Letter - People Power United joined coalition efforts to urge President Biden to declare a climate emergency
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups to send a letter to President Biden urging him to declare a climate emergency. Shout out to End Fossil Fuels for leading these efforts.
Here is the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United membership:
May 6, 2024
Dear President Biden, Mr. Podesta and Mr. Zaidi,
Following the hottest decade and the hottest year on record, scientists anticipate another record-breaking summer of extreme heat, violent hurricanes and other climate disasters. Recent polling shows that swift, transformative action to address the climate crisis has a wide and increasingly popular mandate, especially from Black, Latine and other communities of color and Indigenous people who are most impacted by climate change, fossil fuel pollution, economic disinvestment and systemic racism.
On behalf of millions of members and supporters that span generations, race, class, constituency and geography, we urge you to declare a national climate emergency, protect frontline communities and workers, and advance your administration’s historic commitments to “transition away from fossil fuels” to a just and renewable energy future.
As young people, workers, and communities most harmed by the health and climate impacts driven by fossil fuels, we applaud and thank the administration for its decision to pause new fossil gas (LNG) export authorizations. There is no room in our carbon budget for new fossil fuel projects, evident by the International Energy Agency’s report that there can be no new investments in coal, oil or gas to meet the world’s climate goals. The pause is an urgent first step toward ending fossil fuel expansion, phasing out fossil fuel production and ensuring a just transition for workers and communities that honors the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and their stewardship of the land. The Department of Energy should use this time to develop a robust public interest test to evaluate new gas exports’ effects on environmental justice, public health, worker safety, domestic energy costs and supply, biodiversity, the climate, and the public at large.
The United States leads the world in oil and gas production, exports and expansion. Fossil fuel production and combustion are the core drivers of the global climate emergency – responsible for nearly 90% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and more than 75% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
We must instead invest trillions of dollars in renewable energy and transportation, green union jobs and climate justice. The renewable energy transition must be grounded in justice including the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples to redress the climate, racial, socioeconomic, and ecological injustices of the fossil fuel era. Renewable energy innovation must also be accompanied by aggressive demand reduction and innovation in the way we obtain and use minerals to avoid perpetuating the harms of extraction – especially given the disproportionate impacts of U.S. domestic mineral extraction on Indigenous lands.
The administration maintains extensive executive authority to confront the fossil-fueled climate emergency. The president should wield his full presidential powers under existing statutes to reject new fossil fuel projects, phase out fossil fuel production and hold big polluters accountable. We ask your administration to vigorously defend the LNG pause, as well as to halt all other federal fossil fuel approvals and phase down fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters.
Additionally, by declaring a climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act and the Stafford Act, the administration has the opportunity to unlock emergency powers to further scale up renewables, shift off fossil fuels, and protect workers and communities as follows:
Declare climate change a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act (NEA) and advance the end of the fossil fuel era. Under the NEA, the President should use emergency powers to pause all new crude oil exports and halt the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars that fund coal, oil, and gas projects abroad.
Declare climate change a national emergency under the Stafford Act and re-imagine FEMA to be an engine of the just and equitable energy transition. With a practice of building communities back to fossil fuel status quo and discriminating against low-income and communities of color for agency relief, FEMA is not fit to tackle the climate emergency. But the emergency agency can and should change. As a start, the President should declare the climate crisis an emergency–and a major disaster upon state requests–under the Stafford Act to unlock desperately needed federal funds for state, Tribal, and local governments. These funds should be directed toward advancing the just and clean energy transition in climate-vulnerable communities, including deploying community-based solar energy systems and storage, cooling and resilience worker centers, and energy efficiency technologies. FEMA should also be reformed to recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters to deliver accessible financial help to communities.
