Current Actions

• Montana voters, not maps, should decide legislative majorities

  In recognition of Montana’s independent spirit, our 100 state legislative districts currently give both Democrats and Republicans a fighting chance. But TEA Party activists are working hard to make Montana a one-party state by redrawing our legislature to guarantee staunch conservative dominance for the next ten years even though polling and history show Montanans to be relatively evenly split.

  Every state legislative district in Montana will be re-drawn this year. Of the proposed new layouts, there is only one plan, the  Communities Plan, that preserves existing communities while ensuring that all Montana voices have a seat at the table and that legislators have to represent diverse interests, come together, and work hard to get things done for Montana.

  The Communities Plan would:

  • Keep the most small towns intact of any proposal - from Polson to Livingston to Four Corners, Ulm and Glasgow - to allow neighbors to choose their representatives.
  • Maintain population equality between districts, guaranteeing the Constitutional right of ‘one person, one vote’.
  • Provide strong protection for Native American voting rights, preserving Native-majority reservation districts.
  • Let Montanans choose what party represents them instead of letting a map decide.

  Send your e-mail the Districting and Apportionment Commissioners today and let them know you support the Communities Plan. You can use the message below, or change it as you see fit.
  

• A better Farm Bill

  The Senate Agriculture Committee made a couple of significant improvements to the Farm Bill last week. But, we need your help again to win important votes when the bill is brought to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.
  

  The Committee accepted an amendment by Senators Conrad (D-ND) and Lugar (R-IN) that allocates $800 million to rural renewable energy and energy efficiency over five years. Another amendment, by Senator Leahy (D-VT), makes it easier for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, to participate in Community Supported Agriculture programs.

  There’s no question these amendments improved the Farm Bill, but several other amendments were not voted on, and will be debated on the Senate floor.

  • Rein in meatpacking corporations: Senators Grassley (R-IA) and Conrad (D-ND) decided to wait to offer their amendment to prohibit meatpackers from owning livestock more than 14 days before slaughter when the bill comes to the Senate floor. Meatpackers use cattle they own to control market access and lower prices paid to family farmers and ranchers. The Grassley-Conrad amendment would help ensure free and competitive livestock markets.
  • Locals food: Although the bill expands support for some local food programs, we expect several amendments to bolster farm-to-school and beginning farmer programs when the bill reaches the Senate floor.

  You can send the message below, or change it to your own words. Encourage your Senators to support the amendments to ban packer ownership of livestock and to strengthen farm-to-school and beginning farmer programs.
  

• Food and energy from family farms

  The Senate Agriculture Committee will begin voting on the Farm Bill soon -- the one bill that has the greatest impact on the future of farms and food in this country.

  Contact your Senators today to urge them to support amendments in these three critical areas.

  • Rein in meatpacking corporations: Four giant, multinational corporations control 84% of the meat packing industry, and are freezing independent farmers and ranchers out of the market. Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) will introduce an amendment to prohibit meatpackers from owning livestock more than 14 days before slaughter -- one of the practices meatpackers use to control market access and lower prices paid to family farmers and ranchers.
    

  • Renewable energy: The Senate Farm Bill would significantly cut  rural renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. These programs have helped projects like putting solar panels on a new fly fishing gear manufacturer in Bozeman, Montana, or the solar energy system installed by High Country Orchards in Colorado to help power their locally grown fruit and vegetable packing system. Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Dick Lugar (R-IN) will offer an amendment to provide $800 million to these programs, which could leverage over $2 billion in private investment in renewables and efficiency and create tens of thousands of jobs. And, according to a newly-released poll, by the bipartisan Civil Society Institute, the majority of Americans think it is time for decisive action toward a renewable energy future that will protect public health and provide reliable and cost effective energy.
    

  • Local foods: The bill would promote food produced for local markets. Urge your Senators to support amendments to expand funding for and promote farm-to-school/institutions, farmers markets and other local foods programs in the Farm Bill. 

  You can send the message below or change it as you see fit.
  

• Rein in the meatpackers!

  This Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee will vote on the 2012 Farm Bill, and make decisions that affect the future of livestock markets and the meat we eat.
  
  Four giant, multi-national corporations monopolize the cattle market by controlling 84% of the meat packing industry. This corporate control is freezing independent farmers and ranchers out of the market.
  
  Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) will introduce an amendment to the Farm Bill to prohibit meat packers from owning livestock more than 14 days before slaughter -- one of the practices meatpackers use to control market access and lower prices paid to family farmers and ranchers.
  
