Endorse four principles on radioactive waste, including no more generation, at a Nuclear Information and Resource Service petition to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The comment period on NRC’s new nuclear waste rules ends January 2, 2013.
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1
VIGIL AT THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION . . . Monday, December 24, 2012, at noon, there will be a Christmas Eve vigil at the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln, asking him to deny the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route, say no to eminent domain for private gain, and let the Public Service Commission assess the route with clear standards and rules that are absent from the current Department of Environmental Quality process. Check out event details on Facebook 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.
OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) are holding 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.
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, December 26, 2012, will be Occupy Omaha Night. 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 . . . On December 20, 2012, Fuel Fix posted “Keystone XL foes say fed study should consider climate effects,” by Jennifer Dlouhy. “The Obama administration is set to unveil a fresh environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline as early as this week, but critics say that study won’t be complete unless it considers climate change costs tied to the $7 billion project.” The article concludes “Both the environmental review and the national interest determination will need to consider new factors that go directly to the question of whether we need Keystone XL and whether it is actually in the U.S. national interest.”
“Study Finds Flaws in Pipeline Leak Detection Systems,” by Dan Frosch, December 21st in the New York Times, links to a new federal report, and previous reports, showing that “members of the general public are more likely to identify oil and gas spills than the pipeline companies’ own leak detection systems.”
Also on December 21st, CBS News reported President Obama has selected Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., to be his nominee for Secretary of State, replacing Hillary Clintion.
Nebraska Easement Action Team (NEAT) Attorney Brian Jorde talks to landowners about Eminent Domain, Landowner Easements, and the Keystone XL Pipeline at the 99th Annual Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) Convention in a 21:53 minute video, published December 19th.
“Not in our interests,” by Stu Luttich, a December 16th Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor, begins “Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman probably will approve the Environmental Impact Statement and rerouting of the Keystone XL pipeline to skirt the eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills as commonly recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey. However, if and when he does, the underlying reason will not be in serving the long-term interests of the people of Nebraska or the nation, because the pipeline is not being constructed to serve the strategic interests of the state or nation. The pipeline is being constructed to serve the economic self-interests of the pipeline company. …Even as the United States currently is importing 25 percent less foreign fossil crude oil than eight or nine years ago, the price at the pump has not declined by the same proportion. Ever wonder why?”
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here 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 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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“