EARTH HOUR . . . On Saturday, March 26, 2011, turn off your lights at 8:30pm for Earth Hour, a worldwide collective display of commitment to protect the one thing that unites us all – the planet. This year, the Earth Hour theme is “Go beyond the Hour.”

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH celebrating women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The 2011 theme is “Our History Is Our Strength.”

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

NO LIMITS YOUTH RALLY AGAINST BIG TOBACCO . . . The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has organized a No Limits Youth Rally for Wednesday, March 23, 2011. Students from across Nebraska will converge on the State Capitol building for a morning training session and lobbying, followed by lunch and a march through downtown Lincoln, ending with a 2:00pm rally at the capitol steps. The event is open to students grades seven through twelve. For more information, phone Amanda Mortensen, 866.394.8336.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 3:30 to 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. There is no lecture this week due to spring break. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after they have been presented 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.

LITERACY COUNCIL BENEFIT . . . Friday, March 25, 2011, local author and historian Jim McKee will share tales of Lincoln’s past at this year’s Lincoln Literacy Council “Open Books Open Doors” fundraiser at Chez Hay, 214 North 14th Street, from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Autographed copies of books by well-known writers, art, local wine gift baskets, a health club membership, and other donated items will be featured in a Silent Auction during the event. Click here to buy tickets online, and for more information.

NCNW PANCAKE/WAFFLE BREAKFAST . . . The National Council of Negro Women Semi-Annual Pancake/Waffle Breakfast will be Saturday, March 26, 2011, 7:00am to noon, at the Malone Community Center, 2032 U Street, Lincoln. For more information, phone 402.470.3232.

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 GREEN DRINKS . . . Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Omaha Green Drinks will meet at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, 5:30pm to close. Green Drinks is a self-organizing social network now meeting regularly in 773 cities worldwide. For more information, contact Rick Yoder, ryoder [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “The Pathology of Privilege: Racism, White Denial, and the Costs of Inequality – A Video Presentation by Tim Wise,” This is a feature essay on race and diversity issues. View a 9:31 minute clip here.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

“LEMON TREE” AT MCFOSTERS . . . There will be a free showing of “Lemon Tree,” a powerful film about two women, one Jewish Israeli, one Muslim Palestinian, and their struggles with land, love, and each other, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe (upstairs room), 38th, Farnam and Harney Streets, Omaha, on Thursday, March 24, 2011, 6:00 to 8:00pm.

SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM . . . “Our Actions Have Consequences – Macondo, Athabasca, Mingo, and other Environmental Atrocities” will be presented by John F. Schalles, Ph.D. at this month’s Omaha Sierra Club meeting, Thursday, March 24, 7:00pm, at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets. (Enter north door education wing.) Macondo is the damaged oil well that spewed 200 million gallons of crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon rig in 2010. Athabasca is the largest deposit of bitumen tar sands in Northern Alberta. Mingo is the West Virginia county ravaged from blowing the tops off mountains to extract coal. These sites, and the stories behind them, are warning signs of the depths of our societal appetite for natural resources and the consequences, raising the question of who’s in control, and providing clear evidence of the legacy of our time on Earth. This talk will survey the damage done and impacts in the past, present, and future. Among his research projects, Dr. Schalles took a group of Creighton students to the Gulf last spring to collect baseline data on habitat assessment and compare differences in the health and productivity of vegetation a year after the disaster.  Learn more about Athabasca and tar sands.  Sierra programs are free and open to the public.

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

BEER TASTING & ART AUCTION AT PS CCOLLECTIVE . . . Saturday, March 26, 2011, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, The Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple Street, Omaha, is raising funds for The Concord Center, mediators specialized in alternative and innovative methods to manage personal or professional conflicts. Amy Ryan will present a 3-course meal of organic field salad, specialty pizzas paired with selected beers, and a chocolate torte for dessert. There will be an art auction, and Ron Nelson, of New Belgium Brewery, will be there with information about his craft. For more information, and to make reservations, phone Amy at 402.884.8680, Ext. 1.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS MEETING . . .  CNPW, a chapter of Nebraskans for Peace, will meet Sunday, March 27, 2011, 3:00 to 5:00pm, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 5th & Cedar Street, Grand Island.  (Northeast entrance, downstairs.) The focus is always on peace, including environmental preservation and social justice.  For more information, e-mail Charles Richardson, ceryf [at] windstream [dot] net.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Green Notes have provided weekly updates on the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project since May 30, 2010. For comprehensive references in media since that time, click here and scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s coverage.
There was action on this issue almost every day last week. In response, the coalition of groups working with Nebraska Green Party, led by BOLD Nebraska, organized a news conference at the capitol rotunda urging our state senators and congressional delegation to take *leadership* seriously and lead to protect our land and water. Senators Johanns and Nelson have helped somewhat, and need to be thanked for what they have done. Congressman Fortenberry needs to be encouraged to get involved. And EveryOne who wants to see Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills and Ogallala Aquifer saved from potential environmental devastation at the hands of Canada’s tar sands pipeline promoters needs to write their own state senator asking for personal involvement in opposition. The legislature’s Natural Resources Committee has stalled all three pipeline related bills that were introduced this session.  Find your state senator’s contact information at the map linked here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Contact information for Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can ask her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Tell your senators that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda.
What else can you do? Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. “Langemeier’s comments ridiculous,” a letter by Barbara Bailey, was published in Lincoln Journal Star March 20, 2011. From the letter, “It was with great disappointment and anger that I read Sen. Chris Langemeier’s comments (“Pipeline regulations languish,” March 15) concerning the pipeline bills before the Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Langemeier and the six members of the Committee voting against advancing these basic safety regulations for our citizens and natural resources are not providing responsible legislating.”
Keep the issue alive in conversations at the kitchen table, in cafes, churches, and clubs around Nebraska. We have a brief window. The State Department has called for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study with a new 45 day comment period. The State Department’s news release is here.  “We welcome the news from the US State Department on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study,” declared Duane Hovorka for coalition member Nebraska Wildlife Federation.  “However, we want to be clear, our state elected officials must now lead by providing an alternative route for the risky TransCanada pipeline.”
The public will have 45 days to express concerns on the Supplemental Draft EIS after the anticipated mid-April comment period begins. Following issuance of a Final EIS, the State Department will solicit public comment and host a public meeting in Washington, D.C., before it makes a determination under Executive Order 13337 on whether issuance of this permit is in the US national interest. The Department of State expects to make a decision on whether to grant or deny the permit before the end of 2011.
Last week the National Farmers Union passed policy language opposing “any infrastructure or resource development that jeopardizes the health, safety and quality of the Ogallala Aquifer and other freshwater resources.” The new policy also addresses Eminent Domain, and pipeline development specifically. The Nebraska Farmers Union, a Stop the Pipeline coalition member, was successful in calling for this new policy language.
From previous Green Notes: A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,” by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
“Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club. The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here. [pdf]
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.”  The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened.
Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts. A website refuting TransCanada’s myths with an interactive graphic is here.  More actions EveryOne can take are listed here.
Be a community educator and organizer. Let’s change the world together.
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.”

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, 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.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH celebrating women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The 2011 theme is “Our History Is Our Strength.”

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION . . . In light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that funeral protests are protected free speech, there will be a Community Conversation related to the issue on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 5:30pm, at the Nebraska History Museum, 15th & P Streets in Lincoln. Nebraska Legislative Bill 284 would expand the buffer between funerals and picketers. The Bill’s sponsor, Senator Bob Krist of Omaha, will join Father Don Hanway and local attorney Alan Peterson in the discussion. For more information, call 402.471.3270.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 3:30 to 4:30pm, through April 27th, except March 23rd–Spring Break, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented 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.

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . This month’s League of Women Voters Lunch and Learn will feature Dr. Robert Rauner speaking on the goals, activites, and legislative efforts of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, Thursday, March 17, 2011, noon, at the Downtown Holiday Inn, 141 Ninth Street. Make reservations by Monday, March 14, 2011, by e-mailing lwv-ne [at] inebraska [dot] com, or calling 402.475.1411.

SLOW FOOD NEBRASKA BOOK LAUNCH . . . Friday, March 18, 2011, Slow Food Nebraska, the Nebraska Food Coop, Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society, and Buy Fresh Buy Local will host a celebration of the release of “The Call of the Land,” 2nd edition, by Lincoln writer Steven McFadden, at Embassy Suites, 1040 P Street, from 7:00 to 9:00pm. The book launnch will feature a Community Conversation about creating a just, sustainable food system.  The free event will also offer samples of local foods. At 3:00pm on Saturday, March 19th, Steve will speak at the Nebraska Bioneers Creating Community Day at Nebraska Wesleyan. For more information, contact Elizabeth Wolf at 402.304.5757.

