Fearless Summer

This summer we're escalating the movement against extreme energy.

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Flash Mob to Protect Our City! Stop Spectra & Rockaway Pipelines

(Photo by Mickey Z.)

(Photo by Mickey Z.) 

On June 26, during lunchtime in one of Manhattan’s busiest neighborhoods, local activists—including some from OWS and Occupy the Pipeline—delivered a dose of puppet- and prop-powered street theater.

New Yorkers watched in awe as two massive pipelines attempted to invade their city—only to be repelled by wind-powered human unity.

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Coeur d’Alene, Idaho & Spokane, Washington Raise the Alarm Around Coal Export Terminals

(via the Wild Idaho Rising Tide Facebook Page)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) disclosed at a recent U.S. House subcommittee hearing that it will not undertake a programmatic environmental impact statement considering the broader climate change impacts and the effects of rail transport of coal in its review of three proposed Northwest coal export terminals.   The Corps has also unjustifiably fast-tracked its environmental assessment of Ambre Energy’s coal shipping plans for the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Oregon.  On behalf of the health and environment of eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana frontline, train route residents dismissed by the Corps, about two dozen activists and allies of Occupy Spokane, Spokane Coalition Builders, and Wild Idaho Rising Tide (WIRT) staged demonstrations called Fearless Summer: Coal Export Sacrifice Zone Uprising in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington.  On Thursday, June 27, protesters encountered a deserted Corps regulatory field office in Coeur d’Alene, with a note posted on its door saying that “staff members are working in the field during the afternoon of Thursday, June 27.”  Through photographs, activists nonetheless documented citizen outrage with Corps coal export decisions, before private office building personnel expressed their displeasure with protester presence.  During evening rush-hour traffic in Spokane on Thursday, June 27, over 20 people gathered for a sign-waving rally denouncing increased coal export rail traffic through northern Idaho and Spokane.  While most of the participants stood near busy intersections, two activists walked toward the nearby Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad bridge over North Division Street near Sprague Avenue, to obtain higher traffic visibility for their protest signs juxtaposed to the loaded coal train cars temporarily stopped on the bridge.  Without proper warning or signage and while touching the protesters, BNSF patrols cited Tony and Ziggy with second degree criminal trespass, in the fourth instance of Northwest coal export resistance charges since December 2011.  Supported by fellow opponents, the defendants will appear for arraignment at 9 am on July 5 and 11 in Spokane district court, 1800 West Broadway.  For WIRT’s full media release and links to action videos and photos and pertinent news articles, see the WIRT website athttp://wildidahorisingtide.org/2013/06/27/protesters-cited-for-railroad-bridge-trespassing-during-fearless-summer-rally/.  In solidarity with grassroots Rising Tide and allied groups throughout the region, who coordinated Fearless Summer direct actions during June 24 to 29, climate activists eagerly anticipate escalating protests that confront dirty energy industrial projects like Northwest coal extraction, transportation, and combustion and other extreme energy ventures

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Seneca Lake Flotilla

On June 22 the Seneca Lake Flotilla came together in Watkins Glen, NY, with over sixty paddle, sail and power boats, and over 80 protestors to say NO to a massive liquid petroleum gas storage facility that is being constructed on the shore of Seneca Lake by Inergy LP. The protest was covered by TV news in two major cities, and by newspapers in Ithaca, Elmira, and Rochester. Inergy threatens the health of the lake and the locals with their plans to locate 42 million gallons of high salinity brine in pools on a hill above the lake, to increase local CO2 emissions with truck and rail traffic, and by storing liquid petroleum gas in unlined salt caverns—a method that has had disastrous consequences in other communities. Seneca Lake is the source of drinking water for thousands of people, and we stood up for it, for clean air, and to say that we refuse to allow Seneca Lake, our health and community to be another casualty of the oil and gas industry.

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Climate First! Runs Two Direct Actions Against TD Bank in Wash., D.C.

Activists with Climate First! did a “double” direct action against TD Bank yesterday in Wash., D.C.  We entered one TD Bank branch, and shared our concerns with the branch manager about her employer’s investments in the Keystone XL pipeline.  The manager was not authorized to speak regarding such matters, but did provide us with contact information for an individual who could respond.  We moved outside and rallied for about 30 minutes, engaging bank customers and passersby about the issues.  Then we marched to a second branch where we basically repeated the above events.  Thanks to all the folks who helped Climate First! run yesterday’s successful actions against TD Bank! 

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Seattle Rides Against Climate Change Profiteers

On Friday June 28 Rising Tide Seattle activists and friends converged for a Climate Profiteers Bike Tour. About 18 folks, including one puppy and three members of the Salish Sea Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, rode from City Hall Park south towards the port of Seattle. We took over 1st Avenue and proudly declared that climate profiteers are not welcome on the Salish Sea and in the Northwest. We will not allow our region to become a fossil-fuel corridor.

