November 14, 2014 - As our colleagues with the Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team have said, it’s been a week of rollercoaster emotions for those of us concerned about climate change. We learned on Wednesday (Nov. 12) that President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping had reached a historic agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Then later that day we learned that the Senate has agreed to take up a vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.
Today we learned that the U.S. House has voted 252-161 to approve construction of the pipeline.
Please send a message to your senators urging them to vote “no” on the Keystone XL pipeline. (Senators in Delaware and Colorado, who are reportedly on the fence on this issue, especially need to hear opposition to the pipeline so please forward this alert to friends and family in those states.) At the same time, you will be able to send a message to President Obama thanking him for the agreement announced this week and urging him to move forward on those greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by vetoing approval of the Keystone XL pipeline if it reaches his desk.
Please personalize your message by substituting your own concerns about the pipeline and climate change and by including ways in which you or your community, ministry or institution have taken steps to reduce your own carbon footprint. If you have participated in any Keystone or climate change rallies or marches, please add that as well. Backing up your advocacy with the senators and the president with your own concerns and commitment will draw more attention to your message.
This may be the start of a very long period of advocacy to prevent erosion of environmental regulations, passage of environmentally destructive trade agreements, deeper legislative denial of climate change, and threats to the Environmental Protection Agency itself.