  Ranchers aren't getting a fair price for their hard work, and are being squeezed out. In the last 30 years, over 500,000 ranchers have left the cattle business.

  Urge your Senator to support the Grassley-Conrad Packer Ban amendment to the Farm Bill when the Agriculture Committee meets this week.
  

  You can send the message below, or change it as you see fit.
  

• President Obama, keep your promise and clean up the fracking industry

  The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules to protect human health from the dangerous pollution that oil and gas wells pour into the air. President Obama made a commitment in this year’s State of the Union address to protect communities from fracking pollution.
  
  But the oil and gas industry and its lobbyists are fighting EPA’s proposal and pressuring the White House to weaken the rule.
  
  The final rule will be issued soon, so WORC is joining with other organizations to send a strong message to President Obama now – to stand up to the oil and gas industry and clean up the dirty business of oil and gas drilling and fracking.
  
  You can send the message below or change it as you see fit.
  

• Forty-plus additional trains going through Billings each day!

  Imagine what an additional eight hours of closed railroads would do to our community -- separating downtown from the South Side and the Interstate; closing off routes to the hospitals and polluting our air with diesel fumes, coal dust, and exhaust from idling cars…

  On Monday and Tuesday, April 9 and 10, the Yellowstone County Commission and the Yellowstone County Board of Planning (in that order) will decide whether to ask if Yellowstone County could be included in the scoping period and environmental analysis on the impacts of a proposed coal export port in Bellingham, Washington.

  The port would export almost 50 million tons of coal per year. This proposal and others would result in at least 40 additional trains per day that could go through Billings. 

  We need you to make your voice heard!The increase in coal train traffic in Billings and all communities along the export route needs to be analyzed as a potential impact in this scoping process!

  Please send the following message to the Planning Clerk and the Yellowstone County Commissioners urging them to speak up and ask that the impact from trains in Yellowstone County be included in the analysis. You can use the message and change it as you see fit.
  

• Good Work - A Victory and a Follow Up

  On March 6, 2012 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it is moving forward with permitting the first coal export terminal in Oregon, located at the Port of Morrow. If this project is built, the coal company, Ambre Energy, would ship Montana and Wyoming coal by rail to the Port of Morrow, move the coal onto barges, ship it up the Columbia River, and then offload the coal onto ocean-going ships at the Port of St. Helens in Oregon.
   
  Thanks to public outcry, the Corps has extended the comment period until May 5, 2012, for citizens to demand a thorough analysis and impact study of this proposal.
  
  The Corps has no plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this permit for the Northwest’s first coal export terminal. 
  
  Opening coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon would have enormous impacts on commerce and communities in Montana and Idaho, because of the huge increase in coal train traffic. The Army Corps needs to conduct a full environmental review of this project.
  
  The Corps needs to study the cumulative effect of this proposal along with three other major coal export terminals in various stages of planning and permitting on communities, property and waterways along the rail lines all the way back through Idaho and Montana.
  
  To ensure this review accounts for the major cumulative impacts of multiple coal export terminals, the Corps should prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement that looks at the combined impacts – mine to port – of multiple terminals exporting upwards of 142 million tons of coal per year.
  
  Send your message today. You can personalize your messages, if you’d like to add more to or change the messages below.
  

• Repeal Big Oil's tax subsidies

  Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has introduced the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act (S. 2204) that would end taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies, ensuring big polluters pay their fair share and helping to level the playing field between clean and dirty energy.
  
  The vote on this bill could be as soon as today.
  
  Oil companies enjoy $4 billion worth of tax breaks every year while earning record profits. Subsidies for oil, coal and gas prevent our nation from moving forward on clean energy technology by helping to keep fossil fuels cheaper than wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy.
  
  We should stop spending taxpayer dollars on 19th century fuels and embrace the clean, renewable technologies of the 21st century. The Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act would invest those savings into clean energy programs that create jobs in the solar, wind, and clean energy manufacturing industries. A good first step is to end taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuels.
  
  You can use the message below or personalize it. Urge your Senators to vote ‘yes’ on the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act of 2012.
  

• Trains, TRAINS, COAL TRAINS

  Four major coal export terminals are proposed for the Pacific Northwest to ship coal from Montana and Wyoming to Asian markets. These terminals would mean up to 142 million tons of coal each year on mile-long trains.
  
  That means communities along the rail lines would see hours and hours of blocked train crossings, jeopardizing emergency services and public safety, lowering air quality, and cutting off local businesses along the tracks.
  
