Category Archives: Green Notes

Green Notes Week of September 30, 2012

September 30, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential Candidate, and Bill McKibben, Climate Change Expert and founder of 350.org, will participate in a LIVE STREAM Climate Change Town Hall, Sunday, September 30, 2012, 6:00pm CST. The Digital Town Hall will be moderated by “No Impact Man” Colin Beavan, Green Party NY Congressional Candidate. Ask questions and text at the Live Chat http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus online.
The first presidential debate will be held in Denver next Wednesday, October 3, 2012. Jill Stein has been locked out by the Commission on Presidential Debates. She and running mate Cheri Honkala will be in Denver to Occupy the Debates and march on the Commission from McWilliams Park. The march will begin at 5:30pm, East Yale Ave and South Steele Street. Democracy Now!’s Live Debate Talkback with Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, Gary Johnson, and Amy Goodman will be at 7:00pm, Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman Street. The live program will begin at 6:30, and Jill will join the show at 7:00pm. Occupy the Debates! AFTERRALLY with Jill Stein, Cheri Honkala and musical entertainment will begin at 9:30pm, at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street. Ben Manski will host a post-debate rally with live music and rousing speeches from the candidates.
Watch a 23:54 minute video of Stein and Cheri Honkala on Moyers & Company at http://billmoyers.com/segment/jill-stein-and-cheri-honkala-on-third-party-politics/.
Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

KERREY/FISCHER DEBATES . . . KETV will rebroadcast the Second Kerrey/Fischer Debate at 6:00pm, Sunday, September 30. 2012. The Third US Senate Candidates’Debate will air Monday, October 1, 2012, 7:00pm, live from NET TV.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choice, Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012. Sunday, September 30, 2012, Nick Svoboda will present Basic Bicycle Maintenance at the weekly Occupy Education class. **This teach-in will meet at the Antelope Park bandshell – bring your bicycles.**

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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. Mark your calendar now for NADP’s Annual Reception and Silent Auction, Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:00 to 8:30pm. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln, through October 9th.

LES NEEDS YOUR INPUT . . . Lincoln Electric System is developing an Integrated Resources Plan that will serve as a road map for how LES will provide electricity to Lincoln residents in the future. 85% of Lincoln’s electricity now comes from coal-fired power plants. Do you want more wind? More solar? More energy efficiency? Learn about the LES draft plan, ask questions, and make your voice heard at two important opportunities:
Tuesday, October 2, 2012, open house, Nebraska ETV, 1800 North 33rd Street, 6:00 to 6:45pm: presentation, questions and answers; 6:45 to 8:00pm: open house and public input.
Tuesday, October 23, 7:00pm, information and public input on the LES proposed 2013 budget and rate adjustment, LES Walter Canney Service Center, 2620 Fairfield, Lincoln. If customers are unable to attend, an online open house and additional information will be available October 8th on the LES website.

WEDNESDAY FARMERS MARKETS . . . The Downtown Garden Market, M Street between 16th & Centennial, continues every Wednesday, 12:00 noon to 4:00pm. The University Place Community Market, 48th Street & Madison Avenue, is every Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00pm.

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.

ATM LEAFLETTING . . . Alternatives To the Military fall leafletting opportunities at Lincoln High Schools continue this week and next: Thursday, October 4th, Lincoln East HS, 1000 South 70th (meet at 7:15am at the north end of the large student parking lot, south of the school; Thursday, October 11th, Lincoln High School, 2229 J Street (meet at 7:15am at the street circle where J ends, northeast of the football field (approximately 22nd and J); and Wednesday, October 17th, Lincoln Northeast HS, 2635 North 63rd (meet at 7:15am near 63rd and Madison Ave.–we will spread out from there). This fall’s leaflet can be found at http://s3.amazonaws.com/ATMLincoln/facebook/SimpleLeaflet_09_D_2012.pdf. An LPS opt-out form will also be enclosed. EveryOne is welcome to help inform high school students routinely recruited by the military that they have other options. If you’d like to get involved with ATM in this way, or have questions about this effort, please e-mail atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.

Thursday, October 4, 2012, 7:00pm, internationally known science and religion scholar Karl Gilberson, will present “From Big Bang to Big Brain: A Creation Story for the 21st Century” at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Olin B Lecture Hall, 50th and St. Paul Streets, Lincoln. A reception will follow the free presentation by Gilberson. On Friday, October 5th, he will lead an open, public discussion at First Lutheran Church, 1551 South 70th Street.

SATURDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Haymarket Farmers Market, on 8th Street in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District, is open every Saturday, 8:00am to noon, through October 13, 2012. More than 100 vendors bring farm-fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and handmade items to the local gathering place that also features a “Performance Showcase” for Nebraska folk, jazz, blues, classical, and dance talent, plus educational demonstrations and informational booths. Buy Fresh. Shop Local.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND NEBRASKA . . . What Does Our Future Hold? That is the topic of a teach-in/forum to be held On Saturday, October 6, 2012, 9:00am to 12:00 noon at the Hardin Hall Auditorium on the University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus, 33rd and Holdrege. Speakers will focus on the science of climate change, including impacts on Nebraska agriculture. Free and open to the public.

VEGFEST VII . . . VegFest VII – Celebrating Farmers and Communities, will be Saturday, October 6, 2012, 2:00 to 5:30pm, at Holmes Lake Park, Lincoln. There will be a Farmers’ Market featuring fresh local produce, prepared foods and desserts, local organizations with information booths on everything from growing your own vegetables to tree planting to rain barrels, cooking and gardening demonstrations, live music with Jim King,lots of kids activities and free fun for the whole family. Ride your bike and enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the park. Stop by the Nebraska Green Party table and learn about the write-in campaign for Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala. For more information on the event, phone 402.474.9802.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road, through October 28th.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Sunday, October 7, 2012, Justin Orem will present Winterizing Your Home at the weekly Occupy Education class, Meadowlark Coffee, 1624 South Street, Lincoln.

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . There is a calendar of Occupy Lincoln events here. The Facebook page is here. The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln. For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

COAL’S THREAT TO HEALTH . . . On Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 7:30pm, Alan H. Lockwood, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Neurology SUNY at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biological Sciences and Board Member, Physicians for Social Responsibility will present “The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health” at First United Methodist Church, Room 112, 7020 Cass Street, Omaha. Free and Open to the Public.

COMMUNITY RADIO OMAHA . . . Wednesday, October 3, 2011, 12:00 noon to 1:00pm, The Hungry Club [pdf] will meet at Big Mama’s Kitchen, 3223 North 45th Street, Omaha. Carlos Carr will speak about the new Omaha Community Radio project to bring low power FM to the North Omaha/Benson area. The mission is to bring social change in the community by changing what is heard in the media, and to become the most diverse communication company by providing broadcast content to Benson and North Omaha through shared resources, music, talk radio and news/informational programming. Nebraska Green Party’s Mark Zimmermann and Doug Paterson are working with CRO to build community support for both the Low Power FM station and the internet radio station.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, October 3, 2012, the film will be “Little Town of Bethlehem,” the “gripping story of three men, born into violence, willing to risk everything to bring an end to violence in their lifetime. A Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew-shaped by events of their Palestinian and Israeli upbringing-find inspiration in the words and actions of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.” View a 2:33 minute trailer at http://littletownofbethlehem.org/. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004. EveryOne is welcome.

CODE PINK OMAHA . . . Who is ready to start an Omaha Chapter of Code Pink? Thursday, October 4, 2012, there will be a ‘Code Pink says No Drones’ potluck and video of Medea Benjamin speaking about the group’s opposition to drones at 3715 Hailton, Omaha. Dinner is at 6:00, and the video will start at 7:00pm. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, phone Frances at 402.208.3717 and leave a message. Your call will be returned asap.

KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE WEEK . . . There will be a Code Pink supported Vigil on Saturday, October 6, 2012, 10:00am to noon, in Bellevue at the corner of Cornhusker & Fort Crook Road. Look for the pink banner “Stop the Killing, Ground the Drones” and a pink parasol. Questions? Phone Frances at 402.208.3717 and leave a message. Your call will be returned asap.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils.

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE. Leafletting in Omaha.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

GATHERING FOR PEACE . . . The Central Nebraska Peace Workers monthly Gathering for Peace will be Wednesday, October 3, 2012, from 5:00 to 6:00pm, at State Street and Webb Road in Grand Island. There is ample parking a block west on State Street. Bring signs if you wish. There are always extras. CNPW issues are broad: environment, climate change, war, social support, health care, and more. All are welcome.

NFP PEACE CONFERENCE . . . The Nebraskans for Peace Annual Peace Conference will be Saturday, October 20, 2012, 9:00am to 4:00pm, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 5th and Elm Streets, Grand Island. This year the conference will feature Mark Reynolds, executive director of Citizens Climate Lobby, a group working to end the United State’s reliance on carbon-based fuels. A mail-in registration form is here. Early registration ends October 17th.

NEBRASKA WIND CONFERENCE . . . Registration is now open for the 5th annual Nebraska Wind Conference, October 22 and 23, 2012, at the Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S 13th Street,in Lincoln. Register, view the program, and learn more about Nebraska’s largest conference on renewable energy at http://nebraskawindconference.com/.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Most of the KXL news is from Texas this past week. September 27, 2012, Reader Supported News sourced “Tar Sands Blockaders Arrested, Police Accused of Torture,” from Environment News Service. An excerpt: “Police handcuffed the protesters’ free hands to the heavy machinery in stress positions and proceeded to use sustained chokeholds, violent arm-twisting, pepper spray, and repeated tasering to coerce the two to abandon their protest, …while TransCanada personnel stood by and watched.”
Tortured Law in Texas, by William Boardman, OpEdNews, September 29th: CANADIAN PIPELINE FACES OFF AGAINST ANGRY TEXANS, LAW, POLITICS, is an OpEd on the legal aspects of eminent domain and the “tree-house encampment in the path of TransCanada’s earth-stripping equipment.”
“Eight People Climb Trees to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline,” by Mel Fabrikant, The Paramus Post, also sourced to Reader Supported News September 25th begins “Eight people climbed 80 feet into trees in the path of Keystone XL construction, and pledged not to come down until the pipeline is stopped for good. Construction cannot proceed until tree-sitters descend and TransCanada clear-cuts through hundreds of trees to make way for the toxic tar sands pipeline.”
A Truthout article on the tree-sitters, “Texas Tar Sands Tree-Sit Launches to Halt Keystone XL Indefinitely,” by Candice Bernd, was published September 26th. “The tree-sit continues for a third day, despite an unprecedented escalation in police and industry violence toward peaceful blockaders. Some of the activists say TransCanada supervisors encouraged deputies with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department to use pain compliance tactics that included sustained chokeholds, violent arm-twisting, pepper spray and multiple hits with Tasers, all while blockaders were in handcuffs.”
From the Southeast Texas Record, “Judge grants foreign company eminent domain powers for pipeline construction,” by David Yates, September 24th: “A Beaumont judge on Monday granted a foreign company’s petition to condemn land for the construction of a crude oil pipeline. Last June, TransCanada Keystone Pipeline filed the petition for condemnation against Texas Rice Land Partners, James and David Holland and Mike and Walter Latta. TransCanada filed the petition seeking to build a pipeline to carry crude from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. On Sept. 24 Judge Tom Rugg, Jefferson County Court at Law No. 1, ruled that the company has the right to sieze land in Jefferson County for the pipeline.”
From InsideClimate News, “Keystone XL: Neb. Landowners Sue Governor, but Case May Not Get Heard,” by Lisa Song, was published September 27th: “Landowners say pipeline siting law violates the Constitution. State says suit should be thrown out because landowners have no right to make the challenge.” Read page 1 of 3 here. (Thanks to Randy Thompson, Susan Luebbe, Susan Dunavan and the Domina Law Group.)
An e-mail from ForestEthics covers a new report, “Tar Sands Refineries: Communities at Risk,” that exposes the appalling health problems that tar sands refineries dump onto U.S. communities. The Environmental Protection Agency says short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide is associated with a host of respiratory problems, including decreased lung function, respiratory illness, and deterioration of the lung’s defense system. Despite the EPA’s knowledge that health problems from refinery pollution are greater for disadvantaged groups than for others, it has failed to address the problem of tar sands refinery impacts on community health. Big Oil wants to dramatically increase US refinery use of tar sands, further harming some of the most vulnerable populations in our society. Take a few minutes to read this report and share it with your contacts. It is crucial that everyone know the severe health consequences of allowing more tar sands refining in our communities.
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations joined forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they made three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it asks you to name your cause here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of September 23, 2012

September 23, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . The Secretary of State has notified Nebraska Green Party that we did not submit enough valid registered voters’ signatures to qualify Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala for non-partisan ballot status in November.
Quoting a September 17th letter to Lincoln Journal Star from Richard Felsing, “In reality, both sides have failed miserably over the past 20 years and have no one to blame but themselves. If there was ever a time for a third party in politics, it surely is now.” That is exactly what a few local Greens thought when we started collecting signatures last year for a 2012 NGP ballot line. There were too few of us to gather the required 4,880, plus cushion, and the deadline passed. The Stein/Honkala campaign sent a team of paid circulators to help collect 2,500+ signatures so the candidates could be on Nebraska’s ballot as non-partisan (Greens). We had more than 1,500 extra signatures, but too many of them were not valid. Now that deadline has also passed. Our only option now is a Write-In campaign. We will file the necessary papers so that any write-in votes will be counted.
Watch a 23:54 minute video of Stein and Honkala on Moyers & Company at http://billmoyers.com/segment/jill-stein-and-cheri-honkala-on-third-party-politics/.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. Tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write an old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling!
Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choosing, Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012, at Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street. September 23, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Barb Van den Berg will present Mending Clothes II/Crowd-sourced Project from September 9th, at the weekly Occupy Education class.

