URGENT: Send A Message To The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration About Arctic Drilling

Endangered Beluga whales breed in the Arctic

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is about to issue their recommendations on the Arctic drilling proposals by Shell.  If you missed last week's blog on the drilling industry's inability to clean up an oil spill in Arctic conditions, click here for the additional details.  In short, neither the government nor the oil companies have a proven method of cleaning up oil spills under the extreme Arctic conditions.  Considering the devastation that takes place under ideal conditions for cleaning up a spill, such as the Gulf spill, the devastation of an Arctic spill would be exponentially worse.  The problems associated with cleaning up a spill in the Arctic are further compounded when you consider that the Arctic is home to numerous endangered species, including the Beluga, Bowhead, and Grey whales.  Other endangered species who rely on the Arctic include polar bears and various species of dolphins.

Beluga whales dead from a local oil spill

It is urgent that you tell the NOAA you expect a viable and proven method of clean up be available before any drilling starts in the Arctic.
Click here to send your pre-composed message to the NOAA.



Related Articles:
From 9/11, A Lesson on Whales Noise and Stress - NY Times blog regarding noise pollution on whales
Photography Chronicling the Gulf Oil Spill
History of the Controversy - Wikipedia Article

Kentucky Teacher Stuffs Autistic Child In Duffel Bag

Christopher Baker

Let's make sure there are some consequences for the teacher at Mercer County Intermediate School in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, who placed a 9 year-old autistic child into a duffel bag and knotted the top because he was misbehaving at school.  The boy is Christopher Baker, and his mother, Sandra Baker, was called by the school and told to pick up her son because he was acting out.  When she arrived, she found her son enclosed in a knotted duffel bag.  The teacher's aide struggled to untie the bag, and her son emerged frightened and sweating.  Sandra later learned that Christopher had been in the bag for at least 20 minutes and that this was not the first time they placed him in a so-called "therapy bag." It also appears that Christopher is not the only child being abused in this way as two other investigations haven take place this year due to informal complaints; one where a "student was nearly asphyxiated while being restrained," and the other student vomited from panic attacks after spending most of the academic year "confined to a closet, with no ventilation or outside source of light."

Let's be clear, this would be an abusive act to do to any child.  But autistic children are especially vulnerable to abuse because they often struggle to communicate what is being done to them to those who can help.  Take action today to ensure the proper protections and consequences are in place to protect these children.

Take Action:

• Sign this petition on Change.org, calling for proper training and consequences for teachers.
•  Click here to support Senate Bill 2020, "Keeping All Students Safe Act," which calls for guidelines to protect children from abusive forms of discipline, by going to Congress.org where you can send an email to your Federal Representatives in two short steps.

Related Links:

Text of S.2020 "Keeping All Students Safe Act"

CBS News Article - School Accused of Putting Autistic Boy in Bag

Care 2 Causes Article - Kentucky School Stuffs Autistic Boy Into a Bag

CNN News Article - Mother Says Her Autistic Son Was Put in a Bag as Discipline at School

First We Protect Them, Then We Gun Them Down

Wolves.  Once numbering over 2 million, they were driven to near extinction by the livestock industry, bounty hunters, and government agents.  When their numbers reached an all time low, activists succeeded in convincing the federal government to add them to the endangered species list in 1967.  Over the past four decades federal and  state governments have spent a combined tens of millions of dollars in reviving the gray wolf population.  Now, according to the most recent data, the gray wolf population is approximately 6,000 animals in the lower 48 States.  So it's not so alarming that the federal government would remove wolves from the endangered species. What is alarming is that they would not continue to afford certain protections, as it has for other rebounding species, to ensure that wolves are not driven to the brink of extinction once again.

Because the wolves are no longer afforded any kind of protection, many in the livestock industry have succeeded in convincing State Agricultural Departments to dramatically reduce the rebounding wolf populations.  Idaho is one of the worst culprits; prepping for the aerial shooting of wolves during a 10-month hunting season with no limits.  Aerial shooting is a practice where wolves are gunned down from helicopters and planes. Sometimes a wolf is captured and collared with a GPS device so that it can be followed back to its den where its entire pack can be killed.

