Boulder CO has had 3 elections to get loose from its coal-based utility and create its own system for rapid emissions reductions, low rates and high reliability. As we proceed and prevail, this model of action will change the way investor owned utilities do business because this action is replicable far and wide. And right now Xcel is pouring money into our town with a misleading ballot initiative to flop over our election of 2 years ago.
Both our clean energy aims and our democracy are being molested by a hugely profitable corporate monopoly, so we need FUNDS to fight well for this November's election.
If you care to support and repost this funding drive, it would be critically helpful.
GO HERE =
> http://www.upworthy.com/...
Above is Upworthy's boost for New Era Colorado - a youth focused voter registration and education group whose canvassing won the 2011 election. The video is amazing and will tell you all. The drive has gone viral, but we have 10 days more to go and WANT THE DAILY KOS' HELP!
Fortunately the public clearly resonates with our cause - with 4600+ donors so far, so I hope you'll help us to reach even more in the last several days of this drive so we'll be as strong as possible for what's ahead.
USEFUL TO REMEMBER: Colorado is under the microscope by those looking at climate change action - and by fossil fuel interests. Yale's Project of Climate Change Communication choose to do a survey on our state because, according to Leiserowitz of the project (as reported by the Boulder Daily Camera), Colorado was a 'bellwether' state for its 'purple' political balance, diverse regional geography, transitioning demographics and because 'it is experiencing the local effects of climate change in a severe way.' 'We found that Coloradans are seriously observing drought, wildfires and declines in snowpack,' he said, explaining the state's 70 percent consensus on climate change. 'They are connecting the dots between a global phenomenon and its local effects.'
Needless to say our recently passed Senate Bill 252 (to increase the renewable energy mandate in our rural areas - a measure sure to bring more jobs into those areas) was pelted with all manner of false, nefarious advertising by the Koch Brothers to prevent the Governor from signing this clean energy measure.
So you can just guess what the utilities around the nation may bring to our city to prevent Boulder from prevailing in this vote to protect our legal options to buy back our electric supply for the sake or rapid emissions reduction, good rates and reliability. I know utilities are nervously watching this, because utility exec's ask me about this at conferences. Please support and SHARE the story about New Era's crowdfunding!
Truthout's reporting on this is easily the best, and its longitudinal
http://truth-out.org/...
And it's not just local ares of the US looking to municipalize for clean energy - check out these cities in Germany, such as BERLIN
http://www.theguardian.com/...
Huffington Post's take on the crowdfunding drive
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
And the Yale survey of Colorado
http://environment.yale.edu/...
See the report in the Daily Camera on Yale's survey
http://www.dailycamera.com/...