NEBRASKA ENERGY DEVELOPMENT . . . State Senator Ken Haar will host a presentation on energy, public power and how we can move our state forward Monday, September 24, 2012, from 3:00 to 5:00pm, at the Hardin Hall Auditorium, 33rd and Holdrege Streets, on the University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus. The meeting on Energy Choices for the 21st Century is free, open to the public, and will feature a question and answer period following the presentation by nationally known energy expert Ron Binz, a 30-year veteran of utility and energy policy. To share a ride from Omaha, call Mark Welsch at 402-453-0776. The Carpool would need to leave around 1:45pm on Monday.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln, through October 9th.

ATM LEAFLETTING . . . Alternatives To the Military has scheduled this fall’s first two leafletting opportunities at Lincoln High Schools: Thursday, September 27, 2012, Lincoln Southeast High School, 2930 South 37th. Meet at 38th and Van Dorn, 7:15am; and Friday, September 28th, Lincoln North Star High School, 5801 North 33rd. Meet at 7:15am in the area in front of the main doors on the east side of the school, northwest of the big (student) parking lot. This fall’s leaflet can be found here. [pdf]
An LPS opt-out form will also be enclosed. EveryOne is welcome to join ATM’s efforts to inform high school students routinely recruited by the military that they have other options. If you’d like to get involved with ATM in this way, or have questions about this work, please e-mail atmlincoln [at] gmail [dot] com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.

BEER, BRATS & BIRDS . . . Friday, September 28, 2012, support environmental education and birds of the Pioneers Park Nature Center located at the intersections of South Coddington and West Van Dorn Streets, Lincoln. The benefit will begin at 6:30pm with a Social Time and Music, at 7:00pm there will be Brats and More Provided by Hy-Vee, 7:30pm there will be a Bird and Raptors Presentation, and at 8:00pm at Moonlit Stroll Through the Nature Center. Tickets are available at the Nature Center. Phone 402.441.7895 for more information.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Sunday, September 30, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Nick Svoboda will present Basic Bicycle Maintenance at the weekly Occupy Education class. **This teach-in will meet the Bike Kitchen, 1720 South 15th Street, Lincoln.**

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Omaha Green Drinks will meet Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 5:30 to 8:30pm, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating, across from coffee bar. Walk, cycle, bus, or carpool. EveryOne interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks Chapters are now active in 679 cities around the world.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, September 26, 2012, join the People’s Film Festival for its first-ever Occupy Omaha Night, spotlighting the ever-evolving major opus of historian Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004. EveryOne is welcome.

RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT LECTURE . . . Thursday, September 27, 2012, 6:30pm, “Serving the Crucified People: Duties to Promote Environmental Justice” will be presented by Professor Kristin Shrader-Frechette, the O’Neill Family Endowed Professor at Notre Dame, at the Creighton University Harper Center Ballroom. Shrader-Frechette is a very distinguished scientists and philosopher–a forceful, no nonsense activist for the poor and children. This will be the third annual Religion & the Environment Lecture.

SIERRA CLUB SEPTEMBER . . . “Urban Redevelopment” is the theme of this month’s Sierra Club, Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:00pm, at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets, Omaha. (Room 112—enter north “Education Wing” door). Jerry Reimer, Urban Village Development, and Todd Swirczek, Omaha Planning Department, will speak about how to help Omaha grow in ways that avoid urban sprawl, and develop walkable urban centers. Learn about what’s happening to revitalize the midtown core, preserve neighborhoods, and make them attractive places to live, work and play. Sierra programs are always free and open to the public.

COMMUNITY GARDENING MOVEMENT . . . Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:30pm, there will be a discussion with Katherine Brown, Founder of City Sprouts, on “The National Community Gardening Movement: Achievements and Challenges,” at the Maurer College of Public Health Building, Room 3001, University of Nebraska Medical Center. A reception before the presentation will begin at 6:45pm. All are invited; attendance is free. For more information, e-mail ajameton [at] unmc [dot] edu. “Food is the most commanding connector of our time. People who are growing food understand that connection; the connection to each other, and to the land. [As community gardeners] we have been entrusted to create safe spaces where people can feed their families but also feed the part of them that craves connection.” – Katherine Brown

SECOND KERREY/FISCHER DEBATE . . . The Second Kerrey/Fischer Debate will be Friday, September 28, 2012, 11:00am, at the Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street. KETV will rebroadcast at 6:00pm, Sunday, September 30th. The Third US Senate Candidates’Debate will air Monday, October 1, 2012, 7:00pm, live from NET TV.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

ENERGY POLICY IN NEBRASKA . . . The Platte Institute for Economic Research is hosting a conference to engage Nebraska’s lawmakers, citizens, and energy stakeholders in an open dialogue to address the future of energy policy in the state.
Conference participants include experts in fields such as renewable energy, ethanol production, natural gas, and public utilities. The Platte Institute’s goal is to initiate the discussion of how Nebraska can best utilize its energy resources.
When: Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 9:00am to 3:30pm. (Registration opens at 8:00am.) Where: Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 South 2nd Avenue, Kearney. (Bold Nebraska will cover the registration cost if money is a problem for AnyOne who wants to participate.) If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Stephenson, kims [at] platteinstitute [dot] org, or phone 402.452.3737.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Keystone XL pipeline raises tribal concerns,” by Steven Mufson, was published September 17, 2012 in the Washington Post: “In energy circles, the town of Cushing is well known as the hub used by New York oil traders to set the benchmark price for all U.S. crude oil. Row after row of giant oil storage tanks are lined up around a
moribund downtown and a shopping strip. At the edge of town stands a sign made of white pipes declaring: “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.” This is also where TransCanada’s existing Keystone pipeline ends and the southern leg of its new Keystone XL pipeline will begin. Less well known is the fact that Cushing sits in the Sac and Fox Nation, part of a patchwork of land belonging to Oklahoma’s 38 tribes, each with sovereignty over its own affairs and land.” The article focused on tribal land was also published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
An e-mail from ForestEthics begins “Last month we told you about our hard-hitting report exposing the appalling health problems that tar sands refineries dump onto U.S. communities. Now we have published the report, Tar Sands Refineries: Communities at Risk. Here are some facts from the report that make it a must-read:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide is associated with a host of respiratory problems, including decreased lung function, respiratory illness, and deterioration of the lung’s defense system.
Despite the EPA’s knowledge that health problems from refinery pollution are greater for disadvantaged groups than for others, it has failed to address the problem of tar sands refinery impacts on community health.
Big Oil wants to dramatically increase US refinery use of tar sands, further harming some of the most vulnerable populations in our society.
Take a few minutes to read this report and share it with your contacts. It is crucial that everyone know the severe health consequences of allowing more tar sands refining in our communities.
Bold Nebraska has launched a new ad featuring landowners and citizens asking Deb Fischer and Bob Kerrey whose side they are on. Same tweet/FB link: New Pipeline Ad asking @kerreybob and @DebFischer2012 whose side they are on Nebraskans or a foreign oil company #nokxl. Landowners can see if the new route crosses their land with this map. (Click on purple box to see detailed map.)
“TransCanada – The Neighbor from Hell for Many Landowners,” by Tony Iallonardo, Wildlife Promise, National Wildlife Federation, September 20th: “The company that’s been bullying landowners across the U.S. to put the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline under their private land wants you to feel okay about it. So they’ve hatched a handy slogan the boys from Mad Men would be proud of. They’ve been running a series of syrupy ads like this one to soothe our concerns and forget their past transgressions.
Here’s the thing, saying you are a good neighbor to landowners, and repeating it over and over in TV ads does not make it so. So it saddened me when the Washington Post recently quoted a TransCanada official repeating their slogan. In referring to their consultations with Native Americans he said, “There is no legal obligation to work with the tribes. We do it because we have a policy. We believe it’s a good, neighborly thing to do.” Actually they do have a legal obligation, but that’s another blog post. Continued at http://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/transcanada-the-neighbor-from-hell-for-many-landowners/.
“Few Oil Pipeline Spills Detected by Much-Touted Technology,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, September 19th, is an analysis of a decade of federal data showing the general public detected far more spills than leak detection technology. Between 2002 and July 2012, remote sensors detected only 5 percent of the nation’s pipeline spills, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
From “Keystone XL Re-Route Does Little to Change Direction of Debate,” by Meg Handley, published by US News “….But all the promises of minimal environmental impact and safer operations are giving some critics a sense of déjà vu. “They said the same thing [about the pipeline’s safety] the first time around,” says Anthony Swift, an attorney with the National Resource Defense Council, adding that the original Keystone pipeline was temporarily shut down after a string of more than a dozen oil spills in its first year of operation. According to Swift, many of the “special safety conditions” TransCanada has pledged to adopt in its new plan simply restate and repackage measures they proposed before.”
“TransCanada Attempts to Reroute Keystone XL Pipeline, But Tar Sands Blockade Activists Halt Construction,” by Candice Bernd, Trouthout, AlterNet, also on September 11: “The Tar Sands Blockade is coordinating a series of rolling protests along the proposed southern route through Texas and Oklahoma. …Does TransCanada really think that 1,200 people were arrested in front of the White House – and another 12,000 encircled it – just to protest the pipeline route? “I’ve realized that the traditional means to effect change, while still useful, can only go so far, and not far enough,” says Occupy Dallas member Gary Stuard who locked down Wednesday. “It is completely clear to me now that massive nonviolent direct action is really the only way to protect the rights of citizens, to protect our land, water, air – and to prevent ecological catastrophe from happening.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

PETITION THE EPA BY MONDAY . . . The deadline is Monday, September 24, 2012, to tell the EPA: Stop stalling. Save the Bees! Submit a public comment urging the EPA to stop stalling, and take action to protect bees from the harmful pesticide clothianidin. Now is a crucial moment to make our voices heard for the bees. Submit a public comment to the EPA now.
Astonishingly, clothianidin was approved by the EPA based on virtually no scientific study. Yet the EPA continues to allow its use. Now, a group of senators have joined the call, writing a letter urging the EPA that waiting until 2018 to again review clothianidin and other neonicotinoids will be too late. Please submit a comment right now, urging the EPA to immediately suspend approval of clothianidin to protect honey bees and our food system.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of September 16, 2012

September 16, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Check Green Notes next week for an update on Nebraska ballot access results.
Watch a 23:54 minute video of Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala on Moyers & Company at http://billmoyers.com/segment/jill-stein-and-cheri-honkala-on-third-party-politics/.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates this year.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. Tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write an old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup.
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling!
Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choosing, Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012, at Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street. September 16, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Justin Orem will present “Repairing Small Appliances.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln, through October 9th.

FALLBROOK FRAMERS’ MARKET . . . The Farmers’ Market in Fallbrook Town Square Park, 570 Fallbrook Blvd., Lincoln, is every Thursday evening, 3:30 to 7:00pm, through September 20th. Phone 402.473.4300 for more information.

WACHISKA ANNUAL PICNIC . . . Thursday, September 20, 2012, the Wachiska Audubon Annual Potluck Picnic will begin at 6:00pm, Pioneers Park Nature Center’s Bird Garden at the Ager Building, 3201 South Coddington Avenue, at the far west end of Pioneers Park’s driving loop. All are welcome to bring a favorite dish and table service to this free event. No reservations are necessary. Call the PPNC at 402.441.7895 during office hours for more information.

LINCOLN ARTS FESTIVAL . . . Saturday, September 22, 2012, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday, September 23rd from 10:00am to 5:00pm, the 12th Annual Lincoln Arts Festival will be at SouthPointe Pavilions, 2910 Pine Lake Road, featuring over 100 artists from around the country, live music, and a family friendly atmosphere with children’s activities, food, and raffle prizes. See a list of participating artists at http://www.artscene.org/lincoln-arts-festival.

TASTES IN THE TALLGRASS . . Sunday, September 23, 2012, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center will host its annual fund-raising dinner beginning at 4:00pm. Enjoy the autumn landscape and help support the prairie with live music, wine, and a delicious meal served on one long table overlooking the prairie. Art, nature giveways, and other items will be available for raffle and auction. Call 402.797.2301 for more information, or make a reservation at http://springcreekprairie.audubon.org/tastes-tallgrass.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Sunday, September 23, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Barb Van den Berg will present Mending Clothes II/Crowd-sourced Project from September 9th, at the weekly Occupy Education class, Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street, Lincoln.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, September 19, 2012, there will be a Special 60 Minute Presentation by supporters to Elect State Senator (Emeritus) Ernie Chambers to his former seat in the Nebraska Unicameral. A question and answer session will follow. Video highlights from Senator Chambers’ efforts on behalf of his constituents as far back as the 1960s will also be presented, if time allows. For an outline of the presentation, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

ENERGY POLICY IN NEBRASKA . . . The Platte Institute for Economic Research is hosting a conference to engage Nebraska’s lawmakers, citizens, and energy stakeholders in an open dialogue to address the future of energy policy in the state. Conference participants include experts in fields such as renewable energy, ethanol production, natural gas, and public utilities. The Platte Institute’s goal is to initiate the discussion of how Nebraska can best utilize its energy resources. When: Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 9:00am to 3:30pm. (Registration opens at 8:00am.) Where: Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 South 2nd Avenue, Kearney. (Bold Nebraska will cover the registration cost if money is a problem for AnyOne who wants to participate.) If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Stephenson, kims [at] platteinstitute [dot] org, or phone 402.452.3737.

