May 10, 2013
In a letter sent to President Obama on Friday, 150 high profile Democratic donors urged the president "to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy" and take a stand once and for all against the proposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous," the letter, which was first obtained by The Guardian, said.
"As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption," it continued. "This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to."
Despite a prolonged and dramatic national movement that has risen up to oppose the Keystone XL project, conventional wisdom in Washington supposes that the powerful influence of the oil and pipeline industry is still enough that Obama will likely approve the pipeline. A final decision is expected this summer or early fall.
The letter warns against the long term effects of the pipeline on the world's climate. The unearthing and burning of the toxic tar sands set to be routed via the pipeline, will mean "game over" in the climate battle, many have warned--as it will increase the volume of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere to a "point of no return" in terms of its perpetual warming effects.
"As the IEA starkly warned," the letter from Obama's once-loyal supporters notes, "continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will 'lock in' emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable."
As The Guardianreports:
The letter was endorsed by some of Obama's most prominent supporters such as Vinod Khosla, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems; Rob McKay, the heir to the Taco Bell fortune and chairman of the Democracy Alliance; Blythe Danner, the actor and mother of Gwyneth Paltrow and Susie Tompkins Buell, co-founder of the Esprit clothing line.
Buell alone donated more than $300,000 to Democratic candidates and groups in the 2012 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
For most donors on the list, it is the first time they have weighed in so publicly on the Keystone decision.
The letter echos the sentiments of the growing grassroots protest movement, which has included tar sands "blockaders", a student lead fossil fuel divestment campaign, and the largest climate rally in history.
The letter's dominant theme is the urgency of the climate change issue--and that it will be an irreversible mistake if the president chooses poorly: "Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous."
The letter pledges support to Obama, should he stand up against the nagging influence of the fossil fuel industry: "We pledge to support you in every way possible," the letter said.
"I think the president may feel alone because there is just this drum beat of advertising in favor of Keystone, framed as it is in a jobs context," Betsy Taylor, the political strategist who co-ordinated the letter told the Guardian "But when he denies the Keystone permit he will ignite a rush of financial contributions and boots on the ground for clean energy candidates in 2014."
Read the full letter below:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500Dear President Obama,
As business leaders, philanthropists, and supporters of your 2008 and 2012 campaigns, we write to urge you to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and to do everything in your power to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and to clean energy sources.
We have read of your admiration for President Lincoln, surely the most beloved of all presidents.
He made one of the most important decisions of his presidency and for our nation when he decided that he would fight for the 13th Amendment to end slavery even if it took every ounce of his political capital. Your decision on Keystone may not be so weighty, but we believe it holds a comparable urgency and importance, not strictly as a pipeline decision but as a presidential choice that will signal a fundamentally new direction for our nation.
We urge you to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy. As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption. We must help impacted communities and industries. We cannot make these changes overnight, but we must make them. Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous.
"Winning" a safe climate future is a long game, but we can lose it very quickly - on your watch.
As the IEA starkly warned, continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will "lock in" emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable.
The Keystone decision affords you a rare opportunity to pivot away from fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future in a way that signals the necessary sea change. The controversy associated with the decision is commensurate with its historic significance. Of course, no single decision is technically decisive with respect to climate disruption. But those who dismiss the Keystone decision as "merely symbolic" underestimate both its substantive importance and its place in history and your presidency.
This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to.
Under trying circumstances and against entrenched opposition, you have led America toward a clean energy future by improving fuel efficiency standards, extending clean energy production tax credits, and asserting EPA authority to regulate coal-fired power plants. Your call to action on climate change in your State of the Union and Inaugural addresses inspired us. We thank you for this leadership, and urge you to push now, beyond what official Washington deems possible, toward what we know is necessary.
We pledge to support you in every way possible as you help our nation "respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."
We believe in the power and promise of clean energy. We believe it's time to look our kids and grandkids - the prospective victims of still-preventable climate disasters - in the eye and say, "We will do what must be done to protect you. We will make this better."
