ENERGY EFFICIENCY 101 . . . An introductory overview of energy efficiency, “Energy Efficiency 101: Using efficiency to retire coal,” will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 6:00pm CST. Click here for more details, and to register.

OCCUPY THE COURTS . . . Friday, January 20, 2012, Move to Amend Occupies the Courts! Inspired by Occupy Wall Street and Dr. Cornel West, Move To Amend is planning a national day of protest to mark the second anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC. Occupy the Courts will be a one day occupation of Federal courthouses across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Watch former Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb, now a Move to Amend spokesperson,in a 2:26 minute video explaining Occupy the Courts.  End Corporate Rule, Legalize Democracy.

HELP GREENS GATHER SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party is gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
In Lincoln, petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop by for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney, to sign and pick up petitions.
You must be a registered voter to circulate petitions. Fill out a voter registration application online here.[pdf]  If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, if you would like us to mail you petitions to circulate, or to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Let’s take Our democracy back from Wall Street!

SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT . . . “There’s no question that the political tide is turning thanks to Occupy Wall Street–because there’s actually a political push to ensure that corporations are NOT people, to overturn the “free speech rights” given to corporations by the Supreme Court’s troubling Citizens United decision.”  Add your voice. Sign the petition.  In the House, Representative Ted Deutch’s H.J. Res 90, The OCCUPIED Amendment, also says that corporations are not people and they do not belong in our elections.  Sign the OCCUPIED petition.  Spread the word.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s action alert, and then PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA.

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. 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. Read the January Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty Newsletter here.  A recent Omaha World-Herald Editorial, “State looks bad over execution esthetic,” by Robert Nelson begins “In the past 12 months, Nebraska officials twice have tried to buy the increasingly hard-to-find drug sodium thiopental for use in executions by lethal injection. Both times, the state has acquired the drug more in a manner you would expect from a desperate drug addict than a state government.” Details of the “embarrassment” are explained in the op-ed. And the January 15th Lincoln Journal Star editorialized “It’a time for Nebraska to abolish the death penalty.” — number two on the “Agenda for 2012.” Details of Nebraska’s ritualized premeditated protocol for state killing are listed in “State prepares for Ryan’s execution,” also published by LJS on January 15th. Meanwhile, Omaha Senator Brenda Council and Lincoln Senator Danielle Conrad have introduced LB LB 276, to “Change a penalty from death to life imprisonment without possibility of parole and change other penalties as prescribed.”  Letters to editors of local papers statewide are needed in response to the March 6, 2012 execution date the state has set for Ryan. Contact information for state senators and other actions are here.  For more information about NADP, click here.  “It is the deed that teaches, not the name we give it. Murder and capital punishment are not opposites that cancel one another, but similars that breed their kind.” –George Bernard Shaw

MARY PIPHER LECTURE AT UN-L . . . The annual Chancellor’s Program Keynote Lecture in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day takes place Monday, January 16, 2012, 2:00pm, in the City Union Auditorium, 15 & R Streets, Lincoln. This year features world-renowned author, psychologist and human rights advocate, Dr. Mary Pipher, best-known nationally for her 1994 book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls.  In 2003, Pipher published Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community, which looked at diversity through the lens of Lincoln’s refugee communities. Dr. Pipher’s address is titled “Human Rights and ‘the Middle of Everywhere.’”

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Occupy Lincoln’s Occupy Education committee is promoting the idea of a free and open university with talks/discussions that starated the second week of January, and run through February 13, 2012. The teach-in workshop schedule is Mondays, 7:00 to 8:00pm at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street; and Tuesdays, 7:00pm at Meadowlark Coffee, 1624 South Street. The Monday ECON 99 Course, “Economics the 1% Doesn’t Want You to Know,” consists of informal lectures to present basic ideas on the subject of that week, followed by an open discussion. BOLD Monday, January 16th, ECON 99, Part 1: “What Goes Around, Comes Around” – The Economy as a Circular Flow. Tuesday, January 17th, 7:00pm, “Feral Fermentation”  With J.C. natsoray [at] yahoo [dot] com; and “Acquiring Land without Requiring Loans from Big Banks” With Tobias tobiasalexander [dot] busque [at] gmail [dot] com. UNBOLD “Occupy Lincoln hosts first of educational series,” a Daily Nebraskan article, reported on the January 9th workshop. For more information, e-mail Hendrik van den Berg, hvan-den-berg1 [at] unl [dot] edu. Be there to learn and discuss. Knowledge is liberating.

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.

2012 WINTER LECTURE SERIES . . . Northern Africa from Morocco to Egypt is the topic of this year’s Winter Lecture Series at Lincoln’s Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Each two-hour session starts at 7:00pm. The first hour features a presentation, followed by refreshment break and a half hour of questions and dialogue. On the seventh and final evening, the series will end with a 6:00 dinner and a panel discussion at 7:00pm. The lectures are free and open to the public. Sunday, January 22, 2012: “The Invention of the Maghreb,” by Professor Majid Hannoum, University of Kansas, will focus on how the colonial history has shaped current political and cultural dynamics of the region.

NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS AT OPEN HARVEST . . . Open Harvest Co-Op Grocery, 1618 South Steet in Lincoln, has eliminated plastic bags at the check out registers beginning January 1, 2012.  From the LJS article, “It is a positive change for the Co-op and hopefully other businesses in Lincoln will consider keeping plastic bags out of their store and out of our landfills.”

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. There is now a General Assembly three times per week: Sunday, 1:30pm; Wednesday, 6:00pm; and Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. 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!

ROCK CREEK WINTER HIKE . . . Rock Creek comprises several hundred acres of virgin and restored tallgrass prairie near Fairbury, about 67 miles southwest of Lincoln. Sunday, January 22, 2012, 10:30am, meet at the Wachiska Audubon office parking lot, 4547 Calvert Street, to caravan or carpool for a winter hike of the historic trails. The public is welcome. For more information, phone John Carlini at 402.475.7275.

RECYCLE TREES UNTIL JANUARY 30 . . . Due to continuing demand, holiday trees may be recycled until January 30 at Hofeling Enterprises, 2200 South Folsom Court, 7:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, phone the City Recycling Hotline at 402.441.8215.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

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. Wednesday, January 18, 2012, the film will be “Impaler,” a film about Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey, a satanic vampire who runs for governor of Minnesota. 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.

PUBLIC MEETING WITH NRC STAFF THRUSDAY . . . US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with Omaha Public Power District officials in Omaha on Thursday, January 19, 2012, to discuss its oversight of the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant. The public meeting will begin at 6:00pm at the Doubletree Hotel, 1616 Dodge Street.  The Fort Calhoun Plant has been placed on regulatory hold for significant performance issues.  NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public after the business portion of the meeting.

PIPE DREAMS . . . There will be a free showing of Academy Award and Emmy-nominated director Leslie Iwerks’ documentary, Pipe Dreams, Saturday, January 21, 2012, 7:00 to 10:00pm, at House of Loom, 1012 South 10th Street, Omaha. Pipe Dreams is the story of the greatest environmental battle in the U.S. today- The Keystone XL Pipeline. The FaceBook page is here.  Discussion and music will follow the film.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. The official Occupy Omaha website is here. The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The president has until February 20, 2012 to approve or deny the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline. It is believed he will announce his decision before the end of January.  Handwritten letters to the president (on 8-1/2 x 11″ paper) are the number one requested opposition action at this point. Address them to President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500.
Send the White House an online message here, and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. CALL THE WHITE HOUSE at the Switchboard number: 202.456.1414. Sign a Credo petition to the president here.  The clock is ticking on this environmentally disastrous tar sands project.
Tell the president to “Please reject this attempt to ram through approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by rejecting the project’s permit application.” Sign a Save BioGems NRDC petition here.
Urge the president to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out a 350.org petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President here.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging denial of the construction permit here.  And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . From “Officials Say Fracking Caused Ohio Earthquake,” in Reader Supported News, January 2, 2012: “Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity. The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale.”
“Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says,” by Kim Palmer for Reuters in the Chicago Tribune, January 3rd, reports “A 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Ohio on New Year’s Eve did not occur naturally and may have been caused by high-pressure liquid injection related to oil and gas exploration and production, an expert hired by the state of Ohio said on Tuesday.”
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.”

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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“

HELP GREENS GATHER SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party is now gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
In Lincoln, petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop by for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate with friends and family during the holidays. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney, to sign and pick up petitions.  Omaha area Greens will meet Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street, in Benson.
You must be a registered voter to circulate petitions. Fill out a voter registration application online here.[pdf]  If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, if you would like us to mail you petitions to circulate, or to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Let’s take Our democracy back from Wall Street!

SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT . . . “There’s no question that the political tide is turning thanks to Occupy Wall Street–because there’s actually a political push to ensure that corporations are NOT people, to overturn the “free speech rights” given to corporations by the Supreme Court’s troubling Citizens United decision.”  Add your voice. Sign the petition.
In the House, Representative Ted Deutch’s H.J. Res 90, The OCCUPIED Amendment, also says that corporations are not people and they do not belong in our elections.  Sign the OCCUPIED petition.  Spread the word.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s Pipeline Opposition Update, and then PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA.

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.

LOBBY DAY ON NEBRASKA VOTER SUPPRESSION BILL . . . The Nebraska version of the Voter Suppression bills bombarding our country is LB 239. Wednesday, January 11, 2012, many groups interested in safeguarding the right to vote will converge on the state capitol to oppose this bill and remind legislators that voting should not depend on income or education. Minorities, low income people, college students and others will be affected by LB 239. Click here [pdf] for text of the bill. See CD 2 Green Note on the bus charter from Omaha for Lobby Day.

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.

NEBRASKA’S WINTER BIRDS . . . Thursday, January 12, 2012, 7:00pm, noted UN-L professor emeritus Paul Johnsgard will speak about Nebraska’s Winter Birds at the Wachiska Audubon General Meeting, in the Dick Administration Building lower level auditorium at Union College, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. Read a December Prairie Fire article by Johnsgard, “The Feathers of Winter,” here.  The Audubon presentation is free and open to the public.

ANNUAL MLK FREEDOM BREAKFAST . . . Keynote Speaker will be Larry Williams, Executive Director of the Malone Center, at the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast, 7:30 to 8:30am, Friday, January 13th, at Embassy Suites, 1040 P Street, in Lincoln. For reservations, phone 402.323.3412.

NPPD BOARD MEETING . . . The Nebraska Public Power District is poised to 1) pass a resolution approving the Keystone XL Pipeline Project in Nebraska, on behalf of TransCanada; and 2) spend more than a billion dollars of ratepayer money to retrofit coal-fired power plants, while at the same time arguing there is no money for alternative energy development.  Friday, January 13, 2012, 9:00am until 12:00pm, public comments will be heard at the NPPD Board Meeting in the Columbus General Office, 1414-15th Street, Columbus, Nebraska.  See the Bold Nebraska website for more details. Put the “public” back in “public power.”

NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS AT OPEN HARVEST . . . Open Harvest Co-Op Grocery, 1618 South Steet in Lincoln, has eliminated plastic bags at the check out registers beginning January 1, 2012.  From the LJS article, “It is a positive change for the Co-op and hopefully other businesses in Lincoln will consider keeping plastic bags out of their store and out of our landfills.”

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. There is now a General Assembly three times per week: Sunday, 1:30pm; Wednesday, 6:00pm; and Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. 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!

