Seattle, WA-- On Saturday, Sierra Club organizers and several allies will rally in support of protection for public lands and Puget Sound. The event comes just days before Secretary Zinke’s national monument recommendations. A change in their designation status could put 27 of the country’s national monuments at risk of drilling, clear cutting and development.
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SATURDAY: New Mexicans to Rally for Action on Public Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, the National Park Service reversed bans on disposable water bottles in National Parks-- another reversal of an Obama-era environmental policy. The ban originally was placed as an effort to increase the agency’s sustainability efforts and reduce carbon emissions.
In response, Sierra Club’s public lands policy director Athan Manuel released the following statement:
Denver, CO -- Colorado Sierra Club organizers will partner with Patagonia for a “Public Lands Means Business” day, highlighting the importance of the outdoor recreation industry in the state as well as community members’ fight for public lands protection. The gathering will feature live music and guest speakers Luis Benitez, Director of the Governor’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, Len Necefer, head of Natives Outdoors, and Christa Nenaber, Patagonia.
Columbus, OH -- Today, the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) affirmed its approval of a financial bailout that will force FirstEnergy customers to pay $204 million annually to the company over the next three to five years in order to benefit FirstEnergy Corp and its shareholders.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Trump administration negotiators met behind closed doors with representatives from the Mexico and Canada to begin the first round of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. public has not been allowed to see or comment on any U.S. textual proposals that may be tabled this week, despite NAFTA’s impacts’ on jobs and wages, air and water, and health. The Trump administration decided to eliminate standard opportunities for stakeholder engagement during this week’s closed-door talks.
RALEIGH, NC -- Regulators will hold a hearing tonight in the Lincoln County Commissioners Hearing Room to gather public feedback on Duke Energy’s plan to add additional fracked gas capacity at the Lincoln County Combustion Turbine Station in Stanley. Duke is asking to begin construction in 2018 and have the new operations online in 2020, despite acknowledging the region won’t need any new combustion turbines until 2025.
NEDERLAND, Colo. – Today, the Nederland City Council unanimously voted to power Nederland with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2025. This makes Nederland the fourth city in Colorado and the 42nd city in the United States to make this commitment.
Nederland joins the Colorado communities of Pueblo, Boulder, and Aspen that have also adopted a 100 percent clean and renewable goal.
Washington, DC -- Today, while announcing an executive order that severely slashes the permitting process for infrastructure projects, Donald Trump answered questions about his comments, and lack thereof, on the horrific events that transpired in Charlottesville, VA on August 11th and 12th.
Washington, DC -- Today, Donald Trump will reportedly sign an executive order rolling back an Obama-era policy that ensured all federal infrastructure investments in flood-prone areas be built to withstand the stronger storms and rising seas fueled by the climate crisis. FEMA estimates that flooding has caused $260 billion of damage over the last 35 years.