Redirect all agency funds towards renewable energy and away from fossil fuels to build back fossil-free in impacted communities. Federal agencies currently invest billions in supporting the status quo fossil fuel system, including through false solutions like biomass, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage. Instead, the funds that agencies currently direct toward fossil fuels should be redirected toward clean and renewable energy systems, including but not limited to:
FEMA and HUD funds that currently support fossil fuel infrastructure ought to be redirected toward resilient, community-based renewable energy systems in environmental justice communities;
Department of Interior, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and other funds that currently support fossil fuel production and permitting ought to be redirected toward implementing programs like a managed decline of fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters; the American Climate Corps; renewable energy deployment on rooftops, canals, and other built structures, with no false solutions; and investing in new economies through oil well cleanup and remediation; and
Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank funds invested in fossil fuels projects abroad ought to be redirected toward the Green Climate Fund, Loss & Damage Fund, and renewable, clean energy projects bound by internationally recognized due diligence mechanisms including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Establish high labor standards to protect workers against extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other climate emergencies through strong Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. OSHA should expedite an emergency temporary standard for occupational heat exposure that applies when the heat index reaches 80°F—a temperature associated with increased rates of serious heat-related illnesses—and require employers to take the necessary and readily implementable steps to prevent harm to their workers, such as providing water, rest breaks, and access to cool or shaded areas.
We look forward to working with your administration to implement these actions and we thank you in advance for your leadership.
Sign on here – Signatories as of 4/30/2024 15:49:01 ET
Action Together New Jersey
ActionAid USA
Active San Gabriel Valley
AFGE Council 238
AFGE Local 704
Air Alliance Houston
Alabama Interfaith Power & Light
Alliance for Collective Action
Alliance for Democracy
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Jewish World Service
Animals Are Sentient Beings Inc
Animas Valley Institute
Anthropocene Alliance
Arizona Climate Action Coalition
ARTivism Virginia
Athens County's Future Action Network, ACFAN.org
Awasqa: The Green Network Project
Backbone Campaign
Bay Area-System Change not Climate Change
Be The Change - Colorado
Bergen County Immigration Strategy Group
Better Brazoria
Between the Waters
Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE)
Big Reuse
Black Girl Environmentalist
Bold Alliance
Breach Collective
Breast Cancer Action
Breathe Easy Susquehanna County
Breathe Project
CA Youth vs. Big Oil
California Communities Against Toxics
Campus Climate Network
Care About Climate
Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas
CASA
CASE Citizens Alliance for a Sustainable Englewood
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Coalfield Justice
Center for Oil and Gas Organizing
Center for Popular Democracy
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War
Change Begins With ME (Indivisible)
Chatham Research Group
Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective
Church Women United in New York State
Citizen Action of New York
Citizens Caring for the Future
Citizens' Resistance at Fermi Two (CRAFT)
Clean Energy Action
Climate & Resilience Education Task Force
Climate Collaboratory
Climate Conversation Brazoria County
Climate Crisis Solutions
Climate Defenders
Climate Equity Policy Center
Climate Families NYC
Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG)
Climate Generation
Climate Justice Alliance
Climate Reality Massachusetts Southcoast
Climate Reality Project - Northern Colorado Chapter
Climate Reality Project Bay Area Chapter
Climate Reality Project NEO
Climate Reality Project San Francisco Policy Action
Climate Reality Project, NOVA Chapter
Climatemama
Coalition to Protect New York
Color Brighton Green
Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate
Colorado Thrives Coalition
Common Defense
Conceivable Future
Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania
Connected Chef
CUFFH
Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit at Iona University
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Democrat Socialists of America - Knoxville, TN
Divest NJ
Don't Gas the Meadowlands Coalition
Don't Waste Arizona
Earth Ethics. Inc
Earth Justice Action Group of ERUUF(Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship)
Earthjustice
Earthrise Indivisible
Earthworks
East Valley Indivisibles
Ecoaction Committee of the Green Party of the United States
Ecological Health Network
Ecologistics, Inc.