NEBRASKA BIONEERS MARCH 2011 CONFERENCE . . . Creating Community Day, is Saturday, March 19, 2011, 9:00am to 3:00pm, Emerson Hall in the Rogers Fine Arts Center, 50th & Huntington Avenue, at Nebraska Wesleyan, Lincoln. Join local Nebraska Bioneers for a day of envisioning what is possible. There will be local speakers, breakout sessions, and a showing of the film The Turning Point.  Learn about ecovillages, permaculture, natural building projects, and more. For a full schedule of the day’s events, click here. Register to attend here.  For more information, e-mail contact [at] nebraskabioneers [dot] org, or call Anne at 402.421.8464.

JANE GOODALL AT NWU . . . “Gombe and Beyond: The Next 50 Years,”  is the title of Jane Goodall’s Saturday, March 19, 2011 7:30pm lecture at O’Donnell Auditorium, 50th & Huntington Avenue, on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus in Lincoln. Purchase tickets here.  All proceeds will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute.  For more information, e-mail Mitch Paine, paine [dot] mitch [at] gmail [dot] com.

WACHISKA TRIP TO VIEW CRANES . . . Sunday, March 20, 2011, Wachiska Audubon will sponsor a field trip to see the Sandhill cranes.  To carpool and caravan, meet at 1:00pm on the south side of the State Capitol. The annual spectacle on Nebraska’s Platte River is the largest gathering of cranes in the world.  To make your own required reservations for the blind, call the Rowe Sanctuary, 308.468.5282, by March 15th.  Indicate that you are with the Wachiska group. For more information, call John Carlini at 402.475.7275.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Bold Native,” a fictional film about animal liberation. View a 2:24 minute trailer here.  For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRESENTATION AT UN-O . . . The Great Plains Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects is hosting an evening with Bruce Ferguson, professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia, a recognized leader in stormwater design and research. The event is timely in light of Omaha’s $1.7 billion combined sewer project and the need to look at cost-effective sustainable approaches to stormwater management. Open to the public, the event will be Thursday, March 17, 2011, 7:00 to 9:00pm, in the first floor auditorium of Mammel Hall, on the Aksarben Campus of UN-O, 67th & Pine. There will be time for questions and discussion with Professor Ferguson, and light refreshments will be provided. Parking is available in UN-O lots 9 & 14 on Pine Street directly south of the Scott Conference Center. For more information, contact Andy Szatko, 402.306.5704, or aszatko9 [at] huskers [dot] unl [dot] edu.

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

GREEN BELLEVUE CLEAN-UP . . . The Green Bellevue Spring Clean-Up will begin at 9:00am on Sunday, March 20, 2011, in Washington Park, with Kick-Off by former state senator Don Preister. For more information, contact a member of the Green Bellevue Committee here.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . A delegation of Nebraska environmentalists, landowners, and activists joined like-minded grassroots organizers from around the country in Washington DC last week, “to warn of the risk posed to both erosion-prone Sand Hills soils and the Ogallala Aquifer in meetings with the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency,” quoting “TransCanada, Keystone XL critics remain at odds,” published in the Lincoln Journal Star March 9, 2011. A BOLD Nebraska press release covering the action, including photos and video, is here.
From “Johanns on XL Pipeline: Construction “Needs to Be Delayed”, by Joe Jordan, March 7, 2011: “As the Canadian company looking to build the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline announces the backing of several dozen American veterans, Senator Mike Johanns (NE-R) tells Nebraska Watchdog he believes construction “will be delayed, it needs to be delayed.” Read and view 25 second video clip from NebraskaWatchDog.org here.
A February paper from the University of Nebraska Department of Agricultural Economics, “The Keystone XL Pipeline Project,” [pdf] concludes “Considering the potential benefits and costs alluded to above, we do not support the project. While there is room for disagreement on this policy issue, supporters have yet to make a clear case that benefits to Nebraska would offset the costs and risks.”
Postmedia News and the Calgary Herald published “Hillary Clinton ‘supportive’ of Alberta oil imports, wavers on Keystone XL pipeline,” by Sheldon Alberts and Jason Fekete, on March 2, 2011. They quote Clinton as “generally supportive” of increasing oil imports from Canada, but not specific about if she backs the pipeline from Alberta to Texas. On March 3rd, The Guardian’s “US Landowners Fighting Back Against Pipeline That Would Run From Alberta to the Gulf Coast” asks “What are the dangers of pumping gritty, thick crude at high temperature and pressure through a pipeline with walls less than half an inch thick across vital sources of groundwater?”  The article says there will be a “grassroots rebellion” in Washington DC on March 9, 2011.
“Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club. The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here.
A McClatchy article, “Kansas unhappy about Keystone tax exemptions,”  reports on officials along the existing pipeline’s path feeling sold out by the state for ThansCanada profits. A map of the US shows current and proposed pipeline routes at the end of the article, also published in the Lincoln Journal Star. “Some see Keystone XL as path to higher gas prices in Midwest,”  was published February 17, 2011: “As the debate on the economic and environmental effects of Keystone XL continues, there’s silence at the U.S. State Department on whether TransCanada has done enough on an environmental impact statement and whether the project is in the national interest. And the word coming out of a TransCanada meeting called to examine its fourth-quarter financial status reflects a slight shift in its expectations on a State Department outcome from midyear to late year. ” Read here.
A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,” by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
Hearings on three pipeline related bills were held in the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on February 9, 2011. “TransCanada, critics differ on need for state oversight of pipelines,” was published in LJS the following day. Links to pipeline bills, information on the hearing, and contact information for who to write/call in support of the bills is here.
“Nebraska gas prices among highest in nation,” published February 6th in the North Platte Bulletin, warns that if the XL pipeline is built, Midwest refineries will be bypassed and the result will be higher gas prices in the Midwest and big profits for Canadian oil producers. “Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” at Wildlife Promise begins “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “…here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.” Meanwhile, last week Montana legislators heard from an unlikely duo about how the United States must pursue renewable power and move away from fossil fuels–a retired US Navy vice admiral and a Marine Corps colonel. “Montana lawmakers hear from military about dangers of relying on oil, coal”  was published in the Missoulian and by BuzzFlash at TruthOut on February 5th.
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”  Click here to send a personalized message President Obama, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
Nebraska Green Party is one of the 86 organizations that signed a letter to the President asking him *not* to approved the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through our land and water as he was meeting with the Canadian Prime Minster, who is pushing *for* pipeline approval. The February 5, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star front page hard copy report is titled “Canada’s PM pushes for pipeline approval; coalition of 86 groups opposed to pipeline urge Obama to reject it,” reports “Environmental groups call the pipeline an ecological disaster waiting to happen and say the so-called tar sands produce “dirty” oil that requires huge amounts of energy to extract.” On February 11th, Scott Svoboda’s letter to the LJS editor, “Canadian PM’s words questionable,” reminds “there is no guarantee that any of the tar sands oil piped from Canada to the Gulf Coast will be dedicated to US consumers. Oil is a commodity and sold to the highest bidder, whether it’s China or an oil corporation.”
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project.” “Legal Challenge to Eminent Domain for TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline,” reports on the first legal challenge to the use of eminent domain to secure US right-of-way for the proposed pipeline. “Nebraska Farmers Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline,”  features two Nebraska landowners in a national blog post.
An LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,” published in the LJS under the title “One Pipeline Too Many” begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by Washington Post staff writer Juliet Eilperin. It begins “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security: The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster. But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.”  The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
           Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith,  CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
           Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed pressure on Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts.
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.”

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, 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.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH celebrating women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The 2011 theme is “Our History Is Our Strength.”

March 6 through March 12, 2011 is National Groundwater Awareness Week.  Learn about the importance of groundwater at the National Groundwater Association website here.  STOP THE XL PIPELINE.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes.  Omaha’s protest action will be Saturday, March 12th, at 72nd & Dodge Streets.

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.

TRIMBLE AT HISTORY MUSEUM . . . In conjunction with the Nebraska History Museum’s “Civil Rights & Civil Liberties in Nebraska,” an exhibit that chronicles the state’s civil rights history, a series of public presentations by local leaders continues on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at the Museum, 15th and P streets, Lincoln. Charles Trimble will address Natives’ struggle to become full American citizens, at noon. The lecture is free, and open to the public.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 3:30 to 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented 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.

THOMPSON FORUM AT LIED . . . Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 7:00pm, health and science writer Laurie Garrett will explore critical issues in global health care and disease prevention in her EN Thompson Forum on World Issues lecture, “Betrayal of Trust: Critical Issues in Global Healthcare” at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 North 12th Street, in Lincoln. Tickets are free.

FILM ON IMMIGRATION . . . Thursday, March 10, 2011, 7:00pm, Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, Lincoln, will show “In the Shadow of the Raid,” a documentary about the largest immigration raid in US history. View a 3:01 minute trailer here. The screening is free and open to the public, as part of a series on immigration.