CNPW MEETING . . . The Central Nebraska Peace Workers, chapter of Nebraskans For Peace, will meet Sunday, September 23, 2012, 3:00 to 5:00pm, at Trinity Uunited Methodist Church, 5th and Elm Streets, in Grand Island. EveryOne is welcome.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “State, landowners clash over pipeline siting law,” by Art Hovey, Lincoln Journal Star, was published September 15, 2012 following the court hearing for Thompson v. Heineman, a lawsuit challenging the constitutional basis of LB 1161, Nebraska’s current pipeline siting/route law. “Attorneys for landowners along the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline squared off with the Nebraska Attorney General’s office Friday on the constitutionality of a new pipeline law. The state is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit filed in May against Gov. Dave Heineman, State Treasurer Don Stenberg and Mike Linder, director of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Lancaster County District Judge Stephanie Stacy listened to a sparring session between Assistant Attorney General Katie Spohn and Omaha attorney David Domina for about 45 minutes before announcing that she would rule at a later date.” The LJS article is continued at http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/statehouse/state-landowners-clash-over-pipeline-siting-law/article_700c1387-a042-56e7-842f-322d8651263b.html.
“Citizen Lawsuit Challenging Nebraska Unconstitutional Pipeline Process,” Jane Kleeb’s blog on Thompson v. Heineman, reports “The landowners, represented by David Domina, are standing up for citizens across the state who deserve laws that protect Nebraska’s land and water and that honor the state’s constitution.” The site includes links, photos, and background at http://boldnebraska.org/lawsuit.
Also on September 14th, LJS editorialized “New Keystone XL route is a slight improvement.” “…We can say it’s a vast improvement from the original, which plowed straight through the Sandhills, but not much different from the corridor it proposed in April. We and the rest of the interested world now await review by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the governor, who will forward Nebraska’s recommendation to the U.S. Department of State to be considered in its decision on the presidential permit for the project.” Read the editorial at http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-new-keystone-xl-route-is-a-slight-improvement/article_de9057e4-ba89-5aa1-a8ca-8f09d1ba56f7.html.
“New route unacceptable,” by Karen Wagoner, a LJS letter to the editor, was published September 11. “TransCanada’s new route is basically the same as the previous one and is not what is best for Nebraska. We (the state of Nebraska) should create our own easement area through the state for such things. All the toxins and disturbance to our land from construction, leaks and spills should be confined to the same general area where we already have pipelines running through Nebraska.
Nebraska’s Public Service Commission and Department of Environmental Quality should work together to predetermine the least damaging routes, completely unrelated to the cost, profits and desires of multimillion-dollar or foreign companies.
We are paying our government employees to make choices based not on politics or quick money, but on what is best for us, our land and our drinking water for our families now and in the future.” Read the letter at http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letter-new-route-unacceptable/article_7d0cca77-5c83-502d-ac0d-793333ad58a5.html.
“Keystone XL Re-Route Does Little to Change Direction of Debate,” by Meg Handley, was published by US News, September 11. “….But all the promises of minimal environmental impact and safer operations are giving some critics a sense of déjà vu. “They said the same thing [about the pipeline’s safety] the first time around,” says Anthony Swift, an attorney with the National Resource Defense Council, adding that the original Keystone pipeline was temporarily shut down after a string of more than a dozen oil spills in its first year of operation. According to Swift, many of the “special safety conditions” TransCanada has pledged to adopt in its new plan simply restate and repackage measures they proposed before.”
“TransCanada Attempts to Reroute Keystone XL Pipeline, But Tar Sands Blockade Activists Halt Construction,” by Candice Bernd, Trouthout, AlterNet, also on September 11: “The Tar Sands Blockade is coordinating a series of rolling protests along the proposed southern route through Texas and Oklahoma. …Does TransCanada really think that 1,200 people were arrested in front of the White House – and another 12,000 encircled it – just to protest the pipeline route? “I’ve realized that the traditional means to effect change, while still useful, can only go so far, and not far enough,” says Occupy Dallas member Gary Stuard who locked down Wednesday. “It is completely clear to me now that massive nonviolent direct action is really the only way to protect the rights of citizens, to protect our land, water, air – and to prevent ecological catastrophe from happening.”
InsideClimate News published “Angry Michigan residents fight uneven battle against pipeline project,” by David Hasemyer, September 12th. “A 2010 oil pipeline spill contaminated Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Now the line is being replaced, raising the ire of landowners along the route.” Enbridge is the topic of this 6 page article.
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

PETITION THE EPA . . . Tell the EPA: Stop stalling. Save the Bees! Submit a public comment urging the EPA to stop stalling, and take action to protect bees from the harmful pesticide clothianidin.
Last month, for the second time, the EPA refused to intervene to stop the use of the pesticide clothianidin, which scientists believe is at least partially to blame for the alarming rise in bee colony collapse — the sudden bee die-off which has claimed about 30% of the U.S. honey bee population each year since 2006. If we don’t convince the EPA to reconsider, it will not review clothianidin again until 2018. By then it could be too late for the bees, and the one third of our food crops that bees play a crucial role in pollinating.
The EPA is currently accepting public comments on its latest decision not to declare bee die-offs an emergency situation and suspend the use of clothianidin. Now is a crucial moment to make our voices heard for the bees. Submit a public comment to the EPA now.
Astonishingly, clothianidin was approved by the EPA based on virtually no scientific study. Yet the EPA continues to allow its use. Now, a group of senators have joined the call, writing a letter urging the EPA that waiting until 2018 to again review clothianidin and other neonicotinoids will be too late. There is no time to waste. Please submit a comment now urging the EPA to immediately suspend approval of clothianidin to protect honey bees and our food system.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of September 9, 2012

September 9, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala spoke with Bill Moyers about the impact of independent thought on politics and democracy, Saturday, September 7, 2012 on Moyers & Company. Watch the 23:54 minute video at http://billmoyers.com/segment/jill-stein-and-cheri-honkala-on-third-party-politics/.
Join Jill on Reddit for “Ask Me Anything,” an online, real time conversation, Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 12:00pm, PST; 2:00pm CST . You can sign-up for an account to ask Jill questions, or simply visit the site, read what others are posting, and read her responses. Thirty-three states now have a ballot line for Stein and Honkala, and the Green Party candidates will appear as write-ins in three states. Nebraska Greens submitted notarized registered voters’ signatures on petitions formally requesting that Stein and Honkala be placed on the November 6, 2012 general election ballot. The Secretary of State must validate Nebraska signatures by September 14th.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates this year.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. The CPD requires 15% support among five public opinion polls in order for a candidate to be included in the debates. But, they don’t name which polls or even when they’ll gather such evidence.
Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. Tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write an old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup.
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling!

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

PLAY IN THE STREETS . . . Sunday, September 9, 2012, 12:30 to 5:30pm, people of all ages are encouraged to Play in the Streets at the second annual Streets Alive! health and wellness festival, a free afternoon of fun and activities along a 3.3 mile route from Trago Park near 21st and & Streets, southeast along the Antelope Valley Trail and east to Woods Park at 33rd and O, in Lincoln. The route will be closed to vehicle traffic. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/StreetsAliveLincoln.

LINCOLN AIDS WALK . . . Sunday, September 9, 2012, 2:00pm, join the Lincoln AIDS Walk to raise awareness about HIV in our local community. The two mile solidarity march will be pass in front of the State Capitol, go through downtown Lincoln, and up O street. Individuals can walk independently or with a team. Registration will begin at 1:30pm, at the Panic, 200 South 18th Street.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choosing, Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012, at Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street. September 9th, Barb van den Berg will feature “Introduction to the Repair Café/Mending Clothes/Planning Session for September 23rd.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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. Mark your calendar now for NADP’s Annual Reception and Silent Auction, Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:00 to 8:30pm. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln, through October 9th.

COURT HEARING ON CITIZEN CHALLENGE . . . Friday, September 14, 2012, 11:00am to noon, there will be a Court Hearing on the Citizen Challenge to LB 1161, at Lancaster District Court, 575 South 10th street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln (Judge Stacey presiding). The lawsuit challenging LB 1161 gets the first hearing on September 14th in Lancaster County court. If that lawsuit is successful, TransCanada could have to go through the process that all other oil pipelines must follow–the Major Oil Pipeline Siting law and rules established by Nebraska’s Public Service Commission. In response, the State is asking the court to dismiss the case. Please be there to support this ongoing, very critical, legal challenge. TransCanada is exempt from legal rules because of LB 1161. Face Book event link is http://www.facebook.com/events/130572780421400/.

2012 FARM WALK . . . Friday, September 14, 2012, 5:00 to 7:30pm, Community CROPS & Sunset Community Farm, Southwest 40th and West F Streets, present the 2012 Farm Walk: an evening on a sustainable vegetable farm with beginning farmers, sampling produce, enjoying activities for kids and delicious food provided by local chefs. All-you-can-eat soup for $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Free admission to tour the farm and enjoy the activities. For more information, visit http://www.communitycrops.org or call 402.474.9802.

TWILIGHT ON THE TALLGRASS . . . Saturday, September 15, 2012, 5:00 to 10:00pm, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center will host its annual Twilight on the Tallgrass Festival Walk along prairie discovery trails and interact with authors, biologists, photographers, writers, artists, and other professionals who gain insight and energy from the prairie. Catch tadpoles and grasshoppers, learn to identify wildflowers and grasses, see all the stars in the night sky, and just enjoy a beautiful autumn evening. Learn about SCP at http://springcreekprairie.audubon.org/invitation-explore. A downloadable trails map is at http://springcreekprairie.audubon.org/sites/default/files/documents/scpac_trail_map_0.pdf.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Sunday, September 16, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Justin Orem will present “Repairing Small Appliances” at the weekly Occupy Education class, Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES . . . The Nebraska Department of Insurance is holding a series of informal public meetings throughout Nebraska to get input on the creation of the new health insurance exchange. The remaining meetings are Monday, September 10, 2012, at Omaha Ramada Plaza, 3321 S 72nd Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm, and Wednesday, September 12th, in South Sioux City at the Marina Inn Conference Center, 385 East 4th Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm.

FORT CALHOUN STATUS MEETING . . . The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with Omaha Public Power District officials on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the former Dana College’s Gardner-Hawks Center, 2848 College Drive, Blair, Nebraska, to discuss the status of the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant’s performance improvement activities. Fort Calhoun is shut down and remains in a safe mode following flooding along the Missouri River in 2011. OPPD operates the plant which is near the Missouri River, 19 miles north of Omaha.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, September 12, 2012, the film will be “Lifting the Fog: The Scientific Method Applied to the World Trade Center Disaster.” “The fact that the EPA allowed politics to eclipse science in their issuance of false assurances that “the air is safe to breathe”, say conference presenters, is a sobering example of the fallacy of trusting official conclusions regarding highly charged political events being used to justify wars.” For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

GREEN TEAM ROUNDTABLE . . . There will be an Omaha Green Team Roundtable Meeting Wednesday, September 12, 2012, featuring “Green Event Planning,” Wellnist’s Sustainability Program at their headquarters, 13801 FNB Parkway, Suite 101. A zero waste lunch is included with pre-registration. Green Team Roundtables are peer-to-peer networking meetings facilitated by WasteCap Nebraska staff and open to business owners, managers, green team members and individuals. For information on hosting opportunities, upcoming Roundtable locations and topics go to call Julie Diegel at 402.434.7376.

