Confronting the Climate Crisis:Updates until late Sept. 2016

Some Progress and A Few Setbacks on Pipelines and Oil & Coal ExportStanding Rock Sioux and other people protest Dakota Access Pipeline. See background info in this August 15, 2016, article in Indian Country Today Media Network: The article at www.tinyurl.com/h76cjb3 includes this basic information: “On July 26, 2016 the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was stunned to learn that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had given its approval for the pipeline to run within a half-mile of the reservation without proper consultation or consent. Also, the new 1,172 mile Dakota Access Pipeline will cross Lake Oahe (formed by Oahe Dam on the Missouri) and the Missouri River as well, and disturb burial grounds and sacred sites on the tribe’s ancestral Treaty lands, according to SRST officials.”

Tribes make progress on Dakota Access pipeline and related matters: See article www.tiny url.com/h6unwal

People from all over went there in solidarity, and people organized local solidarity activities in many places. Here is Bob Zeigler’s photo of the September 13, 2016, solidarity vigil at Olympia’s Percival Landing.

Rebecca Solnit wrote a great article about the powerful movement of Native people and other climate protectors at Standing Rock and beyond, and the federal delay of the Dakota Access pipeline: Read this September 12, 2016, article at www. tinyurl.com/zz6pg9f

Huge new Canadian pipeline likely to be approved, bringing horrible risks of spills to our local waters: A Sept. 14, 2016, article in the Seattle PI warns that Canada’s government is likely to approve it on or before Dec. 19, 2016. It would triple the TransMountain Pipeline, which already carries dirty tar sands from Alberta to the Vancouver BC area with a capacity much larger than the Keystone XL pipeline, and would export this dirty oil to Asia. It would cause 34 oil tankers through Canadian/U.S. waters of the Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Read the article at www.tinyurl.com/zrfsdsa

TransCanada’s proposed pipeline to Canada’s East Coast could be worse than Keystone XL: The Natural Resources Defense Council (www.nrdc.org) warned us in a July 26, 2016, article that “TransCanada’s Energy East proposal is truly Keystone XL on steroids.” Read the article at www.tinyurl.com/z4q2wcl

Victory! In a landmark ruling, a Canadian judge struck down their national government's 2014 approval of the controversial $7.9 billion Northern Gateway pipeline: This has been a 12-year struggle by First Nations people and environmentalists. Canada’s previous Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a politically conservative supporter of oil companies, so he weakened environmental laws. In late June 2016 the court decided that the pipeline company Enbridge had failed to consult with First Nation tribes when mapping the pipeline’s route for transporting crude oil from Alberta to British Columbia. Enbridge also has been promoting several other pipelines that are wildly unpopular. Read three articles at www.tinyurl.com/jqjpko6 and www.tinyurl.com/hc29qjm and www.tinyurl.com/h8udc7k

Approval of huge new pipeline from North Dakota’s Bakken area to Illinois is unfortunate, but at least it will reduce oil trains: This pipeline is nearly as long as Keystone XL. Read article at www.tinyurl.com/hyrwqy3

New report predicts many oil train accidents. People urge federal Dept. of Transportation to protect us: A petition started in August 2016 by the Waterkeeper Alliance (www.waterkeeper.org) alerts the public that “Oil

trains pose an immediate threat to communities around the country” and calls upon the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to take strong actions. Their report, “Deadly Crossing: Neglected Bridges & Exploding Oil Trains,” was co-written by two other non-profit organizations. They say the U.S. DOT “predicts that we will have an average of 10 oil train derailments a year for the next decade, causing more than $4 billion in damages and threatening lives across the country.” Their petition criticizes DOT for “allowing a gradual, nearly decade-long phase-out of the most dangerous tank cars, all while volatile oil on trains is brought through our communities and over our waterways.” See www.tinyurl.com/hc4s4uc

This short article reports on the growing movement against oil trains: www.tinyurl.com/jbtm29f

EXAMPLES of local governments in WA opposing fossil fuel exports:

Whatcom County Council placed a two-month moratorium on new unrefined coal and oil exports – and on Sept 27 extended it to six months: Local folks have worked hard to prevent new dangerous oil and coal projects – and to elect good County Council candidates.