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Occupy Lincoln’s Occupy Education committee is promoting the idea of a free and open university with talks/discussions starting the second week of January, through February 13, 2012. The teach-in workshop schedule is Mondays, 7:00 to 8:00pm at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street; and Tuesdays, 7:00pm at Meadowlark Coffee, 1624 South Street. The Monday ECON 99 Course, “Economics the 1% Doesn’t Want You to Know,” will consist of five informal lectures to present basic ideas on the subject of that week, followed by an open discussion. Monday, January 9th: A. Intro to the Occupy Education Program; B. Intro to ECON 99 – Economics that the 99% needs to know. Tuesday, January 10th, 7:00pm, Stephanie, Brandon, and Trina, from the OL Medical Committee, will address “Burn Out in Community Organizing.” For more information, e-mail Hendrik van den Berg, hvan-den-berg1 [at] unl [dot] edu. Be there to learn and discuss. Knowledge is liberating.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

LOBBY AGAINST LB 239 IN LINCOLN . . . The Nebraska Voter Suppression bill is LB 239. Wednesday, January 11, 2012, a chartered bus from North Omaha will be available for those who want to lobby against this threat to voting rights of minorities, low income people, and college students, among others. Omaha departure time is 8:00am sharp, leaving from the OIC Building, 2729 North 24th Street. The bus will return leaving Lincoln at 4:00pm. There is a $7.00 suggested donation. For further details, contact Preston Love at 402.812.3324, or prestonlovejr [at] yahoo [dot] com Click here [pdf] for the full wording of LB 239.

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.

CD 2 NEBRASKA GREEN PARTY MEETING . . . Omaha area Greens will meet Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street, in Benson. Meet Omaha Greens, join the NGP ballot access campaign, and get involved.

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, January 11, 2012, the film will be “American Blackout,” a look at the career of U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Green Party presidential candidate in 2008, and the historical suppression of black voters in the United States. View a trailer at the website.  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.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . Progressive Omaha is an organization that provides information, education and support to progressive people and groups through various approaches including a website, speakers bureau, film festival, calendar of events, and monthly meetings. The January 2012 meeting will be Saturday, the 14th, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at 1517 North Happy Hollow Blvd.  There will be a potluck supper from 6:00 to 7:00, discussion with Curtis Bryant from 7:00 to 8:00, and business/social time until 9:00pm. Bryant’s focus is George Lakoff’s research on how to frame the progressive political debate. Progressive Omaha is looking for new leadership since Jack Dunn stepped down. Responsibilities include (1) facilitating monthly meetings; and (2) securing speakers for upcoming meetings. Join the discussion, and volunteer leadership Saturday night, or just be there to meet Omaha progressives at the start of a new year. For more information, e-mail Karen Abrams, kabrams123 [at] cox [dot] net.

BID GREEN TO KEEP THE AQUIFER CLEAN . . . Saturday, January 14, 2012, 7:00 to 10:00pm, BOLD Nebraska will host an Art Auction Fundraiser for Keystone XL pipeline opposition in Omaha at the new BLK Building, 1213 Jones Street. Randy Thompson, Nebraska’s opposition superstar, is hosting the live auction part of the night. To help STOP THE PIPELINE by contributing art or other items to the Omaha event, fill out the form here.  View some of the items already donated for auction here.  Please help spread the word about Saturday’s auction on FaceBook.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. The official Occupy Omaha website is here. The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The Lincoln Journal Star published “Keystone XL pipeline not safe” by Mike Klink on January 1, 2012. Klink, a civil engineer and an inspector for TransCanada during the construction of the first Keystone pipeline, is currently seeking whistleblower protection from the U.S. Department of Labor. From the editorial, “I’ve had an uncomfortable front-row seat to the disaster that Keystone XL could bring about all along its pathway.”
The LJS editorial generated attention in alternative media throughout the week. Democracy Now! included “Ex-Inspector Urges Cancellation of Keystone XL Pipeline” in January 6th headlines. “Pipeline Inspector-Turned-Whistleblower Calls Keystone XL a Potential Disaster,” by Stephen Lacey, ThinkProgress, was published January 4th in Truthout: “Mike Klink is a former inspector for Bechtel, one of the major contractors working on TransCanada’s original Keystone pipeline, completed in 2010. Klink says he raised numerous concerns about shoddy materials and poor craftsmanship during construction of the pipeline, which brings tar sands crude from Canada to Midwestern refineries in the U.S. Instead of actually addressing the problems, Klink claims he was fired by Bechtel in retaliation.” And Reader Supported News published “TransCanada Inspector: Keystone XL Pipeline Not Safe,” on January 3rd: “Mike Klink, former inspector for TransCanada is seeking whistleblower protection from the U.S. Department of Labor. Klink writes, “What did I see? Cheap foreign steel that cracked when workers tried to weld it, foundations for pump stations that you would never consider using in your own home, fudged safety tests, Bechtel staffers explaining away leaks during pressure tests as ‘not too bad,’ shortcuts on the steel and rebar that are essential for safe pipeline operation and siting of facilities on completely inappropriate spots like wetlands. … Let’s be clear – I am an engineer; I am not telling you we shouldn’t build pipelines. We just should not build this one.”
We now have until February 20, 2012 to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.  This is the moment to inspire President Obama to be the President he told us he would be and make sure he does not approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline through Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills and the Ogallala Aquifer.  Sign a Credo petition to the president here.  Send the White House a message here, and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. CALL THE WHITE HOUSE at the Switchboard number: 202.456.1414.  The two-month clock is ticking on this environmentally disastrous tar sands project.
Tell President Obama to stand strong and reject the Keystone XL! Tell him to “Please reject this attempt to ram through approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by rejecting the project’s permit application.” Sign a Save BioGems NRDC petition here.  Kyra Sedgwick urges the public to join nine Nobel Laureates, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in calling on the president to reject the proposed tar sands pipeline in a 0.38 second video promoting the same petition.
January 6th, The Guardian reported that “The head of the US’s biggest oil and gas lobbying group said on Wednesday that the Obama administration will face serious political consequences if it rejects a Canada-to-Texas oil sands pipeline that has been opposed by environmental groups.” Read “XL Pipeline: Oil Chief Threatens Obama” here.
Writing “Time to Stop Being Cynical About Corporate Money in Politics & Start Being Angry,” for TomDispatch and Truthout January 5th, Bill McKibben says “We’ve reached the point where we’re unfazed by things that should shake us to the core. So, just for a moment, be naive…. I don’t want to be hopelessly naive. I want to be hopefully naive. It would be relatively easy to change this: you could provide public financing for campaigns instead of letting corporations pay. It’s the equivalent of having the National Football League hire referees instead of asking the teams to provide them.”
“Unequal Risks and Benefits for Citizens in Six States on Keystone XL Pipeline Route,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, January 5th, reports “…The differences are particularly striking when it comes to tax revenue and environmental protection. States with stronger regulations have won protections for their citizens, while other states sometimes focused more on meeting TransCanada’s needs.” Read page 1 of 5 here.
From “Oil industry: ‘Huge political consequences’ if pipeline rejected,” by Andrew Restuccia, The Hill, January 4, 2012: “A top oil industry official delivered a clear warning to President Obama Wednesday: approve the Keystone XL pipeline or face “huge political consequences.”
“Obama, Congress begin 2012 in oil pipeline dispute,” by Matthew Daly, AP, from the January 3rd LJS: “Republicans have bullied their way to get a reckless rider attached to a bill that was supposed to be about helping middle-class families,” said Jane Kleeb, executive director of the group Bold Nebraska, which opposes the pipeline. With the bill signed into law, Obama “must do the right thing for our land, water and families’ health by denying the pipeline permit,” Kleeb said.
January 1st, New York Times editorialized “The Republicans believe they have President Obama in a box: either he approves a controversial Canadian oil pipeline or they accuse him of depriving the nation of jobs. Mr. Obama can and should push back hard. This is precisely the moment for him to argue the case for alternative fuel sources and clean energy jobs — and to lambaste the Republicans for doubling down on conventional fuels while ceding a $5 trillion global clean technology market (and the jobs that go with it) to more aggressive competitors like China and Germany. …American voters are smart enough to see through the ridiculous pipeline gambit. And they will surely listen if Mr. Obama makes a compelling argument for both protecting the environment and investing in clean energy industries that will create lasting jobs.” Read “Where the Real Jobs Are” here.
Also from The Hill, “Greens say President Obama has no choice but to kill Keystone XL pipeline,” by Andrew Restuccia begins “Republicans who lobbied aggressively for a measure to force President Obama to make a speedy decision on the Keystone XL pipeline have ensured the project’s demise, environmental groups say. The activists said Obama will be forced to reject the pipeline — which would carry oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast — under a measure in the two-month payroll tax cut extension that requires the administration to make a decision on the project within 60 days. “The president is going to have no choice but to reject the pipeline,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director of international programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “I don’t see any wiggle room.”
Urge President Obama to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out a 350.org petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President here.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . From “Officials Say Fracking Caused Ohio Earthquake,” in Reader Supported News, January 2, 2012: “Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity. The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale.”
“Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, expert says,” by Kim Palmer for Reuters in the Chicago Tribune, January 3rd, reports “A 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Ohio on New Year’s Eve did not occur naturally and may have been caused by high-pressure liquid injection related to oil and gas exploration and production, an expert hired by the state of Ohio said on Tuesday.”
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.”

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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“

HELP GREENS GATHER SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party is now gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
In Lincoln, petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop by for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate with friends and family during the holidays. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney, to sign and pick up petitions. If you’re not a registered voter, fill out the voter registration application online here.[pdf]  If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, if you would like us to mail you petitions to circulate via postal, or to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Let’s take Our democracy back from Wall Street!

SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT . . . “There’s no question that the political tide is turning thanks to Occupy Wall Street–because there’s actually a political push to ensure that corporations are NOT people, to overturn the “free speech rights” given to corporations by the Supreme Court’s troubling Citizens United decision.”  Add your voice. Sign the petition.
In the House, Representative Ted Deutch’s H.J. Res 90, The OCCUPIED Amendment, also says that corporations are not people and they do not belong in our elections.  Sign the OCCUPIED petition.  Spread the word.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s Pipeline Opposition Update, and then PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA.

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.

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.

NEW YEAR WINTER WALKABOUT . . . Saturday, January 7, 2012, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon will host two explorations of remote parts of the prairie. A morning session is from 10:00am to noon, and a second walkabout will be from 1:00 to 3:00pm. Reservations are being taken at 402.797.2301, or scp [at] audubon [dot] org. There is a small fee, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Spring Creek Prairie is an 808-acre tall grass prairie sanctuary about 20 miles southwest of Lincoln near Denton, Nebraska.

NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS AT OPEN HARVEST . . . Open Harvest Co-Op Grocery, 1618 South Steet in Lincoln, has eliminated plastic bags at the check out registers beginning January 1, 2012.  From the LJS article, “It is a positive change for the Co-op and hopefully other businesses in Lincoln will consider keeping plastic bags out of their store and out of our landfills.”

“BAG IT” AT MEADOWLARK . . . Open Harvest is sponsoring a free showing of Bag It, Saturday, January 7, 2012, 7:00pm, next door at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. From the Bag It website, “What started as a documentary about plastic bags evolved into a wholesale investigation into plastics and their effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our bodies.”

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. There is now a General Assembly three times per week: Sunday, 1:30pm; Wednesday, 6:00pm; and Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. 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!