Our first stop was a Burlington Northern Santa Fe loading terminal where we blockaded an entrance from incoming trucks. The rail line is owned by Warren Buffet who continues and wants to expand coal, shale oil and tar sands shipments through the Northwest. The planet cooking cargo will create increased traffic and coal dust that pollutes Seattle communities and our lungs - especially impacting those of immigrants and people of color.

Next we visited SSA Marine, a massive shipping company locally owned by John Hemingway, that wants to build a coal export terminal at Cherry Point north of Seattle. There we rallied, chanted, and lined up across the front entrance to make sure office workers could not ignore our message: “from the plains, to the ports, we don’t want your coal exports.” SSA Marine exploits port truck drivers and wants to profit by exporting coal to Asia. The terminal at Cherry Point would desecrate ancestral land of the Lummi Nation and pollute their air and fisheries while accelerating climate change. Much of the coal will be shipped to China and India where communities are fighting increased pollution and abuse from fossil fuel companies.

Our final stop was a Shell gas station nearby where circled the pumps, blocked entrances and disrupted business for some time. Shell Oil, is trying to use Puget Sound as a staging ground for deepwater drilling in the Arctic. In addition Shell’s refinery in Anacortes takes materials from the Alberta tar sands.

Seattle is ready for a long Fearless Summer where we will firmly declare that the Salish Sea is off limits to all fossil fuel exports and climate profiteering. Onward!

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The Road to Hell is Paved with Tar Sands: Utah Tar Sands Resistance and Allies Confront Tar Sands and Oil Shale Road Development on the Colorado Plateau

As part of the Fearless Summer week of solidarity actions against extreme energy, Utah Tar Sands Resistance and allies confronted road construction crews on Seep Ridge Road, and expressed determination to stop both the road itself and what it is literally paving the way for–tar sands, oil shale and fracking across the Colorado River Basin (at an estimated cost of $3 million per mile).

Seep Ridge, formerly a small dirt road, is now becoming a site of immense devastation as areas of Uintah County are clear cut, leveled, and ultimately pave from just south of Ouray, Utah, to the Uintah/Grand county line atop the Book Cliffs, a distance of some 44.5 miles. Eventually, this road may connect to I-70, though development of the Grand County leg has not been approved and is already meeting with resistance.

Construction of this “Road To Nowhere” is destroying wildlife habitat, and the road itself, once complete, would facilitate the growth of a potential energy colony which would only serve to wreak more destruction of this already fragile ecosystem.

This action took place after a family campout, which gathered adults and children of various ages at the proposed site of the first tar sands mining in the United States–PR Springs, in the scenic Book Cliffs of Eastern Utah, on the Tavaputs Plateau.

UTSR was joined by members of Peaceful Uprising, Canyon Country Rising Tide, DGR Great Basin, the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, and others.

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West Virginians Launch Citizen Action for Real Enforcement Campaign

On Monday, a historic coalition of environmental, civic and religious groups came together to demand something better for West Virginia.  Groups ranging from Coal River Mountain Watch and Sierra Club to League of Women Voters and the Catholic Committee of Appalachia launched the Citizen Action for Real Enforcement campaign by filing a formal legal petition for federal intervention to address the failure of our state agency to enforce mining laws.  Several dozen West Virginia citizens rallied outside our local Office of Surface Mining to deliver our petition and then marched to our state Capitol to deliver a copy to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin under the watchful eyes of the State Police.  (Bit much for a press conference, don’t you think?). They must have told the Governor we were coming because folks saw him flee his office just minutes before the march arrived.  What’s the matter Earl? Scared of your own constituents carrying a petition?  Apparently so, because his secretary refused to accept the paper copy of the petition citing “security concerns".  One West Virginian pointed out that we’re far more likely to have poison from the coal industry in our water than for there to be poison on the petition, but they couldn’t be convinced.  You can help us by telling Sec. of the Interior Sally Jewell to act on our petition right away!

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Train Blockade in Maine Stops Fracked Crude Oil

350 Maine and Maine Earth First coordinated a rail blockade in Fairfield, Maine on Thursday, June 27th. Trains carry fracked crude oil from the Bakken Oil fields of North Dakota, through Maine to Irving’s Oil Refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick. The transport is dangerous for communities all along the rout. The rail owner, Pan Am has had two train derailments since 2012, one of which was carrying 15 cars of Bakken Crude. The Maine DEP spokesperson said the fact that so little oil spilled was “a miracle." 

Dozens demonstrated and six were arrested after refusing to leave the tracks. A crowd of local citizens gathered, many of whom expressed support for the demonstration. 

