Tag Archives: Grassroots Democracy

Hundreds protest in Lincoln on the eve of KXL hearings

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From the Lincoln Journal Star:

Over 500 protesters from across the country converged outside the state Capitol and onto downtown streets Sunday afternoon in response to TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

The protest comes on the eve of week-long proceedings in front of the Nebraska Public Service Commission where local landowners, TransCanada representatives, Native American tribal leaders and others will present testimony on whether or not the pipeline serves the public interest.

The proceedings mark the last major hurdle TransCanada must get over for approval of the pipeline, which would carry nearly 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska for export.

K Street on the north side of the Capitol was blocked off as hundreds of sign-bearing protesters gathered. After speakers rallied the crowd, Native protesters astride horses led a march north down 16th Street.

Read the full story.

 

Upcoming events: KXL hearings, Green Drinks, solar workshop, and more

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Keystone XL Public Hearing

  • When: Wednesday, July 26, at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (doors open at 9 a.m.).
  • Where: Ralston Arena, 7300 Q Street, Omaha.
  • What: Your final opportunity to speak on the record against KXL.

Omaha Green Drinks

  • When: Wednesday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m.
  • Where: Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Pkwy, Omaha.
  • What: Carpool, cycle, walk, or ride the bus! This is a great way to network, inspire, share ideas, and catch up with other “Green” people! Please RSVP on Facebook.

LES Sustainable Living Festival

  • When: Saturday, July 29, at 9 a.m. to noon
  • Where: The Railyard, West Haymarket, Lincoln.
  • What: Come and learn how you can help build a more sustainable Lincoln. Read more.

Solar Energy Workshop

  • When: Saturday, August 5, at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Where: Eiseley Branch Library, 1530 Superior, Lincoln.
  • What: Hosted by Community Crops, this workshop will discuss the economics and installation options that are available in Lincoln. Register here ($5 fee).

Reminder: March to Give Keystone XL the Boot

  • When: Sunday, August 6, at 3 to 5:30 p.m.
  • Where: Beginning at the State Capitol.
  • What: Hundreds of Nebraskans, along with Water Protectors and Pipeline Fighters from near and far, will come together in Lincoln on the eve of the week-long Keystone XL intervenor hearings at the Nebraska Public Service Commission, and march through the streets to send the message that Keystone XL is a threat to our land, water and climate, and not in the public interest. Read more and sign up.

Stand With Us: Keystone XL Intervenor Hearings

  • When: Monday, August 7, through Friday, August 11. Starts at 9 a.m. daily.
  • Where: Nebraska Public Service Commission, 1200 N Street, Suite 300, Lincoln.
  • What: The Nebraska Public Service Commission has scheduled its “intervenor” public hearings on TransCanada’s permit for its proposed Keystone XL pipeline. More than 90 landowners who have refused to sell their land to TransCanada for the pipeline and fought eminent domain in court will challenge the permit, along with 30+ Nebraska residents, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and Yankton Sioux Tribe, Bold Nebraska, Sierra Club, 350.org and Oil Change International. Read more and RSVP.

Aug. 6 march in Lincoln: Give KXL the Boot!

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From BOLD Nebraska:

Join the March to Give Keystone XL the Boot in Lincoln on June 19. For nine years, Pipeline Fighters and Water Protectors have been fighting the Keystone XL pipeline, which is abusing eminent domain for private gain, trampling sovereign rights, and threatening our land, water, and climate.

The final regulatory hurdle for KXL is at the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC), which is planning a week-long public hearing August 7-11 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska is our last stand, and the PSC will be voting on whether to accept or reject TransCanada’s permit application.

On the eve of the hearing — Sunday, August 6 — we call on all Pipeline Fighters to join us in Lincoln for the March to Give Keystone XL the Boot.

Upcoming events: conservation, peace, music, and budget talk

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Community Conservation: Making Land Protection Relevant in the Communities Where It Occurs

  • What: Dave Sands, Executive Director, Nebraska Land Trust
  • When: Thursday, June 8, 7 p.m.
  • Where: Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, Lincoln
  • More info.

Nebraskans for Peace Annual Rice & Beans Potluck Fundraiser

  • What: Annual event for building peaceful, just and beloved communities of resistance!
  • When: Saturday, June 10, 6 p.m.
  • Where: Hanscom Park United Methodist Church, 4444 Frances St., Omaha (One Block South of 45th & Center Street)
  • More info.

A Future of Care and Peacemaking or War and Waste? The 2018 Federal Budget

  • What: Music, spiritual resources, and resources to resist provided at rally. Drum and Lakota prayer, Pastor Lin Quenzer. Speaker is Kevin Martin from PeaceAction.
  • Where: West side of the Nebraska Capitol
  • When: Sunday June 11, 1 p.m.
  • More info.

Discussion about Soil Health and Climate Change

  • What: Discussion organized by the Nebraska League of Conservation Voters. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
  • When: Tuesday, June 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Where: Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, University of Nebraska Omaha
  • More info and register.