RENEWABLE ENERGY IN NEBRASKA . . . John Atkeison, Energy Policy Director at the Nebraska Wildlife Federation, will present “Renewable Energy in Nebraska” at a Green Neighborhood Council Roundtable Discussion, Thursday, September 13, 2012, 7:00 to 8:30pm, at the Neighborhood Center, 115 South 49th Avenue, Omaha. Atkeison is a campaigner, publicist, and lobbyist in the energy policy arena working to organize Clean Energy Nebraska, a coalition of statewide environmental and social organizations, renewable energy advocates, and professionals in Nebraska’s emerging renewable energy industry. The potential for producing electricity from the power of wind and the energy of the sun is better in Nebraska than in 80% of the rest of America. The costs of producing that electricity from both sources have come down dramatically in recent years. For more information, contact Green Neighborhood Co-Chairs Ken or Helen Deffenbacher, kdeffenbacher [at] greenomahacoalition [dot] org or hdeffenbacher [at] greenomahacoalition[dot] org.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . COURT HEARING ON CITIZEN CHALLENGE of LB 1161 . . . Save the Date: Friday, September 14, 2012, 11:00am to noon, there will be a Court Hearing on the Citizen Challenge to LB 1161, at Lancaster District Court, 575 South 10th street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln (Judge Stacey presiding). In response to the lawsuit, the State is asking the court to dismiss the case. Please be there to support this ongoing, very critical, legal challenge. TransCanada is exempt from legal rules because of LB 1161. Face Book event link is http://www.facebook.com/events/130572780421400/.
In response to the Texas ruling that TransCanada can seize pasture for Keystone XL, the Tar Sands Blockade continues in Livingston, Texas. In a 15-word ruling sent from his iPhone, a Judge upheld TransCanada’s condemnation of a 50-foot strip of land across Julia Trigg Crawford’s pasture.”
From “Landowner plans to appeal eminent-doman ruling on Keystone XL pipeline,” by Kate Galbreith, Texas Tribune, September 6th, “The case of Julia Trigg Crawford vs. the Keystone XL oil pipeline will soon return to the headlines. Crawford, a Northeast Texas farmer, is fighting to keep TransCanada, the pipeline owner, from invoking the right of eminent domain to cross her property. A judge in Lamar County ruled against her last month, but Crawford says she plans to appeal soon — probably to the state’s 6th Court of Appeals in Texarkana.”
September 5th, EcoWatch reported “3 Blockaders Locked to Equipment Stop Work at Keystone XL Site.” Quoting the article, “As promised, Tar Sands Blockade’s rolling campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience pushes forward.” A 3:20 minute video from the site is at http://ecowatch.org/2012/blockaders-stop-work-at-keystone-xl/. Check the LiveBlog for updates, with video, throughout the day.
See curent photos of KXL construction happening now in Texas courtesy of Kathy and Steve DaSilva.
TransCanada issued a press release September 5th, stating they have submitted a new route to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The route still crosses vulnerable sandy soil and the Ogallala Aquifer. A same day response from Bold Nebraska Executive Director Jane Kleeb is at http://boldnebraska.org/newroute_stillrisky.
From York News Times, “Priest making plans to walk pipeline route,” by Rachael Ruybalid, August 30th: “Shodo Spring, a Buddhist priest, has been an environmentalist for a long time. It started seven years ago for her after her third grandchild had been born when she went to hear a speaker talk about peak oil. “I had known there were issues with fossil fuels and I had some knowledge of issues about climate change,” she said. “I had been hoping it was wrong but there I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s 10 times worse than I thought.’” Read entire article at http://www.yorknewstimes.com/news/priest-making-plans-to-walk-pipeline-route/article_33879b3c-f328-11e1-9ecf-0019bb2963f4.html.
In response to the Greg Awtry York News Times Editorial, “Put safety of citizens and natural resources above all else,” published August 21, 2012, here are three things everyone can ask any candidate in this election cycle.
1) “Repeal the Fischer Loophole” that allows oil pipelines to take Nebraskans land. We must put property rights, a fundamental American value, first. Pipelines should have to prove they are a “common carrier” and they should have to prove the oil is 100% for America.
2) Pass “Right to Know Laws” so citizens, first responders and health officials know what exactly is in a pipeline that crosses their community, if they are in an evacuation zone when a spill happens and what the chain of command for clean-up is on the ground.
3) “Reroute Pipelines” away from the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. We should have Energy Corridors in our state that companies who want to cross our land and water know they can suggest a pipeline be built. This way, citizens, landowners, first responders and health officials can be prepared.” Quoting Awtry, “…I urge our political leaders to put the safety of our citizens and the preservation of our natural resources above all else and join them in their fight. I urge our readers to let the politicians know how you feel, pro, con or otherwise. This is a lasting decision which will have major consequences to all Nebraskans as well as set precedent for the future. Let your voices be heard. It is the Nebraska way.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations joined forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they made three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/ Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.”

Green Notes Week of September 2, 2012

September 2, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Thirty-three states now have a ballot line for Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, and they will appear as write-ins in three other states. In Nebraska, we are collecting signatures for ballot access with a non-partisan line in November. Next week’s Green Notes will announce the results of our Nebraska campaign. For more information on ballot access, see http://www.jillstein.org/ballot.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates this year.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. The CPD requires 15% support among five public opinion polls in order for a candidate to be included in the debates. But, they don’t name which polls or even when they’ll gather such evidence.
Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. So, let’s make some noise and tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write an old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling!
Thanks for helping fight the media blackout! Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

NEBRASKA RAINBOW GATHERING . . . Nebraska’s 2012 Labor Day Weekend Rainbow Gathering started Wednesday, August 29th and continues through Wednesday, September 5th. No money. No alcohol. No aggression. No amplified music. Camping and Celebration of Nature. Find Common Unity to Build Community. Hike and camp along a wide sandy river channel on public land near Genoa, Nebraska. For directions, and more information, phone William at 402.304.2751.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

“Say no to the politics of fear!” -Jill Stein

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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. Mark your calendar now for NADP’s Annual Reception and Silent Auction, Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:00 to 8:30pm. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES . . . There will be two Public Hearings on Health Care Exchanges at Lincoln’s Downtown Holiday Inn, 141 North 9th Street: Tuesday, September 4th, 9:00am, for consumer advocacy groups, and Tuesday, September 4th, 1:00pm, for providers. Thursday, September 6th, 1:00pm, the open public hearing will be for insurers. Other meetings will be held around the state.
In addition, the Department of Insurance will hold a series of informal public meetings throughout Nebraska to get input on the creation of the new health insurance exchange. The remaining meetings are Monday, September 10th, Omaha Ramada Plaza, 3321 S 72nd Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm, and Wednesday, September 12th, in South Sioux City at the Marina Inn Conference Center, 385 East 4th Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln.

RAIN GARDEN WORKSHOP . . . Register by Wednesday, for Saturday’s September 8, 2012 hands-on Rain Garden Workshop, 9:00 to 11:00am, at the Prairie Building in Pioneers Park Nature Center, 3201 South Coddington. The workshop is free, by pre-registration is required. Call Ellen Wright, 402.441.7075, or e-mail ewright [at] lincoln [dot] ne [dot] gov.

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE DAY . . . Saturday, September 8, 2012, is National Clean Out Your Garage Day. Find tips for how to start at http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/give-you-car-a-break-clean-out-your-garage/article_234b2e86-1371-518f-a917-767a9b6edcf0.html.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choosing, Sundays, 7:00 – 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012, at Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street. September 9th, Barb van den Berg will feature “Introduction to the Repair Café/Mending Clothes/Planning Session for September 23rd.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, September 5, 2012, the film will be “Can We Do Better than Capitalism?,” a look at Capitalism and how it really works. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

GREEN TEAM ROUNDTABLE . . . Pre-registration and payment are required by Friday, September 7th, for the Omaha Green Team Roundtable Meeting Wednesday, September 12, 2012, featuring “Green Event Planning,” Wellnist’s Sustainability Program at their headquarters, 13801 FNB Parkway, Suite 101. A zero waste lunch is included. Green Team Roundtables are peer-to-peer networking meetings facilitated by WasteCap Nebraska staff and open to business owners, managers, green team members and individuals. For information on hosting opportunities, upcoming Roundtable locations and topics go to call Julie Diegel at 402.434.7376. Pre-register for September 12th at http://www.wastecapne.org/calendar/event-registration/?regevent_action=register&event_id=79&name_of_event=SeptemberOmahaGreenTeamRountable.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Another pipeline spill has leaked hundreds of thousands of chemicals in central Alberta. Watch a 2:10 minute video from aptn news on August 28, 2012, “Alberta pipeline leaks 300,000 litres of tar sands-tainted water,” by Noemi LoPinto at http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2012/08/28/alberta-pipeline-leaks-300000-litres-of-tar-sands-tainted-water/.
“Why We’re Putting Ourselves on the (Pipe)Line With the Tea Party,” by Will Wooten, Candice Bernd, Ron Seifert, YES! Magazine, sourced to Reader Supported News, August 28th begins “Occupiers, Tea Partiers, landowners, and environmentalists are challenging construction of the Keystone XL pipeline’s Gulf Coast segment – together.”
From “7 arrested in Polk Co. pipeline protest,” by Alexis Spears, ktre news, August 28th: “Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested two women and five men who illegally trespassed on private property in protest of the Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday morning. …Thousands of acres of private land are being taken by this corporation,” Seifert said. “I mean, these are people’s homes that are being taken, that are being expropriated, that are being stolen from them.” View 2:11 minute news coverage at http://www.ktre.com/story/19400667/7-arrested-in-polk-co-pipeline-protest.
Visit http://www.nacstop.org/BlockadeEdition.html for a series of photos from the Blockade in action at Livingston, Texas on August 28, 2012, courtesy of Steve Da Silva. The message: Stay tuned….this is only the beginning.
From York News Times, “Priest making plans to walk pipeline route,” by Rachael Ruybalid, August 30th: “Shodo Spring, a Buddhist priest, has been an environmentalist for a long time. It started seven years ago for her after her third grandchild had been born when she went to hear a speaker talk about peak oil. “I had known there were issues with fossil fuels and I had some knowledge of issues about climate change,” she said. “I had been hoping it was wrong but there I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s 10 times worse than I thought.’”
…Last summer, Spring went to Washington D.C. to protest the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline. She sat in front of the White House and was arrested on the protest’s religious day while wearing her Buddhist robes.
…She has been traveling around the route in Nebraska this summer, talking to landowners along the route about her walk and also the different reasons they’re opposed to the pipeline.
“…The purpose is to change consciousness or to activate people who are environmentalists who are saying ‘we can’t do anything about this,’” Spring said.
…When Spring does walk the route next summer, when she comes through Nebraska and York County, the York News-Times hopes to bring the readers a regular update on her progress.” Read entire article at http://www.yorknewstimes.com/news/priest-making-plans-to-walk-pipeline-route/article_33879b3c-f328-11e1-9ecf-0019bb2963f4.html.
Last week’s Greg Awtry YNT Editorial, “Put safety of citizens and natural resources above all else,” is an Open letter to Nebraska Gov. Heineman and Nebraska’s Washington delegation Representatives Smith, Fortenberry and Terry, Senators Nelson and Johanns, Senate candidates Fisher and Kerrey, and Speaker Flood. Quoting, “…I urge our political leaders to put the safety of our citizens and the preservation of our natural resources above all else and join them in their fight. I urge our readers to let the politicians know how you feel, pro, con or otherwise. This is a lasting decision which will have major consequences to all Nebraskans as well as set precedent for the future. Let your voices be heard. It is the Nebraska way.”
In response to the Awtry Editorial, here are three things everyone can ask any candidate in this election cycle,
1) “Repeal the Fischer Loophole” that allows oil pipelines to take Nebraskans land. We must put property rights, a fundamental American value, first. Pipelines should have to prove they are a “common carrier” and they should have to prove the oil is 100% for America.
2) Pass “Right to Know Laws” so citizens, first responders and health officials know what exactly is in a pipeline that crosses their community, if they are in an evacuation zone when a spill happens and what the chain of command for clean-up is on the ground.
3) “Reroute Pipelines” away from the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. We should have Energy Corridors in our state that companies who want to cross our land and water know they can suggest a pipeline be built. This way, citizens, landowners, first responders and health officials can be prepared. At Bold, we think Nebraska should tarsands free, for that matter we think America should be tarsands free and rely on our home-grown, American-made energy sources.
“Texas judge rules TransCanada can seize pasture for Keystone XL,” by Saul Elbein, was published in the New York Times, August 23rd: “The Canadian energy company TransCanada can take over land owned by a Texas farmer to build its Keystone XL pipeline, says a county judge. In a 15-word ruling sent from his iPhone, Judge Bill Harris upheld TransCanada’s condemnation of a 50-foot strip of land across Julia Trigg Crawford’s pasture here.”
See current photos of KXL construction happening now courtesy of Kathy and Steve DaSilva.
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of August 26, 2012

August 26, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . For the latest information on ballot access, see http://www.jillstein.org/ballot. Thirty-three states now have a ballot line for Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala. In Nebraska, we are collecting signatures for Jill’s ballot access with a non-partisan line on the November ballot. Watch for a surprise announcement in next week’s Green Notes.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates this year.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. The CPD requires 15% support among five public opinion polls in order for a candidate to be included in the debates. But, they don’t name which polls or even when they’ll gather such evidence.
The Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. So, let’s make some noise and tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write a good, old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling! Thanks for helping fight the media blackout! Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