Vancouver WA City Council votes unanimously to prohibit future oil projects: On July 18, 2016, Vancouver WA’s City Council voted 7 to 0 to prohibit crude oil storage, handling, and refining facilities in that city’s industrial zones. This can prevent new projects that had been proposed. Arlene Burns, Mayor of the little Columbia River town of Mosier, Oregon, where an oil train derailed recently, stated, “By taking this step, the City of Vancouver is standing up for little towns like ours who don't have the same power, but who bear the risks of oil trains just the same.” Vancouver info: www.standuptooil.org

Aberdeen’s City Council unanimously prohibits bulk crude there: In mid-July 2016 the Aberdeen City Council unanimously prohibited the location of bulk crude storage and handling facilities in the City of Aberdeen. Info: This info came from the savvy local non-profit group there, Citizens For A Clean Harbor, www.facebook.com/CitizensForACleanHarbor

Edmonds City Council opposes trains carrying coal and crude oil: On June 28, 2016, the City Council of Edmonds WA (NW of Seattle) voted unanimously to approve resolutions urging federal officials to ban transporting crude oil and coal by rail through Edmonds. Oil trains run along Edmonds’ waterfront along Puget Sound.

Let’s Put a Price on CarbonPutting a price on carbon will reduce climate pollution: More and more people across the political spectrum are recognizing that putting a fee or tax on carbon fuels will reduce their use and help the climate. People who care about the climate support this, and so do people who believe in the power of markets and economic incentives. Read a few good articles. The Climate Reality Project says this: www.tinyurl.com/ja674k9 Climate scientist James Hansen said this on Democracy Now!: www.tinyurl.com/zqwfzh7 Several states’ carbon pricing efforts is are tracked at www.usclimateplan.org/statecarbonpricing

In Nov. 2016 Washington State’s voters can pass I-732, a revenue-neutral carbon fee that will be offset by progressive reforms to our state tax system: Many people seeking a carbon fee want it to be “revenue-neutral,” so instead of the state government making a profit, some unfair taxes will be cut to offset the amount. Washington State has the nation’s most regressive tax system (poor people paying too much, rich people paying too little), so Initiative 732 would reduce the regressive sales tax by one percentage point, and it would reduce the manufacturing part of the Business & Occupation Tax. See much information at www.yeson732.org, which evolved from www.carbonwa.org

The Sightline Institute (www.sightline.org), which provides excellent, credible information about environmental and climate issues, produced a 3-part series about CarbonWA’s I-732: See www.tinyurl.com/gqpwsc w for their Aug. 1 , 2016, article, www.tinyurl.com/zerd7p3 for their Aug. 2, 2016, article, and www.tinyurl.com/jooe2k4 for their Aug. 3, 2016, article.

Let’s Counter the DeniersThis visual timeline offers a compelling view of the relative amount of global warming over time: The timeline at this link – www.tinyurl.com/ jomappe – and the notes below it show how much warming has been occurring during our current “global warming” era. When “deniers” say the earth’s temperature has fluctuated over many years, this powerful information might show them that the current warming is a bigger amount – and much more rapid – than previously. Also, notice the bonus punchline down at the bottom: “If your car is on fire, don’t worry. Your car has been hot before.”

Everybody who knows about photosynthesis can see how the carbon cycle explains the climate crisis: Climate deniers who went to high school and learned about photosynthesis might be able to understand the climate crisis by seeing how humans have disrupted the carbon cycle, which is part of learning about photosynthesis. This lets them draw upon what they already know instead of getting distracted by arguing about the weather. See the Olympia FOR’s August 2016 TV program (and the Word document summarizing it) at the “TV Programs” part of www.olympiafor.org.

Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s “Confronting the Climate Crisis” group is vigorous and effective! Join our exciting, productive meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, downtown Olympia. Info: Bourtai Hargrove, (360) 352-6327 climate@olympiafor.org