RECYCLE CHRISTMAS TREES . . . The City of Lincoln will accept trees to recycle through Sunday, January 8, 2011, at any of the seven sites listed here.  For more information, call 402-441-8215 or see recycle.lincoln.ne.gov.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

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. Wednesday, January 4, 2012, the film will be “Supermarket Secrets,” a documentary Using a combination of undercover filming and scientific analysis to investigate whether the food on supermarket shelves is really as good as it looks, whether prices are as good as they seem, and what happens behind the scenes in the production of supermarket food. 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.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. All charges against Katy Heil, Nathan Davis and Ben Walden, who were arrested at 24th and Farnam on November 3rd, have been dismissed. The official Occupy Omaha website is here.  The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . We now have “60 Days to Stop the Keystone Pipeline.”  This is the moment — a 60 day window — to inspire President Obama to be the President he told us he would be and make sure he does not approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline through Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills and the Ogallala Aquifer.  Sign a Credo petition to the president here. Send the White House a message here, and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. CALL THE WHITE HOUSE at the Switchboard number: 202.456.1414.
“Preventing the Keystone XL Pipeline: Occupy the Oil Companies,”  by Paul Rogat Loeb, BuzzFlash@Truthout, was published December 28, 2011: “… the two-month clock is now ticking on whether Obama will approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada’s environmentally disastrous tar sands. If we want him to make the right decision and deny the permit, maybe it’s time to Occupy Exxon, with creative protests at local Exxon/Mobil stations. Of course we need to keep pressuring Obama. The bill’s deadline precludes anything close to the kind of comprehensive environmental review that he called for after rallies and civil disobedience at the White House led him to delay approval for a year.
…In a week heralding news of melting Arctic methane beds, and a year of record global temperatures and billion-dollar weather-related disasters, demanding Keystone’s approval is a stunning exercise in denial. But that’s the deal that passed. So our challenge is not only to get Obama to reject the pipeline. We also want to make this raw power grab backfire on those who insisted on it by turning at least part of the national conversation back onto oil company greed.”
From The Hill, December 28th, “Greens say President Obama has no choice but to kill Keystone XL pipeline,” by Andrew Restuccia begins “Republicans who lobbied aggressively for a measure to force President Obama to make a speedy decision on the Keystone XL pipeline have ensured the project’s demise, environmental groups say. The activists said Obama will be forced to reject the pipeline — which would carry oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast — under a measure in the two-month payroll tax cut extension that requires the administration to make a decision on the project within 60 days.
“The president is going to have no choice but to reject the pipeline,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director of international programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “I don’t see any wiggle room.
“The Fight Over Keystone XL Now Has a 60-Day Deadline,” by Brad Johnson, ThinkProgress, was published in Truthout December 25th: “Attached to the payroll tax deal was a provision forcing President Obama to decide within 60 days whether or not to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, before its route is even finalized. The deadline runs out on February 21, 2012. The State Department has made it clear it can’t do a proper review of the pipeline, especially considering that TransCanada has agreed to change the pipeline’s pathway in Nebraska but hasn’t even finalized the new route.”
Lincoln Journal Star published “Keystone XL pipeline not safe” by Mike Klink on January 1, 2012. Klink, a civil engineer and an inspector for TransCanada during the construction of the first Keystone pipeline, is currently seeking whistleblower protection from the U.S. Department of Labor. From the editorial, “I’ve had an uncomfortable front-row seat to the disaster that Keystone XL could bring about all along its pathway.”
LJS covered the release of a map that officially delineates the part of Nebraska’s Sand Hills Keystone XL must avoid if it crosses Nebraska on December 30th. A Deena Winter article for Nebraska WatchDog, includes the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality map.
From “The politics of pipe: Keystone’s troubled route,” by Nathan Vanderklippe, The Globe and Mail, December 24th: “…For TransCanada, Nebraska would come to form the heart of a fierce opposition to a $7-billion pipeline project that has now been put on hold, after a groundswell that started in Cornhusker country swept through activist environmental groups to Washington, D.C.” Page 1 of 3 is here.
Environmental champion Robert Redford wrote his third recent commentary on XL, “Congress and Keystone XL: A National Disgrace,” for Reader Supported News, December 20th: “The Congress is ending the year much as it began – playing politics with our nation’s future and putting American families at risk to score partisan points. In the closing act to a shameful year of paralysis and indecision on the issues that matter most, House Republicans held common-sense tax relief for American families hostage to a holiday gift to Big Oil. After the GOP-led House welded the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline rider onto the tax-relief bill, the Democratic-led Senate went along for the ride, passing a bad piece of legislation rather than being accused of blocking a needed tax cut. When the United State Congress intentionally ties these two things together, though, it’s not a joke: it’s a national disgrace.”
Redford’s “Keystone XL and Jobs: Just More Pipe Dreams” and “Stand Together Against the Tar Sands Scourge,” were both also published in Reader Supported News.
An excellent Rolling Stone commentary about the tyranny of Big Oil, “The zombie pipeline lives!” addresses the two great myths of the Keystone XL pipeline. Brasscheck TV also addressed the “Tyranny of Big Oil” in a 2:16 minute video featuring Nebraska’s Randy Thompson and pipeline protesters. “Big Oil has cut a back-room deal with the dirtiest members of Congress to attach a provision that would force the Keystone XL pipeline approval to a MUST-PASS tax cut bill. These kinds of deals exemplify the tyranny Big Oil exercises over our government. President Obama came into office promising to “end the tyranny of oil.” This WAS his chance to prove he was serious.”
Urge President Obama to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out a 350.org petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President here.  Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
On January 14, 2012, 7:00 to 10:00pm, BOLD Nebraska will host an Art Auction Fundraiser in Omaha at 1213 Jones Street. To help STOP THE PIPELINE by contributing art or other items to the Omaha event, fill out the form here.  View some of the items already donated for auction here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . .  The Environmental Protection Agency has implicated fracking in groundwater pollution.  Quoting “EPA Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas,” by Kirk Johnson, The New York Times News Service, “The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock. The E.P.A. has also begun a national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.”
“Shale Gas Drilling’s Dirty Secret Is Out,” by Josh Fox, sourced to Reader Supported News, begins “Having investigated fracking myself for three years, I have heard the same story hundreds of times, from residents in gas-drilling areas from Wyoming to Arkansas, from Pennsylvania to Texas. It goes like this: the frackers move in – and all of a sudden your water turns color, or can be lit on fire, or smells like turpentine or leaves burn marks on you after you take a shower. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.”
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.”

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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“

NEBRASKA GREENS ARE GATHERING SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party has started gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
In Lincoln, petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop by for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate with friends and family during the holidays. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney,to sign and pick up petitions. If you’re not a registered voter, fill out the voter registration application online here. [pdf]  If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, if you would like us to mail you petitions to circulate via postal, or to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Let’s take Our democracy back from Wall Street!

SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT . . . “There’s no question that the political tide is turning thanks to Occupy Wall Street–because there’s actually a political push to ensure that corporations are NOT people, to overturn the “free speech rights” given to corporations by the Supreme Court’s troubling Citizens United decision.”  Add your voice. Sign the petition.  In the House, Representative Ted Deutch’s H.J. Res 90, The OCCUPIED Amendment, also says that corporations are not people and they do not belong in our elections.  Sign the OCCUPIED petition.  Spread the word.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s Pipeline Opposition Update.
PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA.

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.

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 LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. There is now a General Assembly three times per week: Sunday, 1:30pm; Wednesday, 6:00pm; and Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. All GAs will be at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, in the Haymarket’s Creamery Building, until further notice. 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 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. Wednesday, December 21, 2011, the film will be “Whale Wars,” a documentary spotlighting the Japanese whaling trade, and the opposition tactics of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Watch a 4:18 minute video, The Making of Whale Wars, here.  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.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. All charges against Katy Heil, Nathan Davis and Ben Walden, who were arrested at 24th and Farnam on November 3rd, have been dismissed. The official Occupy Omaha website is here.  The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

FREE ADMISSION ON SUNDAYS AT LAURITZEN . . . Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s botanical center at 100 Bancroft Street in Omaha, is offering free admission on Sundays through December. Exhibits include a holiday poinsettia show.