NEBRASKA RAINBOW GATHERING . . . Nebraska’s 2012 Labor Day Weekend Rainbow Gathering will be from Wednesday, August 29th to Wednesday, September 5th. No money. No alcohol. No aggression. No amplified music. Camping and Celebration of Nature. Find Common Unity to Build Community. Hike and camp along a wide sandy river channel on public land near Genoa, Nebraska. For directions, and more information, phone William at 402.304.2751.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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 more information about NADP, click here. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, August 30, 2012, the film will be “Outrage,” an “indictment of closeted politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation in the U.S.” View the trailer at http://outragethemovie.com/. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets. 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 FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Put safety of citizens and natural resources above all else,” by Greg Awtry, Publisher, York News Times, August 21, 2012, is an Open letter to Nebraska Gov. Heineman and Nebraska’s Washington delegation Representatives Smith, Fortenberry and Terry, Senators Nelson and Johanns, Senate candidates Fisher and Kerrey, and Speaker Flood. Quoting, “…I urge our political leaders to put the safety of our citizens and the preservation of our natural resources above all else and join them in their fight. I urge our readers to let the politicians know how you feel, pro, con or otherwise. This is a lasting decision which will have major consequences to all Nebraskans as well as set precedent for the future. Let your voices be heard. It is the Nebraska way.” Read the letter at http://m.yorknewstimes.com/mobile/editorial/put-safety-of-citizens-and-natural-resources-above-all-else/article_0a6b1110-eb4a-11e1-9f5e-0019bb2963f4.html.
In response to the Awtry Editorial, Jane Kleeb offered 3 things everyone can ask any candidate as action steps:
Ask every candidate you know if they will work to make these three action steps a reality.
1) Let’s “Repeal the Fischer Loophole” that allows oil pipelines to take Nebraskans land. We must put property rights, a fundamental American value, first. Pipelines should have to prove they are a “common carrier” and they should have to prove the oil is 100% for America.
2) Let’s pass “Right to Know Laws” so citizens, first responders and health officials know what exactly is in a pipeline that crosses their community, if they are in an evacuation zone when a spill happens and what the chain of command for clean-up is on the ground.
3) Let’s “Reroute Pipelines” away from the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. We should have Energy Corridors in our state that companies who want to cross our land and water know they can suggest a pipeline be built. This way, citizens, landowners, first responders and health officials can be prepared. At Bold, we think Nebraska should tarsands free, for that matter we think America should be tarsands free and rely on our home-grown, American-made energy sources.
“Texas judge rules TransCanada can seize pasture for Keystone XL,” by Saul Elbein, was published in the New York Times, August 23rd: “The Canadian energy company TransCanada can take over land owned by a Texas farmer to build its Keystone XL pipeline, says a county judge. In a 15-word ruling sent from his iPhone, Judge Bill Harris upheld TransCanada’s condemnation of a 50-foot strip of land across Julia Trigg Crawford’s pasture here.”
See curent photos of KXL construction happening now courtesy of Kathy and Steve DaSilva.
From “Crude, Dirty and Dangerous,” by David Sassoon, Publisher InsideClimate News, a New York Times Op-Ed, August 20th: “…Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report that was harshly critical of the federal government’s regulation and oversight of pipeline safety following a spill of more than one million gallons of dilbit into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010. The accident underscored not only how different dilbit is from conventional oil, but how unprepared we are for the impending flood of imports. After the dilbit gushed into the river, it began separating into its constituent parts. The heavy bitumen sank to the river bottom, leaving a mess that is still being cleaned up. Meanwhile, the chemical additives evaporated, creating a foul smell that lingered for days. People reported headaches, dizziness and nausea. No one could say with certainty what they should do. Federal officials at the scene didn’t know until weeks later that the pipeline was carrying dilbit, because federal law doesn’t require pipeline operators to reveal that information.
…This close call hasn’t deterred the energy industry from announcing plans to build or repurpose more than 10,000 miles of pipelines to carry dilbit to the United States and global markets. That includes the controversial Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline, which would pass through the Ogallala aquifer, the nation’s largest drinking water aquifer. It supplies drinking water for eight states and about 30 percent of the groundwater used for irrigation. The nation’s pipeline network was designed to handle conventional crude oil and is governed by laws and regulations that were written long before the unique risks and hazards associated with dilbit began to emerge. In fact, dilbit is exempt from an excise tax that pays for oil spill cleanups, because the 1980 law that created the tax did not consider bitumen from the “tar sands” to be crude oil.
…Now that the industry is aiming to fill almost a quarter of America’s domestic oil needs from western Canadian sources, we need a transparent and informed discussion about dilbit’s risks and benefits, up-to-date laws and regulations, and improved leak detection. The N.T.S.B. chairwoman likened Enbridge employees to Keystone Kops in their handling of the Michigan dilbit disaster. It is a label that could come to apply to the rest of us if we don’t guard against future catastrophe.”
A Lincoln Journal Star article announced “Kinder Morgan selling trailblazer oil pipeline” (and all of their gas pipelines in our state). From Jane Kleeb: “This is a RED FLAG to share with all landowners: these pipeline companies get sold all the time. Contracts must be signed and easements have to be re-negotiated if sold to a different company.”
The Canadian National Energy Board issued a Letter and Order SO-T241-002-2012 to TransCanada PipeLines Limited (TransCanada) on behalf of TransCanada Keystone Pipeline GP Limited (Keystone). From Ken Winston: “TransCanada isn’t meeting part of the safety requirements for Keystone in Canada. They asked for permission to stay out of compliance, and were denied.”
From the Edmonton Journal, “Pipeline pitch: Registry reveals Enbridge’s heavy presence in halls of power,” by Dene Moore, August 23rd: “A search of the federal registry of lobbyists shows company officials and consultants for Enbridge have had dozens of meetings with ministers, deputy ministers, policy directors and MPs as plans for the Northern Gateway pipeline moved from the proposal stage to public hearings.”
“Keystone XL: As Long As You Don’t Drink Water Or Walk On Land, You’ll Be Fine,” by Mansur Gidfar, August 20th: “If you literally have to break the planet to create jobs, maybe those jobs aren’t worth creating.” The link includes Naomi Klein’s new animated 2:32 minute Thought Bubble, Ethical Oil?
From “This just in… it’s not even oil!” by Greg Awtry, York News Times Editorial, August 14th: “…So Congressman Adrian Smith, whose Third District is about to be sliced open so all this poison can run right over and through our water, why didn’t you tell us about tar sand not being “oil” and not subject to the tax to clean up spills? We have asked you about the Keystone XL numerous times, and not once did you bring this up. It all comes from the House of Representatives, your body, and this pipe is going to spill on your Third District. Why aren’t you screaming at the top of your lungs to force Keystone XL to pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund?
Since this pipe is coming within three miles of York, Neb., the York News-Times would like to know. But if you are one of those who still think this will create 200,000 jobs, end our dependence on unfriendly oil and will never spill, then I submit it’s actually you who might have been sniffing too many pipeline fumes.” The op-ed was re-printed in the Omaha World-Herald August 17th.
Protect the aquifer, by Nina Nelson, a Lincoln Journal Star letter published August 19th, states “…Do people know that the bitumen or tar sands crude oil TransCanada plans to transport through this huge pipeline will be full of dangerous chemicals that can poison both humans and animals? We have no say in what will pass through that pipeline. TransCanada thus far has refused to disclose what dangerous chemical mix will be part of the tar sands crude oil transported. The only way to ensure its safety is to never build the pipeline anywhere near the aquifer. I urge people to contact their House and Senate representatives today.”
From another LJS letter, “No to TransCanada,” by Kathy L. Burnham, published August 22nd: “No amount of money will convince our family that we should allow the Keystone XL pipeline to cross our property on the Niobrara River. TransCanada will have to take us to court and take our land through eminent domain. That’s right, “take” our land.
Yes, we’ll be given money as determined by the court, but it will be against our will. It’s one thing to declare eminent domain for a road or power line that will benefit the landowner directly. It’s another thing entirely to take the land and give it to a foreign company.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations joined forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they made three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/ Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.”

Green Notes Week of August 19, 2012

August 19, 2012Green Notesgreenone

WOMEN’S MARCH TO END GENOCIDE IN WHITECLAY, NEBRASKA . . . Sunday, August 26, 2012, 12:00 noon, at the Billy Mills Hall, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, there will be a Women’s March to End Genocide in Whiteclay. For more information, contact Olowan Martinez, Lead Organizer, at 605.407.1773 or truelyn8tive [at] yahoo [dot] com

MOVE TO AMEND/END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD . . . Local Move to Amend groups presented signatures on petitions to End Corporate Personhood by a Resolution of the Lincoln City Council on Monday, August 13, 2012. 2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb started a Midwest Barnstorming Tour with Nebraska appearances in Lincoln and Omaha last weekend. Watch a 2:10 minute video of David Barnstorming MTA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Eax3f1rg&feature=youtu.be. To get involved with the local campaign, e-mail Carol Smith, smithcarol [dot] 49 [at] gmail [dot] com

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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 more information about NADP, click here. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln.

RALLY FOR WHITECLAY . . . A Rally to Raise Awareness in The Battle for Whiteclay will be Thursday, August 23, 2012, on the North side of the State Capitol, Lincoln, in solidarity with the Women’s March to End Genocide on Sunday, August 26, 2012 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Featured speakers in Lincoln will include Native American Activist Frank LaMere, Documentary Filmmaker Mark Vasina, and Philosopher/Writer Char Knoflicek. Thursday evening, 7:00pm, there will be a special screening of the documentary film The Battle for Whiteclay at the Common Root Mutual Aid Center, 1315 South 24th Street.

