We're making a dent. In FERC's secretive operations, that is. Word of Beyond Extreme Energy's 18-day fast in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in D.C. demanding no new permits for fracked gas infrastructure has struck a chord, inside FERC, with the pipeline companies that come to FERC for all the approvals they need, and with other activists fighting fossil fuel projects. A recent industry report said that a poll of energy company executives indicated the biggest problem in getting their projects up and running is opposition from environmentalists and land owners who don't want their property taken by eminent domain. That's a far cry from five or ten years ago, when projects sailed through without anyone even knowing about them until they were operational.
If the Obama administration has an "all of the above" energy strategy, so do we. Opponents of these pipelines, storage facilities, compressor stations (to move the gas through the ever-larger diameter pipes) and gas export terminals are testifying at hearings, filing comments on FERC dockets, rallying, and blocking construction through non-violent direct action.
An article in the NY Times today has already concluded that 2015 will most likely be the hottest on record (because it's already been so much hotter than the norm), and the "natural" disasters keep accumulating, like the several inches of rain that fell in a few hours just north of drought-plagued Los Angeles, causing devastating mudslides that closed Interstate 5 for days, or the latest typhoon to hit the tragic Philippines.
I attended a really useful and fun 350.org New England retreat in New Hampshire right after returning from D.C. It included discussion of how to unify our movement across race and class (understanding and confronting white supremacy), several skills workshops and brainstorming about how to unify our efforts in all the New England states. We also painted a beautiful mural. Just like in BXE, 350.org incorporates art as an integral part of our struggle.
COP (Conference of the parties) 21 in Paris will be here before we know it, when the countries of the world will try to take positive action to deal with the climate crisis. I'm not very optimistic, since even if all the nations live up to their promised reductions, it won't get us anywhere close to limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. And that's not enough to prevent pretty catastrophic climate change. Groups like 350.org and others are talking about The Road Through Paris, to indicate we'll keep the pressure on and not let a disappointing result slow us down as happened after the disastrous Copenhagen talks in 2009.
If the Obama administration has an "all of the above" energy strategy, so do we. Opponents of these pipelines, storage facilities, compressor stations (to move the gas through the ever-larger diameter pipes) and gas export terminals are testifying at hearings, filing comments on FERC dockets, rallying, and blocking construction through non-violent direct action.
An article in the NY Times today has already concluded that 2015 will most likely be the hottest on record (because it's already been so much hotter than the norm), and the "natural" disasters keep accumulating, like the several inches of rain that fell in a few hours just north of drought-plagued Los Angeles, causing devastating mudslides that closed Interstate 5 for days, or the latest typhoon to hit the tragic Philippines.
I attended a really useful and fun 350.org New England retreat in New Hampshire right after returning from D.C. It included discussion of how to unify our movement across race and class (understanding and confronting white supremacy), several skills workshops and brainstorming about how to unify our efforts in all the New England states. We also painted a beautiful mural. Just like in BXE, 350.org incorporates art as an integral part of our struggle.
COP (Conference of the parties) 21 in Paris will be here before we know it, when the countries of the world will try to take positive action to deal with the climate crisis. I'm not very optimistic, since even if all the nations live up to their promised reductions, it won't get us anywhere close to limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. And that's not enough to prevent pretty catastrophic climate change. Groups like 350.org and others are talking about The Road Through Paris, to indicate we'll keep the pressure on and not let a disappointing result slow us down as happened after the disastrous Copenhagen talks in 2009.
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