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Saturday morning, December 17, 2011, the Senate passed a bill that requires a 60-day, expedited approval process for the pipeline in return for a payroll tax cut, and the President has said he will sign it.  Quoting Bill McKibben, “Our hope — and what you should ask the President for when you write him — is that when he signs the bill he will say the obvious thing: “Two months is not long enough to review the pipeline. The Canadians themselves have just delayed review of their tar sands pipelines over safety concerns, and we’ve just come through a year that set a record for billion-dollar climate-related disasters; I’m not going to do a rush job just to please the oil industry lobbyists. So this pipeline is dead.”
Since the State Department has already, in essence, said two months is not enough time, this should be straightforward. Send the White House a message here, and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.
Lincoln Journal Star coverage of the shameful deal, “Senate OKs payroll tax cut, sets deadline on Keystone decision,” by Andrew Taylor, AP, December 17th explains “…As a condition for GOP support of the payroll tax measure, Obama has to accept a provision demanded by Republicans that forces him to decide within 60 days whether to approve or reject a proposed a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline. … the legislation requires the president to grant a permit unless he makes a determination that it is “not in the national interest.”
A December 15th LJS Editorial, “Disconnect pipeline, payroll tax cut,” addresses Nebraska Representative Lee Terry: “…we’re talking about you. With the help of your colleagues, you attached your bill to give President Barack Obama a 60-day deadline on approval of the Keystone XL pipeline to legislation that would extend the payroll cut. The two measures have nothing to do with each other. It’s just another silly political game. Want to know why Congress has the worst approval ratings in history? It’s because of stunts like this.”
“Almost heroes on pipeline,” an LJS letter to the editor by Warren Gilbert, published December 16th, begins “For a while there, we looked like winners. Nebraska gained international acclaim for its determined stand against TransCanada, calling the world’s attention to an unfolding ecological disaster. When newspapers, TV and magazines around the world applauded this grass-roots rebellion, it became clear that more was at stake than the aquifer and the Sand Hills. A widespread expectation was created that the massively destructive strip-mining of the boreal forest, toxic waste and tripled pollution might be shut down. …So for one brief shining moment, a tiny band of rebels held the world in awe. Now we’re shunted aside by the elected leaders, who declared it will not be Nebraskans who make the farsighted choices.”
An excellent Rolling Stone commentary about the tyranny of Big Oil, “The zombie pipeline lives!” addresses two great myths of Keystone XL.
From Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy’s statement in the December 14, 2011 Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192: “Tar sands are a particularly dirty source of petroleum, from extraction to refinement. As I looked into this issue I saw some of the photographs of the boreal forest area where it is extracted, and I was shocked. Anyone who is interested in this issue, whether or not you think building the pipeline is a good idea, should look at the photographs. They depict an extraordinarily beautiful landscape that has been ravaged by heavy machinery, vast ponds filled with polluted water and sludge, and a scared wasteland where forests used to be. It is one of the more graphic examples of how our collective, insatiable thirst for oil has pillaged the fragile environment of this planet. Our demand for fossil fuels will continue to grow exponentially unless we come up with a comprehensive, national energy plan and have the will to implement it.”
“Why can’t lawmakers see what we all see: corporate contributions corrupt?” by Bill McKibben, was in the LA Times and LSJ December 16th: “…Is it really possible that people in Washington don’t understand what the rest of the country — left, right and center — believes about them: that they take campaign money from corporations in return for doing their bidding?
I went home and looked up Rep. Lee Terry in the database of the Dirty Energy Money Campaign, compiled by Oil Change International. Koch Industries had given him $15,500. Exxon Mobil had given him $25,500. The Petroleum Marketers Association had tossed in $12,500. ConocoPhillips, Chevron, BP — all in all since 1999, he’d gotten $365,798 from the fossil fuel industry, and in the latest tally, the site states he’d “sided with dirty energy interests in 100 percent of selected votes.
The same was true for all the other sponsors of the legislation to thwart the review of Keystone and build it fast, climate be damned. I understand that this kind of corruption is bipartisan, and also that it’s entirely legal; but I also understand that everyone, and I mean everyone, that I’ve ever met outside of Washington thinks it stinks. I mean, sitting there on the dais, I was feeling rude but also stunned. You really think this is OK? To take money from people whose interests you’ll then judge?”
“Keystone XL and Jobs: Just More Pipe Dreams” by environmental champion Robert Redford, on December 12th, begins “This week the GOP leadership, once again, has sided with Big Oil against the will of the American people. They are trying to circumvent President Obama’s decision to further investigate the impacts of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. GOP leadership is instead advocating for granting the permit now, or else they will hold up important legislation meant to benefit real people’s real lives.” Redford also wrote “Stand Together Against the Tar Sands Scourge” for Reader Supported News in November.
Brasscheck TV addressed the “Tyranny of Big Oil” in a 2:16 minute video featuring Nebraska’s Randy Thompson and pipeline protesters. “Big Oil has cut a back-room deal with the dirtiest members of Congress to attach a provision that would force the Keystone XL pipeline approval to a MUST-PASS tax cut bill. These kinds of deals exemplify the tyranny Big Oil exercises over our government. President Obama came into office promising to “end the tyranny of oil.” This WAS his chance to prove he was serious.”
And Greg Palast wrote “Whistleblowers: Software Monitoring Keystone XL Pipeline’s Safety Contains Deliberate Errors,” for Truthout December 16th: “The GOP is pushing a pipeline that could blow you to pieces. Greg Palast conducted a five-continent investigation of Big Oil for British TV’s premier current affairs program, “Dispatches,”” and for BBC Worldwide. This report is based on the broadcast seen prime-time worldwide – but not yet in the USA. Whistleblowers have told Britain’s “Dispatches” that the safety software on major US pipelines contains deliberate errors – and so pipelines can – and have – busted, leaked, exploded … and killed.”
Urge President Obama to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out a 350.org petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President in the Spirit of the Season.
Tell President Obama the new environmental review must address the climate impacts of Keystone XL and be independent and science-based. Ask him to keep his promises on the new review in a Friends of the Earth petition here.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
On January 14, 2012, 7:00 to 10:00pm, BOLD Nebraska will host an Art Auction Fundraiser in Omaha at 1213 Jones Street. To help STOP THE PIPELINE by contributing art or other items to the Omaha event, fill out the form here. View some of the items already donated for auction here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . Last week there was breaking news that the Environmental Protection Agency has implicated fracking in groundwater pollution.  Quoting “EPA Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas,” by Kirk Johnson, The New York Times News Service, “The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock. The E.P.A. has also begun a national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.”
“Shale Gas Drilling’s Dirty Secret Is Out,” by Josh Fox, sourced to Reader Supported News, begins “Having investigated fracking myself for three years, I have heard the same story hundreds of times, from residents in gas-drilling areas from Wyoming to Arkansas, from Pennsylvania to Texas. It goes like this: the frackers move in – and all of a sudden your water turns color, or can be lit on fire, or smells like turpentine or leaves burn marks on you after you take a shower. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.”
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.”

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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“

NEBRASKA GREENS ARE GATHERING SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party has started gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
As you think about volunteering to help NGP collect signatures, please read and consider the AlterNet article “20 Ways the Obama Administration Has Intruded on Your Rights,” by Bill Quigley, November 30, 2011: “…The Obama administration has affirmed, continued and expanded almost all of the draconian domestic civil liberties intrusions pioneered under the Bush administration. Here are twenty examples of serious assaults on the domestic rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, the right to privacy, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience that have occurred since the Obama administration has assumed power. Consider these and then decide if there is any fundamental difference between the Bush presidency and the Obama presidency in the area of domestic civil liberties.” Then check Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s website.  Let’s take democracy back from Wall Street!
In Lincoln, ballot access petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop by for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate with friends and family during the holidays. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney, to sign and pick up petitions. After Tuesday’s meeting in Benson, (see CD 2 Green Note below), petitions will be also be available at the Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street. If you’re not a registered voter, fill out the voter registration application online here.[pdf] If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, or if You would like to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com.

SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT . . . Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders speaks on the new Saving American Democracy Amendment to Overturn Citizens United in a 3:14 minute video here.  Quoting a December 10, 2011 AlterNet article, “There’s no question that the political tide is turning thanks to Occupy Wall Street–because there’s actually a political push to ensure that corporations are NOT people, to overturn the “free speech rights” given to corporations by the Supreme Court’s troubling Citizens United decision.” Add your voice. Sign the petition.         In the House, Representative Ted Deutch’s H.J. Res 90, The OCCUPIED Amendment, also says that corporations are not people and they do not belong in our elections. Sign the OCCUPIED petition.  Spread the word.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s Pipeline Opposition Update.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

A PEOPLE’S WITHDRAWAL OF THE BANK BAILOUT MONEY … On Monday, December 12, 2011, Occupy Lincoln will present a People’s Withdrawal of Bailout Money. Meet Occupiers at the Lincoln campsite, on Centennial Mall, north of the capitol building, at 11:30am. Specific locations will be announced there. There will be a short march followed by an afternoon of street theater and puppets. Help take back the bailout money and reinvest it for the 99%.

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.

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 LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. There is now a General Assembly three times per week: Sunday, 1:30pm; Wednesday, 6:00pm; and Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. All GAs will be at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, in the Haymarket’s Creamery Building, until further notice. 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 AREA GREENS MEETING . . . Tuesday, December 13, 2011, CD 2 Greens will meet at the Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street, in Benson, 6:00pm. Meet new Greens, and join the discussion of ballot access strategy. Pick up a petition to circulate among friends and family who are registered Nebraska voters over the holidays. If you’re not a registered voter yourself, fill out a voter registration application online here.[pdf] Circulator guidelines are in sections a. and b. here.[pdf] The Pizza Shoppe has great food, friendly staff, and an interesting, casual atmosphere. Don’t forget to thank Amy Ryan for welcoming Greens!

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. Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the film will be “Freedom,” a one-hour documentary that looks at America’s perilous and unsustainable addiction to foreign oil with emphasis on ethanol. The weekly event is always free and open to the public. A discussion with Sasha Forsen from Green Plains Renewable Energy will follow the film. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition.  The official Occupy Omaha website is here.  The FaceBook page is here. The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

FREE ADMISSION ON SUNDAYS AT LAURITZEN . . . Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s botanical center at 100 Bancroft Street in Omaha, is offering free admission on Sundays through December. Exhibits include a holiday poinsettia show.

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . BOLD Nebraska Executive Director Jane Kleeb posted a December 6, 2011 Update on the latest pipeline developments including three easy actions to take this month. A consulting firm, HDR, has been hired (even though there was no Request For Proposal process), to assist the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality on the pipeline issues. One of HDR’s lead VPs is Rex Fisher, a good friend of Governor Heineman.  No one is asking the Nebraska DEQ why they did not conduct a full RFP. No route has been made public.
A STOP THE PIPELINE Action Alert from the Natural Resources Defense Council updates the a plan in Congress to hold spending legislation hostage unless the destructive tar sands Keystone XL pipeline project is approved. In the House, Republican leaders are trying to force approval by attaching it to a bill extending unemployment benefits and the payroll-tax cut. Tell your members of Congress to reject attempts to fast track the tar sands pipeline and other anti-environmental measures by attaching them to last-minute spending legislation. Say No to the Keystone XL and other anti-environmental riders.
A Sierra Club Statement in response to fast-track legislation, “Congress Considers Bills to Short Circuit Environmental Review of Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Proposal,” was issued December 2nd. “The U.S. House and Senate GOP are each pushing bills that would stop the U.S. State Department’s reevaluation of the environmental and public health impacts of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in an attempt to expedite construction of the project. GOP leaders are considering adding the legislation as a rider to the payroll tax bill, the last bill that Congress is likely to vote on before the winter recess. In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of Sierra Club, issued the following statement: “Big Oil expects this special treatment from their friends in Congress, who are now trying to rush a decision on Keystone XL, despite the Administration’s decision that this project needs more review to protect the health and safety of millions of Americans. It’s time for Congress to stop doing the bidding of the world’s largest polluters and stand up for real energy solutions. The Sierra Club is strongly opposed to any legislative effort to rush a decision on Keystone XL.”
Quoting a post at Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s website, “Climate victory on Keystone Pipeline requires continued green pressure through 2012 and beyond,” “…Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein congratulated climate change activists for forcing the Obama administration to back away from quick approval of the XL pipeline. “This is a positive step, a reprieve won through activism and political pressure. Only six weeks ago it was clear that the Obama administration was willing to open the door to a measure that spelled climate disaster. What changed was not a sudden outbreak of environmental concern in the administration, but what they all but admit is a political calculation that pipeline approval would cost the President votes if announced before the presidential election. One way to keep the pressure on the White House into 2013 is to build the Green Party as a political alternative in 2012.”
From CredoAction, “The fight to stop Keystone XL is far from over. President Obama may have delayed his decision on the pipeline, but Republicans have redoubled their efforts, and could be dangerously close to forcing its approval. …they are planning to push a bill to force a decision on the pipeline and strip the President’s authority to make that decision. Worse, they will attach this poison pill to the President’s payroll-tax and unemployment benefit extension package — considered a must-pass piece of legislation that contains crucial help for our long-term unemployed. Sign a petition to Leaders Reid and Pelosi telling them not to make a backroom deal allowing Republicans to force this pipeline on Americans. Learn more and sign here.”
Politico coverage of the House deal attaching XL to the payroll tax cut is here.
In “Nebraska Ranchers Who Turned the Tide in Pipeline Fight Say They’re Not Done Yet,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, landowners explain why–and how–they became activists. InsideClimate News also published “Electric Vehicle Advocates See Threat to Progress from Keystone XL Pipeline.” on November 23rd.
Quoting from page 1 of 3, “City and county officials think the pipeline would undermine federal policy and their local efforts to move to clean vehicles and alternate fuels.”
Environmental champion Robert Redford wrote “Stand Together Against the Tar Sands Scourge,” sourced from The Globe and Mail, for Reader Supported News in November. “Not only is tar-sands production laying waste to Canada’s forests, polluting waterways, air and land, but the resulting carbon emissions are threatening Canada’s long-time commitment to reducing the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet and threatening us all…. We need Canadians everywhere to join us in this fight. We need to call on the history and values we share and stand up, Canadians and Americans as one. We need to draw the line at tar sands. We need to reject the Keystone XL.”
Quoting “Taking It to the Streets, in The November 28, 2011 New Yorker by Jane Mayer, “James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and one of the country’s foremost climate scientists says if the Keystone XL oil pipeline were built, “Essentially, it’s game over for the planet.” But at Middlebury College, in Vermont, Bill McKibben, a scholar-in-residence, concluded that the pipeline couldn’t be stopped by conventional political means. So, in June, he and ten other activists sent an open letter to the environmental community saying, “It’s time to stop letting corporate power make the most important decisions our planet faces. We don’t have the money to compete … but we do have our bodies.”
President Obama has announced he is taking complete ownership of the decision about the XL tar sands pipeline. Urge the President to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out the petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President in the Spirit of the Season.
Tell President Obama the new environmental review must address the climate impacts of Keystone XL and be independent and science-based. Ask him to keep his promises on the new review in a Friends of the Earth petition here.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . Last week there was breaking news that the Environmental Protection Agency has implicated fracking in groundwater pollution.  Quoting “EPA Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas,” by Kirk Johnson, The New York Times News Service, “The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock. The E.P.A. has also begun a national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.”
“Shale Gas Drilling’s Dirty Secret Is Out,” by Josh Fox, sourced to Reader Supported News, begins “Having investigated fracking myself for three years, I have heard the same story hundreds of times, from residents in gas-drilling areas from Wyoming to Arkansas, from Pennsylvania to Texas. It goes like this: the frackers move in – and all of a sudden your water turns color, or can be lit on fire, or smells like turpentine or leaves burn marks on you after you take a shower. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.”
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.”