Take action to ensure that our investment of 40 years and millions of dollars in reviving the wolf population isn't wasted.

Pre-Composed Message to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack

Pre-Composed Message to Western State Governors

Pre-Composed Message, written by Defenders of Wildlife (widely respected in wolf conservation)

A Repeat Of The BP Oil Spill In Our Arctic Wildlife Refuge?

As devastating as the Exxon-Valdez oil spill was to the
environment in the Prince William Sound, the climate
conditions in the Arctic are exponentially more difficult.

After the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, you might think it ludicrous to give an oil company exploratory permits to drill for oil in our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  The Gulf of Mexico had ideal conditions for responding to an emergency oil spill; great visibility, calm seas, warm weather, and numerous local and federal response teams.  Even with those ideal conditions, 208 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. Contrast those ideal conditions with the Arctic climate; 20 foot seas, hurricane force winds, extended periods of darkness and below zero temperatures.  On top of that, the top officer in the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to that the government is not prepared to respond to an oil spill in the Arctic.  As if an oil spill in those conditions is not troubling enough, the Arctic is also home to numerous endangered species including polar bears, dolphins, whales and porpoises.  And yet, Shell has won conditional approval for exploratory drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas later this year.

Demand that a proven method of clean-up be in place before Shell is allowed to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic.
Email one or all of the following:
     Pre-composed message to Secretary Salazar
     Pre-composed message to your U.S. Representatives
     Pre-composes message to Congress

Tell Congress You Want A Fair Tax Code

Today's petition is in support of a budget that calls for ending subsidies to millionaires and billionaires.  It also ensures that the tax rate for millionaires and billionaires will not be less then the tax rate for those making much less, which is currently the case.  Although intelligent people disagree on the best way to reform the tax code, most people can agree that the individuals making the most money should not be paying a smaller percentage of their income than the middle class.  Click here to add your name to the petition.

URGENT: Senate To Vote On The Keystone XL Pipeline Today

Keystone XL Pipline

Last Tuesday I wrote about the Keystone XL Pipeline and explained why the project, as currently proposed, is a bad deal for Americans. Click here for the details if you missed it or want to refresh your memory.  Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to approve the project without any modifications to the proposal. This means the pipeline, which is prone to spills, will go directly through our Nation's largest supply of ground water.  It will also result in a Canadian company exporting millions of gallons of oil products from Texas completely tax free and at our expense.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on the proposal this afternoon, so it is urgent that you take action now.  Below are several links to online petitions and pre-composed emails, pick one or sign them all.

Pre-Composed Emails
National Resources Defense Council pre-composed email to your Senators
Sierra Club's pre-composed email to your Senators

Petitions
Center for Biological Diversity's online petition
CREDO's online petition

Demand That Wal-Mart Sell Safe Foods

Genetically modified corn coming soon to a Wal-Mart near you.

Insecticide producing Mon 810 and 863; Round-Up herbicide absorbing NK 603.  These are varieties of genetically modified (GM) corn coming soon to a grocer near you, and they will not be marked, labeled, or in any way distinguishable from conventional types of corn.  Even more troubling, they will not be regulated by the FDA despite independent researchers at the International Journal of Biological Sciences (IJBS) linking the corn to organ failure. Due to the uncertainty of the side effects of GM corn, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and General Mills have all agreed not to sell the corn at their stores or use it in any of their products. But Wal-mart is holding out.

Sign here to tell Wal-Mart to say no to genetically modified corn until the safety of the product can be determined.

Demand That Corporations Stop Profiting Off Of Cruelty To Greyhounds

Photo of greyhound from Florida racetrack.

At Tuscon Greyhound Park (TGP) and other greyhound racing tracks across the nation, greyhounds are confined in small cages in which they can barely stand up or turn around. On average, racing greyhounds are muzzled and confined 22 hours per day and are fed raw 4-D meat, the meat of downed, diseased, disabled or dead livestock. This was documented in a recent video investigation at TGP that you can watch here.  Thousands of racing greyhounds also suffer severe injuries including spinal injuries, crushed skulls, and electrocution. A local Miami news team documented such injuries in a news report found here. 