350 Maine Organizer Read Brugger was one of those arrested. “Industry and governments should rapidly scale down the use of fossil fuels in response to climate change. But because of greed and dwindling global reserves, they are instead pursuing ever more destructive methods of extraction,” he said. 

http://www.350maine.org/train_blockade

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Missoula Fearless Summer Rally

On Tuesday, June 25th, 30 Montanans rallied in the rain outside Missoula's County Courthouse to kick off a Fearless Summer of climate activism.  The rally was organized by the Missoula-based Blue Skies Campaign, and we were joined by members of Northern Rockies Rising Tide, Indian People's Action, Montana Elders for a Livable Tomorrow, and 350 Missoula.  We stood on Missoula's central downtown street for 1.5 hours waving signs and banners, and encouraged rally participants to join more escalated actions later on this summer.  From the Otter Creek Coal Mine to the Keystone XL Pipeline, Montanans are ready to take on the fossil fuel industry this summer!

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Second hike in the series, this image of 350NH-ers atop Mt. Major in Alton, NH on June 25th. The message continues: no Trailbreaker in New Hampshire. Climate change is real. We will not stand by idly as the planet is destroyed for corporate profit.

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Michigan is Fearless

Folks in Michigan are fed up and stepping up during the first week of coordinated actions of an escalating movement against extreme energy!  Today there were two powerful actions in Michigan against tar sands.

Fearless Summer No Petcoke

In Detroit, the Detroit Coalition Against Tar Sands (DCATS) turned away trucks adding petcoke (an extra-dirty coal-like waste product of tar sands refining) to an already-massive pile alongside the Detroit River.

#MiCats, #Occupy Kalamazoo and #ONG2 ([un]Occupy National Gathering 2013) Are Fearless

In response to the expansion of Enbridge Energy’s pipeline expansion project,line 6b, in Marshall, MI, the Michigan Coalition Against Tar sands (MiCATS) put their bodies directly in the path of a destructive course of development. As the sun crawled over the horizon, they crawled onto the construction site and stood in defiance against the insidious business practices of Enbridge Energy.

The third anniversary of the Enbridge tar sands oil spill in Kalamazoo is approaching, and people are still suffering from exposure. Symptoms include seizures, auto-immune disorders and death. By putting their bodies on the line, these people are saying no to tar sands, no to environmental sacrifice zones and no to harsh extractive practices.  This act stands in solidarity with D CATS, Idle No More and Fearless Summer.

Deeply effected personally by the spill, Chris Wahmhoff,  a member of  MiCATS, and organizer with Occupy Kalamazoo took the occasion of his 35th birthday to offer a plea of help to his community. He rolled stomach down on a skateboard deep  into the same Enbridge pipeline which spilled a million gallons of tar sands into the Kalamazoo river three years ago. The pipeline is a 5-mile long new section that is being built to replace an existing line.  If not for Chris, Enbridge would be working today to twin that pipeline to pump even more tar sands.

Chris came out of the pipeline at 5:03 PM ET, was decontaminated,  and taken to a hospital in Marshall and was last seen being escorted to Battle Creek by 2 sheriffs. Please Help Bail him out of Jail.  It was reported by people on the ground, that Chris did twinkle fingers and  grinned as they sang Happy Birthday.

speaking of decontaminated…technicians in personal protective equipment  

Mounted LEOs Enbridge lock-down

Update:

Jason Manshum, an Enbridge spokesperson, said the company is happy that Wahmhoff is safe.  Manshum said Enbridge is checking the pipe for damage and said pressing charges is a “realistic possibility.”

Statements from Chris, MiCATS, Occupy Kalamazoo, [un]Occupy National Gathering and links below.

I, Chris Wahmhoff, write this personal statement of civil disobedience, on June 24th, 2013. This is also my 35th birthday, and wish for a future for my friends, family, and their children. I wish that as we are taken to jail, someone else will rise and proclaim, China’s oil will not pass through 6b any longer.

I beg in this statement that people do not listen to what they are told, including myself. But learn for themeselves how many have died. Learn that they made laws like H.B.5555, to hide that people get hurt, that with fracking and this gas and oil extraction harms us all.

I give my freedom and am willing to give everything to ask you loud enough to simply beg “Please, help us.” My birthday wish is help for my community from the people, not the politicians, corporations, and large NGO’s who want money for themselves.

With desperation, Chris Wahmhoff

  Today, Monday June 24th, 2013, Michigan Coalition Against Tar sands (MiCATS) responded to Enbridge Energy’s pipeline expansion project on line 6b in Marshall, Mi. In response to the expansion of line 6b, MiCATS put our bodies directly in the path of a destructive course of development. As the sun crawled over the horizon, we crawled onto the construction site and stood in defiance against the insidious business practices of Enbridge Energy.

