’s brand new natural gas pipeline in Wyoming.
Tell them about the flaws in the three environmental impact statements.
Tell them that Professor John Stansbury from UNL has stated the worst case from spills is much worse than TransCanada’s estimates, including threats to the water supplies of Omaha and Lincoln.

Talk about TransCanada’s threats to use eminent domain to take easements from Nebraska landowners, even though they don’t have authority to use eminent domain at this time.
Talk about TransCanada’s lack of respect for Nebraska leaders, landowners and laws.

Remind them the pipeline has been opposed not only by Governor Heineman and Senator Johanns, but by 9 Nobel Peace Prize Winners.
Tell them the proposed route through the Sandhills is opposed by Senator Nelson and Rep. Fortenberry as well as 21 State Senators.
Tell them the proposed route through the Sandhills is opposed by a broad based coalition of Nebraska organizations, including the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Nebraska, the League of Women Voters, and Nebraska Green Party.
Tell them the pipeline has been opposed by the two Natural Resource Districts in the Sandhills area.

Tell them this pipeline represents bad public policy; that it is bad for the United States, that it keeps us hooked on dirty fuels at a time when clean energy policies are not only necessary for the environment but would strengthen our economy.

There are many other aspects about why this proposal should be denied, but this provides a sampling of issues. Once again, pick one topic and address it briefly in the time allotted. Finally, tell them to listen to Nebraskans. We speak truth and common sense. Tell them to deny the permit.

There have been more than twelve Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Opinions pointing out “the folly, potentially a tragic one, of allowing the pipeline’s route to traverse the Sand Hills over the Ogallala Aquifer.” Published September 25, 2011, “It’s time to stand up for the Sandhills,” reminds that “As the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s John Stansbury points out in an opinion piece for the Journal Star, the State Department’s Final Environmental Impact Statement is severely lacking in independent scientific inquiry and has had a hefty amount of input from TransCanada, the company seeking to build the pipeline. All along, there have been hints that the wheels were greased for approval. A year ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton commented in San Francisco that she, as secretary of state, was “inclined” to approve the pipeline. A former top Clinton campaign aide, Paul Elliott, has a role as a TransCanada lobbyist. State Department special energy envoy David Goldwyn even switched jobs this year to work on oil sands issues as a consultant and testified in favor of the Keystone XL. Read the Editorial here.
Read Stansbury’s Local View, “Pipeline’s environmental impact statement isn’t science,” here.  It reports “The problem is that the State Department has chosen to allow TransCanada and its consultants to provide essentially all of the assessments; thus the assessments cannot be considered independent. Readers shouldn’t take my word for this. Rather, they should review the Environmental Impact Statement at keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov, then review the supporting documents for the EIS that are referenced in the analyses done by researchers at the University of Nebraska at watercenter.unl.edu. From these reviews, it will be clear that essentially all of the substantive “findings” in the EIS are taken directly from documents produced by TransCanada and its consultants. Further review of these documents will show that risks are greatly understated in the supporting documents and in the EIS. It isn’t surprising that TransCanada would write the documents in a way that would make its proposed pipeline look safe. What is surprising and frankly very disturbing is that the Department of State would not require an independent assessment of the risks.” Art Hovey’s September 25 pre-hearing LJS coverage highlights the Thursday DOS hearing in Atkinson, Nebraska.

Steve Larrick represented Nebraska Greens at a press conference Monday, September 19, 2011. Statepaper.com coverage highlighted a possible ballot initiative in “Poll shows majority opposition to tar sands pipeline.”  “A poll conducted for a group opposing the TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline showed 64 percent of those surveyed would support a ballot initiative giving the state authority to regulate the paths of such pipelines, and holding pipeline companies liable for any damages caused by oil spills. …Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska said Monday that if no special session is forthcoming, a petition drive will be launched to put a proposal before voters, spelling out the state’s authority to regulate pipelines. The Congressional Research Service said last year that states, not the federal government, have authority to regulate the paths of pipelines. The Legislature has never enacted measures defining or implementing that authority. State Sen. Ken Haar of Lincoln has said he will poll his colleagues this month to determine if a special session can be called. It would require approval from 33 of the Legislature’s 49 members.”
Regarding a possible ballot initiative, a BOLD Nebraska e-mail this week said “The State Department and Congress both made it crystal clear that Nebraska has the authority to site and route oil pipelines within our state boundaries. If our state leaders don’t take up the reigns of responsibility, we know the citizens will, since from the beginning you have created change on the pipeline. The time is now to start laying the groundwork for a ballot campaign that will protect our land and water from TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline and any future oil pipelines. The ballot measure will also ensure landowners and counties are not stuck with all the liability, road repairs, and other pricey items that come with pipeline construction and oil spills. …We ran an extensive poll about the pipeline, and the numbers are in: 64% of Nebraskans support a ballot initiative to regulate oil pipeline routes, water paths, and safety plans. …It will take a lot of time and money to get a ballot initiative passed, but with your help, we can absolutely do it.” To help get the campaign off he ground, click here.
Robert Redford set the record straight on the pipeline for Reader Supported News September 24th. From “Punching Back at Big Oil,” “When you challenge Big Oil in Houston, you can bet the industry is going to punch back. So when I wrote in the Houston Chronicle earlier this month that we should say no to the Keystone XL pipeline, I wasn’t surprised when the project’s chief executive weighed in with a different view…. Let’s set the record straight, point by point.” Read here.
A September 22, 2011 Washington Post article by Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson, “TransCanada pipeline lobbyist works all the angles with former colleagues,” details the TransCanada lobby’s “special” relationship with the State Department. It begins “In lobbying for a presidential permit to construct a massive oil pipeline stretching from Canada to the Gulf Coast, TransCanada’s Paul Elliott has tried nearly every angle. Elliott — who served as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s national deputy campaign manager in 2008 — sought to broker multiple meetings between senior State Department officials and TransCanada executives. He offered to enlist Trans­Canada officials’ aid in helping State officials forge an international climate agreement. And he deluged administration officials with letters testifying to the virtues of the Keystone XL expansion project, which would ship crude oil from Canada’s oil sands region to American refiners.” Continued here.

