All posts by Shane Pekny

First Keystone pipeline showing dangerous level of corrosion

News

From DeSmogBlog:

Documents obtained by DeSmogBlog reveal an alarming rate of corrosion to parts of TransCanada’s Keystone 1 pipeline. A mandatory inspection test revealed a section of the pipeline’s wall had corroded 95%, leaving it paper-thin in one area (one-third the thickness of a dime) and dangerously thin in three other places, leading TransCanada to immediately shut it down. The cause of the corrosion is being kept from the public by federal regulators and TransCanada.

“It is highly unusual for a pipeline not yet two years old to experience such deep corrosion issues,” Evan Vokes, a former TransCanada pipeline engineer-turned-whistleblower, told DeSmogBlog. “Something very severe happened that the public needs to know about.”

Read the full story.

Winona LaDuke, former GP vice presidential nominee, to speak at UNL May 14

Events, ,

From the Center for Great Plains Studies:

Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation, will speak at Kimball Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. on May 14. The talk is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

LaDuke was the vice presidential nominee of the Green Party of the United States in both 1996 and 2000. Today she is the executive director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, a nonprofit that seeks to recover land for the Anishinaabeg people and to develop programs for environmental preservation.

Read more about this even and others at the Center for Great Plains Studies.

May 2 in Omaha: The Status of Race Relations – Where Are We?

Events,

From Nebraskans for Peace:

Save the date:

  • NFP Rice & Beans Potluck Fundraiser
  • Saturday, May 2, at 6 p.m.
  • Hanscom Park United Methodist
  • 4444 Frances St., Omaha (One Block South of 45th & Center streets)

Keynote speaker A’Jamal Byndon, Adjunct Professor at UNO, will deliver his talk, “The Status of Race Relations – Where Are We?”

NFP Rice and beverages will be furnished.

Please RSVP so we know how much NFP Rice to cook. Reach the NFP office at 402-453-0776 or NFPOmaha@nebraskansforpeace.org.

Happy Earth Day!

Events, , ,

From the Green Party of the United States:

Today is Earth Day! Every day this month we have posted an ecological issue we care about to our followers on social media. We want you to spread the word to your social media connections that the Green Party is working year-round to elect candidates and promote a party that will take action on issues like the climate crisis, fracking, oil and gas mining, and more!

We brought you 22 different ecological issues as we counted down to Earth Day, including some that we may not think about every day (like the ecological impact of landmines, the importance of our underfunded national parks, and bees), but we know the list doesn’t end there. No matter what issues are affecting your community, your place is in the Green Party, working to build city councils, state legislatures, and a Congress that understands the connections between our human communities and natural communities.

Thank you for your work in your community, and for your support of the Green Party on Earth Day. Use the hashtag #GPEarthDay to spread the word! Search #GPEarthDay on Facebook and Twitter to follow our outreach. Share our tweets, Facebook messages and graphics! Happy Earth Day!

Huge Victory Against the Death Penalty!

News,

From Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

Huge Victory. Act Now!

On April 16, 2015, the Nebraska Unicameral debated the bill to repeal the death penalty. After a morning of passionate discussion, Senator Chambers called for a vote on the bill. LB 268 passed with sweeping support from 30 senators, with only 13 voting against it!

What an exciting day! Read coverage from the Lincoln Journal Star.

We are now past the first hurdle toward passing the bill. However, it is more crucial than ever that you contact your Senator. We have to win two more votes before the bill goes to the Governor’s desk. And if the Governor vetoes the bill as he promised, we need to hold on to all 30 of those votes to override it. They must hear from you! Our partners at EJUSA created a simple form to thank your Senator for their support of repeal, or to tell them you are disappointed with their “no” vote. Simply follow this link, enter you information, and get the message to your Senator! We’ve come a long way to repeal the death penalty, but we’ve still got a battle to fight. We couldn’t do this without you, our dedicated supporters.

Thanks for all that you do! Let’s keep the pressure on our representatives!

Earth Day rally against TPP at Ashford’s office

Action Alerts,

From BOLD Nebraska:

Saturday, April 18 is Earth Day, and before we head to the Earth Day Omaha celebration in Elmwood Park, we’ll be making a short detour to Rep. Brad Ashford’s office, to join a broad coalition calling on him to vote against TPP (the “Trans-Pacific Partnership”), a secret “trade” deal that would give corporations powers to trump a country’s environmental and labor laws.

  • WHAT: Rally Against Fast-Track & TPP at Brad Ashford’s Omaha Office
  • WHEN: Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. (before Earth Day at 11:00 a.m!)
  • WHERE: Brad Ashford’s Office, 7126 Pacific Street, Omaha (map)
  • SHARE: Click here to share the event on Facebook.

RSVP and learn more about the TPP.

Luncheon at UNO April 10: How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement

Events,

From the Progressive Research Institute of Nebraska:

Jill Reese, Alliance for a Just Society Associate Director, will talk about “How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement” at UNO’s Community Engagement Center April 10. The talk will begin and 10 a.m., include a luncheon, and wrap up at 1 p.m.

To eat lunch during this event, you must purchase a box lunch from UNO Catering. You can register without lunch (but are not allowed to bring your own food into the CEC).

The Alliance for a Just Society’s mission is to execute regional and national campaigns and build strong state affiliate organizations and partnerships that address economic, racial, and social inequities.

Read more about the event and register.

Read more about the Alliance for a Just Society.

Lower Platte South NRD seeks applicants to succeed Larrick

Action Alerts,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

The Lower Platte South Natural Resources District is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy on its 21-member board.

The opening was created when the board vacated the seat held by Steve Larrick, who represented Subdistrict 5 in west Lincoln. Larrick is no longer serving on the board as he is teaching in China. The Lincoln-based NRD will accept letters of application from interested residents of Subdistrict 5 until April 17 at P.O. Box 83581, Lincoln, NE 68501. All applicants must be registered voters.

With board approval, the person selected would serve the balance of the first half of Larrick’s four-year term, through December 2016, then be eligible to run for the seat in the 2016 primary and general elections.

Subdistrict 5 includes downtown Lincoln, the North Bottoms neighborhood, Capitol Beach and West O Street, and an area between A and O streets from 33rd Street west to about the Homestead Expressway. A map of the subdistrict is available lpsnrd.org.

Former death row inmate, wrongfully convicted, to speak in Omaha

Events,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

Nebraska Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty and the Creighton University chapters of the Young Americans for Liberty and Students for Life will host an evening of discussion with former death row inmate Ray Krone Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Omaha.
A lifelong Republican and an Air Force veteran, Krone was a death penalty supporter until he was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1992 and sentenced to death in Arizona. A decade later, DNA tests proved his innocence and led authorities to the actual killer.

Read more about the event.