Recently, Sketchers in conjunction with Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, filmed a commercial at TGP showing greyhounds racing (and losing) against a smaller dog wearing the company's shoes. This ad was first aired during the Super Bowl.  The advertisement may be funny, but it is also sending a message that there is nothing wrong or cruel about greyhound racing.  Based on the facts, this simply isn't true. 

Tell Sketchers to promote their products in a more responsible way by signing this petition.

For additional petitions that call to stop greyhound racing and the exploit of the breed, click here.

For an update on the campaign to stop greyhound racing, visit Grey2kUSA.org.

There's No Time Like The Present For Freeing Ourselves From Oil Addiction

Every time gas prices go up, the issue of U.S. oil consumption and fuel efficiency comes front and center to our Nation's attention.  Now instead of only discussing this issue you can take action that will decrease our oil consumption, and as a result, our dependence on foreign oil.   The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) have proposed new standards that will require passenger cars and trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025.  This means that new cars sold in 2025 must meet this fuel efficiency standard.  Separate phases are designed to help us meet this goal by 2025 and phase one, finalized back in 2010, was implemented this year.  The proposed standards are estimated to decrease America's oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels per day and reduce carbon dioxide pollution by over 6 billion metric tons by 2025. To ensure that we stay on a path towards energy independence and reduced oil consumption, it is important that you voice your support of the new standards proposed by the EPA and DOT to ensure their adoption by legislators. Click here to send a pre-composed email message in support of these new standards. It is imperative that you act now as the public comment period ends February 13.

Tell UC San Francisco Medical Center To Abide By Their Hippocratic Oath

Jesus Navarro, dons a surgical mask.

Jesus Navarro worked for the last 14 years at a steel company, paid taxes, and has private health insurance that covers his much needed kidney transplant.  His wife is a blood match and is willing to give him a kidney. A private donor, Donald Kagan, is willing to pay for any additional expenses not covered by Jesus' insurance.  So why is UC San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) denying him the kidney transplant that he desperately needs to save his life? Because he doesn't have a green card. UCSF stated that his legal status convinced them that Jesus may not be able to afford the post-surgery drugs that prevent the body from rejecting the organ.  And yet, hospitals treat thousands of foreigners each year as part of an industry known as medical tourism.  So we must ask again, why is a man who has private insurance, a family donor, a proven history of working and paying his bills, AND a private donor being denied a life saving kidney transplant?  

Not only is it offensive to let a hard-working family man die, but he is in no way a burden on the health care system or social services. Sign this petition and tell UCSF that you expect them to uphold their Hippocratic oath and save this man's life.

Keystone XL Pipeline - Tell TransCanada We Will Not Be Manipulated

You may have heard about the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project; the application for the expansion project has been pending since 2008 and lobbying both for and against the project culminated in the last 12 months.  The project proposes to build a 1700 mile, 36 inch wide pipeline from Canada to Texas in order to carry a form of dirty crude oil that is mined in Canada's Tar Sands.

But with all of the rhetoric and distortion of facts, does anyone really know what the project will and will not do for Americans?  I would like to answer these questions for you and then ask you to email this pre-composed message opposing the Keystone XL pipeline.  

If you're already up to speed on this issue, read no further and simply email your legislators with this pre-written email.

Understanding The Market For Crude Oil

To understand the implications of the pipeline project, it is first important to understand the larger picture of our global energy market.

• Crude Oil (or petroleum) is the natural resource from which gasoline and other fuels are made.
• The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in this report and others like it found on eia.gov show that the only way to reduce crude oil prices is to reduce domestic consumption. The report compares the price of oil with and without additional domestic production, and the resulting difference is only 30 cents per barrel in 2030.  You read that right; even with increased oil production domestically it only decreases the price of oil by 30 cents per barrel 18 years from now.  This is because we are part of a global energy market where oil is a commodity, affected by the bidding of commodities traders on the future price of oil in the global market.  Further, U.S. consumption makes up around 25% of the demand for crude oil and our own domestic production, even with the addition of offshore and other production, has a negligible impact on overall supply.
• According to the EIA, U.S. demand for oil has been declining since 2007. 

