Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Secretary Kerry: Say No to Keystone XL

Secretary Kerry: Say No to Keystone XL 

Help yourself at link. Letter customized from the Center for Biological Diversity and sent to John Kerry today:

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14997 

"As someone concerned with climate change and water, I want to thank you for your years of climate leadership during your time in the Senate. Now, as secretary of state, you have the opportunity to have an even greater influence on combating climate change.

New evidence is just emerging from the University of Toronto that the processing of the tar sands emits two to three times more pollutants than the corporations had claimed.1 "It was shocking to me to understand that current environmental impact assessments do not take this into account at all," said said Jonathan Martin, an associate professor in the department of division of environmental toxicology at the University of Alberta. Speaking of corporations, it's been noted that there are layers of conflicts of interest within the flawed report itself. 2  An ill-fated and inappropriate project like this will continue to unearth smoking guns and impropriety because: it is a bad idea. You have to separate America from this dirty project, which has no merit for the United States.

Climate action starts at home, and one of the first and clearest actions you could take would be to recognize that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a climate issue. The evidence is overwhelming that Keystone XL would increase production levels of tar sands oil in Alberta, and therefore significantly add to carbon emissions. Moreover, the massive investment would lock us into dependence on this dirty fuel for decades, exacerbating carbon pollution just when we badly need to go quickly, decisively in the opposite direction.

President Obama will have the final say on the Presidential Permit for Keystone XL, but your department -- as the lead agency -- will point the way. Although the State Department's environmental impact statement underestimated the likelihood that the Keystone XL pipeline would fuel climate change, you can set the record straight in your National Interest Determination.

I only ask for an honest review of the effect that Keystone will have on our environment and especially on climate change. I am sure that once you have studied the issue carefully, you will see that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a significant climate trigger and must be stopped.

1.  http://news.yahoo.com/oil-sands-pollution-two-three-times-higher-thought-210153802.html

2. http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/climate-cover-collusion-and-conflict-interest-keystone-xl-report

Sincerely,

No comments:

Sunset, Venice 12/20/2012

Sunset, Venice 12/20/2012
I've been thinking some about the Winter Solstice, the Mayan end of the 30,000-year-cycle on 12/21/12.

What if in fact the world did end? Even though this probably will not happen, to live consciously it is honest for us to take a bit of an inventory.

Am I happy with how I've lived my life? (Yesterday, I thought mostly yes, with some areas for improvement, as below.) Are there changes I would make?
Would I have tried to forgive those that were hostile or disappointing to me?
Would I spend more time with those I loved the most, telling them that, feeling that more?
Would I be happier, grateful for what I have, what I've experienced, the joy, the beauty in this world?

Maybe the answer is yes to all of the above.
So this time can serve as a point of rebirth for all of us. If we think about it.

Because somewhere along the line I realized I think maybe mankind deserves it. !
The way we are killing each other, killing the planet.
How selfish we are, and snotty to those around us. Petty, competitive. Why is this? Do we have to behave this way? (I say no, it greatly detracts and misdirects energy from the full-time celebration in which we could engage, the great multi-cultural, multi-rhythmic dance we can sustain here.)

Maybe God or the Great Universe is fed up, and will pull the rug out from under us.
Don't think I can say we could blame Him/Her/It.

But it probably won't happen. (Probably not! This time.)

Still we are finite on this ride.

It is a time to think, am I happy with how I've lived my life?
Hopefully most of us can say yes.

For the part of us that have a little worry, a little sadness....
This is the time to be present.
This is the time to be the person you want to be, that can die at peace, that can hope to every day be able to look yourself and the Universe in the eye and say, how beautiful, smiling, and thank you. Let's do that.

Antidotes to Violence, a.k.a., Take Charge of Where Your Head's At - here

Tell Congress to Strengthen Gun Control Laws NOW - here

Good News & Brain Food News -
Christians & Muslims Gather, for Peace here
Good News - Top RIO+20 Summit Posts here
The 'Busy' Trap - NYTimes.com
here