FEAST ON THE FARM . . . Saturday, August 25, 2012, at 5:00pm, the annual Sunset Community Feast on the Farm, SW 40th and West F Streets, will feature food, live music, dancing, and a silent auction. For more information, including a list of silent auction items, go to http://www.communitycrops.org/farmdinner.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the UN-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store parking lot. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068 for more information about Saturday vigils.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. For information about this Wednesday’s film, check http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm later in the week. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . From “Keystone XL pipeline crosses political boundaries in Nebraska and beyond,” by Steven Mufson, Washington Post, August 17, 2012: “When TransCanada said its $7 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas would pass about two miles from Spalding in central Nebraska, political boundaries crumbled as the pipeline proposal united Nebraskans across party lines and divided them within.” Read page 1 of 4, and view photo blog, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/keystone-xl-pipeline-crosses-political-boundaries-in-nebraska-and-beyond/2012/08/17/2be72f84-d5c6-11e1-b2d5-2419d227d8b0_story.html (This article reveals how misinformed Bob Kerrey is about where this tar sands toxin is going after it splits our land open and pollutes our entire environment. His Senate opponent is for the pipeline.)
“XL Pipeline Construction Begins With Protests in Texas,” by Candice Bernd, sourced from Occupy.com to Reader Supported News, August 17th, begins “Blockaders braved a wall of bulldozers early Thursday morning and unfurled banners that warned TransCanada to expect resistance the size of Texas if the company proceeds with construction of a pipeline to carry Canadian tar sands through the region as part of Keystone XL’s hastily rebranded “Gulf Coast Project.” Read at http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/12977-xl-pipeline-construction-begins-with-protests-in-texas.
“Keystone XL pipeline construction begins amid protests,” by Kim Murphy, was published in LA Times, August 16th: “The Canadian pipeline company TransCanada has quietly begun construction of the southern leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, installing segments near Livingston, Texas, company officials confirmed Thursday.” Read at http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-keystone-xl-pipeline-20120816,0,6693892.story.
“Tar Sands Blockade is Taking A Stand in Texas,” Published by Ethan Nuss, August 13th: “Remember a year ago when 1,253 people got arrested in front of the White House? We came in waves day after day, for weeks, vowing that we would lay our bodies on the line to halt the permitting of the dreaded Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Well, in case you haven’t heard since then, Big Oil has been up to its old tricks and recently secured all the necessary permits to build the southern section of Keystone XL to the Gulf. The Canadian oil corporation, TransCanada, is planning to break ground “within weeks.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on letting them build anything that could spell “game over” for the global climate.
Fortunately, I’m not alone. I’m proud to be part of Tar Sands Blockade, a growing movement of Texas landowners and activists ready to use nonviolent direct action to stand up to Big Oil and say; “Don’t Mess with Texas.”
We need your help! Together we can halt this dirty pipeline in its tracks and build the healthy, clean energy future we know is possible. We’re an open grassroots organization so sign up on our website to learn more about how to get involved. 5:03 minute video at http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2012/08/13/video-tar-sands-blockade-is-taking-a-stand-in-texas/. LIKE on Facebook and SHARE the video on Twitter to support this critical campaign.
“Don’t Mess with Texas’ Tar Sands Blockade Takes Action as Keystone Pipeline Construction Begins,” by Will Wooten, Waging Nonviolence, AlterNet, August 17th: “…Activists will respond by holding the blockade for as long as possible, through the summer and likely into the fall. This could be an important moment for the entire climate movement, setting the stage for future actions and alliances — not to mention giving new meaning to the words “Don’t mess with Texas.” Read and view 5:03 minute video at http://www.alternet.org/hot-news-views/dont-mess-texas-tar-sands-blockade-takes-action-keystone-pipeline-construction-begins?akid=9231.138312.-OGqek&rd=1&src=newsletter694901&t=10.
Jane Kleeb reported from the Texas hearing on Julia Trigg Crawford’s eminent domain case that the judge could rule at any time. Stand with Julia in her fight against Big Oil by donating to her legal fund at https://sumofus.org/campaigns/stand-with-Julia/?akid=683.2507.9N7c3x&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3.
“Blockade Aims to Stop Southern Keystone XL Pipeline,” by Christine Leclerc, rabble.ca, was at Reader Supported News August 11th: “With a nonviolent direct action camp that started July 27, 2012 in East Texas, grassroots opponents are working on a construction project of their own: Tar Sands Blockade, a coalition of landowners, community members, students, and others dedicated to stopping the pipeline through direct action.” Read at http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/12883-blockade-aims-to-stop-southern-keystone-xl-pipeline.
From All Things Considered, When this oil spills, it’s ‘a whole new monster.’ “New pipelines are spreading out around the United States as the nation gears up to get much more of its oil from Canada’s deposits of tar sands in Alberta. This is not conventional crude, and getting straight answers about what these pipeline will carry, and what happens when it spills has been difficult for property owners near the pipelines.” Eleven minute audio of All Things Considered at http://www.npr.org/2012/08/16/158025375/when-this-oil-spills-its-a-whole-new-monster.
“Doctors demand access to all health data on oilsands,” by Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News, August 15th: “The Canadian Medical Association is calling for public and timely access to all government and industry data on the potential human health effects of the oilsands and other natural resource development projects.” Continued at http://www.canada.com/business/Doctors+demand+access+health+data+oilsands/7095892/story.html.
From “This just in… it’s not even oil!” by Greg Awtry, York News Times Editorial, August 14th: “If you transport petroleum products through a pipeline in the U.S.A. you have to pay 8-cent per barrel excise tax to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. If the Keystone XL goes through and they transport about 700,000 barrels a day, TransCanada would have to pay about $56,000 into the fund every day. That would be about $20 million a year.
But here’s some breaking news. The Internal Revenue Service, the agency who has to collect these taxes, has ruled that TransCanada’s Keystone XL won’t have to pay the tax. What? These high pressure tar sand pipelines are spilling all over the place and they don’t have to pay into the Oil Spill Trust Fund? Yes, you read it right. That is correct.
Why? The IRS has ruled the tar sand or diluted bitumen as it’s called after they dilute it with poisonous chemicals, is not oil! The IRS says it is not even a petroleum product! If I was reading this like you are, I would say, “Greg, you have been sniffing too many pipeline fumes! You must have your information wrong!”
…TransCanada calls it oil when they want to sell us on their dangerous idea. They call it an oil pipeline when they overstate the number of jobs this will create. They call it an oil pipeline when they exaggerate the amount of property taxes they will actually pay. The Senators and Representatives who have bought into this lunacy call it oil. But now, when they realize it will be taxed, suddenly it’s not oil any longer!
So (pardon me) what the hell is it? Well, I am going to tell you for two reasons. One, TransCanada won’t, and two I think you need to know exactly what will be going right through our drinking water.
It is dilbit, diluted bitumen. We don’t worry too much about the bitumen. It is a mixture of clay and sand and petroleum product and has the consistency of peanut butter. You can’t pump that through a 36-inch pipe, so they have to dilute it. That’s the part to worry about. About 40 to 70 percent of what’s in the pipe is bitumen. That leaves 30 to 60 percent of something else. Those are the diluents, and they can kill you!
A dilbit safety data sheet says: Smells like rotten eggs because of the hydrogen sulfide; contains benzene which causes cancer in humans along with serous blood disorders including leukemia, and can damage nervous systems including fingers feet and arms. Dilbit contains PNA’s, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, which if it comes into contact with skin can cause skin cancers. Inhalation of PNA’s can cause lung cancer.
The safety data sheet goes on to say about dilbit: Don’t inhale the vapors as the hydrogen sulfide may cause irritation, breathing failure, coma and death without any warning odor being sensed. If spilled on land, the safety sheet says, “Keep public away. Vapors or dust may be harmful or fatal.” If spilled in water, “Product will submerge after a few days of weathering.”
Folks, that means it sinks in water. TransCanada says it floats. We know that is not true as Enbridge is still cleaning the bottom of the Kalamazoo River after a million gallons spilled in 2010.
…So Congressman Adrian Smith, whose Third District is about to be sliced open so all this poison can run right over and through our water, why didn’t you tell us about tar sand not being “oil” and not subject to the tax to clean up spills? We have asked you about the Keystone XL numerous times, and not once did you bring this up. It all comes from the House of Representatives, your body, and this pipe is going to spill on your Third District. Why aren’t you screaming at the top of your lungs to force Keystone XL to pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund?
Since this pipe is coming within three miles of York, Neb., the York News-Times would like to know. But if you are one of those who still think this will create 200,000 jobs, end our dependence on unfriendly oil and will never spill, then I submit it’s actually you who might have been sniffing too many pipeline fumes.” The op-ed was re-printed in the Omaha World-Herald August 17th.
“Keystone tax value tops $500 million, by Art Hovey, Lincoln Journal Star, August 14th: “Ten Nebraska counties will benefit from the $538.5 million assessed valuation of the Keystone pipeline when local property taxes are paid next year.” Continued at http://journalstar.com/news/local/keystone-tax-value-tops-million/article_45eb30cd-2a29-59d6-8044-4480709815aa.html?comment_form=true.
Jane Kleeb’s response to Omaha World-Herald coverage:  “Any funds local counties get from TransCanada could be wiped out in a minute if a major spill takes place. Since our state senators and Gov. Heineman have allowed TransCanada lobbyists to control any laws that deal with pipelines, counties are still at risk for costs related to clean-up, health risks, road damages and concerns around water supply.”
“Any tax revenue from TransCanada is short-term. Worse, if the state decides to play around with funding formulas, some counties might even lose state aid with this new tax revenue coming in from TransCanada. At the end of the day, this pipeline remains a huge risk to our land, water and property rights. Tax revenue over a few years will not remove the risk.”
“It’s great to see TransCanada paying some taxes since they continue to stiff the federal Oil Spill Liability Fund because tarsands is not classified as oil according to the IRS. No doubt tarsands lobbyists got that tax loophole and free ride to TransCanada into law. So who will pay for clean-up if TransCanada does not even pay into the fund used when a major spill happens?”
“We have no guarantees, nothing in writing, no money in a bond to ensure our land and water–not to mention medical bills– will be 100% cleaned-up at the expense of TransCanada when a spill happens. We have their word. I remain unconvinced their word is worth the value of our land and water.”
The Omaha World-Herald also published “Be responsibe, safe with XL pipeline,” by Jim Hall, August 16th: “…The harsh reality is that our economy lacks jobs and our lifestyles depend on oil. But it’s important that we provide these jobs and transport oil in a safe, responsible manner. Before a project of this magnitude is approved, both the government and TransCanada need to prove that they are putting safety first.”
Protect the aquifer, by Nina Nelson, a Lincoln Journal Star letter published August 19th, states “…Do people know that the bitumen or tar sands crude oil TransCanada plans to transport through this huge pipeline will be full of dangerous chemicals that can poison both humans and animals? We have no say in what will pass through that pipeline. TransCanada thus far has refused to disclose what dangerous chemical mix will be part of the tar sands crude oil transported. The only way to ensure its safety is to never build the pipeline anywhere near the aquifer. I urge people to contact their House and Senate representatives today.”
“Bad marketing,” by Amy Schaffer, is another LJS letter published August 16th: “…In its attempt to develop a marketing schematic around what is near and dear to Nebraskans’ hearts, TransCanada has failed miserably. What marketing research did not tell executives is that you cannot buy out generations of hard work from a Nebraskan. You cannot threaten to steal our livelihood and expect to get away with it. …Perhaps TransCanada’s marketing dollars would have been better spent on devising an alternate energy source or using common sense and finding a route that does not cross one of the world’s largest aquifers. Wake up, TransCanada. No amount of money will buy out “The Good Life” in God’s Country, so the company best find a new marketing director.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline.  (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
           “The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations joined forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they made three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/ Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of August 12, 2012

August 12, 2012Green Notesgreenone

JAPAN’S FIRST GREEN PARTY . . . “Anti-nuclear campaigners launch Japan’s first Green Party,” by Justin McCurry, for The Guardian, begins “Greens Japan promises voters to put environment first and abolish nuclear power plants.” Congratulations to Japan Greens!

MOVE TO AMEND/END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD . . . Move to Amend is gathering signatures on a petition to End Corporate Personhood by a Resolution to be presented to the Lincoln City Council, Monday, August 13, 2012. 2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb is spearheading a Midwest Barnstorming Tour starting with Nebraska appearances in Lincoln and Omaha. Saturday, August 11th, 7:00pm, David will speak in Omaha at the 1st Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney. Sunday he will speak in Lincoln, 7:00pm, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. David will will be joined by representatives from local groups at Monday’s regularly scheduled Lincoln City Council meeting, County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, Room 111. Move to Amend supporters will speak at open mic, following the 3:00pm meeting. Tuesday, David will be on the air live, 8:00 to 10:00am, at KZUM, 89.3fm, with Molly Pitcher on The Melting Pot. Watch a 2:10 minute video of David Barnstorming MTA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Eax3f1rg&feature=youtu.be. To get involved with the local campaign, e-mail Carol Smith, smithcarol [dot] 49 [at] gmail [dot] com

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . For the latest information on ballot access, see http://www.jillstein.org/ballot. Thirty states now have a ballot line for Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala. In Nebraska, we are collecting signatures for Jill’s ballot access with a non-partisan line on the November ballot. The petition deadline is September 1, 2012. To help with the effort to make a vote for Jill possible in Nebraska, please e-mail mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

OBAMA IN COUNCIL BLUFFS MONDAY . . . President Barack Obama will visit Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Monday, August 13, 2012. He will be in Bayliss Park, downtown Council Bluffs, with entry to the park allowed beginning at 9:15am. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for entrance. One ticket per person will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Starting Saturday, tickets are available at the Organizing for America Omaha office, 347 North 76th Street. To participate in a Keystone XL Pipeline resistance protest, contact Jane Kleeb, jane [at] boldnebraska [dot] org or call 402.705.3622.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

DAVID COBB/MOVE TO AMEND IN LINCOLN . . . Sunday, August 12, 2012, 7:00pm, David Cobb will speak at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Monday, August 13th, David will be joined by representatives from local groups at the Lincoln City Council meeting, City County Building, 555 South 10th Street, Room 111. Move to Amend supporters will speak at open mic, following the 3:00pm meeting. Tuesday, David will be on the air live, 8:00 to 10:00am, at KZUM, 89.3fm, with Molly Pitcher on The Melting Pot. Watch a 2:10 minute video of David Barnstorming MTA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Eax3f1rg&feature=youtu.be.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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 more information about NADP, click here. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln.

THRUSDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Fallbrook Town Square Park, 570 Fallbrook Blvd., holds a Farmers Market every Thursday, 3:30 to 7:00pm.

LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE . . . What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place? Archi+ETC and WasteCap Nebraska will host “An Introduction to The Living Building Challenge,” at Archi+ETC / Ayars & Ayars headquarters, 2436 North 48th Street, Lincoln, from 11:30am to 1:00pm on Friday, August 17, 2012. Of special interest to architects, engineers and builders, the presentation is open to individuals interested in green building concepts as well. Lunch will be served, and registration is required at http://www.wastecapne.org/?page_id=2576&regevent_action=register&event_id=73&name_of_event=August+An+Introduction+to+the+Living+Building+Challenge-+Meeting+%26amp%3B+Lunch. The Living Building Challenge provides a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment. It is a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program comprised of seven performance areas: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. For more information, contact Julie Diegel, jdiegel [at] wastecapne [dot] org or 402.434.7376.

FRIDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Gateway Garden Market at Gateway, on the south side of the shopping center, is every Friday, 4:00 to 8:00pm.

KZUM OPEN HOUSE . . . Nebraska’s only Independent community radio station, KZUM, 89.3FM, invites EveryOne to a public Open House at new business offices and the new on-air studio, 3534 South 48th Street, Suite 6, Lincoln, Saturday, August 18, 2012, from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Take a tour, meet staff, board members and visit with programmers at the new space. “KZUM’s mission is to educate and build community through broadcast media, with diverse and independent voices that enrich the perspectives of our audiences.”

SATURDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Haymarket Farmers Market, on 8th Street in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District, is now open every Saturday, 8:00am to noon, through October 13, 2012. More than 100 vendors bring farm-fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and handmade items to the local gathering place that also features a “Performance Showcase” for Nebraska folk, jazz, blues, classical, and dance talent, plus educational demonstrations and informational booths. Buy Fresh. Shop Local.

TAKE ENERGY SURVEY . . . Lincoln’s first Community Conversation on energy will be Saturday, August 18, 2012, 9:00am to 1:30pm, at the County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street. Sign up to attend the Conversation by taking an online survey on sustainable energy at the City website. For more information, phone Milo Mumgaard, Cleaner Greener Lincoln, at 402.441.7376.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OBAMA IN COUNCIL BLUFFS . . . President Obama will visit Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Monday, August 13, 2012, at Bayliss Park, downtown, with entry to the park allowed beginning at 9:15am. Tickets are required for entrance. To participate in a Keystone XL Pipeline resistance protest, contact Jane Kleeb, jane [at] boldnebraska [dot] org or call 402.705.3622.

