Food & Water Watch: We marched with 10,000 yesterday in Philly!

Beyond Nuclear was part of the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent -- spearheaded by Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and joined by representatives of allied groups from across the country -- in yesterday's March for a Clean Energy Future, held in Philadelphia, PA on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. Below is a message from Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch, the lead national organizer of the March (note the yellow flags in the New York Times front page photo, videos from the March, etc. They are "Nuclear Power? No Thanks!" flags, part of the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent):

Yesterday, we held the largest anti-fracking march in U.S. history. More than 10,000 of us marched in the streets of Philadelphia for a Clean Energy Revolution! We were calling on our political leaders to act quickly to ban fracking now, keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop dirty energy, transition to 100% renewable energy and ensure environmental justice for all. 

 Thank you to all those who came to Philly in sweltering heat, supported the march by recruiting supporters, donated so that everyone could have a seat on a bus, or shared on social media to amplify the message. This wouldn't have happened without you.

I am so proud of Food & Water Watch’s leadership role, along with our partners in Americans Against Fracking and Pennsylvanians Against Fracking, in making the Clean Energy Revolution March possible, and I'm very appreciative of our coalition partners who have worked with us to build a strong, diverse and broad-based movement. We are changing the public discourse on fracking; we are creating the political space for real change and we are building the political power to make it happen.

There are so many inspiring stories to share from the March for a Clean Energy Revolution that we'll be sharing them in the coming weeks, but here are some photos to give you a sense of the power of our collective action yesterday (and you can see more photos here).

As the first national organization in America to call for a ban on fracking, Food & Water Watch has seen the movement expand dramatically — for the first time fracking is a major issue in the debates over the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Today, more Americans are opposed to fracking than support it, and our elected leaders must listen to the people.

More than 900 environmental, indigenous, health, justice, labor, political, faith and student organizations from all 50 states endorsed the March for a Clean Energy Revolution and called for the need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and focus on renewable energy options that will create jobs, not destroy lives. You can check out some of the fantastic media coverage of the event: The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, MSNBC, and Reuters.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this action possible. Together, we are sending a clear message to our elected officials: we demand a future powered by clean, renewable energy, not one that depends on dirty, polluting fossil fuels.

Together, we are sending a clear message to our elected officials: we demand a future powered by clean, renewable energy, not one that depends on dirty, polluting fossil fuels.

We look forward to continuing to work together as we fight for the future of our planet and the people on it.

Onward together,

Wenonah Hauter
Executive Director
Food & Water Watch
wenonah(at)fwwatch(dot)org

Join the March for a Clean Energy Revolution - and Celebrating the Life of Michael Mariotte (1952-2016)

[Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) issued the following action alert, and tribute to the life and work of Michael Mariotte. See below.

Beyond Nuclear has joined in the NIRS-initiated planning for the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, and will take part on July 24th. Beyond Nuclear encourages everyone who can make it, to join in the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent in Philadelphia on July 24th, as well as at the teach-ins, meetings, gatherings, etc., the day before. If you can't make it, please spread the word widely to those who can.

Also, see Beyond Nuclear's own tributes to Michael Mariotte, posted at our website.]

June 29, 2016

Dear Friends,

We invite you to join us for the next historic safe energy mobilization--the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, July 24 in Philadelphia. You can find more details on the march below.

We have good news and sad news to report today. On at least this occasion, it's appropriate that they go together. Many of you know that Michael Mariotte, NIRS's President and long-time Executive Director--and primary sender of these emails--had been struggling with cancer for some time.

Recently, that struggle came to an end. Michael passed away a few weeks ago. He has left us all with a legacy of his achievements from which the movement for a nuclear-free world will benefit for many years. We encourage you to visit our memorial webpage to find out more about Michael's enormous contributions and his unique life, which have been comemorated in some of the U.S.'s most prominent news outlets, as well as in the humble pages of our own Nuclear Monitor and the GreenWorld blog that Michael founded and edited.

Michael's death is a major loss for NIRS and the anti-nuclear movement. His brilliance and his voice will never be replaced, so you will notice some changes in the coming months. For instance, emails like this addressed from other NIRS staffers, and soon we will be rolling out one of the last projects Michael was working on: a new and revitalized website and a new image for NIRS, that connects our movements roots to our ongoing work.

As Michael would have it, we are continuing the fight--and our work for a nuclear-free, carbon-free world is only expanding.

Which brings us to the good news. This summer, we are marching for the Nuclear-Free, Carbon-Free world!

Two years ago, 400,000 people joined the historic People's Climate March in New York City -- including thousands who marched with NIRS and the Nuclear-Free, Carbon-Free Contingent. Michael Mariotte was the architect and chief organizer of that enormous, vibrant, and visionary contingent, and our mobilization was one of the moments of which he was proudest.

