Climate Crisis Coalition Organizing Nationwide

"Stop Global Warming" Actions on December 3

Climate Crisis, USA Join the World! (http://www.climatecrisis.us) today announced that it is organizing actions across the United States on and around December 3 to demand that the U.S. government support action that is commensurate with the urgency of the deepening climate crisis.

"Scores of Stop Global Warming local actions will be happening during the Nov. 28-Dec. 9 time period when the huge, United Nations Climate Conference in Montreal takes place," said Ted Glick, spokesperson for the group. "We will be acting in concert with hundreds of thousands of people in at least 28 countries around the world who are making December 3rd an International Day of Action to Stop Global Warming."

The Climate Crisis group is demanding that the U.S. government join the world by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

Climate Crisis also demands that the federal government withdraw its annual $25 billion in subsidies for coal and oil and create equivalent subsidies for clean, safe, non-nuclear energy alternatives; that it dramatically strengthen energy conservation and fuel efficiency standards; that it plan for a just transition for workers, Indigenous communities and others affected by a change to clean energy; and that it actively defend the world's forests and support community-run tree planting campaigns.

States where local actions will be taking place include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.

In D.C. on December 3, scores of hybrid vehicles organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will circle the White House. In New Orleans the Alliance for Affordable Energy will be holding a Stop Global Warming event in the French Quarter. In Los Angeles on December 2, the Labor/Community Strategy Center will be doing an action calling for an expansion of the city's bus fleet to provide badly-needed public transportation which will also cut down on car-producing greenhouse gases. And in New York, also on December 2, a coalition of groups will rally in Foley Square across from the Federal Building calling for the federal government to stop its obstructionist efforts and instead act to address this urgent crisis.

In many localities, following the lead of organizers of a massive march on December 3 in Montreal, participants in the actions will try to hold their breath for 60 seconds. USA Join the World! coordinator Glick explained that, “Doing so reminds us all how important clean air is to all living things.  It reminds us of the urgency of our work.  It is a metaphor for what people on some Pacific islands may soon have to do as the oceans rise and their islands disappear and breathing becomes impossible.”

The Winnemem Wintu are facing the potential loss of more of
their sacred sites if the Shasta Dam is raised!

Written comments needed by Nov. 18, 2005.

Attached is the announcement of the NEPA process scoping meetings, if you are in California and can make any of these meetings please try to attend. You may also submit written comments by Nov. 18th.

To learn more about the Winnemem and the Shasta Lake issue please visit this website: www.winnememwintu.us also attached is a fact sheet on the proposed dam expansion (this is also pasted below) as well as a one pager on the Winnemem Wintu Alliance. This is a critical issue and any support would be appreciated. Please circulate this information.

From: Gary Mulcahy
gary@ranchriver.com
October 14, 2005 6:27 PM

continue...

July 27, 2005

** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY **

ENERGY BILL NATIVE ACTION ALERT!
7/27/05

Dear American Indians, Alaska Natives, and allies,

American Indian and Alaska Native sovereignty is under attack! As the Bush administration moves America down a backwards path of fossil fuel and nuclear energy dependency, they are planning yet again to sacrifice our homelands and way of life to provide a short term solution to this nations energy dilemma.

Late Monday night, the House-Senate conference committee approved a final version of the energy bill. We expect the bill to cruise through the House very soon, and to come to a vote in the Senate possibly by the end of this week. Within this conference bill is section Title V, otherwise know as the Indian Energy Title. If this legislation is adopted in Congress it promises to eliminate the federal guarantees of public participation and environmental review from energy development decisions in Indian Country. The language also undercuts the federal trust responsibility to Tribes by providing a waiver for the federal government of all liability from energy development.

There are other significant sections in Title V that pertain to Alaska Natives. Title V redefines Alaska Native Corporations as “Tribes” as well as defining Alaska Native Corporate Land as “Indian or Tribal Lands”. There has been no adequate consultation with all the Alaska Natives that would be impacted by this proposed section.

PLEASE CALL YOUR U.S. SENATOR'S OFFICE IN DC THIS WEEK!!

ASK THEM TO OPPOSE TITLE V AND THE ENERGY BILL!

FIND YOUR SENATOR'S DC PHONE NUMBER HERE:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
(PICK YOUR STATE AND CALL BOTH OF YOUR U.S. SENATORS)
(Capitol switchboard number below!!!!!)

The Senate should delay their vote until after the August recess, so they Have time to learn what is actually in the bill.

Your message to your Senators is simple: No to Indian Energy Title V, and NO to the overall Energy Bill.

The Energy Bill would:

Title V specifically addresses energy development in Indian Country. Within this section, there are several provisions that would negatively impact American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes and villages. The energy bill shifts full responsibility to Tribes for exercising regulatory and judicial jurisdiction over major energy-related developments.

• This legislation potentially affects tribal resources, sovereignty and jurisdiction.
• The bill could release the federal government of its traditional “trust responsibility” to ensure the protection of the health, environment and resources of Tribes. The bill undermines federal environmental laws such as National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) for energy development projects on Indian lands, resulting in a rearrangement of the federal-tribal relationship.
• This would be problematic enabling tribes to enter into resource agreements with less scrutiny that existing environmental laws would guarantee. This modification would grant tribes the unchecked authority to proceed into sensitive areas without full public environmental review or assessment.
• Many tribes have no solid mechanism for accountability to tribal members or adequate structures for environmental impact assessment and protection. This could open up conflicts at the tribal level with questions of capacity, providing administrative procedures and due process to tribal members and non-tribal members living within tribal jurisdictions to be part of the decision-making processes.
• The Indian Energy Title V, would amend section 2604 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and set precedent by providing an explicit waiver that exonerates the federal government of all liability associated with energy development in Indian Country.
• While it is true that some tribes already possess the much necessary experience in managing energy development projects on their lands, there are many other energy and natural resource-rich tribes that remain administratively disadvantaged who may be less than optimally positioned to negotiate fair and equitable energy development agreements.

The bill defines Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Native Corporations as Tribes. The bill defines ANCSA Regional Corporation lands as Indian lands. Several provisions in Indian Energy Title V (Section 503 that amends sections 2601, 2602, and 2603 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992) continue to be of concern to Alaska tribal governments and its people.

• The provisions make substantial changes that affect the sovereignty of Alaska Native tribes and villages.
• ANCSA Corporations should not be defined as tribes, nor should Native Corporation lands be defined to be Indian lands, tribal lands or Indian reservations.
• (While the bill rightfully excludes Native Corporations from the definitions of tribes for section 2604 (leasing, rights-of-ways, and other development), it does define them as tribes for most purposes. This proposed bill defines Native Corporation lands as Indian lands.)
• Among the many dangers associated with conferring the status of Indian tribe upon ANCSA Regional Corporations, is the issue of funding. The Indian Energy bill will authorize the Departments of Interior and Energy to provide tribes with grants and loans to build their capacity to manage energy development projects on Indian lands.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

The simple message is: call your Senators and tell them:
“No to Indian energy title V, and NO to the Energy Bill!

202-224-3121. Two working toll-free numbers are:
1-888-355-3588 or 1-877-762-8762.

For more information on the title V of the energy bill, visit: http://www.ienearth.org/energy_billresources.html or contact: Clayton Thomas-Muller IEN Native Energy organizer Email: ienoil@igc.org Phone: (218) 760-1370

Indigenous Environmental Network, PO Box 485, Bemidji, MN 56619
Tel: 218.751.4967 – E-mail: ien@igc.org
Web: www.ienearth.org

printable .DOC or .PDF format

for additional information see: Energy Bill Resources