FORTENBERRY/TERRY FORUM . . . Nebraska Representatives Fortenberry and Terry are hosting a forum, “America’s Role in Global Nuclear Security,” at 1:30pm, Tuesday, Aug 14, 2012, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 2825 Y Street, in Omaha. The Keynote Speaker will be General C. Robert Kehler, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, on “America’s Nuclear Posture within the Broader National Security Framework.” Dr. David Kay, former United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector will speak on “Challenges of Detecting Nuclear Transgressions.” Perhaps Fortenberry and Terry can explain why Senate Republicans tried to block a nuclear non-proliferation treaty at the end of the last session. Fortenberry’s Lincoln office number is 402.438.1598. Terry’s Omaha office number is 402.397.9944.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, August 15, 2012, the film will be “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills,” a documentary about “a horrific triple child murder that leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.” For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Monday, August 13, 2012, President Obama will be in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Nebraska KXL resistance groups will carry a 4×8′ banner that says “Water is Life. Tarsands Oil Isn’t. Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.”
“Keystone XL pipeline may threaten aquifer that irrigates much of the central U.S.,” by Steven Mufson at the Washington Post, August 6, 2012, starts out with this: “Jane Kleeb is a savvy activist who, Nebraska’s Republican governor once said, “has a tendency to shoot her mouth off most days.” A Florida native who moved to Nebraska in 2007 after marrying a rancher active in Democratic politics, she did as much as anyone to bring the massive Keystone XL crude oil pipeline to a halt last year.” The 4 page article continues, with photo blog, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/keystone-xl-pipeline-may-threaten-aquifer-that-irrigates-much-of-the-central-us/2012/08/06/7bf0215c-d4db-11e1-a9e3-c5249ea531ca_story.html
“Enbridge pipeline’s path: Lansing-area homeowners feel powerless,” by Louise Knott Ahern, Lansing State Journal, August 6, 2012, details the latest Company plans for a massive construction project to replace 75 miles of Line 6B — the now-notorious 45-year-old pipeline that ruptured and dumped 20,000 barrels of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. Property owners were told Enbridge would never have to go back into their woods. Now they find out “The current 30-inch pipe will not be removed but simply deactivated. Some portions of the new pipe will be larger — 36 inches — allowing Enbridge to transport more oil. …Enbridge crews essentially will have to take over homeowners’ properties until the project is finished. In Weldon’s case, she’s going to lose several century-old trees to make room for the workers. “I’ve lived here for 40 years, and some of those trees are at least 100 years old,” Weldon said. “And now they’re going to take a bunch of my trees, and I don’t want them to.” Read page 1 of 3 at http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120806/NEWS01/308060018/Enbridge-pipeline-s-path-Lansing-area-homeowners-feel-powerless?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
“Enbridge Hires Armed Gaurds,” from the Livingston Daily, August 5th, begins “Armed guards hired by Enbridge Energy LP stood in clear view of Kieth Huff’s home just in case the Oceola Township man decided to interfere with the early stages of a 50-mile oil pipeline replacement project.” Page 1 of 3 continued at http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120805/NEWS01/208050307/Company-hires-armed-guards-ward-off-resident?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage
“Scientific conundrum,” by Thomas P. Lynch, is a Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor of August 12th. “…The gist is, you can’t celebrate the scientific triumph of the Mars rover landing and also believe that climate change is a hoax. Even, I think, if you’re a Republican. And there’s a local connection. In an essay he wrote last summer (“Silence is deadly”), NASA scientist Hansen spoke out against the Keystone XL pipeline. He argued that the construction of the pipeline “would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts. If Nebraskans don’t like extreme heat and drought, we can’t support the Keystone XL pipeline. Keystone XL means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which means more heat waves and droughts. And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.” Read the entire letter at http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letter-scientific-conundrum/article_38cbfe10-2253-5af0-abd3-2a4d2598a065.html
“The Summer of Solidarity: Direct Action Against Extraction,” by Candice Bernd, Campus Progress, Truthout, August 8th: “If one thing is sure, this summer won’t be remembered as one where young environmentalists twiddled their thumbs while wild fires broke out across Colorado and record temperatures were set across the nation. Instead, this summer will go down as one of the hottest, not only in terms of temperature, but also in terms of resistance.” Read, and view 2:45 minute video from the Texas Tar Sands Blockade, at http://truth-out.org/news/item/10780-the-summer-of-solidarity-direct-action-against-extraction
“Blockade Aims to Stop Southern Keystone XL Pipeline,” by Christine Leclerc, rabble.ca, RSN, August 11, 2012:”With a nonviolent direct action camp that started July 27, 2012 in East Texas, grassroots opponents are working on a construction project of their own: Tar Sands Blockade, a coalition of landowners, community members, students, and others dedicated to stopping the pipeline through direct action.” Read at http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/12883-blockade-aims-to-stop-southern-keystone-xl-pipeline
“Pipeline Tests Land Rights,” by Ana Campoy, Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2012: TransCanada’s pipeline efforts are sparking a fight over land-rights laws. A Texas case could prove a legal test. “A big Canadian pipeline company and a small Texas corn farmer squared off in a county courthouse here on Friday over a pasture near the Oklahoma border that could become part of a massive project to transport oil from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. TransCanada Corp., the Calgary-based company behind the […] Continued for subscribers at http://stream.wsj.com/story/markets/SS-2-5/
Jane Kleeb reported from the Texas hearing on Julia Trigg Crawford’s eminent domain case. Eight press members were there on Friday, from NPR, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, local and state papers. The judge did not rule, but he could do so as early as next Wednesday.
Here is last week’s Green Note on the Crawford case: SumOfUs.org, is spreading the word about the case of Julia Trigg Crawford, a Texas farmer who joined non-violent protests in front of the White House led by Bill McKibben and the Tar Sands Coalition to stop government approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Along with 1,252 other people, Julia was arrested. …In 2008, TransCanada told the Crawford family it was going to build the Keystone XL pipeline through their land. Now they are taking TransCanada to court. This legal battle could postpone or even halt the entire Keystone XL project, but there is only one more week to raise the money she needs to defend herself in pre-trial. Julia’s legal team is people-powered by regular citizens from around the world who are willing to help a stranger. The lawyers believe she has a strong case. She and her family are committed to fighting TransCanada to the end. Success in the Texas courts could substantially delay the beginning of construction, creating time for new carbon fuels standards, removal of tax incentives, and/or new laws emanating from the PHMSA tar sands pipeline study to impact the project. Stand with Julia in her fight against Big Oil by donating to her legal fund at https://sumofus.org/campaigns/stand-with-Julia/?akid=683.2507.9N7c3x&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3. Learn more about the case at the Crawford Family Defense Fund website.
Also from last week, “Newly obtained government documents suggest lawsuit to protect endangered species could delay Keystone XL pipeline construction,” a July 31st press release from Friends of the Earth, begins “In a victory for the climate, public health and endangered species, the Fish and Wildlife Service has taken action that could interfere with Canadian oil corporation TransCanada’s plan for fast-tracked approval of its Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. According to documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, the agency decided July 10 to disallow a University of Nebraska researcher from using his research permit to help TransCanada clear the way for Keystone XL by physically relocating the American burying beetle from its habitat.” Bottom line: a US Fish and Wildlife policy has been changed so researchers now and in the future cannot trap and remove beetles until a project has all of their federal and state permits issued to construct. For TransCanada, this means if a permit to build was granted in early 2013, they could then trap and remove the beetles in May-Sept 2013 (beetle season) and then start construction, versus trapping them now and starting to build immediately after a permit was granted. In the bigger picture, this means TransCanada cannot start preparing land until they have ALL their permits.
“South Dakota anti-pipeline movement now in 13 countries” by Emma Dejong, The Dickinson Press, August 2nd, begins “On Wednesday, several hundred people from 13 nations began a “Fast for the Earth.” The fast is largely in response to TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline, which transports crude oil from the tar sands in Canada to the United States. Those fasting are opposed to any further extension of the pipeline, including the proposed XL extension.”
Reporting for InsideClimate News, July 30th, Stacy Feldman and Kathryn Doyle begin “First Nations Hold the Cards in Northern Gateway Battle with Enbridge,” “When the National Transportation Safety Board released a scathing report this month faulting Enbridge for its Michigan oil spill, speculation began instantly about whether it would harm the company’s chances for its Northern Gateway pipeline to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. Even without the report, however, the project’s prospects have long been slim at best. That’s because most First Nations in B.C.—where more than half the pipeline would pass—never signed treaties ceding their lands to the Canadian government. Despite offers from Enbridge that would give them a 10 percent equity stake worth millions of dollars and other cash benefits, many still refuse to give the needed right of way, setting up a legal clash that could end up at the Supreme Court. A single holdout could delay the pipeline for many years, if not indefinitely—even if the project wins approval from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.” Page 1 of 4 continues at http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120727/first-nations-british-columbia-northern-gateway-pipeline-oil-sands-dilbit-enbridge-canada-supreme-court-china
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations will join forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they will make three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

PETITION THE EPA . . . Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately prohibit the use of clothianidin and conduct a full scientific review to determine its impact on honey bee populations. Learn more about clothianidin and sign the petition here.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of August 5, 2012

August 5, 2012Green Notesgreenone

MOVE TO AMEND/END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD . . . Move to Amend is gathering signatures on a petition to End Corporate Personhood by a Resolution to be presented to the Lincoln City Council, Monday, August 13, 2012. 2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb is spearheading a Midwest Barnstorming Tour starting with Nebraska appearances in Lincoln and Omaha. Saturday, August 11th, 7:00pm, David will speak in Omaha at the 1st Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney. Sunday he will speak in Lincoln, 7:00pm, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. David will will be joined by representatives from local groups at Monday’s regularly scheduled Lincoln City Council meeting, County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, Room 111. Move to Amend supporters will speak at open mic, following the 3:00pm meeting. Watch a 2:10 minute video of David Barnstorming MTA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Eax3f1rg&feature=youtu.be. To get involved with the local campaign, e-mail Carol Smith, smithcarol [dot] 49 [at] gmail [dot] com

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . For the latest information on ballot access, see http://www.jillstein.org/ballot. In Nebraska, although we have not collected sufficient signatures for a Green Party ballot line, we will still campaign for Jill’s ballot access with a non-partisan line on the November Nebraska ballot. The deadline for that petition is September 1, 2012. To help with the effort to make a vote for Jill possible in Nebraska, please e-mail mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com. Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Free school Sundays are from 7:00pm – 8:00pm, at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street, in Lincoln. Each Sunday a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on the topic of their choosing. August 5, 2012, Trina Derickson will present “Know Your City Government, Part III.”

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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 more information about NADP, click here. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

OCCUPY THE FOOD SUPPLY . . . Monday, August 6, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, the final class in this Occupy Education series will be at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, Lincoln. This series has been devoted to resisting the industrialization of agriculture and food production, reinstituting the use of plants as medicine, as well as reclaiming the means to produce healthy, chemical-free food, with special focus on sustainability and truly organic practices.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln.

TOWN HALL WITH FORTENBERRY . . . Tuesday, August 7, 2012, CD 1 Congressman Jeff Fortenberry will meet with constituents in a town hall forum, 5:15pm, at Southwest High School, 7001 South 14th Street, Lincoln. Ask questions about your important issues of concern. Phone Fortenberry’s office at 402.438.1598 for more information.

COMMUNITY COFFEE WITH JOHANNS . . . Tuesday, August 7, 2012, Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns will hold a Community Coffee in Lincoln at the Isles Reception Hall, 6232 Havelock Avenue, 6:30 to 7:30pm.

GREEN TEAM ROUNDTABLE . . . Wednesday, August 8, 2012, the WasteCap Nebraska Green Team Roundtable will be hosted by Recycling Enterprises from 11:30am to 1:00pm, at 1200 West Upland Avenue, in Lincoln. The meeting will feature a presentation on “Getting to Zero Waste,” and a tour of Recycling Enterprise’s new facility. Bread and Cup will cater a zero-waste lunch. Registration and payment may be made at www.wastecapne.org/greenteams/. For more information on hosting opportunities and upcoming Roundtables phone Julie Diegel, 402.434.7376.

THRUSDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Fallbrook Town Square Park, 570 Fallbrook Blvd., holds a Farmers Market every Thursday, 3:30 to 7:00pm.

FRIDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Gateway Garden Market at Westfield Gateway, on the south side of the shopping center, is every Friday, 4:00 to 8:00pm.

PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER . . . Saturday, August 11, 2012, from 4:00 to 7:00pm, Lincoln Bioneers will meet for a potluck supper at the Hintz house, 1611 Van Dorn Street, Lincoln. Then, starting at 9:00pm, watch the Perseids meteor shower with Bioneers at The Growing Place, near Lincoln. For more information, e-mail Anne Hintz, redmoonbakery [at] yahoo [dot] com.

DAVID COBB/MOVE TO AMEND IN LINCOLN . . . Sunday, August 12, 2012, 7:00pm, David Cobb will speak at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Monday, August 13th, David will be joined by representatives from local groups at the Lincoln City Council meeting, City County Building, 555 South 10th Street, Room 111. Move to Amend supporters will speak at the open mic, following the 3:00pm meeting. Watch a 2:10 minute video of David Barnstorming MTA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Eax3f1rg&feature=youtu.be

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Free school Sunday on August 5, 2012, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street, Trina Derickson will present “Know Your City Government, Part III.”

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

COMMUNITY COFFEE WITH JOHANNS . . . Wednesday, August 8, 2012, there will be a Community Coffee with Senator Mike Johanns in Omaha, 1:30 to 2:30pm, at the Omaha Public Library, Millard Branch, 13214 Westwood Lane.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, August 8, 2012, the film will be “Life in a Day,” a documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010. Starting with 80,000 submissions, 4500 hours of footage, from 192 countries, Kevin Macdonald has taken this raw material and created a 90-minute testament to what it means to be human in the world. Watch a 1:47 minute trailer at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1687247/. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

2012 BLACK AUGUST AT MALCOLM X CENTER . . . Saturday, August 11, 2012, The Malcolm X Memorial Foundation will host its 6th Annual Black August celebration in partnership with the National Jericho Movement from 12:00 noon to 5:00pm at the Malcolm X Center, 3448 Evans Street, in Omaha. Black August is celebrated nationwide to recognize the political imprisonment of persons who were unjustly put behind bars during America’s human rights movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. A small historical exhibit will feature photos and biographies of 49 persons currently incarcerated since the 1960’s. Three films will be previewed detailing the history of injustices suffered by these political prisoners, followed by discussions led by Tarik Al-Amin, Nebraskans for Justice, and Tekla Ajbala, official representatives of the Nebraska Chapter of the Jericho Movement. For more information about the Black August event contact Lizabeth Arellano, lizabetarellano [at] malcolmxfoundation [dot] org or call 402.590.7526.