As Enbridge continues to neglect the tar sands settling in the Kalamazoo River following the burst of pipeline 6b in 2010, the company is currently developing the line to more than double the amount of the toxic material being pumped through our communities every day. To increase their capacity from 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) to at least 500,000 bpd, on a pipeline which Enbridge has proven themselves devastatingly inept in maintaining a line healthy enough to maintain it’s initial capacity, not only proves the company’s disregard for public health in the communities surrounding the pipe, but also a lack of accountability for the ecological disaster in 2010.

Enbridge Energy has made it obscenely obvious that they only understand dollar signs, as we (people living near the Kalamazoo River as well as neighbors of the pipeline) pay the true price of heavy water pollution, great risks to public health, and visible ecological destruction. We encourage everyone near the pipeline route to feel empowered to act in resistance to Enbridge through this fearless summer.

In Solidarity with Idle No More,

-Mi-CATS, #OK, #Ng2Kzoo,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/chris-wahmoff-michigan-protests-pipeline_n_3492634.html Huffington article

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Breaking News: Greg Boyce has Pupaphobia (fear of puppets)

Peabody Energy CEO, Greg Boyce, fled St. Louis for the weekend while 50 activists associated with MORE (Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment) rallied outside of his STL home, to protest the corporation's crooked policies which rip off miners and schools, and destroy the planet. Police said that Boyce fled out of fear to avoid the rally. The large public rally included a massive paper mache puppet of Boyce, who literally tore up miner's health care benefits, stole money from the St. Louis public schools, and lit the city of St. Louis on fire. Community members spoke about the devastating effects that Peabody and Boyce have had upon the St. Louis community, including taking tax breaks of over $60 million-- taking money away from public schools and other public services. Boyce's soul is really as "black as coal" and we will continue to fight back against Peabody's destruction to the community and to the climate. Check out the article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch which provides good coverage of the rally as well as Fearless Summer (note: be sure to check out the statement from Peabody spokesperson) and this video clip from STL Channel 4. 

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Construction of Keystone XL pump station shut down in largest action yet by the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance.

Seminole, OK: Early this morning, eight individuals blockaded construction of a pump station for TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline on Seminole land-by-treaty by locking on to equipment in the largest action yet by the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance.  Nine people were arrested, one of whom was also hospitalized after being cut by the jaws of life.

http://gptarsandsresistance.org/

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Two powerful actions in Michigan against tar sands. The Detroit Coalition Against Tar Sands (DCATS) turned away trucks adding petcoke (an extra-dirty coal-like waste product of tar sands refining) to an already-massive pile alongside the Detroit River. In Kalamazoo, a member of Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI CATS) skateboarded deep into the same Enbridge pipeline which spilled a million gallons of tar sands into the Kalamazoo river three years ago. If not for Chris, Enbridge would be working to day to twin that pipeline to pump even more tar sands.

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First in a series of hikes around New Hampshire, members of 350NH hiked Mt. Monadnock on June 19th to send a strong message: NO TAR SANDS IN NH! #SummerHeat

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We are #FearlessSummer

Over the past few years we’ve witnessed a rising tide of courage from the frontlines; communities from the pinewoods of East Texas to the hollers of West Virginia have come together to defend the land and the people from the ravages of extreme energy.  Yet with every new frack-well drilled, pipeline laid, and mountain blasted, the extraction industry pushes our planet closer to irreversible tipping points.

But now we are coming together as a movement to push back.

For too long we have struggled separately and we are running out of time.  If we are going to reclaim our future, we must begin to speak with one voice.  That’s why we are calling for the national movement against extreme energy to join in a summer of coordinated action.   As this industry continues to escalate its attack of life on earth, we must respond by asserting our dignity and escalating our action for a livable future. In the face of unfathomable ecological destruction and looming runaway climate change, we must take the kind of bold action that is necessary to save the planet.  We must all draw our lines in the sand.  We must face our fears together ; we must take our future fearlessly into our hands and change business as usual.

Will you join us in ringing in a #FearlessSummer?  

This spring has already featured a slew of bold actions across the county and there’s no sign of it slowing down.  We’ve created a movement calendar and, as you can see, this is going to be a bold and busy summer of action!  This summer will be moving non-stop with regional convergences, training camps, and focused direct actions all over the continent targeting extreme energy.  By embracing a common message that elevates the voices of those most impacted and rejects all forms of dirty energy extraction, each of these actions can become more powerful.

To call attention to our new unity and collective power, we are calling for the first week of coordinated action against extreme energy on June 24th-29th.  Weeks of action will be flashpoints that will build momentum and solidarity throughout the long, hot summer and push our message of fearless, united resistance into the national conversation.  Our support for these struggles know no borders and we stand in solidarity with the indigenous people of Turtle Island (so-called North America) and their own fearless struggle, “Sovereignty Summer.”

No one owns #FearlessSummer.  We encourage you to empower your community to plan your own action against the extraction industry and utilize our social media to help amplify your struggle.  Facing our fears together builds our movement and brings us one step closer to defending our planet and realizing our vision for a livable and just future.