A majority of letters to the Lincoln Journal Star editor still oppose TransCanada’S Keystone XL pipeline. Thanks to all the writers. If you haven’t written yet, please do so here.  From this past week’s letter, “TransCanada Propaganda,” by Sut Luttich, printed September 23, 2011: “What kind of company is it that will voluntarily spend millions of dollars to purchase prime-time television commercials to promote building a pipeline but is not prepared to spend one extra dollar to route their proposed pipeline in such a manner to avoid having to risk the integrity of an irreplaceable economic and life-giving natural resource? If TransCanada would spend as much money rerouting their proposed bitumen crude oil Keystone XL pipeline to avoid passing through the water-bearing porous Ogallala Formation of the High Plains Aquifer as they do on having slick, classy and attractive propaganda broadcast during prime television and media time, TransCanada could have its pipeline and we would not have to be threatened with the consequences of laying a 36-inch crude-oil-carrying pipeline through water-bearing porous sands and gravels.” The letter continues here.
Other LJS pipeline related reporting this past week prepared readers for Tuesday’s September 27th State Department Public Hearing in Lincoln. “Environmental groups raise concerns before XL field hearings,” also reported on new e-mails further detailing the relationship between Secretary of State Clinton and TransCanada. “On Thursday, Friends of the Earth, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C., released 34 emails that were sent between State Department employees and Paul Elliott, a TransCanada lobbyist who was a top aide on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The State Department will have the final say on whether the pipeline can be built. …Damon Moglen, climate and energy project director for Friends of the Earth, called the emails — obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act — shocking and inappropriate because they reveal a “cozy” relationship between TransCanada and the State Department and are evidence of bias. …Friends of the Earth also said the emails indicated that officials at the State Department provided information about the agency’s internal thinking and that David Goldwyn, a key State Department official, coached TransCanada on what to say during the public review process.” Read the entire article here.  “Heineman encouraging Nebraskans to voice opinions on pipeline route,” by JoAnne Young, is here.

In the September 14th Rolling Stone, Jeff Goodell writes that the Number One thing Obama must do is Stop the Pipeline. “…There are two big problems with Keystone XL. First, mining and refining the tar sands of Alberta – the second-largest repository of carbon on the planet – requires huge amounts of energy. That’s why carbon pollution from tar-sand oil is up to 20 percent higher than from conventional crude. If we burn through the tar sands, warns NASA expert James Hansen, it’s “game over” for the climate. Second, an oil spill from the pipeline could devastate the Midwest: A recent study by the University of Nebraska estimates that a worst-case spill in the Platte River would create an oil slick that would stretch for hundreds of miles and contaminate drinking water for millions of Americans.” Read page 1 of 3 here.
The first of two new articles by Elizabeth McGowan, published at InsideClimate News, revealed that pipeline safety standards are not as rigorous as they might seem: “Research by NRDC shows that only 12 of the 57 conditions set by federal regulators differ from the minimum standards already required for pipeline safety.” —TransCanada and the U.S. State Department have repeatedly touted safety standards for the proposed Keystone XL heavy crude pipeline as robust and unparalleled. As proof, they point to 57 “special conditions” that the Alberta-based pipeline operator has agreed to follow. But environmental watchdogs counter that those much-boasted-about claims are based on nothing more than smoke and mirrors. And they have compiled evidence to back up their accusations.” Read page 1 of 4 here.
McGowan’s “Nebraskans Determined to Reroute Keystone XL Around Aquifer as Decision Time Nears” notes “A growing determination by Nebraskans to protect their precious aquifer could give environmentalists a small victory in their fight against the Keystone XL pipeline, which would pump heavy crude oil from Canada through America’s heartland. …The fact that the State Department has ignored similar pipeline rerouting requests from other politicians and the Environmental Protection Agency isn’t stopping Nebraskans from forging ahead.” Page 1 of 4 is here.
James E. Hansen’s must read article “Climate Story Tellers” was published in TruthOut following his arrest at the White House sit-in. “If the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, can we make a citizen’s arrest on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for violating the Energy Independence and Security Act? If they were put in the back of a hot paddy wagon in DC and held for at least several hours with their hands tied behind their backs, maybe they would have a chance to think over this matter more clearly. …Have no doubt — if the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is approved, we will be back, and our numbers will grow. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must find a leader who is worthy of our dreams.” Hansen’s remarks to the protesters before his arrest are here.