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 Substitute Hemp for oil.“

NEBRASKA GREENS ARE GATHERING SIGNATURES . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party has started gathering signatures so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate.
As you think about volunteering to help NGP collect signatures, please read and consider the AlterNet article “20 Ways the Obama Administration Has Intruded on Your Rights,” by Bill Quigley, November 30, 2011: “Is there a fundamental difference between the Bush presidency and the Obama presidency in the area of domestic civil liberties? The Obama administration has affirmed, continued and expanded almost all of the draconian domestic civil liberties intrusions pioneered under the Bush administration. Here are twenty examples of serious assaults on the domestic rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, the right to privacy, the right to a fair trial, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience that have occurred since the Obama administration has assumed power. Consider these and then decide if there is any fundamental difference between the Bush presidency and the Obama presidency in the area of domestic civil liberties.” Then check Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s website.  Let’s take democracy back from Wall Street!
In Lincoln, petitions are available at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. Registered Nebraska voters are invited to stop in for coffee, visit with Adam Hintz from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily, sign a petition, or pick up one to circulate with friends and family during the holidays. In Omaha, look for Charles Ostdiek at McFoster’s, 38th and Harney, to sign and pick up petitions. If you’re not a registered voter, fill out the voter registration application online here. [pdf]  If you can help us identify a public place in CD 3 where petitions could be available, or if You would like to participate in the ballot access process in any way, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com.

CONFERENCE CALL WITH EPA’S JACKSON . . . The American Sustainable Business Council will host a Teleconference with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on Friday, December 9, 2011, 12:30PM, CST. The call offers ASBC partners, supporters and friends a chance to hear about initiatives the EPA will undertake next year in support of smart, economically viable regulations and standards for driving a sustainable economy. Register and invite others to join the discussion here.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Page down for this week’s Pipeline Opposition Update.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Margaret Jacobs, professor of history and director of Women’s and Gender Studies at UN-L, will discuss Treatment of Indigenous Peoples at the Wednesday, December 8, 2011 League of Women Voters Lunch & Learn, beginning at noon, at Lincoln’s Holiday Inn Downtown, 141 Ninth Street. Jacobs will speak about the forced removal of indigenous children from their families and their assimilation into white culture. E-mail lwv- [at] inebraska com or call 402.475.1411 for reservations by noon, Monday, December 5th.

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.

TAKE A STAND AGAINST IMMIGRATION LAWS . . . An Interim Hearing to discuss immigration policies and law enforcement before the Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee will take place on Monday, December 5, 2011. Stand with Nebraskans against unconstitutional and discriminatory immigration laws by sending a message to the Judiciary Committee at the ACLU Action Page.  Tell the committee members that our communities are less safe, tax dollars are wasted, and intolerance only increases when law enforcement must take on the federal government’s immigration role.

EN THOMPSON FORUM . . . Acclaimed conservation photographer Michael Forsberg will present “Pulse of the Plains: A Photographer’s Journey Connecting Water, Wildlife and Landscape” Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 7:00pm, at the EN Thompson Forum, The Lied Center, 301 North 12th Street, Lincoln. Lectures are available live on the UN-L website, Lincoln cable channel 21 or 5, UNL campus channel 8, and UNL KRNU radio 90.3 FM.

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.

HOLIDAY POTLUCK WITH JOEL SARTORE . . . Thursday, December 8, 2011, Wachiska Audubon Society will celebrate the holidays with Lincoln’s own National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore presenting a program on African wildlife. The holiday potluck will start at 6:15pm, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 3825 Wildbriar Lane, in southwest Lincoln, one block north of the intersection of South 40th Street and Old Cheney Road. EveryOne is welcome.

INTO THE ABYSS AT ROSS . . . Into The Abyss, master filmmaker Werner Herzog’s “fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas,” opens at The Ross, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln, Friday, December 9, 2011. “Into The Abyss” documents the American prison system in conversations with the death row inmate, families involved, a state executioner, and pastor who has been with death row prisoners as they’ve taken their final breaths. There will be a Movie Talk on the film Sunday, December 11th at 2:00pm in the Van Brunt Visitors Center’s Presentation Room following a 12:15pm screening. Movie Talk Panelists will be Fritz Hudson, minister of the Unitarian Church of Lincoln; Amy Miller, lifelong Nebraskan, ACLU Legal Director and NADP Board President for 8 years; researcher Mario Scalora, and Gerald L. Soucie, an attorney with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy. The film runs through Thursday, December 15th. Show times are available at the website, by consulting the newspaper, or by calling The Ross film information line at 402.472.5353.

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. The city agreed to allow the campsite’s tipi to stand after it was assured of the sanctuary’s safety.  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

GROWING CITIES . . . On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, Whole Foods Omaha will contribute 5% of the day’s proceeds to the Growing Cities documentary. The locally produced film “examines the role of urban farming in America, and asks how much power it has to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat.” A 2:28 minute trailer is at the website.  Help out the filmmakers on Tuesday, or watch the trailer and contribute to Growing Cities online, if you wish.

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.

ERNIE CHAMBERS AT PROGRESSIVE OMAHA WEDNESDAY . . . This week’s scheduled Film Festival at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney, is postponed.  Wednesday, December 7, 2011, former State Senator Ernie Chambers will be in the upstairs meeting room from 7:00 to 9:00pm, discussing important issues including the need for a police auditor, police violence, and his upcoming campaign for the Nebraska legislature.  Get there early for a seat. Bring a friend. Join the discussion. All are welcome.

MONITORING THE POLICE . . . The group Omahans for Justice will meet Thursday, December 8, 2011, 6:00pm, at The Esmerelda Cafe, 33rd & Q Street. The Facebook page is here. The group was formed to monitor local police.

OMAHA PEACE AND JUSTICE EXPO . . . There will be an exploratory discussion of a possible Omaha Peace & Justice Expo in early spring on Thursday, December 8, 2011, 6:30pm, at Panera’s, 78th & Dodge, in Omaha. Will there be a sixth annual Expo in 2012? Be involved with the decision making process.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. All charges against Katy Heil, Nathan Davis and Ben Walden, who were arrested at 24th and Farnam on November 3rd, have been dismissed. The official Occupy Omaha website is here.  The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

FREE ADMISSION ON SUNDAYS AT LAURITZEN . . . Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s botanical center at 100 Bancroft Street in Omaha, is offering free admission on Sundays through December. Exhibits include a holiday poinsettia show. On Sunday, December 11, 2011, the first 100 families to visit the garden will receive a free poinsettia to take home.

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

NEBRASKA FARMERS UNION STATE CONVENTION . . . The Nebraska Farmers Union 98th State Convention will be Friday and Saturday, December 9th and 10th, at the Holiday Inn Midtown, Grand Island, Nebraska. Issues for discussion include the Keystone XL Pipeline, Livestock Concentration & GIPSA, Beef Checkoff, the newly formed Nebraska Agricultural Council, Ethanol, Beginning Farmers, & more. Registration begins at 8:00am on Friday. A 4:00pm “Landowners View of TransCanada XL Pipeline” will feature Randy Thompson, Martell; Susan Luebbe, Stuart; Lynda Buoy, Bassett; Teri Taylor, Newport; and Ben Gotschall, Atkinson. Syndicated National Agricultural Journalist Alan Guebert will keynote the Convention Banquet at 6:30pm Friday. Contact Public Affairs Director Graham P. Christensen by phone at 402.476.8815 or e-mail graham [at] nebraskafarmersunion [dot] org

