Tag: Keystone XL

  • Democratic Presidential Candidates Sign “NoKXL Pledge” to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One if Elected

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    September 4, 2019

    CONTACT:
    Mark Hefflinger, mark [at] boldnebraska.org
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org

    Democratic Presidential Candidates Sign “NoKXL Pledge” to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One if Elected

    As candidates gear up for CNN and MSNBC Climate Forums, activists push for clarity on fossil fuel infrastructure

    HASTINGS, NEBRASKA — After delivering a letter asking all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to sign the “NoKXL Pledge” on Aug. 13, ten of the candidates have signed onto the pledge thus far, making it clear that on Day One in office they will revoke the unprecedented, unilateral permit that President Trump issued for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline:

    – Sen. Elizabeth Warren

    – Gov. Jay Inslee (no longer in the race)

    – Sen. Bernie Sanders

    – Tom Steyer

    – Sec. Julian Castro

    – Mayor Bill de Blasio

    – Sen. Cory Booker

    – Mayor Pete Buttigieg

    – Sen. Kamala Harris

    Over the past several years, Democratic candidates and elected officials, Indigenous Peoples, and activists have made it clear that there is a link between building new fossil fuel infrastructure and climate change. Before the Keystone XL fight, many in the Democratic Party supported building more pipelines, without regard to how this infrastructure locks us into additional decades of fossil fuel dependence and worsens climate change.

    The #NoKXL Pledge is backed by a coalition of farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations and environmental groups that have been fighting the proposed Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline for 10 years.

    The #NoKXL Pledge specifically urges the Democratic presidential candidates to pledge to:

    1) Immediately revoke the unilateral permits issued by President Trump for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines;

    2) Direct all federal agencies (State Department, FERC, Army Corps) to submit these two projects — as well as all new energy infrastructure projects — to a true climate test;

    3) Reject any project that will exacerbate our climate crisis; and

    4) Protect property rights from eminent domain abuse and honor U.S. treaties with sovereign Tribal Nations.

    View letter to Democratic candidates urging them to take the ‘NoKXL Pledge’:

    http://boldnebraska.org/letter-urges-democratic-candidates-to-take-nokxl-pledge-to-stop-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-on-day-one-if-elected-president/

    Online petition urging all 2020 Democratic candidates to sign the NoKXL Pledge:

    https://act.oilchangeus.org/sign/NoKXL-Pledge

    ###

    “NoKXL Pledge” Co-Sponsors:

    Bold Nebraska & Bold Alliance

    Nebraska Easement Action Team

    Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

    Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

    Indigenous Environmental Network

    Oil Change U.S.

    Anthropocene Alliance

    Bucks Environmental Network

    Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund

    Chesapeake Climate Action Network

    Climate Hawks Vote

    Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipeline

    Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline

    CREDO Action

    Earth Action

    Friends of the Earth Action

    Greenbelt Climate Action Network

    Greenpeace USA

    MN350

    New York Climate Action Group

    NYC Grassroots Alliance

    Progressive Democrats of America

    Seeding Sovereignty

    Sunrise Movement

    350.org Action

  • Letter Urges Dem Candidates to Take “NoKXL Pledge” to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One if Elected

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    August 13, 2019

    CONTACT:
    Mark Hefflinger, mark [at] boldnebraska.org
    Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil.org
    Ryan Schleeter, rschleeter [at] greenpeace.org

    Letter Urges Democratic Candidates to Take “NoKXL Pledge” to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One if Elected President

    Landowner, Indigenous and environmental groups announce petition campaign and ‘bird-dogging’ on the campaign trail

    HASTINGS, NEBRASKA — Today, a coalition of landowners, Tribal Nations and environmental groups that have been fighting the proposed Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline for 10 years sent a letter to all Democratic presidential candidates, urging them to take the ‘NoKXL Pledge’ and make it clear that on Day One in office they will revoke the unprecedented, unilateral permit that President Trump issued for the controversial pipeline.