FEEDING THE SOUL OF THE CITY . . . The 6th Annual Dinner and Fundraising Event benefiting Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach will be Sunday, March 13, 2011, at the Lied Center Main Stage, 301 North 12th Street, Lincoln. The event starts at 5:00 with social time and a silent auction, followed by dinner and the program featuring the Chiara String Quartet at 6:00pm. Devoted to serving homeless and near homeless men, women, and children, MTKO provides meals twice daily, every day. Outreach also includes education, and advocacy. For more information, and to make reservations for the benefit, phone 402.477.4116.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . Sunday, March 13, 2011, 6:30pm, the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, will end this year’s Winter Lecture Series with a dinner featuring Russian food catered by Kathy Davis from the Beaver Bakery and Cafe at Beaver Crossing.  Reservations must be made by noon, Wednesday, March 9th, by calling the church at 402.483.2213.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

DEBATE OVER LEGALIZATION . . . “UNMC professor to talk about marijuana debate,” on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 7:00pm, at Slowdown, 729 North 14th Street, Omaha. Dr. Ally Dering-Anderson, a professor in UNMC’s College of Pharmacy, will discuss ethical arguments over the use of medical marijuana. The talk is part of a Science Cafe series. The free educational events are aimed at getting young adults interested in science.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Silent Screams.”  It explores the social costs of America’s war in Afghanistan. View a 1:02 minute trailer here.   For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

GREEN TEAM ROUNDTABLE . . . Complimentary lunch is included with the WasteCap Nebraska Omaha Green Team Roundtable. RSVP is required by noon on Friday, March 11, for the Wednesday, March 16, 2011 event, 11:30am to 1:00pm, hosted by Metech, an electronics recycler at 4330 South 102nd Street. Learn about the demanufacturing process for electronics, tour the facility, and have lunch with the Green Team. RSVP to communications [at] wastecapne [dot] org, or by calling 402.436.2383 by noon on Friday the 11th. For more information, e-mail chakenkamp [at] wastecapne [dot] org.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protests with Guardians of the Good Life continue. This week’s action will be at noon, Saturday, March 12th, 72nd & Dodge Streets.  STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 402.453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . A February paper from the University of Nebraska Department of Agricultural Economics, “The Keystone XL Pipeline Project,” [pdf] concludes “Considering the potential benefits and costs alluded to above, we do not support the project. While there is room for disagreement on this policy issue, supporters have yet to make a clear case that benefits to Nebraska would offset the costs and risks.”
Postmedia News and the Calgary Herald published “Hillary Clinton ‘supportive’ of Alberta oil imports, wavers on Keystone XL pipeline,” by Sheldon Alberts and Jason Fekete, on March 2, 2011. They quote Clinton as “generally supportive” of increasing oil imports from Canada, but not specific about if she backs the pipeline from Alberta to Texas. On March 3rd, The Guardian’s “US Landowners Fighting Back Against Pipeline That Would Run From Alberta to the Gulf Coast” asks “What are the dangers of pumping gritty, thick crude at high temperature and pressure through a pipeline with walls less than half an inch thick across vital sources of groundwater?”  The article says there will be a “grassroots rebellion” in Washington DC on March 9, 2011.  A delegation from Nebraska will be there.
“Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club. The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here [pdf].
A McClatchy article, “Kansas unhappy about Keystone tax exemptions,” reports on officials along the existing pipeline’s path feeling sold out by the state for ThansCanada profits. A map of the US shows current and proposed pipeline routes at the end of the article, also published in the Lincoln Journal Star. “Some see Keystone XL as path to higher gas prices in Midwest,” was published February 17, 2011: “As the debate on the economic and environmental effects of Keystone XL continues, there’s silence at the U.S. State Department on whether TransCanada has done enough on an environmental impact statement and whether the project is in the national interest. And the word coming out of a TransCanada meeting called to examine its fourth-quarter financial status reflects a slight shift in its expectations on a State Department outcome from midyear to late year. ” Read here.
A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,” by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
Hearings on three pipeline related bills were held in the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on February 9, 2011. “TransCanada, critics differ on need for state oversight of pipelines,” was published in LJS the following day. Links to pipeline bills, information on the hearing, and contact information for who to write/call in support of the bills is here.
“Nebraska gas prices among highest in nation,” published February 6th in the North Platte Bulletin, warns that if the XL pipeline is built, Midwest refineries will be bypassed and the result will be higher gas prices in the Midwest and big profits for Canadian oil producers. “Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” at Wildlife Promise begins “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “…here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.”  Meanwhile, last week Montana legislators heard from an unlikely duo about how the United States must pursue renewable power and move away from fossil fuels–a retired US Navy vice admiral and a Marine Corps colonel. “Montana lawmakers hear from military about dangers of relying on oil, coal” was published in the Missoulian and by BuzzFlash at TruthOut on February 5th.
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”  Click here to send a personalized message President Obama, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
Nebraska Green Party is one of the 86 organizations that signed a letter to the President asking him *not* to approved the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through our land and water as he was meeting with the Canadian Prime Minster, who is pushing *for* pipeline approval. The February 5, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star front page hard copy report is titled “Canada’s PM pushes for pipeline approval; coalition of 86 groups opposed to pipeline urge Obama to reject it,” reports “Environmental groups call the pipeline an ecological disaster waiting to happen and say the so-called tar sands produce “dirty” oil that requires huge amounts of energy to extract.” On February 11th, Scott Svoboda’s letter to the LJS editor, “Canadian PM’s words questionable,” reminds “there is no guarantee that any of the tar sands oil piped from Canada to the Gulf Coast will be dedicated to US consumers. Oil is a commodity and sold to the highest bidder, whether it’s China or an oil corporation.”
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project.” “Legal Challenge to Eminent Domain for TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline,” reports on the first legal challenge to the use of eminent domain to secure US right-of-way for the proposed pipeline. “Nebraska Farmers Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline,” features two Nebraska landowners in a national blog post.
An LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,” published in the LJS under the title “One Pipeline Too Many” begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by Washington Post staff writer Juliet Eilperin. It begins “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security: The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster. But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed pressure on Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts.
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.”

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, 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.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

10 DIGIT DIALING BEGINS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011. Questions & Answers are here.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. Senator Mike Johanns will hold a series of open forums in Nebraska February 21 through 24, 2011, to hear constituents’ thoughts on the future of ag policy. The scheduled events are listed below by Congressional District. Take this opportunity to ask the Senator to oppose the proposed XL pipeline for health, groundwater and land stafety reasons. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

PUBLIC MEETING WITH JOHANNS . . . Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 11:30am, Senator Mike Johanns will meet with Lincoln constituents at Embassy Suites, 1040 P Street. Ask him to oppose the XL pipeline!

SECRETS BENEATH THE ICE . . . Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 7:00pm, there will be a free screening of “Secrets Beneath the Ice,” a NET documentary about ANDRILL, a research project led by UN-L, at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln. The film premiered nationally on the PBS series NOVA. After the hour-long film, UN-L scientists who work on the project will answer questions from the audience.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 3:30 TO 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented 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.

LINCOLN GREEN DRINKS . . . Lincoln Green Drinks, an environmentally focused social network, will meet Wednesday, February 23, 2011, starting at 5:30pm, at Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill in the Haymarket at 210 North 7th Street. Green Drinks are now active in 756 cities worldwide. Walk, carpool, bus or bike if possible. For more information, e-mail Rick Yoder, ryoder [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

THOMPSON FORUM ON WORLD ISSUES . . . Our government must be questioned about the excesses of the so-called war on terror. The first step is to get informed. A Thompson Forum on World Issues is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 7:00pm, at the Lied Center, 12th & R Streets, Lincoln. Mark Danner, a writer and reporter who has written on politics and foreign affairs, focusing on war and conflict for twenty-five years, will speak on the topic “Torture, Obama and Us: The Moral Costs of the War on Terror“.  You will need to pick up a ticket in advance, but tickets are free. Click here for ticket information.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . The Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, is hosting its annual free winter lecture series about Russia and Post-Soviet states. Each two-hour Sunday lecture begins at 7:00pm. The first hour features a guest lecturer, followed by refreshments with a half hour of questions and dialogue. Sunday, February 27, 2011, Bruce M. Garver, Professor of History, UN-O, will speak on the nations of Eastern Europe that were once called the Soviet block.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

PUBLIC MEETING WITH JOHANNS . . . Senator Mike Johanns will meet with Omaha constituents Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 7:00am, at Regency Lodge, 909 South 107th Avenue. Ask him to oppose the XL pipeline!