With those basic facts about the global oil market and our domestic demand understood, understanding the claims by the proponents and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline is much easier.

Claims By The Proponents And How They Are Misleading

TransCanada and other proponents of the pipeline advocate two major claims: that the pipeline will reduce the cost of oil domestically by increasing energy independence, and it will increase jobs via the building of the pipeline and other "spin-off" jobs.  However, these claims are misleading at best and intentionally crooked at worst. 

The claim that the pipeline will decrease the cost of crude oil is in complete conflict with the findings of the EIA.  Further, the Keystone XL pipeline is an export pipeline; the oil is not intended for domestic consumption.  After the oil is refined in Texas it will be exported, tax free, to other countries willing to pay higher prices for the fuel.  In fact, fuel was the top export in the U.S. in 2011.  This market manipulation by TransCanada will actually increase fuel prices on U.S. farmers and consumers in the mid-west.

TransCanada's second claim that the pipeline will be a large boost to job creation in the U.S. economy is also a bit misleading.  It claims that building the pipeline will immediately employ 13,000 jobs in construction.  TransCanada then estimates that 7,000 manufacturing jobs would be created due to the pipeline and 118,000 other spin-off jobs, yet no information or details are given as to where or how they came up with these numbers.  Opponents correctly note that the only guaranteed jobs from the project, the construction jobs, are temporary.  Opponents further argue that both the construction and spin-off jobs are grossly exaggerated.  For more on the opponents' arguments, see the Nebraska Wildlife Foundation's factsheet or the Tar Sands Action Organization's factsheet here.

Forgetting the best arguments of each side, let's assume TransCanada is accurately predicting their need for construction workers to build the pipeline.  That's 13,000 temporary jobs.  Remember that it took 243,000 new jobs in one month to decrease our unemployment rate by .2%.  13,000 jobs is not even a drop in the bucket, and let's remember, the jobs are only temporary.  And the 118,000 spin-off jobs that TransCanada alludes to are based on what?  Well, we don't know because TransCanada doesn't say.  I propose they should at least provide some persuasive details about the spin-off jobs they argue will be created.

Why The Pipeline Is A Shady Deal For Americans

When one looks at the proponents' arguments against the facts, it is hard to imagine why we would want to risk serious environmental damage so that TransCanada can increase profits. Especially when it comes at the risk of increased oil prices and oil spills for Americans.  In fact, TransCanada's first pipeline which extends to Oklahoma and is only one year old has already suffered from a 500 barrel spill.  While that is no BP Gulf disaster, it demonstrates the vulnerability of the process and the potential for more serious spills.

• Production from tar sands creates 3 times the production of gas emissions and up to 20% more greenhouse gas emissions as compared to conventional oil production.
• Spills are a reality as evidenced by the 12 spills during the first year of the original pipeline to Oklahoma.
• The route for the pipeline goes through the Nation's largest underground water reserve, supplying 30% of U.S. irrigation and 82% of the drinking water for those living in the aquifer boundaries.
• Due to TransCanada's market manipulation, via exporting the oil, fuel prices for U.S. consumers may actually increase.

All of this information leads me, and hopefully you as well, to conclude that there is no good reason for us to take serious environmental risks and increased oil prices so that a Canadian company can increase it profits, tax free.  If you agree, take 30 seconds and send this email.

Tell Sallie Mae to Stop Double Dipping

Graduates with student loan debt frequently need to request what is known as a forbearance, which is an agreement between the lender and borrower to delay the borrower's payments during a financial hardship.  A forbearance can be as short as 1 month or last up to a year.  Sallie Mae, America's largest student loan lender by billions of dollars, currently charges hundreds of dollars in fees for an unemployment forbearance. These fees are on top of the interest which continues to accrue and capitalize during the period of forbearance, which results in hundreds of dollars in additional profit to Sallie Mae.  Not only does this fee result in double dipping by Sallie Mae, but it comes at the expense of recent graduates who are desperately trying to keep up with their expenses while unemployed and looking for work.  Tell Sallie Mae you expect America's largest lender to abide by fair practices and terminate these unnecessary fees by Signing this Petition.