    The letter specifically urges the Democratic presidential candidates to pledge to immediately revoke the unilateral permits issued by President Trump for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. It also urges candidates to pledge to direct all federal agencies (State Department, FERC, Army Corps) to submit these two projects — as well as all new energy infrastructure projects — to a true ‘climate test,’ and reject any project that will exacerbate our climate crisis. Further, it calls on the Democratic candidates to protect property rights from eminent domain abuse and to honor U.S. treaties with sovereign Tribal Nations.

    View the letter to Democratic candidates urging them to take the ‘NoKXL Pledge’:
    http://boldnebraska.org/nokxlpledge

    QUOTES:

    “There is no middle ground when it comes to protecting the land, water and climate,” said Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska founder. “You either stand with family farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations and environmentalists — or you stand with fossil fuel corporations who are abusing eminent domain, and trampling on the treaty rights of Tribal Nations.”

    “We need a presidential candidate that is serious about fighting climate change and supporting Indigenous Rights,” said Dallas Goldtooth, Keep It In The Ground Campaigner for the Indigenous Environmental Network. “Tribal nations and communities are battling for the survival of our ecosystems and ways of life, and we need a president who will stand with us against Big Oil and the fossil fuel regime. Signing the NoKXL pledge is a solid step in the right direction.”

    “Talking a big game on climate doesn’t mean much if you’re still building massive pipelines like Keystone XL and doing the fossil fuel industry’s bidding. Any candidate who wants to be taken seriously on climate needs to stand up to Big Oil and say, ‘No,’” said Collin Rees, Senior Campaigner at Oil Change U.S. “Climate leadership means standing with frontline and Indigenous communities, farmers and ranchers, and young people by stopping the deadly expansion of the fossil fuel industry and enacting a just transition for workers and communities.”

    “Any Democratic candidate claiming to be a real climate leader will take the NoKXL Pledge and commit to stopping the Keystone XL pipeline on Day One. The NoKXL pledge is a critical step in moving towards stopping all new fossil fuel projects and protecting communities already experiencing the devastation of fossil fuel disasters. To build systems that work for all of us, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground, prioritize Indigenous rights, workers and frontline communities, and hold fossil fuel billionaires accountable for their destruction. Together we’ve stopped the Keystone XL pipeline for over a decade. It’s time all Presidential candidates join us and commit to stopping KXL once and for all,” said Natalie Mebane, Associate Director of U.S. Policy at 350 Action.

    “Candidates must do more than pay lip service to climate change and the communities impacted by dangerous fossil fuel projects like Keystone XL. The American people demand to know who will make decisions based on science, not Big Oil profits. Our next president must serve the needs of communities and Tribal Nations, not corporate donors,” said Nicole Ghio with Friends of the Earth Action.

    “Our next president needs to listen to the science that says we can’t build new fossil fuel projects and fight climate change at the same time, not the polluters who say we don’t have a choice. Reversing Trump’s misguided Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline authorizations on day one sends a clear message to the fossil fuel executives that their days of power over the White House are over,” said Charlie Jiang, Greenpeace USA Climate Campaigner.

    “Our climate is in crisis and Donald Trump has done more than most presidents to make that crisis spiral into chaos,” said Josh Nelson, CREDO Action co-director. “Every Democratic candidate must commit to the NoKXL pledge to show they will be bold leaders to combat climate change and protect our environment and communities.”

    View online petition urging Democratic candidates to take the “NoKXL Pledge”:

    https://act.oilchangeus.org/sign/NoKXL-Pledge

    ###

    “NoKXL Pledge” Co-Sponsors:

    Bold Nebraska & Bold Alliance

    Nebraska Easement Action Team

    Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

    Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

    Indigenous Environmental Network

    Oil Change U.S.