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “American Radical.”  The documentary takes a deeply personal look at Norman Finkelstein’s life, and analyses the roots of his beliefs regarding the Israel-Palestine question. View the trailer here.  For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

“YEAR OF THE ELECTRIC CAR” AT PS COLLECTIVE . . . Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:00pm, the Nebraska Sierra Club  will present Bill Moore and “Year of the Electric Car,” at the Benson Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street, Omaha. Moore is editor of the on-line journal EV World, headquartered in Omaha, and closely follows the development of new vehicle technologies.  Street parking is available on Maple Street, and there is a parking lot in back by Haney Shoes. Arrive between 6:00 and 6:30 to order dinner before the program. Sierra Club programs are free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protest actions by Guardians of the Good Life resumed Saturday, February 19, 2011, noon, at 90th & Maple.  There won’t be an organized protest next weekend. Check Green Notes for location the following week. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Senator Mike Johanns will hold a series of open forums in District 3 this week to hear constituents’ thoughts on the future of ag policy. Monday, February 21, 2011, 11:00am, he will host an Open Coffee in Grand Island at the Howard Johnson Riverside Inn Cottonwood Room, 3333 Ramada Road, Grand Island. Wednesday, February 23rd, he will be in Norfolk at Prenger’s Restaurant, 116 East Norfolk Avenue, 4:00pm; followed by a 6:30 coffee in Neligh at the Senior Center, 204 Main Street. Thursday, February 24, there will be an open coffee in O’Neill at the Blarney Stone Nebraska Room, 432 East Douglas Street; a 9:30am coffee in Bassett at the Range Cafe, 205 Clark Street; and at noon, he will discuss Nebraska Ag Policy Perspectives at an open forum in Burwell at the American Legion, 657 G Street.  Take any of these opportunities to ask the Senator to oppose the proposed XL pipeline.
A new report this week, “Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Countil, the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club.  The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here. [pdf]
A McClatchy article, “Kansas unhappy about Keystone tax exemptions,” reports on officials along the existing pipeline’s path feeling sold out by the state for ThansCanada profits. A map of the US shows current and proposed pipeline routes at the end of the article, also published in the Lincoln Journal Star. “Some see Keystone XL as path to higher gas prices in Midwest,” was published February 17, 2011: “As the debate on the economic and environmental effects of Keystone XL continues, there’s silence at the U.S. State Department on whether TransCanada has done enough on an environmental impact statement and whether the project is in the national interest. And the word coming out of a TransCanada meeting called to examine its fourth-quarter financial status reflects a slight shift in its expectations on a State Department outcome from midyear to late year. ”  Read here.
A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,” by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star February 13th. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
Hearings on three pipeline related bills were held in the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on February 9, 2011. “TransCanada, critics differ on need for state oversight of pipelines,” was published in LJS the following day. Links to pipeline bills, information on the hearing, and contact information for who to write/call in support of the bills is here.
The Lincoln Journal Star editorialized “The State Department’s responsibility goes beyond providing a simple yes or no answer to the project. It also should ensure that the pipeline will be built and operated safely and with low risk of harm to the environment. In Nebraska, that means that TransCanada should move the pipeline farther east, outside the Sand Hills.” “Pipeline route still valid issue,” was published on February 10th.
“Nebraska gas prices among highest in nation,” published February 6th in the North Platte Bulletin, warns that if the XL pipeline is built, Midwest refineries will be bypassed and the result will be higher gas prices in the Midwest and big profits for Canadian oil producers. “Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” at Wildlife Promise begins “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “…here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.”  Meanwhile, last week Montana legislators heard from an unlikely duo about how the United States must pursue renewable power and move away from fossil fuels–a retired US Navy vice admiral and a Marine Corps colonel. “Montana lawmakers hear from military about dangers of relying on oil, coal” was published in the Missoulian and by BuzzFlash at TruthOut on February 5th.
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”  Click here to send a personalized message to President Obama, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
Nebraska Green Party is one of the 86 organizations that signed a letter to the President asking him *not* to approved the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through our land and water as he was meeting with the Canadian Prime Minster, who is pushing *for* pipeline approval. The February 5, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star front page hard copy report is titled “Canada’s PM pushes for pipeline approval; coalition of 86 groups opposed to pipeline urge Obama to reject it,” It reports “Environmental groups call the pipeline an ecological disaster waiting to happen and say the so-called tar sands produce “dirty” oil that requires huge amounts of energy to extract.” On February 11th, Scott Svoboda’s letter to the LJS editor, “Canadian PM’s words questionable,” reminds “there is no guarantee that any of the tar sands oil piped from Canada to the Gulf Coast will be dedicated to US consumers. Oil is a commodity and sold to the highest bidder, whether it’s China or an oil corporation.”
Sunday, March 6, 2011, join members of the groups actively working to protect Nebraska land and water from further pipeline exploitation at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 136 North 14th Street, 2:30 to 5:00pm. There will be live music by The Lightning Bugs, John Walker and the Prairie Dogs, the Melody Wranglers, Chris Sayre & the Laddies, and The Toasted Ponies.
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project.” “Legal Challenge to Eminent Domain for TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline,” reports on the first legal challenge to the use of eminent domain to secure US right-of-way for the proposed pipeline. “Nebraska Farmers Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline,” features two Nebraska landowners in a national blog post.
An LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,” published in the LJS under the title “One Pipeline Too Many” begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by Washington Post staff writer Juliet Eilperin. It begins “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security: The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster. But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada
construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed pressure on Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts.
           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.”

NEBRASKA MARKETPLACE . . . The Fifth Annual Nebraska MarketPlace Conference will be Tuesday and Wednesday, February 22 and 23, 2011, at the Ramada Inn Convention Center, 301 2nd Avenue, in Kearney. Online registration is available here.

“OSCAR SCHINDLER OF AFRICA” AT DOANE . . . Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Paul Rusesabagina will speak at the Doane College Heckman Auditorium, 7:00pm.  Rusesabagina was the real-life inspiration for the 2004 award-winning film “Hotel Rwanda.”  His speech is free, and open to the public.

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, 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 these GMO crops.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. Three pipeline related bills were heard by the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on February 9, 2011. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in Congressional District 3 Green Notes.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

THERE IS NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE . . . Monday, February 14, 2011, UN-L economics professor Hank Van den Berg, UN-L associate professor of accounting Linda Ruchala, former UN-L physics professor Dan Schlitt, and Terry Werner, executive director of the Nebraska Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, will hold a 1:00pm news conference on the outdoor west plaza of the state capitol building in Lincoln to explain how the federal deficit could be reduced by cutting the military budget in half. The Pentagon, rather than programs like education, Medicare, Social Security and aid to state governments, should be the primary target of spending cuts. According to Van den Berg, “With the US spending more on the military than the rest of the nations of the world combined, Congress can easily cut the military budget in half without harming our national security. In fact, ending wasteful military spending will make us stronger economically.”  For more information about the news conference, contact Nebraskans for Peace State Coordinator Tim Rinne by phone at 402.475.7616.

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.

LPS WANTS INPUT ON STRATEGIC PLAN . . . Lincoln Public Schools administration staff are developing a Strategic Plan for the future. They hosted a public Community Forum on February 5th, and there will be a General Meeting for input from students on Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 6:00 to 7:30pm, at LPS District Offices, 5901 O Street, in the Board Room.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 3:30 TO 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented here.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN READ-IN . . . Wednesday, February 16, 2011, at noon, Lincoln City Libraries and Doane College will co-host the 6th Annual African-American Read-in at Bennett Martin Public Library, 136 South 14th Street. Community members, including Lela Shanks, will read excerpts from works by or about African-Americans.  The free event, open to the public, will begin with a tribute to human rights advocate Leola Bullock.

PANEL ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN . . . The question “Who is an American?” will be explored during a panel discussion presented by the Institute for Ethnic Studies Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 12:30 to 2:00pm, Bailey Library in Andrews Hall at UN-L. Panelists include Miguel Ceballos, assistant professor of sociology and ethnic studies; Ariana Vigil, assistant professor of English and ethnic studies; and Sergio Wals, assistant professor of political science and ethnic studies.

PAUL A. OLSON SEMINAR . . . Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 3:30pm, the Paul A. Olson Seminar in Great Plains Studies will present Thomas C. Gannon, Associate Professor of English and Ethnic Studies, UN-L, speaking on “Avians and Indians: Feathered Folk on the Plains” at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. Phone Kim Weide, 472.3964, for more information.

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.

DOCUMENTARY ON PEACEMAKING AT NWU . . . “Refusing to be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story,” will be screened on Wednesday, January 16, 2011, 7:00pm, at Nebraska Wesleyan University’s Olin B Lecture Hall, one block east of 50th Street and St. Paul Avenue, Lincoln. The 58-minute film profiles a group of 12 women peacemakers calling themselves Zeitouna. The documentary’s director, Laurie White, will attend the screening, as will Zeitouna’s fellow co-founder Manya Arond-Thomas. The screening is free and open to the public. View a 3:30 minute trailer, including interviews with many of the women, here.

LELA SHANKS AT HISTORY MUSEUM . . . In conjunction with the Nebraska History Museum’s “Civil Rights & Civil Liberties in Nebraska,” an exhibit that chronicles the state’s civil rights history, a series of public presentations by local leaders continues on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at the Museum, 15th and P streets, Lincoln. Local writer and civil rights activist Lela Knox Shanks will discuss how the press has reported on African Americans at noon. The lecture is free, and open to the public.