Collectively, we sent an incredibly powerful message that day, which not only led to the first-ever truly global climate action agreement. The visionary statement made by those marching for a nuclear-free, carbon-free world both helped keep nuclear power out of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and, ultimately, prevented the international climate agreement from endorsing it, as well. 

Join us on July 24 as we March for a Clean Energy Revolution in Philadelphia.

The Democratic National Convention will be meeting there starting the next day. The Nuclear-Free, Carbon-Free Contingent will be marching with thousands of anti-fracking, climate justice, First Nations, fair trade, unions, and clean energy activists, demanding an end to dirty energy and a total commitment and a just transition to clean, sustainable, renewable energy. And we need you to join us!

Our victories since the People's Climate March have led to more and more reactor shutdowns, but the nuclear industry hasn't given up--and their attacks on our clean energy future are getting more severe this year. Dirty energy corporations see the 2016 elections as their opportunity to block renewable energy, no matter who wins the elections.

And the nuclear industry is no exception. In fact, there is a nuclear lobbyist and spokesperson on the Democratic Party Platform Committee: Nuclear Matters' Carol Browner. We need as many No Nukes and safe energy activists as possible to join us in the streets of Philadelphia.

So please join us on July 24.

And if you can't make if you can't make it, or just want to help us build our numbers, please consider making a donation to support our organizing for the march. All donations to NIRS are being matched two-to-one this month--for every dollar you donate, some generous NIRS donors will double it.

Thanks for all you do,

The NIRS Team

Diane D'Arrigo, Denise Jakobsberg, Tim Judson, and Mary Olson

NIRS telebriefing on "Paris Onward," featuring Drs. Jacobson, Makhijani, and Ramana

Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) Executive Director Tim Judson moderated a discussion featuring Dr. Mark Jacobson of Stanford University, Dr. Arjun Makhijani of Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), and Dr. M.V. Ramana of Princeton University (a Beyond Nuclear Board of Advisors members), regarding the role of renewable sources of energy in light of COP21 climate agreement emerging from Paris, France in December. In short, "wind, water, and sun" are dramatically outcompeting a significantly declining nuclear power industry as the low carbon solutions to the climate crisis. NIRS has made an audio recording of the discussion available.

Radon exposure from Porter Ranch gas leak cause for concern

Beyond Nuclear is bringing more attention to the uncontrolled release of cancer-causing radon gas that could be escaping from SoCal Gas company’s Porter Ranch gas leak in suburban Los Angeles, California. Much attention is focused on the industrial-scale gas accident that is emitting thousands of tons of climate changing methane each day along with other hazardous chemicals including toluene, benzene, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere. Thousands of residents have relocated with many sickened from inhaling the continuous emission. But radon in the mix represents an invisible killer. The EPA recognizes odorless, colorless, radioactive radon as the number one cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.  

A “state of emergency” was declared by Governor Jerry Brown on January 6, 2016 long after the discovery of the accident in late October 2015.  As the releases continue, dozens of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Porter Ranch residents as SoCal Gas has also come under investigation by the California state air quality department for failure to maintain injection wells in one of the nation’s largest underground gas storage caverns created by decades of oil extraction. The harmful impacts of dirty and dangerous extracted energy on climate, health and the environment are mounting and underscore the urgent need to supplant coal, oil, nuclear and gas with the sun, wind and other renewable sources.

In the meantime, Beyond Nuclear urges that more federal and state attention be paid to real time monitoring, measuring and mitigating the radioactive gas emissions from industrial fracking at every stage of operation. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is set to finally begin radon monitoring at the leak site by January 29, 2016. Alarming rates of harmful radon emissions are being linked to industrial hydraulic fracking to extract natural gas in states like Pennsylvania.

"Don't Nuke the Climate!" at White House rally marking start of COP21 in Paris

As reported by the Washington Post, the anti-nuke movement (including representatives from Beyond Nuclear, NIRS, and other groups) was "in the house" at the White House for a climate rally in D.C. marking the beginning of COP21 in Paris, France:

In the District, several hundred gathered by the White House and marched along the Mall, with signs that read, “Preserve our home,” “Don’t nuke the climate” and “Keep it in the ground,” the latter referring to fossil fuels.

(Of course, the letter could -- and should -- also refer to uranium, as well as thorium, for that matter!)

Update on December 17, 2015 by admin

Beyond Nuclear also attended a climate rally, called by FOE, on 12/12/15, marking the end of the COP21, "Don't Nuke the Climate!" poster in hand, once again.