Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumIntroducing 'Keep It in the Ground' Bill, Sanders Goes Big on Climate
Introducing 'Keep It in the Ground' Bill, Sanders Goes Big on Climate
Published on Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Common Dreams
Proposed legislation by presidential candidate and Senate colleagueswhich would keep majority of fossil fuels on public lands and offshore areas from being exploiteddescribed as 'historic'
by Sarah Lazare, staff writer
.....The Keep It in the Ground Act was introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
The bill was cosponsored by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Specifically, the proposed legislation would block corporations from pursuing new and non-producing leases for coal, oil, gas, shale, and tar sands extraction on federal land. In addition, it would ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and halt new and non-producing leases in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico.
"We are taking on the Koch brothers and some of the most powerful political forces in the world who are more concerned with short-term profits than the future of the planet," said Sanders in a statement accompanying the bill. "Ive got four kids, and Ive got seven beautiful grandchildren. We have a moral responsibility to leave our kids a planet that is healthy and inhabitable."
The introduction of the bill follows an appeal issued in September by over 400 climate organizations and environmental leadersincluding Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Indigenous People's Power Projectcalling on Obama to halt new leasing on public lands and oceans, and insisting this is the single greatest thing he could do as president to curb the climate crisis.
"Over the past decade, the burning of fossil fuels from federal leasing has resulted in nearly a quarter of all U.S. energy-related emissions and nearly 4 percent of global emissions," the letter stated.
In a study published in the journal Nature earlier this year, scientists concluded that, in order to stave off climate disaster, the vast majority of fossil fuel deposits around the worldincluding 92 percent of U.S. coal, all Arctic oil and gas, and a majority of Canadian tar sandsmust stay "in the ground."
Bill Snape, senior counsel to the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams thatbecause of this stark warningWednesday's legislation is "historic."
"Obviously Obama's Clean Power Plan is not enough, and not even close if it is by itself," Snape emphasized. "All of the technical standards, all of the state cooperation, it matters for nothing if we do not keep the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground."
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/04/introducing-keep-it-ground-bill-sanders-goes-big-climate
*This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
(Bold for emphasis is my own)
Published on Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Common Dreams
Proposed legislation by presidential candidate and Senate colleagueswhich would keep majority of fossil fuels on public lands and offshore areas from being exploiteddescribed as 'historic'
by Sarah Lazare, staff writer
.....The Keep It in the Ground Act was introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
The bill was cosponsored by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Specifically, the proposed legislation would block corporations from pursuing new and non-producing leases for coal, oil, gas, shale, and tar sands extraction on federal land. In addition, it would ban offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and halt new and non-producing leases in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico.
"We are taking on the Koch brothers and some of the most powerful political forces in the world who are more concerned with short-term profits than the future of the planet," said Sanders in a statement accompanying the bill. "Ive got four kids, and Ive got seven beautiful grandchildren. We have a moral responsibility to leave our kids a planet that is healthy and inhabitable."
The introduction of the bill follows an appeal issued in September by over 400 climate organizations and environmental leadersincluding Asian Pacific Environmental Network and Indigenous People's Power Projectcalling on Obama to halt new leasing on public lands and oceans, and insisting this is the single greatest thing he could do as president to curb the climate crisis.
"Over the past decade, the burning of fossil fuels from federal leasing has resulted in nearly a quarter of all U.S. energy-related emissions and nearly 4 percent of global emissions," the letter stated.
In a study published in the journal Nature earlier this year, scientists concluded that, in order to stave off climate disaster, the vast majority of fossil fuel deposits around the worldincluding 92 percent of U.S. coal, all Arctic oil and gas, and a majority of Canadian tar sandsmust stay "in the ground."
Bill Snape, senior counsel to the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams thatbecause of this stark warningWednesday's legislation is "historic."
"Obviously Obama's Clean Power Plan is not enough, and not even close if it is by itself," Snape emphasized. "All of the technical standards, all of the state cooperation, it matters for nothing if we do not keep the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground."
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/04/introducing-keep-it-ground-bill-sanders-goes-big-climate
*This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
(Bold for emphasis is my own)
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 566 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (15)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Introducing 'Keep It in the Ground' Bill, Sanders Goes Big on Climate (Original Post)
RiverLover
Nov 2015
OP
longship
(40,416 posts)1. Good! R&K nt
cprise
(8,445 posts)2. His No.1 issue
K&R!