  The Army Corps of Engineers is on track to act on the permit for the proposed terminal at Port of Morrow without doing a full environmental review.
  
  Two major coal ports in Washington state are going through a full environmental review, but a third port in Oregon will not have an Environmental Impact Statement, unless the Army Corps of Engineers reverses its decision.
  
  In addition, a fourth port is planned in Oregon. Each of these ports would significantly increase the number of coal trains through our region - and their total impact is enormous!
  
  Tell the Army Corps of Engineers to examine coal train traffic in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington caused by coal export plans. Urge your Representative and Senators to encourage the Corps to conduct a full environmental study. You can personalize your messages, if you want.
  

• Protect the “Product of USA” meat label

  Canada and Mexico won a challenge to the U.S. country-of-origin labeling law through the World Trade Organization (WTO), an international organization dealing with rules of trade between nations. They argued that the label used by the United States to identify where meat was born, raised, and slaughtered is a barrier to trade.
  
  The U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, must file an intent to appeal this decision no later than Friday, March 23.
  
  This born, raised and slaughtered label was the result of years of work by U.S. consumers and ranchers and farmers to ensure that country-of-origin labeling would be accurate and informative for consumers.
  
  The WTO decision also questions use of labels that lists multiple countries on a product. This practice is necessary because blended products like ground beef can come from parts of multiple animals with different origins.
  
  Labeling provides comprehensive standards to ensure all food is labeled consistently, in a way that is easy for the consumer to identify. Consumers have a right to know where their meat comes from. U.S. livestock producers want country-of-origin labels that can differentiate U.S. products for both U.S. and foreign consumers.
  
  Contact President Barack Obama and his trade representative and tell them to appeal the WTO decision. You can use the message below or personalize it as you see fit.
  
  

• Support clean renewable energy that won't run out

  A new bill, S. 2416, introduced by New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman, would create new incentives for the highly profitable oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries.
  
  Although the bill claims to promote "low or no carbon sources" of energy, S. 2416 ignores the huge health, environmental, and safety costs imposed on Americans by the fossil and nuclear fuels industries.
  
  If we truly want clean energy, we should invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy that doesn't run out. Let good old American ingenuity figure out how to produce clean, renewable energy. We need a Renewable Energy Standard, not more taxpayer handouts to profitable dirty energy industries.
  
  The Renewable Energy Standard sets a national benchmark for electric utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources by 2025. The bill also offers incentives for American companies to develop the technology we need for a clean renewable energy future.
  
  Your action is important. The powerful nuclear and fossil fuel industries and their friends in Congress are pushing for more nukes, more oil, more gas, and more coal. President Obama, too. Let them know they're on the wrong path.
  
  Tell your Senators to set this country on the path to clean and renewable energy that won't run out. Co-sponsor S. 741, the Renewable Energy Standard. Oppose Senator Bingaman's bill, S. 2416. You can personalize your message, if you want.
  

• Stop big meat corporations from totally controlling America’s meat supply

  The future of the food we eat depends on family farmers, ranchers, and our rural communities. Four giant multi-national corporations control 85% of the meat packing industry. This is a virtual monopoly.
  
  Mega-meat packers, Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and Smithfield Foods,  use “captive supplies” -- livestock they own or control under manipulative contracts -- to lower the prices they pay for cattle raised by family farmers and ranchers.
  
  Ranchers aren't getting a fair price for their hard work, and are being squeezed out. In the last 30 years, over 500,000 ranchers have left the cattle business.
  
  Two bills in Congress would solve this problem and enable ranchers to get a fair deal. Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., introduced the packer ban bill, S. 2141. This legislation would prohibit packers from owning livestock more than seven days before slaughter.
  
  Stopping packers from owning cattle would help increase market access for America's independent producers.
  
  The Livestock Marketing Fairness Act, S. 1026, would end contract loopholes that packers use to manipulate markets. Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Tim Johnson, Chuck Grassley, and Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced this bill.
  
  Send a message to your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor S. 2141 and S. 1026. Thank your Senator if he has sponsored one or both of these bills. If you want, you can personalize the message below.
  

• Support sound science, not industry politics

  

  People near Pavillion, Wyoming have lived with contaminated groundwater for over 10 years. Their water is black, tastes bad, and smells like petroleum. The air is foul. Some have lost the sense of smell and taste. Others suffer chronic headaches and fatigue. Property values have dropped.

