2020 Action

GOP Pushes Keystone XL through House

Bill Sponsor Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) with Speaker of the House
John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Canter (R-VA).

House Republicans are trying their darndest to pass TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline, despite President Obama's denial.

The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 33-20 to pass H.R. 3548, the bill that would give authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the KXL pipeline. The legislation would require the FERC to approve the $7 billion project within 30 days if deemed safe.

Last week, our post about the Living Dead Pipeline explained why the Keystone XL isn't safe, smart, or profitable. The corrosive, toxic bitumen that would flow through the pipeline is a danger to people, drinking water, and Canada's pristine forests and local wildlife.

The Republicans want us to believe that the the pipeline would create jobs, but that is simply false. The project would, indeed, create some jobs -- perhaps a few thousand -- but they would be temporary, lasting only until the pipeline's completion. The project offers virtually no long-term jobs, as the pipeline does not increase capacity in existing refineries.

What's more, the pipeline allows for big oil companies to export the bitumen around the world from the Gulf coast. Since the point of export for this oil would technically be in international waters, the U.S. Treasury will not see a dime in taxes.

So, let's recap - House Republicans want to build a pipeline that would endanger American drinking water, prevent investment in real long-term jobs, and delay a transition to a clean energy economy just so Big Oil companies can export oil from Canada to foreign countries via the U.S., without paying a dime in U.S. taxes?

Clearly, the GOP is far more worried about campaign contributions from Big Oil than they are concerned about American safety and jobs.

Take Action

Tell the GOP they can't make the FERC their Yes-men. Say no to the KXL pipeline.

• Read the bill and contact your representative here:
  http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3548/show


• Write, call, and tweet bill sponsor Representative Lee Terry (R-NE)
  Twitter @LeeTerry2012



• Campaign Headquarters: 2941 South 120th Street Omaha, NE 68144 Mailing Address: PO Box 540098 Omaha, NE 68154 Phone: 402-691-0333 Fax: 402-691-0319 Email: lee@leeterry.com

 

Highlight: Article on U.S. Diplomacy with Iran

By: Alexandra Reissig

Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College recently wrote an article on TomDispatch.com that ties in well with last month's action on Iranian diplomacy. His article, entitled, “Michael Klare, No Exit in the Persian Gulf?” highlights the mistakes U.S. diplomatic policy has made with Iran in recent history. Klare's article provides a comprehensive argument outlining exactly why it is not in the United State's best interest to put economic sanctions on Iran or to push them toward a military conflict.

He argues that the economic sanctions that have recently been imposed on Iran by the U.S. and Europe already have and will continue to hinder the world economy. It has had a crippling affect on the population of Iran and does nothing to help the anti-western sentiment that is felt there. He offers insights into the nature of the United States’ relationship with Iran since the 1980’s and how it has affected Iran’s present foreign policy and negative stance toward diplomacy with the West. Klare also warns that the Strait of Hormuz has now become a boiling point for the tensions between Iran and the western powers. He explains that although it is closed off from the United States and Europe, it has continued to export to China and Russia, providing even cheaper oil to those countries willing to buy.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

I encourage you to read the article and take in the compelling arguments that Klare makes about U.S. policy in Iran. This is a hot topic in the news today and it seems as if the tensions between Iran and the United States are only getting stronger. To take action on this issue, follow this link to our monthly action page. Last month we had an action tailored to the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran. Today you can still take this action. Please write to president Obama, urging him to engage in peace talks with Iran's leaders before it's too late.

 

Photo material from Creative Commons.

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jorge A. Ortiz

Don't Let War Hysteria Scuttle Iran Diplomacy

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently released a report on Iran’s nuclear materials. Some US media are misusing the report to exaggerate the threat of Iran's nuclear strength. There is also increasing talk in the US Congress, among Republican presidential candidates, and in Israel, of military action to "take out" Iran's nuclear facilities. In Nov. 2011, Israeli President Peres said that an attack on Iran is "increasingly likely," and that he hopes Israel "will not be alone" in attacking Iran's nuclear sites.

 

But the Israeli Army chief of staff, the retired heads of Israel’s foreign, domestic, and military intelligence agencies, and the retired Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, have all strongly argued against an attack on Iran. Gates warned that Iran’s sites are widely distributed—some in mountains, some in unknown locations—and that attacking Iran would merely delay, not stop, its nuclear program. Both Gates and Meir Dagan, former head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, have asserted that an attack on Iran, "would lead to regional war."

 

U.S. sanctions on Iran, to the extent they impact the general public, will likely weaken internal opposition to their government, and destroy existing pro-American sentiment.

 

A more productive U.S. approach would be to talk directly to Iran—we haven't done that in years—and to build on the considerable good feeling that many Iranians have toward America.