But they won't believe us until we stop making it worse. That's why we urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. With hope and determination to build a healthy future, and the deepest respect for your leadership,
Sincerely,
Wendy Abrams
Chicago, ILDavid Blittersdorf
Williston, VTGeeta B. Aiyer
Boston, MAPeter Boyer
San Francisco, CAKathleen Andreson
Mill Valley, CATerry Gamble Boyer
San Francisco, CABrian Arbogast
Seattle, WAAda Braun
Thousand Oaks, CAJudith Avery
San Francisco, CASusie Tompkins Buell
San Francisco, CAHolly Badgley
Mill Valley, CABob Burnett
Berkeley, CAAllan Badiner
Big Sur, CAJayni Chase
Bedford, NYIrene and Jack Banning
Pine Plains, NYGay Chiapetta
Oakland, CAKathleen C. Barry, PhD
Berkeley, CASally-Christine Rodgers
Watsonville, CAAnne Bartley
San Francisco, CAJeff Clements
Concord, MALoren Blackford
New York, NYMarilyn Clements
Stamford, CTBonnie Cockman
Somerville, MAGeraldine Gold
Los Angeles, CAElizabeth Colton
San Francisco, CAMitchell Gold
Los Angeles, CAJulie Corbett
Oakland, CAAdelaide Gomer
Ithaca, NYTony Crabb
Healdsburg, CAIsabel Grantham
Washington, D.C.Gemma Daggatt
Seattle, WAKen Grossinger
Washington, D.C.Blythe Danner
New York, NYPaul and Eileen Growald
Shelburne, VTJudy Drake
Seattle, WAGerald Guez
Beverly Hills, CAMarion Edey
Silver Spring, MDAndrew Gunther
Oakland, CARandi Fisher
San Francisco, CAGeorge Hamilton
Montpelier, VTJim Fournier
Nicasio, CANick Hanauer
Seattle, WARobert and Reba Fournier
Portola Valley, CAChristine Hanna
Seattle, WARobert and Chandra Friese
San Francisco, CAAmy Harmon
Bolinas, CAAndrew Gold
Madison, WICyrus Harmon
Bolinas, CABarry Gold
Los Angeles, CAAnna Hawken
San Francisco, CADaniel Gold
Ann Arbor, MIKaren Heath
Wilton, MEMarshall Herskovitz
Santa Monica, CARobert Kennedy Jr.
New York, NYAnne Hess
New York, NYVinod Khosla
Palo Alto, CABarbarina and Aaron Heyerdahl
Shelburne, VTMichael Kieschnick
Palo Alto, CAJan and Maurice Holloway
San Francisco, CASteve Kirsch
Los Altos Hills, CAJeffrey Hollender
Charlotte, VTNancy Klehr
Piedmont, CAKirk Hulett
San Diego, CAMartha Kongsgaard
Seattle, WAMarion Hunt
Big Sur, CAAnne Kroeker
Seattle, WAJohn Hunting
Grand Rapids, MIStephen Lane
Oakland, CALisa Irmas
Encino, CABarbara Layton
East Hampton, NYScott Jacobs
San Francisco, CABokara Legendre
New York, NYGuyton Jinkerson
Los Altos Hills, CACrea and Philip Linthilac
Shelburne, VTPeter Joseph, MD
San Anselmo, CARuth Lipscomb
Bellevue, WACraig Kaplan
New York, NYAlexandra Loeb
Seattle, WALawrence Keeshan
Berkeley, CAStephanie Low
New York, NYArthur Keller, PhD
Palo Alto, CAElise Lufkin
Seattle, WAElizabeth Welch Lykins
Grand Rapids, MINancy Fleck Myers
Evanston, ILSid and Sue Madison
Piscataway, NJBarry Nelson
Berkeley, CAMitch Mandich
Palo Alto, CAErin Nelson
Seattle, WAGary and Cristina Mauro
Austin, TXJohn O'Farrell
Atherton, CARob McKay
San Francisco, CAElizabeth O'Hara
Oakland, CARobert McKinney
Indianapolis, INMichael and Bobbi Orbitz
Chicago, ILChristine Mednick
Pacific Palisades, CAProf. Richard Ottinger
White Plains, NYAlida Messinger
Minneapolis, MNDennis Pence
Sandpoint, IDNancy Meyer
New York, NYJaMel Perkins
San Francisco, CADan Miller
Orinda, CARobert Perkowitz
Washington, D.C.David Miller
Waban, MAHarry Plant
Palo Alto, CAJim Miller
Wellesley, MASusan Pritzker
Chicago, ILKrisann Miller
Wellesley, MAMel and Dee Raff
Takoma Park, MDMaura Burke Morey
Tiburon, CAAmy Rao
Palo Alto, CALisa Renstrom
Washington, DCFaye and Sandor Straus
Lafayette, CARandy Repass
Watsonville, CASusan Swig
San Francisco, CAMike Richter
Greenwich, CTValerie Tarico
Seattle, WARob Rose
Oakland, CABetsy Taylor
Takoma Park, MDMolly Rose
Castle Rock, COScott and Christy Wallace
Bethesda, MDGuy Saperstein
Piedmont, CAKathy Washienko
Seattle, WAMarshall Saunders
Coronado, COLucinda Watson
Sausalito, CATedd Saunders
Boston, MAJeffrey Weiss
Lincoln, RIMargaret Schink
Portola Valley, CAMarc Weiss
New York, NYJigar Shah
Washington, DCVirgil John White
Sacramento, CALinda Spencer
Oakland, CAMartha Wyckoff
Seattle, LAMargo Kind and John Steiner
Longmont, COSteve Ko and Sophia Yen, MD
Los Altos, CANancy Stephens
Los Angeles, CAShirley Weese Young
Chicago, ILPeter Stern
Mill Valley, CANancy Nicolaus Zacher
Bolinas, CA
_______________________
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Jacob Chamberlain
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In a letter sent to President Obama on Friday, 150 high profile Democratic donors urged the president "to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy" and take a stand once and for all against the proposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous," the letter, which was first obtained by The Guardian, said.