FRIENDS OF WILDERNESS PARK . . . This month’s Friends of Wilderness Park meeting and presentation will be Sunday, February 20, 4:30pm, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, Lincoln.  The speaker will be Steven Rolfsmeier, co-author of the definitive text guide, The Flora of Nebraska. The presentation is free and the meeting is open to the public. For more information, e-mail friendsofwildernessparkne [at] yahoo [dot] com.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . The Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, Lincoln, is hosting its annual free winter lecture series about Russia and Post-Soviet states. Each two-hour Sunday lecture begins at 7:00pm. The first hour features a guest lecturer, followed by refreshments with a half hour of questions and dialogue. Sunday, February 20, 2011, Kyle Scott, Director, Office of Russian Affairs, US Department of State, will speak on Russian relationships with the US.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

THERE IS NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE . . . “With the US spending more on the military than the rest of the nations of the world combined, Congress can easily cut the military budget in half without harming our national security. In fact, ending wasteful military spending will make us stronger economically.”  (See CD 1 Green Notes.)  E-mail Elaine Wells, mmwells1 [at] cox [dot] net to join a carpool from Omaha for the February 14, 2011, 1:00pm news conference at the capitol in Lincoln. Learn how the federal deficit could be reduced by cutting the military budget in half. Then countact your Congressional delegation in support of this win/win approach to cutting the deficit, maintaining security, and providing human services.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Gasland,” a first-person account of how a natural gas company made Josh Fox, the filmmaker, a lease offer for $100,000 to explore on his land in Pennsylvania’s Delaware River Basin. View the trailer here.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

SNOW MOON HIKE . . . Thursday, February 17, 2011, the Nebraska Adventure Group will host a hike at Hitchcock Nature Center, 27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek, Iowa, at 7:30pm. E-mail debhoffnung [at] yahoo [dot] com to rsvp for mandatory reservations.

MEETING ON LOW POWER FM RADIO . . . Saturday, February 19, 2011, 1:00 to 2:30pm, there will be a community meeting on low power FM radio at 3715 Hamilton Street, Omaha. Congress has passed the Community Radio Act of 2010.  This meeting will examine how one or more stations might be started in Omaha. Financing, legal, technical and organizational hurdles will need to be addressed. Come prepared to focus and work on providing a local voice for diversity. For more information, e-mail francesmendenhall [at] yahoo [dot] com

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protest actions by Guardians of the Good Life will resume with warmer weather. Watch Green Notes for weekly location updates. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

SODERBERGH AND PAYNE AT HOLLAND FUNDRAISER . . . Sunday, February 20, 2011, Steven Soderbergh, director of “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” and “Traffic,” will headline a fundraiser for Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Street, in Omaha. Public Radio International’s Kurt Anderson will speak with Soderbergh in live conversation. The event will be introduced by director, screenwriter, and Omaha native Alexander Payne.  Click here for ticket information.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Hearings on three pipeline related bills were held in the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on February 9, 2011. “TransCanada, critics differ on need for state oversight of pipelines,” was published in Lincoln Journal Star the following day. Links to pipeline bills, information on the hearing, and contact  information for who to write/call in support of the bills is here.
The Lincoln Journal Star editorialized “The State Department’s responsibility goes beyond providing a simple yes or no answer to the project. It also should ensure that the pipeline will be built and operated safely and with low risk of harm to the environment. In Nebraska, that means that TransCanada should move the pipeline farther east, outside the Sand Hills.” “Pipeline route still valid issue,” was published on February 10th. “House Members Urge Clinton to Okay Pipeline,” was publilshed at Nebraska.Watchdog.org on February 11th. No Nebraska members of the House signed the letter.
“Nebraska gas prices among highest in nation,” published February 6th in the North Platte Bulletin, warns that if the XL pipeline is built, Midwest refineries will be bypassed and the result will be higher gas prices in the Midwest and big profits for Canadian oil producers. “Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” at Wildlife Promise begins “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “…here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.” Meanwhile, last week Montana legislators heard from an unlikely duo about how the United States must pursue renewable power and move away from fossil fuels–a retired US Navy vice admiral and a Marine Corps colonel. “Montana lawmakers hear from military about dangers of relying on oil, coal” was published in the Missoulian and by BuzzFlash at TruthOut on February 5th.
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”  Click here to send a personalized message President Obama, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
Nebraska Green Party is one of the 86 organizations that signed a letter to the President asking him *not* to approved the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through our land and water as he was meeting with the Canadian Prime Minster, who is pushing *for* pipeline approval. The February 5, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star front page hard copy report is titled “Canada’s PM pushes for pipeline approval; coalition of 86 groups opposed to pipeline urge Obama to reject it,” reports “Environmental groups call the pipeline an ecological disaster waiting to happen and say the so-called tar sands produce “dirty” oil that requires huge amounts of energy to extract.” On February 11th, Scott Svoboda’s letter to the editor, “Canadian PM’s words questionable,” reminds “there is no guarantee that any of the tar sands oil piped from Canada to the Gulf Coast will be dedicated to US consumers. Oil is a commodity and sold to the highest bidder, whether it’s China or an oil corporation.”
           Save the Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011, join members of the groups actively working to protect Nebraska land and water from further pipeline exploitation at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 136 North 14th Street, 2:30 to 5:00pm. There will be live music by The Lightning Bugs, John Walker and the Prairie Dogs, the Melody Wranglers, Chris Sayre & the Laddies, and The Toasted Ponies.
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project.” “Legal Challenge to Eminent Domain for TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline,” reports on the first legal challenge to the use of eminent domain to secure US right-of-way for the proposed pipeline.  “Nebraska Farmers Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline,” features two Nebraska landowners in a national blog post.
An LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,” published in the LJS under the title “One Pipeline Too Many” begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by Washington Post staff writer Juliet Eilperin. It begins “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security: The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster. But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.

The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
           Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed pressure on Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.  Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and
background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts.
           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.”

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. Three pipeline related bills will be heard by the legislature’s Natural Resources Committee this Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 1:30pm, in room 1525, at the state capitol. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in Congressional District 3 Green Notes.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

CIVIL RIGHTS SERIES . . . The Nebraska Historical Society series of programs, “Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Nebraska: Understanding the Past, Looking to the Future,” will present well known local attorney Alan Petersen discussing the rights of a free press versus the right of a fair trial, on Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 5:30pm, at the Nebraska History Museum, 15th & P Streets, in Lincoln. The presentation is free and open to the public.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 3:30 TO 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented 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.

IMMIGRATION FORUM . . . Thursday, February 10, 2011, 7:00 to 8:30pm, there will be a forum on the implications of immigration legislation for Nebraska at Lincoln’s Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Panelists include retired Navy rear admiral Jim Partington, former state Senator DiAnna Schimek, and Nebraska Appleseed attorney Norman Pflanz, who will also take questions from the audience. The Forum is free and open to the public.

COMMUNITY CROPS GARDEN BRUNCH . . . Saturday, February 12, 2011, Community CROPS will host a Garden Brunch at Windsor Stables, 1024 L Street, Lincoln. For more information about the fundraiser, including a list of silent auction items donated for the event, and to by tickets online, click here.  “Community CROPS helps people work together to grow healthy food and live sustainably.”

GREAT PLAINS TRAILS ANNUAL . . . The Great Plains Trails Network will present Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, speaking at their annual meeting, Sunday, February 13, 2011, 1:00pm, at BryanLGH College of Health Sciences, room 204, 5035 Everett Street, Lincoln. Clarke’s topic will be “Creating a More Bicycle-Friendly Lincoln.”  The meeting is open to the public.  Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 402.325.8668 or click here.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . The Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, is hosting its annual free winter lecture series about Russia and Post-Soviet states. Each two-hour Sunday lecture begins at 7:00pm. The first hour features a guest lecturer, followed by refreshments with a half hour of questions and dialogue.  Sunday, February 13, 2011, Bill Gleason, Coordinator, Eurasian Studies at the US Department of State, will speak on Russian-Ukranian relations.