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . BOLD Nebraska Executive Director Jane Kleeb testified in the House SubCommittee on Energy and Power hearing Friday, December 2, 2011. For an overview of the TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline issue, and her call for renewable energy independence, please make time to read Jane’s prepared remarks here.
Misguided House and Senate bills pushing a speeded up pipeline (approval) decision are covered in The Hill article “Senate Republicans push bill to speed up Keystone pipeline decision,” by Ben Geman for InsideClimate News: “Six senators including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have crafted a plan that requires a State Department permit for the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline within 60 days unless the president publicly determines that it is not in the national interest, according to a summary. The Senate bill to be introduced Wednesday is sponsored by GOP Sens. Dick Lugar (Ind.), John Hoeven (N.D.), David Vitter (La.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mike Johanns (Neb.).”
A Sierra Club Statement in response, “Congress Considers Bills to Short Circuit Environmental Review of Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Proposal,” was issued December 2nd. “The U.S. House and Senate GOP are each pushing bills that would stop the U.S. State Department’s reevaluation of the environmental and public health impacts of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in an attempt to expedite construction of the project. GOP leaders are considering adding the legislation as a rider to the payroll tax bill, the last bill that Congress is likely to vote on before the winter recess. In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of Sierra Club, issued the following statement: “Big Oil expects this special treatment from their friends in Congress, who are now trying to rush a decision on Keystone XL, despite the Administration’s decision that this project needs more review to protect the health and safety of millions of Americans. It’s time for Congress to stop doing the bidding of the world’s largest polluters and stand up for real energy solutions. The Sierra Club is strongly opposed to any legislative effort to rush a decision on Keystone XL.”
A ThinkProgress article on the hearings is here.
Quoting a post at Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s website, “Climate victory on Keystone Pipeline requires continued green pressure through 2012 and beyond,” “Yesterday, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein congratulated climate change activists for forcing the Obama administration to back away from quick approval of the XL pipeline. “This is a positive step, a reprieve won through activism and political pressure. Only six weeks ago it was clear that the Obama administration was willing to open the door to a measure that spelled climate disaster. What changed was not a sudden outbreak of environmental concern in the administration, but what they all but admit is a political calculation that pipeline approval would cost the President votes if announced before the presidential election. One way to keep the pressure on the White House into 2013 is to build the Green Party as a political alternative in 2012.”
From CredoAction, “The fight to stop Keystone XL is far from over. President Obama may have delayed his decision on the pipeline, but Republicans have redoubled their efforts, and could be dangerously close to forcing its approval. …they are planning to push a bill to force a decision on the pipeline and strip the President’s authority to make that decision. Worse, they will attach this poison pill to the President’s payroll-tax and unemployment benefit extension package — considered a must-pass piece of legislation that contains crucial help for our long-term unemployed. Sign a petition to Leaders Reid and Pelosi telling them not to make a backroom deal allowing Republicans to force this pipeline on Americans.”
Meanwhile, there was a little reported tar sands oil spill in Denver’s Sand Creek. Anthony Swift’s December 2nd Blog, “Suncor Spill: South Platte River contamination is a reminder of weaknesses in spill detection,” reports “Details continue to emerge regarding the oil spill at Suncor’s refinery in Commerce City. Water test results of the Sand Creek and South Platte River have found benzene, a carcinogenic chemical associate with oil which is toxic in minute levels, at levels well in excess of safety standards. Like the Enbridge spill in Kalamazoo, TransCanada’s Keystone spill in South Dakota and so many other recent spills, a third party had to identify the problem and notify authorities. While officials still are not certain what type of crude has spilled, how much of it has leaked or what caused the leak, this spill has brought additional scrutiny on some critical gaps in national spill detection, monitoring and response.”
Writing for the NRDC’s Switchboard, December 1, 2011, Swift reported “Colorado officials fear that vast amounts of petroleum have been leaking into the South Platte River from a broken pipeline at a refinery operated by tar sands producer Suncor.” Read the article here.
Quoting a Denver Post article, “A fisherman wading in the river Sunday morning detected the spill and tried to notify authorities, scratching out phone numbers on the sand until he finally reached a state response coordinator who asked if he could call him back in 20 minutes. “I said, ‘No! Is this how Colorado responds to oil spills?’ He said, ‘You are right’ and took down the info,” said angler Trevor Tanner, 37, an aerospace engineer. “What I pictured was, when I make a call that there was an oil spill, people come in with sirens blazing.”
Read “Not in My Backyard, Not on My Planet,” by Bruce Johansen, at the Nebraskans For Peace website. “…As important at the Sand Hills may be, they are only part of the issue. The real issue is human dependence on fossil fuels — and the evil genius of the oil and coal industry to keep supplying us with enough new carbon fuel sources from many different (safe! secure! profitable!) places to fry the atmosphere.”
In a Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor November 28th, Joyce Petit writes “The elected officials of Nebraska have done it again. They have held a special session that was needed and put into place laws to guide placing of pipelines in the state. But then, defying all common sense, they exempted the very company that the special session was held for. …why was TransCanada not also made to go around the aquifer where the water level is near the surface? It still is going over the aquifer at critical areas just it they planned in the first place. The citizens of Nebraska have been boondoggled once again.”
“Britain’s promotion of Canada’s tar sands oil is idiotic,” by Bill McKibben writing for The Guardian November 27th says “A deal to sell tar sands oil in Europe would outweigh any good the UK might do with all its other climate change measures.” “UK secretly helping Canada push its oil sands project,” by Damian Carrington November 27th, was also in The Guardian last week.
In “Nebraska Ranchers Who Turned the Tide in Pipeline Fight Say They’re Not Done Yet,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, November 17th, landowners explain why–and how–they became activists. InsideClimate News also published “Electric Vehicle Advocates See Threat to Progress from Keystone XL Pipeline.” on November 23rd.  Quoting from page 1 of 3, “City and county officials think the pipeline would undermine federal policy and their local efforts to move to clean vehicles and alternate fuels.”
Environmental champion Robert Redford wrote “Stand Together Against the Tar Sands Scourge,” sourced from The Globe and Mail, for Reader Supported News November 22, 2011. “Not only is tar-sands production laying waste to Canada’s forests, polluting waterways, air and land, but the resulting carbon emissions are threatening Canada’s long-time commitment to reducing the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet and threatening us all…. We need Canadians everywhere to join us in this fight. We need to call on the history and values we share and stand up, Canadians and Americans as one. We need to draw the line at tar sands. We need to reject the Keystone XL.”
Quoting “Taking It to the Streets, in the November 28, 2011 New Yorker by Jane Mayer, “James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and one of the country’s foremost climate scientists says if the Keystone XL oil pipeline were built, “Essentially, it’s game over for the planet.” But at Middlebury College, in Vermont, Bill McKibben, a scholar-in-residence, concluded that the pipeline couldn’t be stopped by conventional political means. So, in June, he and ten other activists sent an open letter to the environmental community saying, “It’s time to stop letting corporate power make the most important decisions our planet faces. We don’t have the money to compete … but we do have our bodies.”
           President Obama has announced he is taking complete ownership of the decision about the XL tar sands pipeline. Urge the President to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out the petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President in the Spirit of the Season.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
“Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Pipeline Wrap-Up,” by Jane Kleeb, includes a list of Citizen Accomplishments during the opposition campaign, a Focus on 2012, as well as an action for saying thank you to the senators. Opposition groups will take a break in December, and resume efforts to STOP THE PIPELINE in January 2012.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.
           Thanks to EveryOne who has helped make Nebraska the first state to successfully oppose a pipeline project!

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . “Big Win Against Fracking: Vote Canceled for New Fracking Regulations in the Delaware River Basin,” by AlterNet staff, was published November 17, 2011. Read more about the vote in an earlier AlterNet story here.  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.” Sign the Petition here.

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.“

WE HAVE STOPPED THE PIPELINE, FOR NOW.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS GET BALLOT ACCESS . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party is considering a full-out signature campaign, so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate. To do this, we will need the help of volunteers to circulate petitions and gather signatures. The Secretary of State has approved our application for new political party petitions, and we have a supply on hand. If You would like to participate in the ballot access process in any way, by signing a petition, circulating a petition, or becoming involved as a candidate for local elected office, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY DAY FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE . . . For many years, the Palestinian people and countries around the world have called for a two-state solution to the ongoing problem of occupation by Israel. UN resolution after UN resolution has been blocked by the United States.  Tuesday, November 29, 2011 is International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Click here for background information on the issues involved.

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, Thursday, December 1, 2011, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its people. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The Pipeline Opposition Coalition will be meeting in Lincoln and Omaha this week. Page down for details.

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.

JESSE JACKSON AT UN-L . . . The Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to speak at The Lied Center, 12th & R Streets, Lincoln, on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Jackson will be the keynote speaker for the Nebraska Black Leadership Symposium.  His 11:30am speech at Lied will require free tickets. His address will be live-streamed at go.unl.edu/DLS

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.

WHAT’S NEXT IN KXL OPPOSITION . . . The next steps will be dicussed at a meeting of local pipeline opposition groups on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Keep checking Green Notes for news about what’s next.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

TEACH-IN AT UN-O . . . A Teach-In linking Occupy and North Omaha, “Education and Discussion on Police Brutality,” will be Tuesday, November 29, 2011, on the UN-O campus, Milo Bail Student Center, 3rd Floor, U’Mo’Ho room. The Teach-In/Discussion will be from 7:00 to 8:30, followed by a UN-O Nebraskans for Peace meeting from 8:30 to 9:30pm. UN-O Theater professor Doug Paterson will speak on the issues surrounding police-community relationships.

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.

WHAT’S NEXT IN KXL OPPOSITION . . . Wednesday, November 30, 2011, there will be a meeting at 5016 Parker Street, (in the Country Club area) to discuss where Omaha opposition will go from here in the fight against the tar sands, KXL and climate change. Organizers of the events in DC will host a live chat to start the evening, followed by pizza from Whole Foods and a brainstorm session. The live chat starts at 6:00pm. On December 5th, there will a national conference call to report back about what was discussed at local meetings. Please RSVP here.

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, November 30, 2011, the film will be “Classified X,” a documentary review of African-American film history. 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.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. The official Occupy Omaha website is here. The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha.

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

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Tar Sands Action will be hosting meetings nationwide this week to discuss the next steps in a coordinated TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline opposition effort. On December 5th, there will a national conference call to report back about what was discussed at local meetings.
President Obama has announced he is taking complete ownership of the decision about the pipeline. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s governor signed two oil pipeline bills into law on November 22, 2011. November 23rd, Kevin O’Hanlon reported for Lincoln Journal Star, “A special legislative session that began with tumult and trepidation ended on a comparatively tranquil note Tuesday as Nebraska lawmakers approved two oil pipeline bills in response to TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL project. Lawmakers passed the Major Oil Pipeline Siting Act (LB 1), by Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, which will give authority for siting future oil pipelines to the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which oversees telecommunications, mass transit and utilities.” LB 1 will not apply to TransCanada.  The Unicameral also passed LB 4, re-routing KXL away from the environmentally fragile Sand Hills. Both measures passed on a 46-0 vote.
BOLD Nebraska and Coalition groups held a press conference after the bills were signed. “Pipeline critics praise citizen response,” by Art Hovey, begins “There were smiles and nods in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday as the coalition that came together over the last three years to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline took stock of a special legislative session that ended earlier in the day. There also was more somber recognition at a follow-up press conference from the Nebraska Farmers Union, the Nebraska chapter of the Sierra Club, from Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska, and from others that this is no time to declare total victory. For starters, the new route of a project that TransCanada has agreed to move out of the Nebraska Sandhills is unknown. Furthermore, the State Department still is planning to make a decision on a presidential permit for the project after the 2012 election. And BOLD Nebraska and its partners from environmental advocacy groups don’t want any pipeline, regardless of route, that would move oil out of sand deposits in Alberta to refineries along the Gulf Coast. “We’re not finished yet. We’re not going anywhere,” Kleeb said.”
“Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Pipeline Wrap-Up,” by Kleeb, includes a list of Citizen Accomplishments during the opposition campaign, a Focus on 2012, as well as an action for saying thank you to the senators.
“Politics and opportunism,” by Tim D. Francis, was published by Lincoln Journal Star on November 25, 2011. Francis writes “Like most Nebraskans, I’m heaving a sigh of relief that the Keystone XL pipeline will be rerouted. I’m especially grateful to state Sens. Ken Haar and Annette Dubas, who led the way in representing the people of our state. The biggest round of applause, of course, goes to the leadership from the grass-roots campaign. They’re the ones who did the heavy lifting. But surely I’m not the only one disappointed with Gov. Dave Heineman and his minions in the Legislature who only embrace a movement once they’ve calculated the political value or risks involved. Joining a successful movement after it has gained significant momentum and then climbing in front of it isn’t leadership; it’s opportunism and politics at its shabbiest. …Our state is seriously hurting for leadership in the governor’s office. Thank goodness Heineman is term-limited and can’t run again.”
On a national level, more emails continue to show an increasingly biased relationship between TransCanada and the US State Department.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein congratulated climate change activists for forcing the Obama administration to back away from quick approval of the XL pipeline. “This is a positive step, a reprieve won through activism and political pressure. Only six weeks ago it was clear that the Obama administration was willing to open the door to a measure that spelled climate disaster. What changed was not a sudden outbreak of environmental concern in the administration, but what they all but admit is a political calculation that pipeline approval would cost the President votes if announced before the presidential election. One way to keep the pressure on the White House into 2013 is to build the Green Party as a political alternative in 2012.” Read further comments from a Stein press release here.
Environmental champion Robert Redford wrote “Stand Together Against the Tar Sands Scourge, sourced from The Globe and Mail, for Reader Supported News November 22, 2011. “Not only is tar sands production laying waste to Canada’s forests, polluting waterways, air and land, but the resulting carbon emissions are threatening Canada’s long-time commitment to reducing the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet and threatening us all…. We need Canadians everywhere to join us in this fight. We need to call on the history and values we share and stand up, Canadians and Americans as one. We need to draw the line at tar sands. We need to reject the Keystone XL.”
Quoting “Taking It to the Streets, in the November 28, 2011 New Yorker by Jane Mayer, “James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and one of the country’s foremost climate scientists says if the Keystone XL oil pipeline were built, “Essentially, it’s game over for the planet.” But at Middlebury College, in Vermont, Bill McKibben, a scholar-in-residence, concluded that the pipeline couldn’t be stopped by conventional political means. So, in June, he and ten other activists sent an open letter to the environmental community saying, “It’s time to stop letting corporate power make the most important decisions our planet faces. We don’t have the money to compete … but we do have our bodies.”
           Urge the President to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out the petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President in the Spirit of the Season.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.
Thanks to EveryOne who has helped make Nebraska the first state to successfully oppose a pipeline project!