  When local farmers and ranchers appealed to the state government for relief, they got the cold shoulder.

  So, they went to the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency conducted a three-year long rigorous scientific investigation. EPA’s preliminary results show that drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and oil and gas production are likely responsible for the groundwater contamination.
  

  If EPA’s results hold up after review by independent scientists, this study will mark the first time the federal government has firmly connected fracking with groundwater pollution.

  Oil and gas companies and their friends in Wyoming state government are unhappy with this investigation. In response, they've attacked the EPA and the study. Industry is spending lots of money running commercials around the country claiming fracking has never been proven to pollute groundwater.

  Don't let the oil and gas industry have the last word. Help the farmers and ranchers harmed by this bad water.  Farmers and ranchers in the Pavillion area deserve better protection of their water, air, and health.

  Send a message today urging EPA to continue using sounds science to find out what's polluting Pavillion area water and to stand strong against political attempts to influence the study.

  If you wish, personalize your message to the EPA.
  

• Support strong coal ash protections

  Coal ash ponds leak cancer-causing chemicals in more than 100 sites across the country, endangering the water and health of people who live nearby. State agencies don't adequately protect water or human health from these leaks, so the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed, but not completed, new national rules to stop coal ash pollution.

  Burning coal for electricity produces waste containing highly toxic elements including arsenic, lead, hexavalent chromium and mercury. This dangerous waste is usually stored in unlined pits at coal-fired power plants or simply dumped into landfills. There are no consistent rules to follow to store coal ash safely.

  As a result, cancer-causing heavy metals seep into groundwater, endangering the health and safety of nearby residents.

  To correct this, EPA proposed two options. Residents who live near coal ash pits and ponds want EPA to adopt a version of the rule known as the "strong Subtitle C" rule, because it has stronger controls on coal ash.

  Meanwhile, industry is pushing Congress to weaken EPA's proposed protections.

  It’s time to protect the water and health of people living near coal ash pits and dumps.

  You can use the message below to contact President Obama and EPA to tell them coal ash pollutes our communities and we need proper oversight and protections now. It’s time to kick coal ash!
  

  Personalize your message, if you wish.
  

• Keep Wind Energy Jobs in the U.S.

  Congress will soon decide the future of the U.S. wind industry.

  The federal Production Tax Credit, or PTC, has spurred investment in the wind industry. Equipped with the PTC, the wind energy industry has invested more  than $60 billion in the U.S. economy since 2005 and created manufacturing jobs at more than 400 facilities across 43 states.

  But this important tax credit expires at the end of 2012.

  We’ve seen what happens when Congress allowed the PTC to expire in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

  

  Wind industry leaders predict massive cutbacks in jobs and investment once again if the PTC ends -- from 78,000 jobs in 2012 to 41,000 in 2013, and from $15.6 billion in investment in 2013 to $5.5 billion in 2013.

  According to the American Wind Energy Association, planned wind projects could be delayed or cancelled if Congress does not act this month.

  Tell Congress that the wind Production Tax Credit is a good investment in American jobs and a clean, renewable economy, and should be extended now.

  Personalize your message if you wish.
  

• Urge Senator Conrad to Oppose Legislation Short-Circuiting Keystone XL Approval

  Congress continues to interfere with the Obama administration’s handling of the permitting of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Because of an arbitrary deadline set by Congress, the administration rejected the siting application by TransCanada, essentially requiring the company to start over with an alternate route. Keystone XL proponents in Congress are trying to short-circuit the process.

  Recently, Senator John Hoeven offered legislation, S. 2041, that would require approval of the pipeline as soon as an alternate route is proposed, preventing thorough review of the pipeline’s safety and eliminating further public comment. He has 44 co-sponsors.

  Senator Kent Conrad announced that he would not co-sponsor S. 2041. He expressed support for following a thorough administrative process, including public comment, prior to approving or rejecting the pipeline.
  
  Thank Senator Conrad for his support of a thorough review of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, if TransCanada reapplies. You can call him or email him the message below. Feel free to personalize your message if you wish. 
  

• Don’t undermine coal mine reclamation

  A plan by Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar would undermine coal mine reclamation by moving the Office of Surface Mining into the much larger Bureau of Land Management. The proposal would combine two distinctly separate programs -- creating a big conflict of interest.

  Secretary Salazar should keep the agency charged with leasing coal separate - the Bureau of Land Management - from the agency charged with regulating coal mining and reclamation - the Office of Surface Mining.
  