LOCAL ARTISTS WANTED . . . The Third Annual Artistic Rain Barrel Program invites local artists to paint rain barrels with original designs for display citywide next spring. Twenty-five artists will be chosen for a public auction of barrels in May, 2011. Click here [pdf] for an application, which includes a short summary and preliminary sketch of your intended design. Applications are due by February 11, 2011. For more information, contact Ellen Wright, 402.441.7075.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “South Of The Border.” Oliver Stone films a road trip across five South American countries, interviewing seven of its elected presidents. View the trailer here.  For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . UN-L Economics professor Hank Van den Berg will speak on “How Economists Provided Intellectual Cover for the Corporate and Financial Takeover” at the Progressive Omaha meeting Saturday, February 12, 2011, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at 4924 Chicago, in Dundee. EveryOne is welcome at a potluck, beginning at 6:00, followed by the speaker from 7:00 to 8:00, and business meeting with social time until 9:00pm.  Progressive Omaha 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.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Saturday protest actions by Guardians of the Good Life are on hold until weather warms up. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

HIKE WAUBONSIE STATE PARK . . . There will be a Second Sunday Hike with the Nebraska Adventure Group at Iowa’s Waubonsie State Park on Sunday, February 13, 2011. Meet at Panera Bread, 344 North Saddle Creek Road, Omaha, 8:45am. Send a mandatory rsvp to debhoffnung [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The three pipeline related bills being introduced in the Nebraska legislature will be heard by the Natural Resources Committee this Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 1:30pm, in room 1525, at the state capitol. Links to Committee members’ e-mail are here.  If you can’t be at the hearing, you may e-mail your testimony to info [at] boldnebraska [dot] org, and it will be submitted on your behalf Wednesday. Your presence at the hearing, however, is very important. Dr. Mary Pipher’s (sample) testimony is linked here.  Even if you don’t wish to testify, being there, and signing-in to support the bills, will make a difference. Bold Nebraska will have t-shirts available to wear at the hearing starting at 1:00pm outside room 1525.
The following pipeline bills have been introduced in the Nebraska legislature this session:
LB 340 [pdf] establishes state-based guidelines and oversight for oil pipelines. Introduced by Senator Dubas.
LB 629 [pdf]establishes a state-based certification process for oil pipelines. Introduced by Senator Sullivan.
LB 578 requires pipeline companies to be financially responsible for clean-up, decommissioning, and maintenance to roads. Introduced by Senator Haar.
Nebraska Green Party is one of the 86 organizations that signed a letter to President Obama this week, asking him *not* to approved the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through our land and water. This weekend, Obama is meeting with the Canadian Prime Minster, who is pushing *for* pipeline approval. The February 5, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star front page hard copy report is titled “Canada’s PM pushes for pipeline approval; coalition of 86 groups opposed to pipeline urge Obama to reject it.”  Online, the article is called “Report: Keystone XL could reduce dependence on Mideast oil.” From the article, “Environmental groups call the pipeline an ecological disaster waiting to happen and say the so-called tar sands produce “dirty” oil that requires huge amounts of energy to extract. A coalition of 86 environmental and progressive groups sent a letter Friday urging Obama to reject the pipeline and “stop giving a free pass to oil companies to increase profits at the expense of Americans. Activists also gathered across from the White House on Friday to protest the project.”
A LJS letter to the editor, “Stop the ‘black beast,”  by Cindy Myers, Stuart, NE, was published February 2, 2011. “The ‘black beast’ must not be allowed to devour our waters, lands and people.” In a related event this week, despite public promises to compensate residents for losses associated with the summer oil spill in Kalamazoo, Enbridge is arguing it is not legally liable for damages from the spill. Read about that here.
Last week’s LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,”  was published in the Sunday Lincoln Journal Star hard copy, January 30, 2011, under the title “One Pipeline Too Many.” From Port Arthur, the report begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” by Jeremy Symons, was published by Wildlife Promise January 24, 2011. “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “Here’s how the pipeline scheme would really work: …So here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.”
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”
Click here to send a personalized message to the President, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” by Cody Winchester, January 26, 2011, reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project. …So here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.”
A Washington Post article about the proposed XL pipeline was published on the front page of the January 24, 2011 LJS. “Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by staff writer Juliet Eilperin. “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security: The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster.  But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.
Save the Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011, join members of the groups actively working to protect Nebraska land and water from further pipeline exploitation at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 136 North 14th Street, 2:30 to 5:00pm. Live music to be announced.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.”  The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada
construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
           Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed pressure on Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts.
           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.”

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

EARTH CIRCLE . . . On the first day of each month, people around the world stop for five minutes to visualize peace and focus on new levels of kindness, understanding, and compassion necessary for collectively facing the challenges of the 21st century. Join peacemakers everywhere at 4:00pm Greenwich Mean Time, 10:00am in Lincoln and Omaha, 9:00am Mountain Time in CD 3, on Tuesday, February 1, 2011, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its beings. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials, is below in Congressional District 3 Green Notes.  Included is news of Nebraska senators’ letter to Secretary Clinton, new Action Alerts, new media reports, and pipeline related Legislative Bills introduced this past week.

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.

LUNCH AT THE LIBRARY . . . Wednesday, February 2, 2011, Joel Starita, author of the 2010 One Book One Lincoln selection “I Am A Man,” will discuss his work at Bennett Martin Public Library, 14th & N Streets, Lincoln, in the fourth floor auditorium, 12:10pm. Bring your own lunch. Free coffee available. For more information, phone 402.441.8516.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 3:30 TO 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after the have been presented 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.

LPS WANTS INPUT ON STRATEGIC PLAN . . . Lincoln Public Schools administration staff are developing a Strategic Plan for the future. They will host public forums for community members and students in February. There will be a Community Meeting open to the public on Wednesday, February 5, 2011, 7:00 to 8:30pm, at Lincoln High School, 2229 J Street, in the cafeteria. The general student meeting will be February 15th.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . There will be no February 6, 2011 Series Lecture at The Unitarian Church of Lincoln. February 13th, Bill Gleason, Coordinator, Eurasian Studies at the US Department of State, will speak on Russian-Ukranian relations.

LOCAL ARTISTS WANTED . . . The Third Annual Artistic Rain Barrel Program invites local artists to paint rain barrels with original designs for display citywide next spring. Twenty-five artists will be chosen for a public auction of barrels in May, 2011. Click here [pdf] for an application, which includes a short summary and preliminary sketch of your intended design. Applications are due by February 11, 2011. For more information, contact Ellen Wright, 402.441.7075.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN OMAHA . . . The Omaha Public Library will celebrate the accomplishments and rich history of African-Americans in the United States with a Series of free Programs, open to the public, during February. This week’s Black History Month schedule begins Tuesday, February 1, 3:00 to 5:30pm, at the Benson Branch, 6015 Binney Street, with Sharif Liwaru, president of the Malcolm X Foundation, speaking about the legacy of Malcolm X. At 5:30 to 7:00pm, Preston Love Jr. will present “Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.” at the Charles B. Washington Branch, 2868 Ames Avenue. Saturday, February 5th, 10:00 to 11:30am, professional genealogist Karen Tippets will discuss how to use library resources to find your ancestors. From 2:30 to 4:00pm, Malcom X will be discussed at the Washington Branch. For more information, phone Emily Getzschman, 402.444.4896, or e-mail egetzschman [at] omahalibrary [dot] org.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.” This award-winning documentary tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, who in 1971 concluded that the war was based on decades of lies and leaked 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times. View the trailer here.  For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Saturday protest actions by Guardians of the Good Life are on hold until weather warms up, but a bus bench ad campaign has begun. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org.  For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . This week’s LA Times article by Kim Murphy, “Some Texans, too, resist Keystone XL Pipeline,” was published in the Sunday Lincoln Journal Star hard copy, January 30, 2011, under the title “One Pipeline Too Many.” From Port Arthur, the report begins “Texas has rarely met an oil business it didn’t like. Ever since Spindletop sent a gush of crude 150 feet into the air near here in 1901, Texans have been mostly willing to put up with the spills, smokestack belches and massive refinery vistas that go along with big, fat pots of “Texas tea.” But that was before a Canadian company, TransCanada Corp., came forward with a plan to build a 1,700-mile pipeline to carry heavy, high-pollutant oil from the tar sands under the boreal forests of northern Alberta, across the American heartland, through scenic ranchlands in the piney woods of east Texas and on to refineries near Houston and Port Arthur.”
“Big Oil’s Pipeline Scheme to Increase Midwest Gas Prices,” by Jeremy Symons, was published by Wildlife Promise January 24, 2011. “It’s an old story: oil companies increase gas prices and their profits soar. But rarely do we get an inside view of how they manipulate markets to drive up prices, and even rarer still an opportunity to stop it from happening. This time, Big Oil has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar as they scheme to hike America’s oil bill by $4 billion every year. This time, we have the industry documents that prove it.” From the article, “Here’s how the pipeline scheme would really work: …So here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and any pipeline spills.”
Learn more from the National Wildlife Federation’s report on XL, “Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands are a Bad Bet for the United States.”  Click here to send a personalized message to the President, or sign the online e-mail strongly urging him to stop the proposed pipeline.
In this month’s Prairie Fire, Julie Myers, who grew up in Nebraska, contends “The Keystone XL is a gamble that Nebraska cannot afford, for at least two crucial reasons: (1) It would route huge quantities of a hazardous substance for the first time directly through the Sand Hills geology and over the deepest part of the Ogallala Aquifer. And (2) its approval is being rushed through without performance data, skipping orderly review to avoid the scrutiny that might appropriately lead to its rejection, unless the area’s unique environmental safety concerns can be resolved.” Read the entire article here.
Wednesday, January 26th, 21 Nebraska senators sent a letter to Secretary Clinton urging her to study the route/impact on the Sand Hills and the Ogallala Aquifer before deciding on a permit. “Caution urged on pipeline plan”  was published January 27th in the Omaha World Herald.
The following pipeline bills have been introduced in the Nebraska legislature this session:
LB 340 [pdf] establishes state-based guidelines and oversight for oil pipelines. Introduced by Senator Dubas,  send thank yous to adubas [at] leg [dot] ne [dot] gov.
LB 629 [pdf] establishes a state-based certification process for oil pipelines. Introduced by Senator Sullivan, send thank you to ksullivan [at] leg [dot] ne [dot] gov.
LB578 [pdf] requires pipeline companies to be financially responsible for clean-up, decommissioning, and maintenance to roads. Introduced by Senator Haar, send thank you to khaar [at] leg [dot] ne [dot] gov.
Find your state senator’s web page by name and by District here.  Contact information is included for each Senator.
“TransCanada sues to access pipeline land,” by Cody Winchester, January 26, 2011, reports “Court records show that TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project. …So here’s the bottom line if the Keystone XL pipeline is built: Canadian oil producers get a huge profit windfall, and America gets higher gas prices as well as the pollution from refineries and  any pipeline spills.”
A Washington Post article about the proposed XL pipeline was published on the front page of the January 24, 2011 LJS. “Great Plains oil pipeline plan sparks grass-roots activism, high-stakes lobbying,” was written by staff writer Juliet Eilperin. “A massive feat of engineering by any measure, the Keystone pipeline expansion project would transport crude oil close to 1,700 miles from “oil sands” in the icy reaches of Hardisty, Alberta, down through the Great Plains to the refineries of Port Arthur, Tex. In doing so, the giant pipe also promises to allay some fears about U.S. energy security:  The oil will come from a trusted ally, and its cross-continental path avoids visions of another deep-sea drilling disaster.  But the decision on whether to issue a permit to the project, opposed by environmental groups, rests with the State Department, which has little expertise in engineering or environmental matters. And reflecting the chaos of U.S. energy and environmental policy, the proposed pipeline is pitting Montana landowners against pipe fitters in Nebraska and creating unlikely allies of Nebraska ranchers and chieftains from Alberta’s indigenous communities.” The article continues here.
Lincoln Journal Star has editorialized on the Keystone XL pipeline several times, most recently in “State needs pipeline oversight,”  published January 21, 2011. There was little or no local media coverage of the January 29th XL ACTION EDUCATION FORUM in Lincoln, but coverage of a protest against the pipeline threat was extensive. “Recap: Pipeline Rally Sends Clear Message,” a blog written by Bold Nebraska and Nebraskans for Peace, includes links, video and quotes from the rally.
Save the Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011.  Join members of the groups actively working to protect Nebraska land and water from further pipeline exploitation at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 136 North 14th Street, 2:30 to 5:00pm. Live music to be announced.
“Risks outweigh pipeline benefits,” a January 4, 2010 letter to the LJS editor from Ellen Beck in Seward, NE, begins “The Seward County League of Women Voters has written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking that the government deny a permit to build the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline. The Seward league believes it is important for organizations and Nebraska residents to voice opposition to this project.” “On Precaution,” by Naomi Klein for Reader Supported News, features photos of Canadian landscapes gutted by tar sands extraction.  To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Our Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed peer pressure on Secretary Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, or stop by Bold Nebraska at 1141 H Street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln, 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
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.“