Ecology Network
EcoPoetry.org
Elders Climate Action
Elders Climate Action - Arizona Chapter
Elders Climate Action - Massachusetts Chapter
Elders Climate Action (ECA) Northern California (NorCal) Chapter
Elders Climate Action (ECA) Southern California (SoCal) Chapter
Electrify Corvallis
Empathy Surplus Network USA
Empower Our Future
End Fossil Occupy Uganda
Endangered Species Coalition
Energy Equity Project
Environmental Justice Ministry, Emerson UU Church
Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint
Extinction Rebellion Houston
Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area
Extinction Rebellion Seattle
Faculty Staff Divestment Network (FSDN)
Fast Action on Climate to Ensure (FACE) Intergenerational Justice
Flight Free USA
Florida Rising
Food & Water Watch
For the Many
Fox Vallely Citizens for Peace & Justice (Illinois)
FracTracker Alliance
FreshWater Accountability Project Ohio
Fridays For Future NYC
Fridays For Future USA
Friends of the Bitterroot
Fuerza Mundial Global
Gen-Z for Change
Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc.
Global Warming Education Network (GWEN)
Good Nieghbor Steering Committee of Benicia
Granite State Organizing Project
Great Plains Action Society
Green Cross Hungary
Green New Deal Network
Green Party of Florida
Green Party of New York
Green Party of Onondaga County
Greenbelt Climate Action Network
GreenFaith
GreenLatinos
Greenpeace Hawaii
Greenpeace USA
Gulf of Maine EcoArts
Happy Crone Activists for the Future
HBS/Harvard Alumni for Climate Action
HealthLink
Healthy Gulf
Healthy Ocean Coalition
Heartwood
Highland Park Ecology and Environmental Group
Hip Hop Caucus
Human Nature
IDEAS For Us
Idle No More SF Bay
Indigenous Environmental Network
Indivisible Colorado
Indivisible San Jose
Indivisible Tacoma
Inland Mendocino Democratic Club
Inspiration of Sedona
Institute for Policy Studies Climate Policy Program
Interfaith EarthKeepers
International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute
International Student Environmental Coalition
Intheshadowofthewolf
Jane Fonda Climate PAC
Judson Memorial Church
Justice Environment
Justice is Global
Justice Ministries Committee, Presbytery of New York City
Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary
Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition
Kickapoo Peace Circle
Labor Network for Sustainability
Labor Rise Climate Jobs Action Group
LaPlaca and Associates LLC
Liberty Tree
Liveable Arlington
Locust Point Community Garden
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Louisiana Just Recovery Network
LUCHA (Living United for Change in AZ)
Maine People's Alliance
Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network
Make the Road Nevada
Maryland Ornithological Society
Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Michigan Alliance for Justice In Climate
Michigan Climate Action Network
Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition
Michigan United
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Mission Blue
MN350
Mother Earth Sustainable Agriculture Association MASAA
Mothers Out Front
Mothers Out Front NY
Mothers Out Front Tompkins
Mountain Watershed Association
Move the Money–NYC
Move to Amend
Movement Rights
Music Declares Emergency US
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
Native Daily Network
Native Movement
Natural Capitalism Solutions
NC Climate Justice Collective
NC Council of Churches
NC Interfaith Power & Light
NEPA Green Coalition
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Hampshire Youth Movement
New Jersey Poor People's Campaign
New Mexico Climate Justice
New York City Labor Chorus
Nicaragua Center for Community Action
NJ State Industrial Union Council
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
North Braddock Residents For Our Future
North Country Earth Action
North Country NYPAN
Northeast Oregon Ecosystems
Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS)
Nuclear Information and Resource Service ("for a nuclear-free, carbon-free world")
NYC Metro Raging Grannies
Occupy Bergen County
Ocean Conservation Research
Oil and Gas Action Network
Oil Change International
Oilfield Witness
One PA
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Outdoor Promise
Paradise Las Vegas Indivisible
PASUP Pittsburghers Against Single Use Plastic
Pax Christi New York State
Pelican Media
Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light
People of Albany United for Safe Energy (PAUSE)
People Power United
Peoples Climate Movement - NY
Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania
Physicians for Social Responsibility, AZ Chapter