  People living near coal mines oppose this plan, and one Montana state agency said there was no indication that a merger was necessary.
  
  The Bureau of Land Management sells coal leases for development. The Office of Surface Mining is responsible to make sure coal mining is done right. Let's keep it that way. In this time of tight budgets and federal debt, the Department of Interior should focus more on getting a fair return to the taxpayer for the sale of publicly-owned coal rather than confusing the role of these two agencies. .
  
  Let Secretary Salazar know you oppose this merger and that he should withhdraw it from consideration. Even if you don’t live near a coal mine, it’s important for Secretary Salazar to hear from you.

  You can send the message below or change it as you see fit.
  

• South Dakota's Congressional Delegation Needs to Hear from You

  Dear Dakota Rural Action Member,

  President Obama stood up to politics this week when he denied the permit application for the proposed Keystone XL. However, the rejection of the permit was for it’s current route and TransCanada will more than likely reapply with a reroute around the Nebraska Sandhills.
  
  There are more outstanding safety issues that need to be addressed though.
  

  •     The lack of a Emergency Response Plan, developed with public input, and filed with all affected counties, municipalities, and emergency responders before construction begins
  •     Treating all areas of the route as “High Consequence Areas,” and use thicker, safer pipe along the entire route.
  •     Prepare a complete plan for abandonment of the pipeline, including removing pipeline infrastructure when the pipeline is abandoned.

  
  
  
  Tell your Congressional representatives not to support any legislation that may be introduced to force the pipeline through. That these safety concerns need to be addressed in the next permit application process in order to protect South Dakota’s land, water and resources!
  
  TransCanada currently has filed eminent domain charges against landowners in South Dakota without all their necessary permits or determination if the pipeline is necessary.
  
  Tell Thune, Noem, and Johnson to stand up for the people of South Dakota and demand all eminent domain legal proceedings be stopped immediately!
  
  While a construction project will bring short term jobs, long term growth for SD depends upon the health of our soil and water and the families who have spent their lives as stewards of these resources.
  
  Contact your representatives today!

• Don’t cram Keystone XL pipeline through

  Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) has introduced a bill, S. 1932, to force the Obama Administration to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline permit within 60 days. Representative Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) and Representative Lee Terry (R-NE) have introduced similar bills, H.R. 3537 and H.R. 3548 respectively, in the House of Representatives.

  If the Administration doesn’t meet that arbitrary deadline, TransCanada, the Canadian oil company that wants to build the pipeline, would get its permit by default. Either way, these bills would stop studies and plans needed to protect community safety, property rights, and our environment.

  Tell your Senators and Representative today: Don’t cram this pipeline through. The rights of landowners, the safety of our communities, and protection of our environment are too important for playing political games.

  You can use the message below or change it to your own words.
  

• Don’t bury coal watch dogs in bureaucracy!

  Tell Interior Secretary Salazar not to stash coal surface mining regulation inside the BLM
  
  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wants to move the independent Office of Surface Mining into the huge federal bureaucracy of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

  When Congress reformed coal strip mine laws back in the 1970’s, it set up a strong and independent agency that reports directly to the Secretary, with an important statutory role for citizens to play in monitoring and enforcement. 
  
  BLM’s purpose is to lease coal. The agency has just leased or is in the process of leasing more than 5 billion tons of coal in Montana and Wyoming. BLM is 20 times the size of the current Office of Surface Mining. 

  See below for more information.

• Stop air pollution from oil & gas companies

  You can help clear the air of pollution from oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
  
  In July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new landmark clean air rules for oil and gas drilling all across the country.

  Tell EPA to make the final rules as strong as possible – there is no such thing as “too safe” for controls on pollution from fracking.

  Public health in and near oil and gas fields across the country will get a major boost if EPA adopts a strong final version of the proposed rules. The rules are comprehensive updates to federal limits on air pollution from oil and gas drilling.

  Every year, oil and gas companies frack, or re-frack, 25,000 oil and gas wells, spewing millions of tons of toxic air pollution into the air. EPA estimates that its proposed rule would reduce three kinds of pollution from oil and gas development across the country by 25% or more:
  

  • 25% cut industry wide of smog-forming Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are a large group of carbon-based chemicals, some of which have short- and long-term harmful health effects.
    
    
  • About a 26% cut in methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
    

  • Nearly 30% cut in air toxics known to, or suspected of, causing cancer and other serious health effects.
    

  Send your message to the EPA today to help make these clean air rules as strong as possible. You can use the message below or put your comments in your own words. Comments due October 23.
  

