350PDX Weekly Update – Elections and social movements – May 20 2020

Hi everyone,

You can find the results of yesterday’s election on the SOS website and on the Oregonian website. With votes still being counted there are some races that still haven’t been called. 350PDX is a 501c3 organization, which means we cannot make political endorsements, but we are still watching these election results closely as the results will impact our work and the fight for climate justice.

Electing the right candidate can give you a shortcut to the policy changes that we want, and electing the wrong candidate can put up more roadblocks to systemic change. But after an election, especially one that doesn’t seem to be a progressive landslide, it’s good to consider that the driving force of social change in this country has not been electoral politics, it has been social movements. The Civil Rights Act was not won because Martin Luther King Jr. became president. We didn’t get old growth forest protections here in Oregon because we elected legislators intent on conservation. Barack Obama didn’t support same-sex marriage until 2012, 4 years into his presidency.

Those victories were won from the hard work of the civil rights movement, the environmental movement, and the marriage equality movement, each made up of thousands of individuals across the country using people-powered direct action over time. 

Elections are important, but an organized, strategic movement has immense power to shift public opinion, and can compel any government to enact profound policy changes. No elected official can stop the power of an organized social movement fighting for a better world.

——————————–

Check out the 350PDX Actions page for all the actions you can take right now. It’s different every week and there are 5 actions on there right now!

Here’s your 350PDX weekly update. Let’s start with some more good news this week!

• Pembina closes last Jordan Cove LNG office in Southern Oregon

  An exciting update from Allie Rosenbluth at Rogue Climate: “Looks like Pembina has closed its Jordan Cove LNG office in Coos Bay! This was Pembina’s last office in Southern Oregon. Communities across the region have always known that Pembina was not a good neighbor, and is only moving forward Jordan Cove LNG for their corporate profits. While this is great news, it still isn’t over yet. Because Pembina can’t comply with the laws that keep our communities safe, they are trying to use their political influence to change the laws protect our land, air, and water. That’s why Tribal members, impacted landowners, fishermen, and other community members will continue to organize and fight Pembina in the courts until Jordan Cove LNG is gone for good.” Share this great news on Facebook!

• Thank you to our 45 new sustaining donors!

  45 of you lovely people signed up as sustaining donors in our spring community power drive. Thank you SO MUCH from all the staff, board and volunteers at 350PDX. We are a grassroots powered and funded movement who rely on people like you to support us in fighting for climate justice and building a livable and thriving future for all. If you want to join our community of sustainers then you still can, and any amount whether it’s $10, $20, or $100 a month will help us through this economic crisis and allow us to push for a just recovery that moves us towards 100% renewable energy!

• Are you a NW Natural shareholder?

  NW Natural’s annual shareholder meeting is coming up on May 28 and we’re looking for folks who are able to attend the meeting. You only need to own one share to attend, so if that is you, or someone you know, please let me (chris@350pdx.org) know!

• Coronavirus Lockdowns Led to Record 17% Emissions Drop

  At the peak of lockdowns global emissions were down 17% from last year. While this seems to be a temporary dip that has already partly rebounded, I take a few lessons from this.
  1) That our society can dramatically reduce our emissions overnight if we choose to do so.
  2) Most of those emissions reductions came from individuals reducing their personal carbon footprints (mainly driving and flying less). While this is a lot, it shows us that even dramatic changes in our personal lives will only reduce our emissions by 17%, leaving the remaining 87% untouched, showing that individual behavior change alone will not be enough. This is why we at 350PDX focus instead on changing the underlying systems of our society.
  3) Global emissions may well never rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and we could have seen the peak of climate pollution. That means we could now be on the way down!

COVID-19 Resources

• Request Support Form / Offer Support Form

  Our biggest priority right now is making sure folks in the 350PDX community can get the support they need. Please use the request support form if you would like food and other supplies delivered to you, and the offer support form if you would like to volunteer to help. It is being run by an all-volunteer grassroots network that has sprung up to provide mutual aid across the city.

• 350PDX COVID-19 Resources Page

  Check it out for the full list of resources for self care, community care, tackling bias/xenophobia, volunteer opportunities, and organizing during this time. Take a look here.

Actions

All these actions and more are listed on the new 350PDX Actions page!

• Call the Federal Reserve Chairman about the Fossil Fuel Bailout

  The Trump administration just gave fossil fuel companies their complete wish list of changes to the new federal loan program, without adding any requirements to aid workers. While first responders work without hazard pay or PPE gear, polluters are looking for a lifeline from taxpayers for their failing, climate-wrecking industry.