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials, is below–following Green Notes by Congressional District. Note the January 29, 2011 XL Action Education Forum in Lincoln.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

COMMITTEE HEARING ON LB 333 . . . The Nebraska State Legislature is considering eliminating the Nebraska Department of Education Multicultural Education Program as a budget saving measure, proposed in LB 333 [pdf] (scroll down to page 11). The Nebraska Department of Education DID NOT propose this plan for cutting 10% of their budget. The recommendation came from the Education Committee: “Eliminating the program will mean that school districts are no longer required to integrate multicultural education into their curriculum.” Contact information for Committee members is linked here.  The Education Committee will hold a hearing on LB 333 Monday, January 24, 2011, 1:30pm, in Room 1525 of the state capitol building.  Be there in solidarity, or testify for multicultural education in Nebraska if possible.

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.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues, began January 19, 2011. All lectures are 3:30 to 4:30PM, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. The series continues each Wednesday afternoon through April 27th, except during spring brake on March 23rd. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after they have been presented 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.

UNITY EVENT AGAINST LB 48 . . . Due to bad weather, the 1/11/11 Unity Rally has been rescheduled twice.  The event will now take place on Thursday, January 27, 2011, at noon, on the west side of the state capitol at the Lincoln statue. Nebraska Green Party joined other progressive groups signing a Unity Statement [pdf] collectively opposing LB 48, [pdf] an Arizona-style “Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act” that would drain resources, diminish public safety, and divide our communities. Contact Judiciary Committee members expressing opposition due to economic cost, the social conflict and negative publicity it would cause, the misplaced priorities it would represent: LB 48 would be a political and economic disaster for Nebraska. Help stop it before it starts at the Thursday Rally. For more information contact rgonzales [at] neappleseed [dot] org. We are Strongest Together.

BOLD NEBRASKA XL ACTION EDUCATION FORUM . . . Saturday, January 29, 2011, 10:00am to 12:30pm, there will be an education forum in Lincoln at First United Methodist Church, 2723 North 50th Street. The Forum will begin with a Sand Hills powerpoint photo display, followed by a panel including landowners and legislators, plus Q&A. Learn how to help stop the XL pipeline, and lobby state senators to protect our land and water.  Find your senator’s web page by name and by District here.  Contact information is included for each Senator.

LINCOLN SEED SWAP . . . In solidarity with National Seed Swap Day, Saturday, January 29, 2011, starting at 1:00pm, there will be a community seed exchange at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street, in Lincoln. Bring labeled seeds for vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native plants to share. Evrett Lundquist, biodynamic farmer of Common Good Farm, will be on hand to discuss seed saving, and how to start seeds. There will also be information about plant selection for our local climate, and additional seed sources. Kickstart your garden at Meadowlark.

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES . . . The Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, is hosting its annual free winter lecture series about Russia and Post-Soviet states. Each two-hour Sunday lecture begins at 7:00pm. The first hour features a guest lecturer, followed by refreshments with a half hour of questions and dialogue. Sunday, January 30, 2011, James C. McClelland, Associate Professor Emeritus of History at UN-L, will speak on Soviet and Russian history.

LOCAL ARTISTS WANTED . . . The Third Annual Artistic Rain Barrel Program invites local artists to paint rain barrels with original designs for display citywide next spring. Twenty-five artists will be chosen for a public auction of barrels in May, 2011. Click here [pdf] for an application, which includes a short summary and preliminary sketch of your intended design. Applications are due by February 11, 2011. For more information, contact Ellen Wright, 402.441.7075.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA SPECIAL ELECTION TUESDAY . . . Omaha is facing a very important vote Tuesday, January 25, 2011. The question of whether Mayor Suttle should be removed from office will be the only issue on the ballot. Thousands of people have voted early. If voters remove Suttle, a second election will be held in 90-150 days.

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.

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . This month’s Omaha Green Drinks will be Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 5:30pm to close, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating–across from the coffee bar. Green Drinks is an informal self-organizing network with monthly meetings in 739 cities worldwide. Walk, cycle, bus, or carpool if possible.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “The Garden.” From progressiveomaha: “After the riots of 1992, the city of Los Angeles set aside fourteen acres of land not far from the downtown area to be used as a community produce garden, the largest such parcel in the United States. In 2003, the owner of the property decided to sell the land to make way for a storage facility and soccer field, resulting in a tremendous loss for the farmers who had invested so much of their time and lives working there. The documentary “The Garden,” directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, chronicles the fight the workers waged against the powers-that-be to preserve the place that had come to mean so much to them.” For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

SIERRA NEBRASKA MEETING . . . How the destruction of an ecosystem affects the area’s hydrology, and how that impacts us, even if we don’t live directly in the affected area, will be addressed Thursday, January 27, 2011, 7:00pm, at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets, Omaha (Enter north door Education Wing). The Sierra Club Nebraska Program “Ecological Restoration and Impacts on Hydrology: A Case for Restoring our Natural Areas” with Chad Graeve, Natural Resources Specialist at Hitchcock Nature Center in Pottawattamie County, is free and open to the public.  For more information contact Mary Green, 402.556.1830, or mary [dot] green [at] nebraska [dot] sierraclub [dot] org

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Saturday protest actions by Guardians of the Good Life are on hold until weather warms up.  STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot] org.   For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

TRAINING WORKSHOP . . . There will be a Suicide Prevention Workshop Monday, January 24, 2011, at Goodwill Industries, 1804 South Eddy, Grand Island, NE. Sponsored by the Hall Country Suicide Prevention Project, registration starts at 5:30, and the free training seminar is from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Snacks will be provided. The focus will be “QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer.” For more information, e-mail hallcountrysuicideprevention [at] gmail [dot] com

