Quote of the Week: “The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.” -- Noam Chomsky WA State Actions:Reject PSE Plans to Pollute for 26 Years -- Better Solutions Are Available!  Reject PSE plans to pollute for 26 years – better solutions are available! Customers of Puget Sound Energy as well as a healthy environment and future generations would be harmed by the company's plan to continue emitting huge quantities of greenhouse gasses for the next 26 years. Instead of addressing the problem, PSE would charge customers $10 billion to pay for carbon allowances required to permit these emissions. That's more than the company would spend maintaining and modernizing our energy grid during the next quarter century! Although PSE claims its plan is the "second lowest cost" option of the alternatives it studied, PSE uses an accounting trick to defer the costs of reducing emissions until after 2050, placing that burden on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. This change.org petition was created by the Washington Clean Energy Coalition, which is supported by both Vashon Climate Action Group and Indivisible Vashon. I don’t normally circulate petitions, but this petition approach is being used so that hundreds of names will be added to the letter asking the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission to reject PSE's terrible fossil fuel powered plan. We were able to wean PSE off coal. Now is the time to start weaning them off fracked gas. Action: Ask the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission to reject PSE's terrible fossil fuel powered plan Federal Actions: Restoration of Lower Snake River Olympia Indivisible has been advocating for restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River for many months. Your work is paying off (see bottom of this CTA for some great news from the Washington Legislature!). Right now, however, please join Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition—and other salmon, orca, clean energy and justice advocates—to demonstrate strong public support for restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River and its endangered salmon and steelhead. The U.S. Government will hold a virtual listening session on the lower Snake River salmon & dams - Thursday, May 25th, from 10:00am to 1:00pm PT. Action: Register HERE to (virtually) attend the Snake River Listening Session and include "Stop Salmon Extinction" as your affiliation to show where you stand! Protect Our Communities By Advocating for Stronger Climate Reform  Photo credit: Aaron Yoder/Getty Images The Biden administration’s EPA recently proposed standards that would significantly cut climate-busting carbon emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. Existing fossil power plants currently face NO federal limits on their carbon pollution they emit, so EPA's proposed standards are urgently needed. Plus, if we all push for strong limits, EPA could do even more in its final standards to address the dire threat of climate change and protect public health and the environment. Cleaning up electricity production is critical: power plants that burn coal and gas are responsible for one-third of U.S. carbon emissions. The new proposed standards would set limits on power plants’ carbon pollution, and then give states and power companies the flexibility to clean up dirty fossil plants, reduce their use, or retire them in favor of cleaner power from renewable energy. EPA should implement the strongest possible carbon pollution standards, and implement them quickly, to confront the mounting dangers of the worsening climate crisis and save lives. Action: Contact The Honorable Michael S. Regan, Administrator: [email protected] Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from Washington because I’m concerned about the lack of regulation for fossil fuel power plants, which currently face no federal limits on carbon pollution even though they are responsible for one-third of U.S. emissions. Proposed EPA rules establish standards to clean up these plants or retire them in favor of renewable energy, but we need swifter and bolder action. Please urge the EPA to quickly implement the strongest possible standards to counter this crisis and save lives. Have You Scheduled These Events? Let’s Talk About Air Pat Wald (educator) and Heather Taylor Zimmerman (muralist), who met working at the Hands On Children’s Museum, have filmed a one hour illustrated video presentation that takes you on an amazing trip from the big bang to today’s climate issues. It’s designed for people who may not have a lot of background in science, but scientists say they learn a lot too! You can watch the video here. Circle Passages, Climate 101 There was a lively discussion at the in person event on May 18th. For those who attend the zoom meeting, Pat and Heather will share with you their experiences in making the video (a three hour filming that had to be done in one hour – oh no). Why are they learning and talking about the atmosphere? What can we do? What they want to do next. After viewing the video at home, OI members are invited to have a conversation about it in a Zoom session. Action: OI will host an online Zoom discussion Wednesday, May 24th, 7-8:30pm. Register here. May 27: Drinks and Democracy  This Saturday (May 27), Chef Lisa invites OIympia Indivisible members to her cozy back patio in SE Olympia for a Drinks and Democracy Happy Hour! From 5:30 to 6:30pm, come enjoy a signature house drink on a democratic theme. Non-alcoholic beverages will be on hand as well. Come raise a glass of cheer, catch up with your fellow Indivisiblers, unwind, and build our fellowship! Please note that you must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID in order to attend. Chef Lisa intends for these events to spread good cheer, not germs! For details and address, rsvp at [email protected] Action: Mark your calendar, save the date and rsvp address, and rsvp/show up any Saturday you’d like to come! You Might Also Like to Attend:  “Behind every piece of art was a child desperate to be free.” It is not too late to attend the Uncaged Art Exhibit at City Hall. An art exhibition at Olympia City Hall featuring photos of artwork created by immigrant youth who were detained in El Paso, Texas, in 2018. And although the art was made 2,000 miles away, it has a direct connection to Olympia as a sanctuary city. Where: The Uncaged Art exhibit at Olympia City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E. When: The exhibit will end Friday, June 2 with a panel discussion by local organizations. From the art show.  Our Work Pays Off: Dam Removal on The Lower Snake River
On May 16, Gov. Inslee signed the final 2023-25 Washington State Transportation and Operating Budgets. They include over $7 million dollars in funding to plan to transition/replace the energy, transportation, and irrigation services currently provided by the four aging dams on the lower Snake River that are primarily responsible today for driving wild salmon and steelhead toward extinction. Comments are closed.
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