 

 

Urge the President to keep in mind, and to remind Israeli leaders about, the strong military and intelligence warnings against war with Iran. Instead of military force, urge him to use diplomacy, dialogue, negotiations, cultural exchanges, etc., and to build upon the advantage of the pro-American feelings of most Iranians while advancing the goal of creating a more peaceful and sustainable world.

 

Web: www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Tel: 202 456-1111 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)

Fax: 202 456-2461

Mail:

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

---

 

Photo credit: Lazuli Bunting. Cupertino, Calif. 2010 © Ron Wolf

 

Support Full U.S. Funding of the U.N.

Given the serious challenges currently facing our nation and the world, a strong U.S. engagement with the United Nations is more important than ever. The U.S. and the UN work together on many of the world’s most pressing issues—from the humanitarian needs of famine victims in the Horn of Africa and earthquake survivors in Haiti; to political crises in Libya and South Sudan; to ongoing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan; and reducing nuclear proliferation. It is difficult to find a moment in history when the UN has played a greater role in promoting American interests and keeping the world safe.

 

Unfortunately, this important partnership is in danger. In July, a House subcommittee slashed over $700 million in funding for the UN and its Peacekeeping missions. 

 

The House also passed H.R. 2829, a bill that calls for a moratorium on new or expanded UN peacekeeping operations, despite the fact that the Government Accountability Office reports that UN peacekeeping, in which other countries carry the burden of providing troops, is eight times less expensive than fielding a comparable U.S. force. HR 2829 will cut 50% of U.S. funding to the UN, and all funding to UN agencies that perform life-saving work including UNICEF and the World Food Program.

 

Members of Congress are currently negotiating on UN funding in our 2012 budget. Now, when the U.S.—UN relationship is so critical to global peace and security, is not the time to turn our backs on the world.

Ask them to support full U.S. funding for the UN as called for in the Obama Administration’s 2012 Budget. By failing to take account of the real world consequences of forfeiting our standing at the UN, cutting our support for the UN will undermine America’s national security, foreign policy, and economic interests, and likely lead to even greater costs to American taxpayers.

Via their websites: www.house.gov & www.senate.gov
Telephone: 202 224-3121 (Capitol switchboard)
Write: Representative or Senator (first name & last name)
US House of Representatives        or       US Senate
Washington, DC 20515                            Washington, DC 20515 

 

Photo credit: Blue Hill Harbor, Maine 2010, Lois Barber. 
Thanks to the Better World Campaign for its help in preparing this card.

Make America Stronger: Cut the Pentagon Budget

The deal in Congress to raise the debt ceiling set up The Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, a “super committee” comprised of six Representatives and six Senators, tasked with finding $1.2 to $1.5 trillion in additional budget savings over the next 10 years. Everything from raising taxes to cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be on the table. The Pentagon budget--now more than 58% of all discretionary spending--must take a significant share of these cuts.

Cries of poverty from the Pentagon ring false—its total budget is now higher than at any time since the end of World War II. Cost over-runs for questionable weapons systems annually equal the entire budget of the State Department. Accountability, such a popular idea now, needs to be applied to the Pentagon. Far from protecting our safety, the government spends 12 times as much on offensive capacity to pursue wars as it spends on true defensive measures, nuclear arms control, diplomatic initiatives to prevent war, and homeland security*.

Domestic programs must not be sacrificed in these hard times while Pentagon extravagances and skewed priorities are preserved. Members of the “super committee” must protect the health and safety of children, families and communities with programs such as Medicaid, school lunches, food safety, environmental protections and the State Department.

Urge them to pressure their colleagues on the ‘super committee’ to protect domestic programs, end tax cuts for the wealthy, close loop-holes to produce revenue, and ensure that the majority of cuts come from excesses in the Pentagon budget. You can also directly contact the 12 members of the ‘super committee.’ See below for their names and contact information. They may not allow on-line messages from non-constituents, but letters and phone calls will get through.

Via their websites:: www.house.gov & www.senate.gov
Telephone: 202 224-3121 (Capitol switchboard)
Write: Representative or Senator (first name & last name)
US House of Representatives        or       US Senate
Washington, DC 20515                            Washington, DC 20515 

*Unified Security Budget 2012, Institute for Policy Studies, 
http://www.fpif.org/reports/unified_security_budget_fy2012

Photo Credit: Pumpkin and Full Moon, 1971, Lois Barber 

Congressional Debt Supercommittee

	Democrats	Republicans
Senate members	Patty Murray, Washington, Co-Chair Max Baucus, Montana John Kerry, Massachusetts	Jon Kyl, Arizona Rob Portman, Ohio Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania
House members	Xavier Becerra, California Jim Clyburn, South Carolina Chris Van Hollen, Maryland	Jeb Hensarling, Texas, Co-Chair Fred Upton, Michigan Dave Camp, Michigan

Remove Taxpayer Subsidies For Nuclear Power

If corporations that own and run nuclear reactors in the U.S. were financially liable for the deaths and damages caused by a nuclear reactor catastrophe, it would be in their interest to minimize the immense risks that have become evident in Japan in recent weeks. But that is not the system in the United States.

Instead, we have the Price—Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act, passed by Congress in 1957, which limits the liability of each reactor owner to $111.9 million per “nuclear incident.” The U.S. has 104 reactors. Their combined group liability for any one “incident” is approx. $12 billion, a minuscule fraction of what Chernobyl cost ($359 billion), and what Fukushima is projected to cost ($200 billion and counting). Who would pay for the rest of the damages? American taxpayers. 

And who oversees safety at U.S. nuclear power plants? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but the corporations consistently fight them to minimize and delay safety requirements. The Price—Anderson Act creates a disincentive for corporations to spend money for our security.

To make matters worse, in its 2012 budget, the Obama administration is asking for $36 billion in loan guarantees to reimburse investors in nuclear power for any financial losses they might incur—again paid for by the American taxpayer. 

If these taxpayer subsidies were eliminated, wind and solar would be cheaper than nuclear. Moreover, they are quicker to get up and running than nuclear power, as seen in Germany, where renewables now deliver 17% of electric power.

Urge them to eliminate the proposed $36 billion in the 2012 budget for new loan guarantees to nuclear power investors. Tell them you don't want your tax money to subsidize nuclear power and pay for investment mistakes. And to revoke the Price—Anderson Act so that nuclear corporations will have the needed financial incentives to improve safety.

Via their websites: www.senate.gov

Telephone: 202 224-3121 (senate switchboard)

Write: Senator (first & last name)

US Senate, Washington, DC 20510

Photo credit:  Photo taken by Leigh Hilbert on Hawaii Island's Kalapana Gardens active lava flow February 15th, 2011 (His 60th birthday.) Lava has been flowing from the Kilauea Volcano eruption sites for twenty-eight years nearly non stop; the most active volcano in the world. Leigh has been documenting this lava for thirteen years and his dramatic images can be seen on his website www.Leigh-Hilbert-Photography.com Leigh also writes a world popular blog named Hawaiian Lava Daily: http://hawaiianlavadaily.blogspot.com/  On March 11th, 2011 surface lava stopped flowing so blog posting is less often.



Cut Military Budget to Reduce Deficit

In 2010, US federal spending was $3.6 Trillion, 61% paid by revenue (taxes), the remaining 39%, the deficit, was borrowed. Over the years, these deficits have added up to what’s called the national debt, which now is $72,000 per household. As anyone knows from personal experience, borrowing this high a percentage of one’s yearly spending is dangerous and unsustainable. China, Japan, and the various American and foreign banks that loan us money could raise their interest rates and our situation could quickly become dire.

So where to cut? We can’t cut our payments on our debt. Our entitlements, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal retiree and veterans’ benefits, which amount to about half of our spending, can’t realistically be cut because of the increasing numbers now retiring and needing medical care.

According to the Deficit Reduction Commission Report, “security spending ... constitutes about two-thirds of our government’s discretionary budget.” It is clear that any effort to reduce our nation’s deficit needs to include significant cuts in the defense budget.

In June 2010, the Sustainable Defense Task Force convened by Reps. Barney Frank and Ron Paul released its report that showed how to cut $960 Billion from defense spending over the next 10 years without compromising our national security.

Point out that momentum is growing for cutting the deficit and that military spending cuts must be a significant part of any deficit reduction agreements. Refer your Representative to the Sustainable Defense Task Force Report that calls for cutting $960 Billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years.

If Rep. Frank or Paul is your Representative, please thank him for his leadership on this important issue.

E-message: www.house.gov
Telephone (Capitol switchboard): 202 224–3121
Write: Representative (first & last name) U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515

Photo: Lilyhouse, Nass Valley, BC, Canada, 1971 by Lois and Robin Barber (scanned from an archival slide). Lois writes about this photo: “Robin and I discovered an abandoned trapper's cabin that belonged to our friend and mentor Peter Hughan from whom we bought 87 acres of land. When we found it, the cabin had a fallen in roof and floor, no windows and it was full (4' deep) of pack rat and other assorted animal nests and droppings. We shoveled it out, built a new floor and hand split the new cedar shakes on the roof. We lived in this 14'x19' cabin for seven years. Wood stoves to keep us warm. In year 5 we put in our own hydro-electric system that ran off our creek and we had electricity. We turned our hillside into an organic farm, raised chickens and goats, worked hard, and had a fantastic time while falling in love with the natural world.”