Discussion about the Plight of the Honeybee

  • What: Free and open to the public. Light refreshments provided.
  • When: Tuesday, June 27, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
  • Where: UNL Student Union, Lincoln
  • More info and register.

NRDC: Still No Approved Route for KXL in Nebraska

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From the Natural Resources Defense Council:

Yes, Trump has green-lighted the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. But Nebraska’s got a slew of public hearings on the calendar, and legal challenges loom large.

“Trump administration approves Keystone XL pipeline,” the headlines blared. It was March 24, only two months after he’d taken office, when it appeared that President Trump had cleared the way for the long-contested tar sands conduit with a stroke of his pen. In reality, summarily declaring that the pipeline is in the national interest—despite a seven-year U.S. State Department review process that had concluded the opposite—won’t magically bring it to life. The president, together with TransCanada, the energy company behind the Keystone XL pipeline, still have many obstacles to overcome before Canadian tar sands crude can flow through KXL and into the United States.

The first formidable hurdle they face is the state of Nebraska, which TransCanada has treated with contempt in recent years. First, the company drew the pipeline’s route through the heart of the state’s fragile Sand Hills ecosystem. Confronted by environmental concerns, TransCanada said that rerouting the pipeline would be “impossible.” Mounting resistance, however, forced the oil giant to relent and nudge the proposed route around some of the most sensitive parts of the Sand Hills. The pipeline would still, however, run through the important Ogallala aquifer—one of our largest underground stores of freshwater, which would be at significant risk in the event of a leak.

Now that the controversial tar sands pipeline has been reactivated by President Trump’s decision, TransCanada must obtain the consent of the Nebraska Public Service Commission and secure easements from the landowners along the proposed route through the Cornhusker State. It will not be smooth sailing

Read the full policy primer.

Green Drinks in Omaha May 24

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Here is a friendly reminder that Omaha Green Drinks will be taking place this upcoming Wednesday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Pkwy, Omaha.

Carpool, cycle, walk, or ride the bus! This is a great way to network, inspire, share ideas, and catch up with other “Green” people!

Please RSVP on Facebook.

Sign the Petition: Single-Payer Medicare for All

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From the Green Party U.S.:

The Green Party supports single-payer universal health care and preventive care for all. We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege.

Our current health care system lets tens of thousands of people die each year by excluding them from adequate care, while its exorbitant costs are crippling our economy. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a national health care system.

Under a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health care system, the administrative waste of private insurance corporations would be redirected to patient care. If the United States were to shift to a system of universal coverage and a single payer plan, as in Canada and many European countries, the savings in administrative costs would be more than enough to offset the cost of additional care. Expenses for businesses currently providing coverage would be reduced, while state and local governments would pay less because they would receive reimbursement for services provided to the previously uninsured, and because public programs would cease to be the “dumping ground” for high-risk patients and those rejected by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) when they become disabled and unemployed. In addition, people would gain the peace of mind in knowing that they have health care they need. No longer would people have to worry about the prospect of financial ruin if they become seriously ill, are laid off their jobs, or are injured in an accident.

Read more and sign the petition.

Keystone XL public hearing May 3 in York

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From BOLD Nebraska:

The Nebraska Public Service Commission has not yet announced any additional public meetings on the Keystone XL pipeline route other than  Wednesday, May 3, in York at the Holthus Convention Center. So this is your next opportunity to make your voice heard on KXL. Speakers are limited to five minutes; first-come, first-serve.

(The formal intervenor hearings Aug. 7-11 in Lincoln are also expected to include an opportunity for public testimony, at the end of the week).

  • Holthus Convention Center, 3130 Holen Ave, York
  • Wednesday, May 3, 2017
  • Doors open at 8 a.m.; hearing from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • A rally and press conference are planed for noon to 1:30 p.m.

RSVP through BOLD Nebraska.

Join the Facebook event.

Lincoln Climate March draws hundreds

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From the Lincoln Journal Star:

More than 200 protesters gathered Saturday morning to voice their concerns about climate change and its lack of acceptance by the public and elected officials.

Participants marched from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union to the State Capitol before gathering at The Bourbon Theatre. The event was one of more than 300 satellite marches across the globe.

John Atkeison, the lead organizer of the Lincoln march, said the protest was meant to get the attention of more than just elected officials.

“The main motivating force for dealing with change is at the grass roots,” he said. “The politicians that are in power now don’t address the problem. They’ve been doing little or nothing about it.”

Read the full story.

LB 461: Regressive tax cuts that fix nothing

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From Open Sky Policy Institute:

LB 461, the tax-cut package put forth by the Revenue Committee, is first and foremost an income tax cut for wealthy Nebraskans and the proposal does little to truly address property tax relief. In fact, LB 461 is fundamentally flawed in a way that makes it more likely to exacerbate, not help, Nebraska’s reliance on property taxes to fund K-12 education. Furthermore, some Nebraskans would actually pay more in overall taxes under LB 461.

Read the full policy brief.