DAVID COBB/MOVE TO AMEND IN OMAHA . . . Saturday, August 11, 2012, 7:00pm, David Cobb will speak in Omaha at the 1st Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney. Join the Move to Amend Team for inspiring conversation with the Green Party’s 2004 candidate for President of the United States.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Environment groups ask for more climate, safety analysis,” by Ayesha Rascoe for Reuters, was published July 30, 2012. It begins “Environmental groups demanded the U.S. State Department conduct a new, thorough analysis of the risks of transporting oil sands crude through TransCanada Corp’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline as a Wisconsin oil spill renewed concerns about pipeline safety. …Green groups submitted more than 400,000 comments to the State Department in support of a more robust review, said Anthony Swift, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. BOLD “It is time the State Department look into growing evidence that tar sands pipelines are more likely to leak and tar sands spills are far more devastating than conventional oil spills,” UNBOLD Swift said.” Read the article at http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/30/usa-keystone-review-idUKL2E8IUCE720120730
“Newly obtained government documents suggest lawsuit to protect endangered species could delay Keystone XL pipeline construction,” a July 31st press release from Friends of the Earth, begins “In a victory for the climate, public health and endangered species, the Fish and Wildlife Service has taken action that could interfere with Canadian oil corporation TransCanada’s plan for fast-tracked approval of its Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. According to documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, the agency decided July 10 to disallow a University of Nebraska researcher from using his research permit to help TransCanada clear the way for Keystone XL by physically relocating the American burying beetle from its habitat.”
To learn more about the American burying beetle, an endangered species, go to http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/01/pictures/120119-animals-blocked-keystone-xl/#/10-keystone-xl-pipeline_47015_600x450.jpg. Bottom line: a US Fish and Wildlife policy has been changed so researchers now and in the future cannot trap and remove beetles until a project has all of their federal and state permits issued to construct. For TransCanada, this means if a permit to build was granted in early 2013, they could then trap and remove the beetles in May-Sept 2013 (beetle season) and then start construction, versus trapping them now and starting to build immediately after a permit was granted. In the bigger picture, this means TransCanada cannot start preparing land until they have ALL their permits.
“American Burying Beetle brings new problem for pipeline,” by Katie Gauthier, covered the story on KHAS-TV, August 1st.
“Pipeline opponents celebrate a reroute in Nebraska” is a new Washington Post video by Whitney Shefte, posted August 3rd.
“South Dakota anti-pipeline movement now in 13 countries” by Emma Dejong, The Dickinson Press, August 2nd, begins “On Wednesday, several hundred people from 13 nations began a “Fast for the Earth.” The fast is largely in response to TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline, which transports crude oil from the tar sands in Canada to the United States. Those fasting are opposed to any further extension of the pipeline, including the proposed XL extension.”
Reporting for InsideClimate News, July 30th, Stacy Feldman and Kathryn Doyle begin “First Nations Hold the Cards in Northern Gateway Battle with Enbridge,” “When the National Transportation Safety Board released a scathing report this month faulting Enbridge for its Michigan oil spill, speculation began instantly about whether it would harm the company’s chances for its Northern Gateway pipeline to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. Even without the report, however, the project’s prospects have long been slim at best. That’s because most First Nations in B.C.—where more than half the pipeline would pass—never signed treaties ceding their lands to the Canadian government. Despite offers from Enbridge that would give them a 10 percent equity stake worth millions of dollars and other cash benefits, many still refuse to give the needed right of way, setting up a legal clash that could end up at the Supreme Court. A single holdout could delay the pipeline for many years, if not indefinitely—even if the project wins approval from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.” Page 1 of 4 continues at http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120727/first-nations-british-columbia-northern-gateway-pipeline-oil-sands-dilbit-enbridge-canada-supreme-court-china
“Is Dilbit Oil? Congress and the IRS Say No,” by Lisa Song, also for InsideClimate News, sourced to Truthout August 4th, begins “The oil industry has often said that dilbit, a heavy crude oil from Canada’s tar sands, isn’t much different from conventional crude oil. But when it comes to paying into a federal fund used to clean up oil spills, it’s different enough to deserve a sizeable tax break.” Anthony Swift is again quoted: “The key issue is, is tar sands crude oil?…When it comes to taxes, [the industry] get[s] to make the argument that tar sands isn’t crude oil,” said Anthony Swift, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who has spent years advocating for better pipeline safety. “But when it comes to the safety of moving tar sands in pipelines, they say it’s just like crude oil.” Read at http://truth-out.org/news/item/10693-is-dilbit-oil-congress-and-the-irs-say-no
A new 8-month old start-up organization, SomOfUs.org, is spreading the word about the case of Julia Trigg Crawford, a Texas farmer who joined non-violent protests in front of the White House led by Bill McKibben and the Tar Sands Coalition to stop government approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Along with 1,252 other people, Julia was arrested. …In 2008, TransCanada told the Crawford family it was going to build the Keystone XL pipeline through their land. Now they are taking TransCanada to court. This legal battle could postpone or even halt the entire Keystone XL project, but there is only one more week to raise the money she needs to defend herself in pre-trial. Julia’s legal team is people-powered by regular citizens from around the world who are willing to help a stranger. The lawyers believe she has a strong case. She and her family are committed to fighting TransCanada to the end. Success in the Texas courts could substantially delay the beginning of construction, creating time for new carbon fuels standards, removal of tax incentives, and/or new laws emanating from the PHMSA tar sands pipeline study to impact the project. Stand with Julia in her fight against Big Oil by donating to her legal fund at https://sumofus.org/campaigns/stand-with-Julia/?akid=683.2507.9N7c3x&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3. Julia’s hearing is Friday, August 10, 2012. Learn more about the case at the Crawford Family Defense Fund website.
From “Peaceful protest takes a violent turn in Burlington, by John Briggs for Free Press, July 29th: “Burlington police in riot gear shot protesters with what they described as “pepper balls” and “stingball pellets” as a large, peaceful demonstration turned violent and ugly Sunday afternoon. …At 3:30 Sunday afternoon they were in front of Burlington’s Hilton Hotel on Battery Street to make their voices heard, “No tar sand pipeline.” They flattened themselves on the pavement to create a symbolic human oil spill. …The violence erupted shortly before 5:00pm …During the earlier, peaceful portion of the demonstration, environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, told the crowd this is “a hinge moment in human history.”” The report Continues, with 7:43 minute video, on page 1 of 4 at http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120729/NEWS02/120729008/Peaceful-protest-takes-violent-turn-Burlington?nclick_check=1
“Protesters Force Chinese Officials to Cancel Pipeline,” by Shiv Malik, Guardian UK, sourced to Reader Supported News, July 30th, begins “Officials in eastern China have cancelled a planned industrial waste pipeline project after up to 1,000 environmental demonstrators occupied a government office, overturned cars, destroyed computers and beat police officers.” Read the account at http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/12694-chinese-protesters-force-officials-to-cancel-industrial-waste-pipeline-project
The entire Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor by Scott Janike, August 2nd, “TransCanada’s oil games,” is as follows: “In the month of July, TransCanada Corp.’s vice president and spokesperson (“Keystone XL pipeline will be safe,” Guest View, July 25, and “Defining ‘Sandhills’,” letter, July 8) have both taken up space on the editorial page trying to convince readers that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline will be both safe and avoid the Sandhills.
Meanwhile, a second leak on a relatively new pipeline in Wisconsin broke Friday, spilling an estimated 1,200 gallons and forcing one family to be relocated for their safety. This comes two years after a pipeline break on the Kalamazoo River wreaked havoc on the waterway.
Let’s not forget that the tar sands oil that would be pumping through the Keystone XL pipeline is expected to be far more hazardous and toxic than crude oil, but then again, we don’t even know exactly what chemicals would be used in TransCanada’s pipeline that would make tar sands fluid enough to pump en route to foreign markets.
The Olympic Games began recently, but the oil games citizens have been subjected to have been an ongoing PR campaign. Nebraskans, however, have real “skin” in these oil games: water, land and public health.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

COMMUNITY COFFEE WITH JOHANNS . . . Thursday, August 9, 2012, Senator Mike Johanns will hold a Community Coffee in Pierce, Nebraska, 3:45 to 4:45pm, at the Pierce Public Library, 207 West Court Street.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of July 29, 2012

July 29, 2012Green Notesgreenone

MOVE TO AMEND/END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD . . .2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb will begin a Move to Amend Midwest tour spearheading a campaign to amend the Constitution of the United States with a weekend in Nebraska. See CD 1 Green Notes below.

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . For the latest information on ballot access, see http://www.jillstein.org/ballot. A compilation of 2012 National Green Party Convention videos is at http://www.gp.org/video/list-categories.php?VideoCat_Name=2012%20Convention. Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, is at http://food.unl.edu/web/localfoods/fmcsa.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Free school Sundays are from 7:00pm – 8:00pm, at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street, in Lincoln. Each Sunday a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on the topic of their choosing. July 29, 2012 will be a Planning Session for Events and Direct Actions.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, 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 more information about NADP, click here. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

OCCUPY THE FOOD SUPPLY . . . This Occupy Education series is devoted to resisting the industrialization of agriculture and food production, reinstituting the use of plants as medicine, as well as reclaiming the means to produce healthy, chemical-free food, with special focus on sustainability and truly organic practices. Learn the basics of gardening, composting, seed saving, and harvesting, as well as connect and work with others who share the same passions, every Monday through August 6, 2012, 7:00 – 8:00pm, Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, Lincoln.

LAST CALL AT THE OASIS . . . The Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln, will show Last Call at the Oasis, a new documentary dealing with the global water crisis, through Thursday, August 2, 2012. The film, featuring activist Erin Brockovich and distinguished experts, shatters myths behind our most precious resource, and presents a powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century.

NIOBRARA: A PERSPECTIVE . . . The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center will show Niobrara: A Film Perspective, on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, at 8:00pm. The screening is free, open to the public, and will feature Niobrara Sweet!; Niobrara Jewel of the North, and Snowbound, all produced by Thomas Bouse, independent film producer in Nebraska. Click here for more information.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road.

MOVE TO AMEND/END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD . . . Nebraska Move to Amend is gathering signatures on a petition to End Corporate Personhood by a Resolution to be presented to the Lincoln City Council. To get involved with the local campaign, e-mail Carol Smith, smithcarol [dot] 49 [at] gmail [dot] com. 2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb will be starting a Move to Amend tour of the Midwest with Nebraska appearances in Lincoln and Omaha from Friday, August 10 through Monday, August 13, 2012. Details will be announced soon. Stay tuned.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, August 1, 2012, the film will be “Double Victory,” a gripping documentary spotlighting America’s first all black aerial unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, who broke racial barriers and challenged stereotypes in World War II. Watch a 1:01 minute trailer here. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Friday, July 27, 2012, an Enbridge pipeline in Wisconsin ruptured around 2:45pm. A news item from woodtv.com reported the rupture and that “Enbridge also owns the pipeline that ruptured near Marshall in July 2010, spilling almost a million gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. That river just re-opened for use this summer.” Sunday, July 29th, Reuters reported “Enbridge working fast to contain Wisconsin oil spill, restart pipeline. ” The major pipeline spilled “more than 1,000 barrels of oil in a Wisconsin field, provoking fresh ire from U.S. officials over the latest in a series of leaks.”
Wednesday, July 25th, groups across the country held solidarity events to mark the 2-year anniversary of the toxic tar sands spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo river. The message to Big Oil: “We Don’t Want Your Dirty Tar Sands.” The Nebraska event, “Keep Our Water Blue,” was held in front of the governor’s mansion. The Nebraska Farmers Union issued a statement in solidarity with the victims of the spill saying, “…the spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan two years ago is an example of water contamination that could have been prevented if the proper measures would have been taken. Both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) & the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality have raised red flags. Enbridge did not have those safeguards in place that would protect U.S. landowners… this battle is not only about your land, it is about hundreds of other landowners, & their landowners rights as Tar Sands pipelines are proposed in other areas of our state, & country.”
A Washington Post story on eminent domain, “Keystone XL pipeline is issue of property rights for some ranchers,” mentions the hypocrisy of Deb Fischer and the GOP, but fails to mention that her 2006 Bill gave oil pipelines eminent domain rights in Nebraska. A 3:06 minute Video of John Harter, one of the featured ranchers, is here.
“Keystone XL: Fresh Evidence That China and Not U.S. Will Benefit” by Tony Lallonardo for the NWF Blog July 26, 2012 begins “As the promoters of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline regroup to push their new permit application to funnel high carbon tar sands through America’s Midwest from Alberta to Texas, there continues to swirl a good deal of controversy over where tar sands will ultimately end up? More evidence just came to light this week that the Canadian Prime Minister and his Big Oil allies are eying China, not the U.S., as their biggest market. That’s a critical development, since backers of the pipeline wrongly say tar sands will improve U.S. energy security. …Americans could become little more than middle men, taking the risk of spills and increased pollution, while the oil goes abroad. So why do this? In a nutshell, petro companies have one goal – to sell as much oil as they can for the highest price.”
“Gateway pipeline risks exceed rewards, B.C. Premier says,” by Karen Howlett and Bill Curry for The Globe and Mail, July 22nd reported that “British Columbia Premier Christy Clark is warning that the environmental risks associated with a plan to sell Canadian oil to Asia through the Northern Gateway pipeline outweigh the economic benefits, leaving her at odds with the federal and Alberta governments.”
Alyssa Figueroa reporting on a new 1:31 minute Video, “We Quit You, Keystone XL (It’s Not Us, It’s You),” July 24th, writes “The Post Carbon Institute, an energy think-tank, released a new video featuring a woman “breaking up” with Keystone.” And “Enbridge spills it out” is a new 1:39 minute animation.
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“