PJALS
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Pollution Free Society
Pop Earth
Port Arthur Community Action Network(PACAN)
Presente.org
Prince George's County Peace & Justice Coalition
Progress Texas
Progressive Democrats of America, Oregon Chapter
Progressive Maryland
Progressives for Climate
Project Dandelion
Project Outreach: The Frac Sand Sentinel
Property Rights and Pipeline Center
Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights
Public Justice Center
Putnam Progressive
Putting Down Roots
Quittapahilla Watershed Association
Rachel Carson Council
Rainforest Action Network
Raptors Are The Solution
Re:wild Your Campus
Resource Renewal Institute
RESTORE: The North Woods
RISE St. James
Rise to Thrive
Rise Up WV
Rowan Environmental Action League
Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Rutgers Adjunct Union (PTLFC-AAUP-AFT)
Salish Sea Action Collective
San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society
San Francisco Climate Emergency Coalition
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council
SanDiego350
Santa Barbara Standing Rock Coalition
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
Santa Fe Forest Coalition
Save Our Shores
Save the Dismal
Scientist Rebellion, Turtle Island
SEE (Social Eco Education)
Seeding Sovereignty
Selkirk Conservation Alliance
Seneca Lake Guardian
Sequoia ForestKeeper
Seventh Generation
Sheffield Saves
Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester
Sixth Fest
SoCal 350 Climate Action
Social Justice Ministry, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara
Society of Native Nations
SolidarityINFOService
South Asian Fund For Education Scholarship and Training Inc
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
South Seattle Climate Action Network
South Shore Audubon Society | Freeport, NY
Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA)
Sprout NOLA
Stand.earth
Start:Empowerment
Stone Crab Alliance
Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion
Sunrise Durham
Sunrise Movement
Sunrise Movement New Orleans
Sunrise Movement San Diego
Sunrise Seattle
Sustainable Arizona
Sustainable CSRA
Sustainable Mill Valley
Sustainable Resilient Longmont
Syracuse Cultural Workers
TakeAction Minnesota
Tenakee Logging Company
Terra Advocati
Texas Campaign for the Environment
The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York
The Climate Museum
The Enchanted Biscuit
The Enviro Show
The Forest foundation
The Last Plastic Straw
The Ocean Project
The People's Justice Council
The Quantum Institute
The Resilient40 (R40)
The Wei LLC
Third Act North Carolina Working Group
Third Act Virginia
Tongass Forest Women's Earth & Climate Action Network
Transition Sebastopol
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley
Unitarian Universalist Community Congregation of Santa Monica
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis Climate Action Team
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
UnitarianUniversalist Fellowship Hidalgo County Texas
Unite North Metro Denver
United Student Leaders
United Teachers Los Angeles
United University Professions
Upper West Side Recycling
Uptown Progressive Action, a NYPAN chapter
US High Speed Rail Association
Valley Watch, Inc
Vegan Flag
Vessel Project of Louisiana
Vote Climate
Wall of Women
Warheads to Windmills Coalition
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Waterspirit
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
West Dryden Residenta Against the Pipeline
West End Revitalization Association WERA
Wild Heritage Planners
Wild Watershed
Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN)
Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
WV Citizen Action
Young, Gifted & Green
Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles
Youth United for Climate Crisis Action
Zero Hour
Znetwork.org
#unify Movements
1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations
198 methods
350 Bay Area Action
350 Bucks County
350 Chicago
350 Colorado
350 Conejo / San Fernando Valley
350 Côte d’Ivoire
350 Eugene
350 Humboldt
350 Mass
350 New Hampshire
350 Pittsburgh
350 Seattle
350 Triangle
350.org
350Brooklyn
350Hawaii
350Kishwaukee
350PDX
350VT
7 Directions of Service
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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people. We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change and work to make it happen. Whether it's supporting a candidate, fighting to pass legislation, or working to change our culture, our members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future.