  We’re asking you to call Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell and tell him not to bail out big oil — click here to get talking points and get connected to Powell.

• Tell Congress: Pass the REWIND Act

  As Trump and Mnuchin contemplate sending taxpayer dollars to prop up the faltering, failing, morally bankrupt oil industry and its multi-millionaire and billionaire CEO’s and shareholders, Congress must respond. The REWIND Act can help: it prevents the Trump administration from using CARES Act funds to bailout fossil fuel corporations, and blocks several executive actions the President has taken or may attempt to take to benefit the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our health and welfare. Click here to send a message to your Senators and Representative asking them to support the REWIND Act.

• Tell DEQ: No more oil trains on the Columbia River

  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is currently accepting comments on the draft air pollution permit for Global Partners’ Port Westward facility, also known as the Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery. Located in the Columbia River estuary, Global Partners’ crude oil transloading facility threatens public safety, salmon, and clean water. Learn more about how oil trains endanger Columbia River communities, then tell DEQ to keep oil trains off the Columbia.

• Tell Congress that New LNG and Fracked Gas Pipelines are not Essential during COVID-19

  A couple weeks ago the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a key permit for the Jordan Cove fracked gas project. While the pipeline company is still missing all three of the key Oregon state permits it needs for construction, this federal approval should still be challenged. Last week 29 members of Congress called on FERC to declare a moratorium on the approval and construction of new fracked gas pipeline projects and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) export facilities for the duration of the FEMA-declared public health emergency.

  Will you send an email to tell Oregon’s Congressional Delegation to urge FERC to halt approvals and construction during the coronavirus outbreak?

Opportunities​​​​

• Anti-Chevron Day – Protect the Protest
  TOMORROW Thurs May 21, 10:00AM – 11:00AM @ Online – Watch here

  Anti-Chevron Day is an annual international day of action against Chevron. What originated as a day in which affected communities called out Chevron’s harms in Ecuador, now holds meaning for activists fighting Chevron’s corporate abuses from many angles, including environmental destruction, legal bullying, environmental racisms, and now, profiteering of the COVID pandemic.

  This year, Protect the Protest is partnering with True Cost of Chevron to host a “live” webcast highlighting a number of ways in which Chevron harms communities and actors across the globe. The hour long webcast will feature speakers from affected communities, environmental and human rights NGOs and the scientific community, who will discuss Chevron’s environmental and climate destruction. Share Facebook event here.

• The Green New Deal: A proposal to address climate change and inequality
  TOMORROW Thurs May 21, 6:30PM – 8:00PM @ Online – RSVP here

  Speakers: Mark Darienzo and Rachel Slocum, volunteers in the 350PDX Green New Deal team

  The Green New Deal is a vision to address the climate and inequality crises by using public investment to rapidly reduce emissions, improve collective well-being, and overcome historically-rooted disparities. Speakers will discuss the origins of the Green New Deal, show a short video, and propose what the nation needs to do to make it reality. This conversation, co-sponsored by the Vernon and Humboldt Neighborhood Associations, is a opportunity for everyone on a local level to discuss this effort, ask questions and envision what this movement could bring to our communities.

• Indigenous Land & Water Protectors Webinar
  Thurs May 28, 2:00PM – 3:30PM @ Online – Register here

  Across the Pacific Northwest, Indigenous land & water protectors are fighting back against the threat of oil & gas exports through their traditional lands. From Wet’suwet’en territory to the Klamath River and beyond, these battles to protect communities from the harm of the fossil fuel industry are connected.

  On Thursday, May 28, from 2-3:30PM PST join Indigenous leaders from across the region for a discussion about their communities’ fights against fossil fuel export projects including the Coastal Gas Link pipeline, Jordan Cove LNG, Tacoma LNG, and the Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline.

  Speakers include Ka’ila Farrel-Smith (Klamath-Modoc Artist), Kanahus Manuel (Secwepemc and Ktunaxa), Brook Thompson (Yurok Tribal member), Dakota Case (Puyallup Water Warriors), Thomas Joseph (Hoopa), and a representative from the Gidimt’en Camp. Facebook event here.

Art & design by Ka’ila Farrell-Smith

Thank you all for the work that you do, stay safe, and we’re all in this together,
Ashley, Chris, Chuck, Dineen, Lucy – the 350PDX staff