    Anthropocene Alliance

    Bucks Environmental Network

    Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund

    Chesapeake Climate Action Network

    Climate Hawks Vote

    Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipeline

    Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline

    CREDO Action

    Earth Action

    Friends of the Earth Action

    Greenbelt Climate Action Network

    Greenpeace USA

    New York Climate Action Group

    NYC Grassroots Alliance

    Progressive Democrats of America

    Sunrise Movement

    350.org Action

  • Electing Real Climate Leaders to Stop Fossil Fuel Projects

    When the media talks about the climate crisis, there’s a lot of focus on the dysfunction in Congress. That’s understandable, since Congress’s inaction has enormous consequences and it’s critical that our representatives start actively opposing the fossil fuel industry.

    But when it comes to the nitty-gritty of stopping the build-out of fossil fuel projects, the elected bodies making these decisions are often much less glamorous. Congress plays a role, but it’s the city councils, port authorities, and Public Utilities Commissions that are regularly making the crucial calls on whether fossil fuel infrastructure gets built – or gets stopped in its tracks.

    That’s why we’re renewing our partnership with Lead Locally, a great group dedicated to electing climate leaders unafraid to stand up to industry at the local level. Last year, our supporters volunteered to help elect three local climate champions through this collaboration – and these candidates have since killed plans for an oil export terminal in Washington state and massively delayed a fracked gas pipeline in Pennsylvania.

    Sign up here to help us pick up where we left off with last year’s major victories, and do it again.

    Volunteering is easy – after signing up, you’ll get plugged into making phone calls and sending text messages from the comfort of your own home. You’ll be joining hundreds of others around the country who are doing the same thing, contacting voters to let them know the facts and asking them to reject the influence of Big Oil’s dirty money in these districts.

    Lead Locally volunteers make calls to elect real climate leaders in 2017. Photo by Devyn Powell.

    It’s high time to reset the definition of “climate leadership” at all levels and get serious about taking on Big Oil, Gas, and Coal. That’s one of our primary goals with launching Oil Change USA – to dig deep into our broken political system and lift up real climate leadership that helps people and planet.

    This year we’re working to elect a group of local climate leaders who are willing to stand up to the fossil fuel industry – to reject its money by taking the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, to reject all new fossil fuel projects, and to promote real solutions to the climate crisis.

    The candidates we’re supporting include:

    • Katy Eymann

      Katy Eymann for Coos County Commission (Oregon) – Katy is running to stop the Jordan Cove LNG pipeline and export facility, and to revitalize Coos County with economic opportunity that will last long beyond the fracked gas era. Jordan Cove has donated over $20,000 to Katy’s opponent, incumbent John Sweet, who is in favor of the proposed project.

    • Christa Yoakum

      Christa Yoakum for Public Service Commission (Nebraska) – Christa is running for an open seat on the Nebraska Public Service Commission with a promise to put Nebraskans first. The PSC is the body that approved permits for the Keystone XL Pipeline, and with Christa on the PSC, there would be a majority opposed to using eminent domain for dangerous pipeline development. Christa’s vision for this seat is focused on protecting the environment, expanding broadband access for all, and protecting consumers from corporate greed.

    • Stephanie Garcia Richard

      Stephanie Garcia Richard for Land Commissioner (New Mexico) – Stephanie is running for New Mexico’s Land Commissioner, a position that oversees methane regulations and public lands in New Mexico. If elected, she is committed to stopping the expansion of fracking and drilling in the Permian Basin, one of the largest remaining oil and gas reserves in the world. Chevron and other industry players have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the primary election season, and we’re expecting them to spend big again for the general election.

    Sign up for a volunteer shift today to fight back against the fossil fuel industry’s dirty money, and help elect climate champs.

    These candidates were all early signers of the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, and they’ve worked closely with grassroots organizers to oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure and build a brighter energy future with authentic community input.

    These are the kind of real climate leaders we need to turn this crisis around, and they’ll have the power to stop fossil fuel projects in their states – if we join Lead Locally in helping them get elected.


    PAID FOR BY OIL CHANGE USA, 714 G STREET SE, WASHINGTON, DC 20003.     NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE’S AUTHORIZED POLITICAL COMMITTEE, OR CANDIDATE’S AGENTS.