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . “Big Win Against Fracking: Vote Canceled for New Fracking Regulations in the Delaware River Basin,” by AlterNet staff, was published November 17, 2011. Read more about the vote in an earlier AlterNet story here.  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.” Sign the Petition here.

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.

WE HAVE STOPPED THE PIPELINE, FOR NOW.

WOULD YOU GET INVOLVED? . . . The Green Party is now qualified for ballot status this election cycle in all of the four biggest states: New York, California, Florida, and Texas. Nebraska Green Party is considering a full-out signature campaign, so that voters here will also have the choice of voting for the Green Party presidential slate. To do this, we will need the help of volunteers to circulate petitions and gather signatures. The Secretary of State has approved our application for new political party petitions, and we have a supply on hand. If You would like to participate in the ballot access process in any way, by signing a petition, circulating a petition, or becoming involved as a candidate for local elected office, please let us know by e-mailing mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com.

XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Last week’s celebratory TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline Update was somewhat pre-mature. We have effectively stopped the pipeline, for now. But the Special Session of the Nebraska Unicameral has evolved disturbing compromises and questionable dealings between TransCanada’s Vice President and the Natural Resources Committee of the Legislature. Final reading of the proposed siting bill, which exempts TransCanada from the law, is Tuesday. Other relevant issues of serious concern such as spill liability, local emergency response, bond for road repairs, local ordinances, water rights, wetland protection, landowner rights and eminent domain have not been addressed. The pipeline can only truly be stopped at the federal level. Protecting Nebraska’s land, water, wildlife and people now must wait until Nebraska senators return in January. Page down for this week’s abbreviated Pipeline Update.

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.

LES BUDGET HEARING . . . The Lincoln City Council will hold a public hearing on Lincoln Electric System’s proposed 2012 Budget — including funding for its renewable and sustainable energy programs — this Monday, November 21, 2011, 5:30pm, Lincoln City Council Chamber, County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street. Attend the hearing to show support for LES budget recommendations for renewable energy and increased funding for the ‘Sustainable Energy Program.’ Click here for more information.

SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE ON PIPELINE ROUTING REGULATIONS . . . Final reading of the pipeline routing regulation bills will be Tuesday, November 22, 2011. Pipeline opposition groups and individuals will meet in the Capitol Rotunda for a press conference highlighting Coalition victories after the session adjourns Tuesday morning.

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 LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. Wednesday, November 23, 2011, the Occupation General Assembly meeting will be at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, (1st floor of the Creamery Building), 6:00pm. The next Occupy Lincoln march will be Saturday, November 26, 2011, starting at noon on the north side of the state capitol building, 14th & K Streets. A parade permit has been granted for this action and every Saturday at noon until January 1, 2012. 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. The Occupy Lincoln website is here. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

BOB KERREY BRIDGE RIDE . . . Every Sunday in November, the Bellevue Bicycle Club will ride 15-20 miles from 1:00 to 4:00pm. All riders are invited to meet at Iowa West Foundation Park, on the Iowa side of the bridge.

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. Wednesday, November 23, 2011, the film will be “Calling All Rebels,” a “profound and inspiring speech” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges who “poignantly argues that American liberalism has failed in the face of the corporate takeover of the US government.” 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.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha location is in transition. The official Occupy Omaha website is here. The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

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

WATER: A BALANCING ACT . . . In late November each year, the Nebraska State Irrigation Association joins with Nebraska Water Resources Association (NWRA) to present fresh ideas, new insights, current legislative issues and best practices relative to Nebraska’s water issues. Click here [pdf] for the two-day schedule of sessions, panels, and meetings at the Kearney Holiday Inn Convention Center, just off I-80 near the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, Monday, November 21th and Tuesday, November 22, 2011.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . President Obama has announced that he is taking complete ownership of the decision about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and that he’ll be looking at the environmental and health impacts of the project. Meanwhile, “Two oil pipeline bills set for approval,” reports on the Major Oil Pipeline Siting Act (LB 1) giving authority for siting future oil pipelines to the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which oversees telecommunications, mass transit and utilities. LB 1 will not apply to TransCanada.
“Looking Back and Looking Ahead: Pipeline Wrap-Up,” by BOLD Nebraska’s Jane Kleeb, includes a list of Citizen Accomplishments during the opposition campaign, a Focus on 2012, as well as an action for saying thank you to the senators.
A November 16th Lincoln Journal Star article, “Pipeline twists create new uncertainties,” looks at the impact of the three year stand against TransCanada’s threats on Nebraska landowners, including Randy Thompson.
On a national level, more emails continue to show an increasingly biased relationship between TransCanada and the US State Department.  Obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, one TransCanada e-mail says “We do also want to be able to address the Nebraska/water issues with one voice as well.”
           Urge the President to do the right thing and reject the pipeline by filling out the petition here.  Send a “Thanks in Advance” message to the President in the Spirit of the Thanksgiving Season.
Add your voice to the “Protect Our Water, Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline!” petition urging the president to deny a construction permit here.  Call the White House Switchboard directly at 202.456.1111. And sign The Other 98% petition to Obama, “End Lobbyist Influence, STOP THE PIPELINE,” here.
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.
Thanks to EveryOne who has helped make Nebraska the first state to successfully oppose a pipeline project.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . “Big Win Against Fracking: Vote Canceled for New Fracking Regulations in the Delaware River Basin,” by AlterNet staff, was published November 17, 2011. Read more about the vote in an earlier AlterNet story here.  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.” Sign the Petition here.

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.“

WE HAVE STOPPED THE PIPELINE, FOR NOW.

WE HAVE EFFECTIVELY STOPPED THE TRANSCANADA KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE FOR NOW! Thanks to EveryOne working in Coalition against the proposed project. PAGE DOWN FOR THIS WEEK’S PIPELINE UPDATE.

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.

SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE ON PIPELINE ROUTING REGULATIONS . . . “Do lawmakers push ahead or wait on pipeline issue?,” by Kevin O’Hanlon, was published in Lincoln Journal Star November 12, 2011: “Nebraska lawmakers will have to decide Monday whether to continue pursuing routing legislation for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline in the current special session or wait until the regular session in January.” Monday morning, please call your senator if you want him or her to debate LB 4 while the hearings on pipeline regulation are fresh. Press for debate, not delay. Meet BOLD Nebraska and Stop the Pipeline Coalition members at the Capitol Rotunda Monday at 1:15pm. The special session resumes at 1:30. Ask your senator to vote for legislation that certifies oil pipeline routes in our state. The capitol switchboard number is 402.471.2311. Tell them to Pass the Bill, Not the Buck. The immediacy of re-routing is eased, but our state still lacks basic regulations. Read news coverage of Our tentative victory in the Pipeline Update (below) in CD 3 Green Notes.

CANNABIS COALITION MEETING . . . Tuesday, November 15, 2011, the Nebraska Cannabis Coalition will meet at Cultiva Coffee, 727 South 11th Street, Lincoln, 6:00pm. The Nebraska Proposition 19 Cannabis Initiative seeks to put a proposed constitutional amendment to regulate and tax all commercial uses of marijuana and remove all laws governing private, noncommercial use of the plant on the November 2012 general election ballot. Petitions will be available for new circulators, and the group will assess progress of the signature gathering campaign. A Notary will be present for those who have completed petitions. End Hemp Prohibition in Nebraska!

EN THOMPSON FORUM . . . Wangari Maathai died before she could deliver her speech, so on Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 7:00 to 9:00pm, the EN Thompson Forum will present “Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai” at the City Campus Nebraska Union Auditorium, 1400 R Street, Lincoln. “It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in.” –Maathai

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.

OLSON SEMINAR IN GREAT PLAINS STUDIES . . . Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 3:30pm, Clark Archer and Fred Shelley will discuss their “Atlas of the Great Plains” at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place, across from the Lied Center in Lincoln. The lecture is free, and open to the public.

RIGHTS OF LABOR . . . State Senator Amanda McGill, and National Science Teachers Association leader Jeffery Hoffman will present “Rights of Labor” at First Plymouth Church, 2000 D Street, Lincoln, on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 7:30pm.  Following their presentations, Don Tilley will facilitate a discussion. This meeting is sponsored by the Peace & Justice Team of First Plymouth Church and co-sponsored by the local chapter of Nebraskans for Peace. All are welcome.

THINK GREEN IT’S THURSDAY . . . TGIT, a free educational meetup exploring environmental topics every Thursday, 5:00 to 6:00pm, in the conference room at EcoStores Nebraska, 530 West P Street, Lincoln, will take a break during the holiday season, and return on January 19, 2012.

BEAMING BIONEERS CONFERENCE . . . The Beaming Bioneers Nebraska 2011 Fall Conference is on Saturday, November 19, 2011, 9:00am to 5:00pm, at the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department conference room, 3140 N Street, in Lincoln. This Conference is the year’s premiere environmental and social justice conference in the state, and Nebraska Green Party is one of the sponsors. Check out the website for information about the day’s agenda. Register online here.

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . The Occupy Lincoln camp site is located on Centennial Mall north of the state capitol. Occupation General Assembly meetings are every Wednesday at 6:00pm, and Sundays at 1:30pm. The Facebook page is here.  The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln.   Saturday, November 19, 2011, there will be an Occupy Lincoln Community Festival from noon to 3:00pm on Centennial Mall between K and L Streets.  All members of the greater Lincoln community are invited to join occupiers for food, music, and dialogue.  There will be no formal march on this Saturday.  Rather, a smaller group will be hitting the streets to hand out flyers and invite folks back to the camp for an afternoon of fun.  All are encouraged to participate in the potluck style gathering by bringing a dish (side, soup, entree, dessert) to share and BYOdishes (bowl/plate, utensils, mugs) too, please.
There has been an amazing outpouring of support from the citizens of Lincoln. Occupiers would like to use this opportunity to say “thank you!” and to continue conversations about fighting the economic and social injustices that have brought us all together.  There will be activities for kids and adults.  All are encouraged to join in by bringing instruments, games, and ideas to share on the “soap box” stage.  The family friendly event is free and open to everyone.  For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. The Occupy Lincoln website is here.  Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

BOB KERREY BRIDGE RIDE . . . Every Sunday in November, the Bellevue Bicycle Club will ride 15-20 miles from 1:00 to 4:00pm. All riders are invited to meet at Iowa West Foundation Park, on the Iowa side of the bridge.

PROTEST STRATCOM WEAPONS BAZAAR . . . For the 5th time in 6 years, the Des Moines and Omaha Catholic Workers, Nebraskans for Peace, and the UN-O chapter of NFP will witness and “Die In” at STRATCOM’s Space Weapons Bazaar called the 2011 USSTRATCOM Cyber and Space Symposium.  This yearly love fest between corporate suppliers of weapons and space technologies, the STRATCOM and Military Space Commands and the “power elites” of the Omaha area community takes place at the Qwest Convention Center, 455 North 10th Street, Omaha, Tuesday, November 15 through Thursday, November 17, 2011. Take a look at who is underwriting this event here.  Click here for a schedule of the protest events.