A National Interest Determination document released September 8, 2011, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Oil Change International, and the Dakota Resource Council begins with the following paragraph.
“The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline proposed by the Canadian pipeline company TransCanada would bring as much as 900,000 barrels per day to the United States from under Canada’s Boreal Forest. To give a presidential permit to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the U.S. State Department must find that the pipeline serves the national interest. This pipeline will double U.S. reliance on dirty tar sands fuel and contribute to a massive expansion of destruction of the Boreal Forest in Canada. The pipeline threatens to pollute drinking water supplies in the U.S. heartland and poses safety risks from oil spills. The pipeline will also increase already dangerously high greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands extraction undermining the many gains being made in the United States through fuel efficiency standards and other means to reduce our dependence on oil and to reduce our contribution to climate change. And rather than increasing U.S. energy security, this pipeline will provide tar sands producers with a major deepwater port from which it will be exported to other countries. The Keystone XL pipeline primarily serves oil industry interests increasing the profits of tar sands producers. Tar sands have no place in America’s clean energy economy.”  The Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Is Not in the National Interest.  Other links relating to the National Interest Determination are here.  Peter Lehner summarizes the NID document here.
In terms of “national interest,” Reader Supported News revealed that XL “will carry oil that is too dirty for the US government to buy–under legislation signed by George W. Bush!” Read the Brendan Smith and Jeremy Brecher article sourced from CommonDreams here.  LJS letters in support of a special session of the Nebraska legislature and here, here, and here.
Several Nebraska groups have formed a Save Our Sand Hills Coalition calling for a special session.  Call Your senator and ask him or her to press for a special session of the legislature. We have no legal petition route to calling a special session. Citizen input is the only way the senators will become interested enough to act. They need to hear from constituents
           Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny the construction permit here.
New from CREDO Action, “Tell Oprah: Stop promoting dirty tar sands lies on your network.”  Oprah Winfrey is a respected voice for advancing the rights and lives of women all over the world. But now she is allowing that work to be co-opted, by validating a dangerous campaign of flat out lies that promote the development of the Canadian tar sands on her network. Read the petition, and sign with an e-mail here.
The White House Switchboard number is 202.456.1111. Tell the President to deny the permit to build this pipeline.
“Keystone XL Pipeline Infograph: Built to Spill,” was posted at Huffington Post by Emma Pullman of DeSmogBlog and Heather Libby of TckTckTck.  Their statement, with the infographic, provides the following description: “TransCanada says their Keystone pipelines are the safest on the continent. But what about those 12 spills in the past year? Since its operation began in June of 2010, the Keystone 1 pipeline has suffered more spills than any other 1st year pipeline in US history, a track record which does not bode well for the proposed Keystone XL which tracks across one of the largest aquifers in the world – the Ogalalla – which supplies drinking water to millions of mid-Westerners and provides 30% of the nation’s groundwater used for irrigation. The Keystone pipeline map shows the spills documented in TransCanada’s publicly released safety records alongside the proposed route for Keystone XL, indicating key risk areas near waterways and major metropolitan areas.” Please click here to view this new infograph.
Comprehensive Green Notes covering international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 are in archives here.  (Scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Notes.)
The governor could stop this pipeline madness right now by making the Sand Hills and Ogallala Aquifer off limits to pipelines. He needs to hear from EveryOne who opposes the XL project.  Please contact him with thanks for his letter to the President and Secretary of State, ask him to call a special session of the legislature, and also contact your own senator requesting he or she joins Ken Haar in seeking a special session. Continue writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper, and keep the issue alive in conversations at the kitchen table, in cafes, churches, and clubs around Nebraska.  And please plan to be at the Department of State Public Hearings in Lincoln, Tuesday, September 27th at Pershing Center, 12:00pm – 3:30pm, and 4:00pm – 8:00pm; and Thursday, September 29th at West Holt High School in Atkinson, 4:30pm – 10:00pm.  E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org for yard signs, bumper stickers, and t-shirts. New armbands that say “Sandhills and Ogallala Aquifer Lover” and “Pipeline Fighter” will be ready for the State Department hearings.
Be a community educator and organizer. Help make Nebraska the first state to successfully oppose a pipeline project.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . “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.” Sign the Petition and view 6:20 minute Colbert Report interview with Tom Ridge.

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 . . . 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.

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 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!

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.“

STOP THE PIPELINE