JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT: October 20, 2021
(all information provided by Dina Nash, Justice Team Lead)
Your Justice Team is about to staff a table at the University of Arkansas during their first ever LGBTQIA+ Resource Fair, on November 3rd, from 11am-1pm. Renée Janski and I will answer questions and represent UUFF and UU values on gender equality to students and others on that day. Thanks to Steven Gaines and Fawn Smith who made that connection for us!
Two new Justice Team volunteers are Ralph Depee and Zephaniah Greenwell. We welcome them and their ideas and energy!
The subject today of our Justice Spotlight in the Climate Series is What’s in the Build
Back Better Bill related to climate change that’s being hotly debated in Congress: the
$3.5 trillion one. These are proposals for Congressional consideration recommended in a report from the Rhodium Research Group’s report called Taking Stock, 2021 using various models
for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, done for the Fed. Govt.
- Clean energy tax credits for new zero-emitting electric generation and grid improvements.
- Grants to electric utilities and other load-serving entities (LSEs) to procure an increasing amount of clean energy through 2030. LSEs pay a fee if they don’t meet clean energy procurement targets.
- Funding for rural electric cooperatives to accelerate decarbonization efforts, through energy efficiency incentives, solar, or wind power.
- A new electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500 per vehicle.
- Fines on methane emissions associated with oil and gas production and transmission by pipelines, etc.
- Stepped-up funding for agricultural and forestry programs that achieve carbon removal through soil conservation and reforestation on private and public lands.
- EV charging infrastructure grants, abandoned mine and well remediation funding, and support to keep nuclear plants online.
- Continued oil, coal, and gas subsidies for another decade (REALLY?).
- A total of the amount of carbon produced by 250 billion cars, reduced by 2030.
- $80 billion in rebates for purchases and manufacture of electric vehicles and for public transit, which will keep more gas-guzzlers off the road.
However, if these are not kept in the Build Back Better Bill or put into the “budget reconciliation
bill," which the Democrats could pass if Manchin and Sinema agree to vote for it, the United
States will not meet its carbon reduction targets for 2030. Senator Manchin personally benefits
from coal production, and he insists that more coal and gas production go into whatever bill
deals with the climate crisis. Greenpeace has a tape of an Exxon lobbyist who brags he meets
with Manchin in his office every week.
ACTION ALERT: We MUST contact Sen. Joe Manchin and ask him to do more to save the
environment from destruction. He asks “What’s the rush?” His contacts are 202-228-2002 and
https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe/email-joe. I think it’s important to emphasize that coal and gas workers should be re-trained and helped with moves for new jobs. But that doesn’t solve his involvement with the coal industry’s support for his campaign. Urge him to cut his ties with dirty energy and help with the country’s transition to clean energy! Also, please say you disagree with the part of the bill that includes continued fossil fuel subsidies for another 10 years and ask why it’s in there.
Together, we ants can move this plant! Maybe you could share Manchin’s contacts with friends
and your social media contacts! Thank you!
If you’d like to attend our next Justice Team meeting, just follow the link that will be provided in this weekly email the week prior to the Nov. 4th zoom meeting at 7pm. Need help with Zoom? Call Dina Nash.
Dina Nash, 501-554-2200, DinaCNash2014@gmail.com
Marquette Bruce, 512-965-2122, marquette44@gmail.com
Justice Team Members: Janet Curth, Claudia Reich, Steven Gaines, Georgia Lance, Ralph Depee,
Zephaniah Greenwell and many others who answer Action Alerts! Go,Team!
“May the light in the land of plenty shine on the truth someday" - Leonard Cohen
