It is now too late for letters to influence the Georgia Senate vote, so our letter group is taking a week off after two and a half years. We’ll be back next week to write to decision makers (see below).
We can still make phone calls, though. Or textbank. There are a number of options listed at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/447636/
Speaking of decision-makers. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is critical in supporting climate action. However, it isn’t always on track. The Juggernaut Project asks us to spur the EPA on with regard to methane:
Methane emissions are the second leading driver of climate change following carbon dioxide, in large part because methane traps 81 times more heat than CO2.
That’s why the Environmental Protection Agency is considering new rules that would require the oil and gas industry to drastically reduce methane emissions across their operations.
If enacted, the rules would be a huge boost to our efforts to fight climate change, reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 87 percent between now and 2030.
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The Sierra Club asks us to weigh in on fossil fuel operations in Louisiana that are destroying a way of life:
We’d like you to reimagine what Cameron, Louisiana, would look like without the fossil fuel industry: Calcasieu River would be a glistening river that balloons off the coast of the cities of Westlake and Lake Charles. The air would not feel heavy with pollutants and wouldn’t carry strange smells from petrochemical facilities along the coast that make it hard to breathe. There would be no gas export facility and smoke stacks blocking the coastal view of green marshes and wetlands. We’d see shrimpers and oystermen working in the river, secure in the knowledge that nothing but Mother Nature could stop their business.
In this world reimagined, shrimpers and oystermen who have worked in the region for generations, supporting their families, would continue contributing to sustainable local economies. The environment would be restored to its natural purpose of protecting the communities along the coast and being there for people and animals to enjoy without danger to their health.
Unfortunately, that is not the case today – many shrimpers in Cameron, Louisiana, say this may be their last year of operating, in part because LNG terminals and tankers are taking over, polluting the waterways, and destroying the wetlands.
The destruction of wetlands is making people more vulnerable and destroying important fish hatcheries. Dredging and ship traffic in the Calcasieu River make it impossible for them to shrimp, harvest oysters, and engage in other economic activities. Along with this issue, land loss and hurricanes have caused people in the region to suffer and leave!
Regulatory agencies like the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) must start making decisions that protect people and their families, not corporations!
We need your help to make them take notice! With personal comments, these agencies can see firsthand how these facilities will impact you and the things you care about.