Capitol Hotline (Aug. 25)
State Dept. okays U.S.-Canada tar sands pipeline, Thirteen forged letters found, Special interests airing disinformation campaign, Canada may shift climate stance
In this issue
- Hot Topic of the Week
o State Department Signs-Off on U.S.-Canada Tar Sands Pipeline
- Advocacy
o The Time is Now: tcktcktck
- Inside the Beltway
o Fake Letter Count Rises to Thirteen
- Outside the Beltway
o Special Interest ‘DIs-Info-mercials’ in Full Swing
o Canada May Soon Shift Climate Change Stance
- Other Headlines
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Hot Topic of the Week
State Department Approves U.S.-Canada Tar Sands Pipeline
The State Department approved a crude oil pipeline connecting Alberta’s tar sand extraction operation to refineries in Wisconsin, last Friday. In addition to requiring three times as much greenhouse gas emissions to produce compared to conventional oil, environmental advocates and Native groups are concerned that tar sand oil operations will also harm ancient boreal forests in Canada. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said concerns about higher emissions would be best addressed by domestic policies that Canada and the United States will take to limit global warming pollution. Tar sand oil extraction has made Canada’s emissions spike in recent years, which has caused the country to not meet its own climate change target. Read more at Washington Post
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Advocacy
The Time is Now: tcktcktck
This Friday, August 28 begins the 100 day countdown to Copenhagen. The Global Campaign for Climate Action, which includes a broad array of organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, Oxfam International, Greenpeace International, World Wildlife Fund, World Council of Churches and the Global Call to Action against Poverty, will be using this time to help build the world's largest mandate for action on climate. The tools to help you contribute to this joint effort are available here. This tcktcktck campaign is meant to be additive to all the amazing existing work already happening around the world. Learn more by joining the USCAN briefing on the subject on Wednesday or by contacting Jennifer Kurz at: jkurz@climatenetwork.org.
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Inside the Beltway
Fake Letter Count Rises to Thirteen
Pressure from the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming investigation into the fraudulent letters sent by Bonner & Associates lobbying firm has uncovered a thirteenth fake. The letter, in the misspelled name of the Executive Director of Charlottesville’s Senior Center, Inc., is the ninth sent to Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) urging a vote against the Waxman-Markey bill. An internal investigation by Bonner’s legal representation revealed this latest letter after Senator Markey’s committee inquired into the 58 letters sent by the firm in the campaign. Read more and see all the letters at Washington Post
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Outside the Beltway
Special Interest ‘DIs-Info-mercials’ in Full Swing
The American Energy Alliance has launched on a four-week long anti-cap-and-trade bus tour that targets coal-producing swing states. The blue bus wrapped in the slogan "Stop the National Energy Tax, Save American Jobs," made its first stop at a rally in Zanesville, OH and descended upon county fairs in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania to denounce the climate bill. The tour will venture across Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia in coming weeks.
The Energy Citizens campaign launched in Houston last Tuesday, when 3,500 people gathered in a downtown theater clad in yellow “I am an energy citizen” t-shirts. Major area energy and business organizations publicized the rally including Anadarko Energy and Chevron who both provided transportation for employees to the venue. Organizers denied access to all others, however, including members of the USCAN member Texas Public Citizen. Meanwhile the Sierra Club circulated a list of Energy Citizens Organizers, revealing registered lobbyists are serving as coordinators for 16 of 21 scheduled events and a coalition of veteran groups denounced Energy Citizens as a “front group” watering down meaningful debate. Read more at E&E (sub. req’d)
Canada May Soon Shift Climate Change Stance
The Canadian government is seriously considering a shift away from the ‘intensity target’ approach to climate change toward a cap-and-trade program similar to that outlined in the House Waxman-Markey bill, according a confidential document obtained by Climatico. The plan would include hard emissions caps for power, oil, and natural gas industries and may extend to energy intensive industries like cement, chemicals and medals. Read more at Climatico
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Other Headlines