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Last week, the Lincoln Journal Star editorialized on the Keystone XL pipeline again. “State needs pipeline oversight,” was published January 21, 2011. It begins “When TransCanada decided to run the Keystone XL oil pipeline through Nebraska’s environmentally fragile Sandhills, many Nebraskans were dismayed to find out that state government was powerless to do anything about it.” and ends with “It would be terribly disappointing if the session ends with Nebraska still sitting on its hands.”
Senator Annette Dubas has introduced legislation, LB 340, that would require oil pipeline companies such as TransCanada to go through a complex permit process overseen by the state Public Service Commission. The LJS report is here.
Media coverage of the January 5th protest against the XL pipeline threat was extensive. “Recap: Pipeline Rally Sends Clear Message,” a blog written by Bold Nebraska and Nebraskans for Peace, includes links, video and quotes from the rally.
January 29, 2011, 10:00am to 12:30pm, there will be an education forum in Lincoln at First United Methodist Church, 2723 North 50th Street.  Find your state senator’s web page by name and by District here.  Contact information is included for each Senator.
Save the Date: Sunday, March 6, 2011.  Members of the groups actively working to protect Nebraska land and water from further pipeline exploitation will hold a benefit at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 136 North 14th Street, 2:30 to 5:00pm. Live music to be announced.
“Risks outweigh pipeline benefits,” a January 4, 2010 letter to the LJS editor from Ellen Beck in Seward, NE, begins “The Seward County League of Women Voters has written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking that the government deny a permit to build the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline. The Seward league believes it is important for organizations and Nebraska residents to voice opposition to this project.” “On Precaution,” by Naomi Klein for Reader Supported News, features photos of Canadian landscapes gutted by tar sands extraction.  To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Nebraska’s Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed peer pressure on Secretary Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, or stop by Bold Nebraska at 1141 H Street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln, 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
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.”

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials, is below–following Green Notes by Congressional District. Note the January 22, 2011 action at 72nd & Dodge Streets in Omaha.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WEEK AT UN-L . . . Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 82 on January 15, 2011. Monday, January 17th, is the 25th anniversary of the holiday recognizing his birth. The 16th Annual MLK Jr. Youth Rally and March  begins with a pre-rally program at 8:45am in the UN-L City Campus Union Ballroom, 14th & R Street. Doors open at 8:15. The March starts at 10:00am. Knowing the future depends on our youth, Leola Bullock’s desire to promote youth leadership inspired the annual rally. Click here for more information, phone 402.436.1974, or e-mail pfergus [at] lps [dot] org

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.

CIVIL RIGHTS SERIES . . . The Nebraska Historical Society series of programs, “Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Nebraska: Understanding the Past, Looking to the Future,” will present former State Senator Ernie Chambers, Nebraska’s longest serving legislator–a strong voice for civil rights–on Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 5:30pm, speaking on his views about change over the decades. For more information, phone 402.471.3270.

1/11/11 UNITY EVENT . . . Due to bad weather on January 11th, the 1/11/11 Unity Rally will now take place on WEDNESDAY, January 19, 2011, at noon, on the west side of the capitol at the Lincoln statue. Nebraska Green Party joined other progressive groups signing a Unity Statement [pdf] collectively opposing LB 48, an Arizona-style law that would drain resources, diminish public safety, and divide our Nebraska communities. For more information contact rgonzales [at] neappleseed [dot] org. We are Strongest Together.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L will focus on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues beginning Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 3:30 TO 4:30PM. All lectures are at that time in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, in Lincoln. The series will continue each Wednesday afternoon through April 27th, except during spring brake on March 23rd. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after they have been presented 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.

IGNITE LINCOLN . . . 17 speakers with topics varying from biking in Lincoln to guerrilla gardening will present fast-paced, inspiring talks for five minutes each at Ignite Lincoln, Thursday, January 20, 2011, 6:00 to 8:00pm. The event, at Bourbon Theater, 1415 O Street, is free with tickets available here.  A list of speakers is here.  Ignite Lincoln is part of a series of global events started in Seattle, December 2006, as a way for people to share ideas with their community. Since then, more than events have been launched all over the globe.

SPRING CREEK PRAIRIE WORKSHOP . . . Register by Friday, January 21, 2011, for “Nature Inside and Out,”  a new program at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, an 808-acre tallgrass prairie nature preserve located 20 minutes southwest of Lincoln. The Saturday, January 22nd workshop, from 9:00am to noon, will emphasize discovering new ways of seeing and experiencing nature’s everyday happenings. To register, phone 402.797.2301, or e-mail scp [at] audubon [dot] org

SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES BEGINS . . . The Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, will host its annual free winter lecture series about Russia and Post-Soviet states this year. Each two-hour Sunday lecture will begin at 7:00pm. The first hour features a guest lecturer, followed by refreshments and a half hour of questions and dialogue. Sunday, January 23, 2011, Robert Stoddard, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor emeritus, will speak on the geography of the area.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

THE DREAM CONTINUES . . . This week’s Creighton University events celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. are listed here. The 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Metropolitan Community College, Fort Omaha Campus, 30th and Fort streets, is Tuesday, January 18, 2011, noon to 1:30pm. For more information, phone 402.457.5231.

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.

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. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Digital Nation.”  Over a single generation, the Web and digital media have remade nearly every aspect of modern culture. This 90-minute documentary is the product of a unique collaboration with visitors to the Digital Nation Web site, who for the past year have been able to react to the work in progress and post their own stories online. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

CITY SPROUTS CLASS . . . “Healthy Eating for the New Year,” a City Sprouts class designed for the whole family, will be Saturday, January 22, 2011, 10:00 to 11:30am, at the Sprouts house, 4002 Seward Street, in Omaha’s historical Orchard Hill neighborhood. The class is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Vickie Gregorio, vickie-g [at] hotmail [dot] com or 402.215.7145.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will rally to protest the XL tar sands pipeline on Saturday, January 22, 2011, noon to 1:00pm, at 72nd & Dodge, in Omaha.  Walk, bike, or carpool to the rally if possible. If you drive, park on the west side of Petco’s parking lot. Help educate and raise awareness of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline threat to fragile ecosystem of the entire region. The rally will be canceled if there is precipitation or the temperature is below 30 degrees. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE NIGHT . . . Friday, January 21, 2011, Grand Island Trinity United Methodist Church will present The Battle for Whiteclay, a documentary about the sale of alcohol to Native Americans living on the reservation near Whiteclay, NE, by Nebraska filmmaker Mark Vasina. Part of a monthly series, the film will be shown at the Denton’s home, 6:30pm. Phone Trinity UMC, 308.382.1952, for more information, to rsvp, or for the Denton’s address. Bring a snack to share.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The company that wants to build the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline through Nebraska would have to negotiate a regulatory maze to complete the project if Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton gets her way.  Dubas introduced legislation, LB 340, that would require oil pipeline companies such as TransCanada, to go through a complex permit process overseen by the state Public Service Commission.
The role of China is discussed in a January 15, 2011 article “Are We Risking Our Land and Water for China?”  A new Solve Climate story on the pipeline, this time focusing on the ads TransCanada is pushing in DC, “TransCanada Takes Oil Sands Heat In Stride,” is here.
Media coverage of the January 5th protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline threatening our land and water was compiled by BOLD Nebraska. Youtube video of rally coverage is here; “Lawmakers Feel Heat of Keystone XL Opponents,”  Lincoln Journal Star story with pictures and quotes from various citizens, group leaders, state senators and union representatives; “Oil Pipeline Legislation,” 10/11 News tv coverage; and “Recap: Pipeline Rally Sends Clear Message,” blog written by Bold Nebraska and Nebraskans for Peace including links, video and quotes from the rally.
           Save this date: January 29, 2011, 10:00am to 12:30pm. There will be an education forum in Lincoln get feedback on how to help stop the pipeline and lobby to protect our land and water, at First United Methodist Church, 2723 North 50th Street.  Find your state senator’s web page by name and by District here.  Contact information is included for each Senator.
“Risks outweigh pipeline benefits,” a January 4, 2010 letter to the LJS editor from Ellen Beck in Seward, NE, begins “The Seward County League of Women Voters has written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking that the government deny a permit to build the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline. The Seward league believes it is important for organizations and Nebraska residents to voice opposition to this project.” “On Precaution,” by Naomi Klein for Reader Supported News, features photos of Canadian landscapes gutted by tar sands extraction.  To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Nebraska’s Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith,  CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Stop the Keystone XL pipeline — call your senators.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can pressure her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Help put some needed peer pressure on Secretary Clinton by calling your senators today. Tell them that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, or stop by Bold Nebraska at 1141 H Street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln, 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
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.“

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 says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? 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!

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente