2014 ACTION REPORT
November 2013 Through October 2014
An Update on our Postcard Issues
Climate Stabilization & Renewable Energy
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The EPA rule for CO2 Regulations for New Power Plants is expected to be finalized and made public in early to mid-2015. Meanwhile, the EPA’s updated emissions regulations for existing power plants are also in progress. Estimates are that the EPA received over 2.9 million comments on the proposed regulations for existing power plants.
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The Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act supporting fairness in our energy policies, jobs in the renewable energy industry, energy independence, and a means to curb the threats of climate change, did not come for a vote in 2014.
- Tax-extender legislation for renewable energy production and investment tax credits was voted out of committee to the full House and Senate and are awaiting approval.
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The EPA received 820,000 public comments regarding updates to the Clean Water Act. Their final report with expected new rules and regulations to protect our nation’s drinking water has not yet been made public.
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A regional committee, the Tongass Advisory Committee, has been tasked with advising the National Forest Service on how to manage logging in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The Committee’s recommendations are due in May 2015. They will inform a rewrite of the Forest Service's land use plans for the Tongass National Forest that is expected in 2016. We are advocating speeding up the pace of forest preservation, as more trees will help to stabilize the environment and our climate.
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Over 310,000 demonstrators, frustrated by international inaction on global warming, descended on New York City on September 21, marching through the heart of Manhattan with a message of alarm for world leaders set to gather that week for UN meetings on climate change. Banners and speeches made the connection between war, nuclear weapons, and our growingly erratic climate. The People’s Climate March was joined in solidarity by demonstrations across the globe.
The March was led by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who recently committed NYC to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who presided over the UN Climate Summit, and former Vice President Al Gore were prominent leaders in the March.
- Since our October postcard, four new House Members have signed on to cosponsor H.R. 5271, the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2014. The bill now has 14 cosponsors. If it passes it would be a big step toward climate stabilization.
Military Spending, Foreign Policy & Nuclear Weapons
- In January of this year Congress agreed to spend $7.78 billion on our 2014 Nuclear Weapons Budget, an increase of $810 million over the 2013 budget. Funding for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which would make us all safer from nuclear proliferation and accidents, was reduced to $442 million—a cut of $18.6 million from 2013 spending. Both of these Congressional actions do not reflect our concern about the cost or the danger of nuclear weapons.
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A successful coalition of environment, peace, and justice organizations rallied sufficient opposition to Fast Tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that the Obama Administration postponed bringing it to Congress for a vote. However, it may be one of the few areas where President Obama has common ground with the Congressional Republicans. There is talk of it coming up for a vote in the new Congress. On his recent trip to China and other Asian countries, the President had planned to move his partnerships further, but found that a number of countries had already made conflicting alliances with China.
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Senate bill 2277, if passed, could end the 2011 New START Treaty and be a major step backward in our relationship with nuclear-armed Russia. This bill was introduced by Senator Corker (R-TN) who is now destined to become the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill has 26 Co-Sponsors and has been referred to the Foreign Relations Committee. There has been no action on it since May 2014, but it portends the reckless, destabilizing direction the Republican Senate will be heading in 2015.
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President Obama has not taken action, as we requested, to convene negotiations for a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone. This issue is sure to come up forcefully in the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to be held at the UN in NYC starting on April 27, 2015. Keep your eyes open for information on the Peace and Planet Conference on April 24th and 25th, and the big anti-nuclear weapon march and rally and festival at the UN on April 26th.
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President Calvin Coolidge
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