The State Department on Friday will release a study claiming that the tar sands pipeline will have "minimal environmental impact". It is essential that we act now. Thousands of Americans have gathered in D.C. to protest the 1700 mile Keystone XL pipeline being approved. Not all of us can be there to participate, but we can protest. From your keyboard to the media.
Patriot Daily, boatsie, and I have put together some LTE's to send and other action items below the fold.
Here are two versions of letters to editors (LTE's) that can be copied and pasted into email or snail mail. Below these letters is the contact information for various media sources.
Written by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse:
Dear Editor,
Should President Obama approve TransCanada's tar sands pipeline, setting the course for 50 years? People across ideological lines respond unequivocally no, some following Dr. King's footsteps with civil disobedience in D.C.:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Climate scientist Dr. Hansen says this pipeline is "game over" for solving climate change. EPA agrees that greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands oil are 82% greater than crude or similar to annual emissions from 7 coal-fired plants, thus negating benefits from states disallowing these plants.
TransCanada estimates 11 spills over 50 years, but their existing pipeline had 12 spills in 1 year. Safety and environmental regulations don't even cover this unconventional tar sands pipeline.
Spills can happen at the Ogallala Aquifer that supplies drinking water for millions and 20% of agricultural production.
We need the media to inform the public before it’s game over.
Sources:
James Hansen slams Keystone XL Canada-U.S. Pipeline: “Exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts”
EPA letter regarding Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Keystone XL project
A win for Perry could mean trouble for EPA
Editorial: Pipeline study begs attention
The first Keystone tar sands pipeline spills again - providing twelve reasons not to fast-track the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline
Senate Democrats press for more review of Keystone XL pipeline
As Alberta’s Tar Sands Boom, Foes Target Project’s Lifelines
Clarifying facts about TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline following the Yellowstone River oil spill
Congressional Research Service: Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues (May 2011)
Nebraska Water Scientists Warn of Oil Pipeline's Risk, Call for More Study
Written by Oke:
Dear Editor,
People from all fifty states, of all ages and political beliefs, are
flocking to D.C. to participate in peaceful protests against approval of
TransCanada-KXL’s tar sands oil pipeline. The environmental consequences
of mining tar sands in Alberta, combined with the danger of pipeline
spills in the US, and the high level of emissions from burning this
oil are so extreme that climate scientists have said it's "game over"
for the climate should this project proceed.
Uniting in what Martin Luther King Jr. believed is the single most important
tool of democracy, civil disobedience, these protestors are risking
arrest and imprisonment to get their message out: "Do not mortgage our
children's future by allowing this pipeline to be built."
President Obama needs to hear these voices, reject the pipeline,
and be a leaders on this national and global issue: saving our
climate from devastating, uncontrollable changes.
Your coverage of these brave Americans efforts to save our planet is vital.
Traditionally, online submissions are 150- 200 word maximum and require your name, address and phone number. Attachments are not accepted with letters sent via emails.
Letters to the Editor & Media Contacts: Addresses, emails, online forms, snail Mail, email, phone numbers, twitter addresses
NEWSPAPERS
The New York Times
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
email: letters@nytimes.com
Twitter: @nytimes
Less than 150 words, referring to an article in paper within 7 days.
With that requirement in mind the NYT just posted this op-ed that could be refereneced:
Tar Sands and the Carbon Numbers
Washington Post
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20071
email: letters@washpost.com (Include name, home address and home and business telephone numbers. 200 words or less. No attachments.)
Twitter: @washingtonpost
Chicago Sun-Times
350 N. Orleans St., 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60654
312-321-3000
Editor in Chief Donald Hayner
email: dhayner@suntimes.com
Washington Bureau Chief: Lynn Sweet:email: lsweet3022@aol.com
Chicago Sun Times; Twitter: @SunTimes
Los Angeles Times
LA Times; Twitter: @latimes
San Francisco Chronicle
SF Chronicle; Twitter: @SFGate
USA Today
USA Today; Twitter: @USAToday
McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
(Each paper has its own editorial policy regarding letters to the editor.); Twitter @mcclatchywatch
NETWORK NEWS
CBS News; Twitter: @cbsnews
ABC News(500 character limit); Twitter: @abcnews
NBC News
Twitter: @ABCWorldNews
Erika Masonhall, Director NBC News Communications ("Meet the Press", "NBC Nightly News, Weekend Edition" , "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams")
email: erika.masonhall@nbcuni.com; Twitter: @NBCNews
MSNBC; Twitter: @RevAl
NPR News; Twitter: @NPR news
CABLE
CNN
CNN Story Ideas; Twitter: @CNN
Wolf Blitzer/CNN TV; Twitter: @wolfblitzercnn
MSNBC
Rachel Maddow: rachel@msnbc.com; Twitter: @maddow
Ed Schultz; Twitter: @edshow
Lawrence O'Donnell; Twitter:
@Lawrence
GOVERNMENT
The White House
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
@BarackObama
@whitehouse
@WhiteHouse_Blog
@joebiden
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard: 202-647-4000
U. S Department of State
@techATstate
BIG GUNS
Anderson Cooper Twitter: @andersoncooper
Keith Olbermannemail: countdown@current.com; Twitter: @KeithOlbermann
Transcanada
Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Project (Keystone XL)
Project Hot Line: 1.866.717.7473
Email: mailto:keystone@transcanada
Mailing Addresses:
Keystone Pipeline (U.S.)
2700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 400
Houston, TX 77056
Some Tweet suggestions from boatsie. For Twitter novices, just copy and paste these into the message window and hit send.
Tweets to media:
"I HAVE A DREAM." - "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political & moral questions of our time" #MLK @tarsandsaction#nokxl
An informed citizenry is key to democracy. Why aren't you reporting on fossil foolish XL Pipeline? @tarsandsaction #nokxl?
Direct to POTUS:
@barackobama "I Have a dream" that the USA will not open borders for filthy tar sands & #xlpipeline Just say NO! @tarsandsaction #nokxl #MLK
@nytimes
@washingtonpost
@SunTimes
@latimes
@USAToday
@mcclatchywatch
@cbsnews
@ABCWorldNews
@NBCNews
@RevAl
@NPR news
@CNN
@maddow
Ed Schultz
Lawrence O'Donnell
@Lawrence
One of the most deceitful talking points being used to sway public opinion for this pipeline is job creation. The corporations that stand to make big dollars want us to believe that jobs created will balance out any risks. That's a lie.
Cheryl Foytlin is one citizen protecting Democracy by keeping us informed with REAL information.
Foytlin was arrested yesterday as part of an ongoing sit-in at the White House to pressure President Obama to deny the permit for a massive new oil pipeline that environmentalists say could cause a BP style oil disaster in America's heartland. Here is a video of Foytlin speaking to a crowd and her arrest at the White House yesterday:
A mother of six and the wife of an oil worker in Rayne, Louisiana, Foytlin walked from New Orleans to Washington D.C. last April to raise awareness about the BP spill. Now, she's come to the capitol again to warn Americans of the danger the proposed Keystone XL pipeline poses to their land, water, and air. "I'm to try and protect the people who are going to be affected by this pipeline, because we've seen how an oil spill can be devastating to a community. Our environment is not worth a few bucks and a few jobs here in the now."
Write, Tweet, Facebook. We can't be in D.C., but we are not powerless, let's get more attention on these brave folks and let them know we are there in spirit.
5:56 PM PT (boatsie): Last Word now has story on XL Pipeline!!!!!