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. Wednesday, November 16, 2011, the film will be “Behind the Burly Q,” a documentary about burlesque. Watch a 2:25 minute trailer here.  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.

OCCUPY OMAHA . . . The current Occupy Omaha situation is in transition.  The official Occupy Omaha website is here.  The FaceBook page is here.  The Twitter feed is #occupyomaha

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

NEBRASKA WIND POWER 2011 CONFERENCE . . . The fourth Annual Nebraska Wind Power Conference will be Tuesday and Wednesday, November 15 and 16, 2011, at Younes Conference Center, 416 West Talmadge Road, Kearney, Nebraska. The two day conference will focus on Nebraska’s future wind energy development challenges and opportunities. A complete Conference Agenda is here.  Register here.

WATER: A BALANCING ACT . . . In late November each year, the Nebraska State Irrigation Association joins with Nebraska Water Resources Association (NWRA) to present fresh ideas, new insights, current legislative issues and best practices relative to Nebraska’s water issues. Click here [pdf] for the two-day schedule of sessions, panels, and meetings at the Kearney Holiday Inn Convention Center, just off I-80 near the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, Monday, November 21th and Tuesday, November 22, 2011.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . We have effectively STOPPED THE PIPELINE.  Congratulations, and thanks to EveryOne who worked in coalition to make this happen! Although we are not aware of network news coverage, many alternative news sources, and some mainstream press, reported on the victory for XL opponents. Reuters broke the story on Thursday.
From Democracy Now! “Naomi Klein on Environmental Victory: Obama Delays Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Decision Until 2013,” November 11, 2011: “Environmental activists are claiming victory after the Obama administration announced Thursday it will postpone any decision on the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline until 2013. The announcement was made just days after more than 10,000 people encircled the White House calling on President Obama to reject the project, the second major action against the project organized by Bill McKibben’s 350.org and Tar Sands Action. In late August and early September, some 1,200 people were arrested in Washington, D.C., in a two-week campaign of civil disobedience. “We believe that this delay will kill the pipeline,” says the Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein. “If it doesn’t, if this pipeline re-emerges after the election, people have signed pledges saying they will put their bodies on the line to stop it.” Klein notes that, “I don’t think we would have won without Occupy Wall Street… This is what it means to change the conversation.” Video is here.
From the LA Times, “Nebraska’s Sand Hills become sand trap for Keystone XL pipeline,” November 11, 2011: “The proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline was big news across the country this week, with the Obama administration announcing that it was delaying a decision on the controversial project. But nowhere was the news bigger than in Nebraska.”
From AlterNet, “Keystone Pipeline Victory: President Puts Disastrous Pipeline on Hold — May Effectively Kill the Project,” by Bill McKibben, November 10, 2011: “The American people spoke loudly about climate change and the president responded.”
From TruthOut, “Keystone XL Pipeline Activists Claim Temporary Victory After Months of Protest,” by Mike Ludwig, November 11, 2011: “The State Department announced yesterday that the review process for the Keystone XL pipeline would be extended until after the 2012 election. The announcement came just four days after thousands of protesters peacefully surrounded the White House to pressure President Obama to reject the massive project. State Department officials said the administration needs more time to assess the potential environmental impacts of the pipeline, but the decision also lifts the president out of a political dilemma as the 2012 election season begins … ‘I 100 percent think that young people were … a large part of what drove the decision,’ said Courtney Hight, a director of the Energy Action Coalition, a group that organizes young activists. ‘Young people are what brought him into the White House, and he knows that.'”
From InsideClimate News, “Activist Leaders Explain How They Beat the Keystone XL Pipeline” by Elizabeth McGowan, November 12, 2011: “Just six months ago, few could have imagined that an inanimate object as ugly as a 36-inch diameter, 1,702-mile oil sands pipeline could revive a dormant and depressed climate movement. But then handfuls of activists experienced a series of ‘aha’moments that resuscitated their cause. First, they connected the dots between the BP oil spill, a do-nothing Congress and the ‘carbon bomb’ that would likely be released if Alberta’s tar sands continue to be mined. They also began pressing President Obama on his promise to wean the country of its oil addiction. Gradually, something began to click.”
From the Washington Post, “Keystone pipeline route in Nebraska to be reassessed,” by Juliet Eilperin, November 10, 2011: “The Obama administration will delay action on a controversial cross-country oil pipeline in order to assess a shift in its route, officials announced Thursday, effectively putting off a politically vexing decision until after next year’s election. The move is the latest twist in a more-than-three-year review process that has evolved from a fairly routine decision within the federal bureaucracy to a very public debate over national energy policy. It pitted environmental activists and an array of citizens along the pipeline’s proposed route against business groups, oil companies and unions whose members would be employed as part of the $7 billion project.”
From Politico, “Obama Punts Keystone XL Pipeline,” by Dan Berman and Darren Goode, November 10, 2011: “For months, the conventional wisdom had been that a presidential permit for Keystone XL was inevitable; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in October 2010 that she was ‘inclined’ to approve it because it was better to get oil from Canada than from less-friendly nations. The State Department then released a final supplemental environmental assessment in August stating that TransCanada’s proposed route is the preferred option. But the environmentalist protests led by 350.org activist Bill McKibben, as well as opposition in Republican-friendly Nebraska to the proposed route, seem to have led the administration to delay the decision.”
From the New York Times, “U.S. Delays Decision on Pipeline Until After Election,” by John Broder and Dan Frosch, was published November 10th: “The Obama administration, under sharp pressure from officials in Nebraska and restive environmental activists, announced Thursday that it would review the route of the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline, effectively delaying any decision about its fate until after the 2012 election.”
And the Lincoln Journal Star reported “State Department: Explore a Keystone XL route away from Sandhills,” on November 10th: “The U.S. State Department is ordering TransCanada to explore a route for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that won’t go through Nebraska’s Sandhills. The announcement came from the State Department early Thursday afternoon and means final approval for the $7 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline won’t come until after the 2012 U.S. election. The decision is a victory for environmentalists who feared the proposed route could endanger the massive Ogallala Aquifer, which is a source of irrigation and drinking water for a large swath of the central United States.”
Some of the coverage of last Sunday’s Washington DC protest action encircling the White House, includes the following:
“Thousands Circle White House to Protest Keystone XL: Will They Abandon Obama if Pipeline is Approved?,” by Stephen Lacey and Jessica Goad, November 7, 2011: “…After a series of high-energy speeches from James Hansen, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, Mark Ruffalo and many others, demonstrators poured onto Pennsylvania Avenue and created a human chain around the White House, chanting, “two, four, six, eight, stop XL, it’s not too late.” A 3:01 minute video from the protest is included at the linked article.
“The Devil in the Tar Sands,” by Jody Williams and Desmond Tutu, November 7, 2011: “On Sunday, November 6, thousands of people encircled the White House as part of the ongoing effort to press US President Barack Obama to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. If the nearly 1,700-mile pipeline were to be built, it would run from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, through the heartland of the US, all the way to the Texas coast on the Gulf of Mexico. Should the project go ahead, Obama will have made one of the single most disastrous decisions of his presidency concerning climate change and the very future of our planet. …”Obama campaigned and was elected in part on a pledge to address climate change. He spoke of seas that would stop rising, and of shifting the US away from fossil fuels to new sources of clean energy. He now has the opportunity to make good on those promises by stopping the Keystone XL pipeline.” Conclusion: “The only ethical choice on this question is one that supports clean, renewable energy – and that rejects continued addiction to fossil fuels.”
“10,000 Surround White House in XL Pipeline Protest,” was published by Reader Supported News, sourced from CBS News/AP, November 6th: “Thousands of protesters, including a Nobel laureate and a movie star, gathered near the White House on Sunday in opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. The demonstration is the latest in a series of White House protests aimed at convincing US President Barack Obama to block the $7 billion project that would carry Alberta oilsands crude through six American states to Gulf Coast refineries. …The Nebraska legislature, meantime, is in special session considering legislation that could force TransCanada to reroute the pipeline away from the Ogallala Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for the region.”
“Thousands surround the White House to protest TransCanada pipeline,” from the Canadian Press Green Page, November 7th: “Thousands of demonstrators, including movie stars and a Nobel laureate, surrounded the White House on Sunday to protest a proposed Canadian pipeline that’s serving as a flashpoint for the U.S. environmental movement while resonating with Americans fed up with corporate interests. The demonstration is the latest in a series of White House protests aimed at convincing U.S. President Barack Obama to thwart Calgary-based TransCanada’s attempts to build the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Alberta oilsands crude through six American states to Gulf Coast refineries. …”Denying the Keystone XL permit will send a clear signal that the U.S. government recognizes our true ‘national interest’ before oil company profits.”
The Pressure Is On: Thousands Encircle White House, Tell Obama to Reject Keystone Pipeline, by Mike Ludwig, Truthout, November 7, 2011: “Activists of all ages descended on the White House, including more than 1,000 young people. After surrounding the White House, a youth-led breakout march snaked through downtown Washington, DC, carrying the momentum of the Occupy movement along with an inflatable black pipeline replica as long as a city block.”
Bill McKibben’s comments about the DC action are in, “Obama Trapped in Politically Sticky Tar Sands Pipeline Decision,”  Quoting McKibben, “…”Under blue Indian Summer skies, more than 12,000 people from every corner of the country descended on Washington DC; then, with great precision, they fanned out to surround the White House and take a stand against the Keystone XL oil pipeline.”
Regarding the Entrix scandal, “Inspector General Will Investigate Keystone XL Decision,” by Mike Ludwig, was published by Truthout November 8th: “The State Department’s inspector general will investigate potential conflicts of interest within the Department’s approval process for TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline that would pump oil from the Alberta tar sands in Canada to the Gulf Coast, according to a letter released on Monday. Environmental groups and 14 members of Congress recently requested an investigation into potential conflicts of interest such as TransCanada’s successful recommendation that Cardno Entrix, a massive contracting firm and major client of TransCanada, conduct much of the federally mandated environmental review of the pipeline project.”
Comprehensive coverage of international, national and local opposition to the XL pipeline since May 30, 2010 is archived in the Green Notes tab above. At the Index, scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Update.
           Thanks to EveryOne who has helped 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 here.  Click here for an article about a new report that links a series of earthquakes in Oklahoma to fracking operations there. Watch a Democracy Now! video, “White House Could Cast Decisive Vote to Permit 20,000 Fracking Wells in Delaware River Basin.”
Quoting the segment, “This week the Delaware River Basin Commission released draft regulations to allow for the natural gas drilling technique hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, in the river’s watershed, which provides water to 15.6 million people in New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey. The proposed plan would allow for some 20,000 gas wells to be developed in the watershed.” The segment continues, “While environmentalists are claiming a temporary victory after the Obama administration put off approving the tar sands oil pipeline, another major fight between environmentalists and the White House is brewing in the Northeast. Earlier this week, the Delaware River Basin Commission released draft regulations to allow for the major natural gas drilling technique known as “fracking” in the river’s watershed. The Commission is expected to vote on the rules on November 21st. With one seat on the Commission, the White House may cast the deciding vote. The states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware also each have a representative on the board.”

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.“

WE STOPPED THE PIPELINE!