• Not in our interest

  The Keystone XL pipeline is not in the national interest. Its purpose is to provide multinational oil companies that produce tar sands oil in Canada with access to Gulf Coast refineries owned by more multinational oil companies, which will export gasoline and diesel overseas.
  

  It furthers the business interests of those oil companies and of TransCanada, not the national interest. It will generate few, if any, local jobs. It is a safety and environmental risk.
  

  Importing dirty and dangerous tar sands oil and exporting refined gasoline and diesel fuel to Europe and Asia is not in the national interest.
  

  Comments are due October 9.

  You can send the message below to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is not in the national interest.
  

  • Personalize the message with your own words, if you wish. There’s more information in the Background section below.
    
  • Fill in the form below with your information.
    
  • Click "Send Your Message" to send your message to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton.
    

  
  

• Stop air pollution from oil & gas companies

  You can help clear the air of pollution from oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
  
  In July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new landmark clean air rules for oil and gas drilling all across the country.

  Tell EPA to make the final rules as strong as possible – there is no such thing as “too safe” for controls on pollution from fracking.

  Public health in and near oil and gas fields across the country will get a major boost if EPA adopts a strong final version of the proposed rules. The rules are comprehensive updates to federal limits on air pollution from oil and gas drilling.

  Every year, oil and gas companies frack, or re-frack, 25,000 oil and gas wells, spewing millions of tons of toxic air pollution into the air. EPA estimates that its proposed rule would reduce three kinds of pollution from oil and gas development across the country by 25% or more:
  

  • 25% cut industry wide of smog-forming Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are a large group of carbon-based chemicals, some of which have short- and long-term harmful health effects.
    
    
  • About a 26% cut in methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
    

  • Nearly 30% cut in air toxics known to, or suspected of, causing cancer and other serious health effects.
    

  Send your message to the EPA today to help make these clean air rules as strong as possible. You can use the message below or put your comments in your own words.
  

• President Obama, say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline

  

  Photo by Ben Powless

  TransCanada, a Canadian company, wants to build a 36-inch pipeline to carry up to 37.8 million gallons daily of dirty tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and on to the Texas Gulf Coast. It would connect with the Keystone I pipeline, which has had 14 leaks since it went into operation just over a year ago.

  Landowners along the proposed route face condemnation by TransCanada if they don’t agree to the company’s terms. They’ve been asking for protections to insure the safety of their land, their water, and their families.

  Last week, the U.S. State Department released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed pipeline, which said it expects the impacts of the pipeline to be “limited.”
  

  But the State Department refused to look at the most important safety issues, such as how to avoid spills like we’ve had in the Gulf, the Kalamazoo River, the Yellowstone River, and from TransCanada’s Keystone I pipeline.

  And, Gulf Coast refineries plan to turn some of the tar sands oil from the pipeline into gasoline and diesel to export overseas.

  Send a message to the White House. Tell President Obama that the State Department hasn’t done enough to protect farmers and ranchers, public lands, wildlife, or rivers and groundwater from spills and other problems from building and operating this high-pressure, dirty fuel pipeline.
  

• Reconsider the Uranium Mill!

  Time is running out, so contact the Guv!
  
  The Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill is heading into the homestretch of its permit process, but western Colorado residents remain very concerned about the proposal in Montrose County.
  
  Contact Gov. Hickenlooper today to let him know there are a few key steps necessary to ensure healthy communities and strong economies.
  
  Don't forget to sign our online petition online!
  
  Check out our webpage , facebook and twitter profiles.

  Support WCC through GivingFirst

• Speak up for Dominguez-Escalante NCA

  Here are some issues you can include in your letter.  Remember, the BLM especially appreciates thoughtful comments about specific landscapes or managment issues.  For more information visit the BLM's planning webpage.

  * Conduct a wilderness inventory and protection plan for all NCA lands, including Dominguez North Citizens’ Wilderness Proposal and the roadless lands southwest of the current wilderness on the benches above Escalante Creek.

  * Keep the Dominquez Canyon Wilderness area as wild as possible and re-wild other areas where needed.  Keep parking facilities, roads, trailheads, and trail networks to the absolute minimum necessary to protect the Wilderness.

  * Inventory and protect all the cultural, archaeological, natural, scientific, recreational, wilderness, and wildlife values that Congress listed as important resources within the NCA.

  * Study streams  for Wild and Scenic Rivers Act suitability and establish strong management provisions for stream flow and stream corridors.