"As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption," it continued. "This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to."
Despite a prolonged and dramatic national movement that has risen up to oppose the Keystone XL project, conventional wisdom in Washington supposes that the powerful influence of the oil and pipeline industry is still enough that Obama will likely approve the pipeline. A final decision is expected this summer or early fall.
The letter warns against the long term effects of the pipeline on the world's climate. The unearthing and burning of the toxic tar sands set to be routed via the pipeline, will mean "game over" in the climate battle, many have warned--as it will increase the volume of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere to a "point of no return" in terms of its perpetual warming effects.
"As the IEA starkly warned," the letter from Obama's once-loyal supporters notes, "continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will 'lock in' emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable."
As The Guardianreports:
The letter was endorsed by some of Obama's most prominent supporters such as Vinod Khosla, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems; Rob McKay, the heir to the Taco Bell fortune and chairman of the Democracy Alliance; Blythe Danner, the actor and mother of Gwyneth Paltrow and Susie Tompkins Buell, co-founder of the Esprit clothing line.
Buell alone donated more than $300,000 to Democratic candidates and groups in the 2012 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
For most donors on the list, it is the first time they have weighed in so publicly on the Keystone decision.
The letter echos the sentiments of the growing grassroots protest movement, which has included tar sands "blockaders", a student lead fossil fuel divestment campaign, and the largest climate rally in history.
The letter's dominant theme is the urgency of the climate change issue--and that it will be an irreversible mistake if the president chooses poorly: "Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous."
The letter pledges support to Obama, should he stand up against the nagging influence of the fossil fuel industry: "We pledge to support you in every way possible," the letter said.
"I think the president may feel alone because there is just this drum beat of advertising in favor of Keystone, framed as it is in a jobs context," Betsy Taylor, the political strategist who co-ordinated the letter told the Guardian "But when he denies the Keystone permit he will ignite a rush of financial contributions and boots on the ground for clean energy candidates in 2014."
Read the full letter below:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500Dear President Obama,
As business leaders, philanthropists, and supporters of your 2008 and 2012 campaigns, we write to urge you to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and to do everything in your power to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and to clean energy sources.
We have read of your admiration for President Lincoln, surely the most beloved of all presidents.
He made one of the most important decisions of his presidency and for our nation when he decided that he would fight for the 13th Amendment to end slavery even if it took every ounce of his political capital. Your decision on Keystone may not be so weighty, but we believe it holds a comparable urgency and importance, not strictly as a pipeline decision but as a presidential choice that will signal a fundamentally new direction for our nation.
We urge you to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy. As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption. We must help impacted communities and industries. We cannot make these changes overnight, but we must make them. Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous.
"Winning" a safe climate future is a long game, but we can lose it very quickly - on your watch.
As the IEA starkly warned, continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will "lock in" emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable.
The Keystone decision affords you a rare opportunity to pivot away from fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future in a way that signals the necessary sea change. The controversy associated with the decision is commensurate with its historic significance. Of course, no single decision is technically decisive with respect to climate disruption. But those who dismiss the Keystone decision as "merely symbolic" underestimate both its substantive importance and its place in history and your presidency.
This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to.
Under trying circumstances and against entrenched opposition, you have led America toward a clean energy future by improving fuel efficiency standards, extending clean energy production tax credits, and asserting EPA authority to regulate coal-fired power plants. Your call to action on climate change in your State of the Union and Inaugural addresses inspired us. We thank you for this leadership, and urge you to push now, beyond what official Washington deems possible, toward what we know is necessary.
We pledge to support you in every way possible as you help our nation "respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."
We believe in the power and promise of clean energy. We believe it's time to look our kids and grandkids - the prospective victims of still-preventable climate disasters - in the eye and say, "We will do what must be done to protect you. We will make this better."
But they won't believe us until we stop making it worse. That's why we urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. With hope and determination to build a healthy future, and the deepest respect for your leadership,
Sincerely,
Wendy Abrams
Chicago, ILDavid Blittersdorf
Williston, VTGeeta B. Aiyer
Boston, MAPeter Boyer
San Francisco, CAKathleen Andreson
Mill Valley, CATerry Gamble Boyer
San Francisco, CABrian Arbogast
Seattle, WAAda Braun
Thousand Oaks, CAJudith Avery
San Francisco, CASusie Tompkins Buell
San Francisco, CAHolly Badgley
Mill Valley, CABob Burnett
Berkeley, CAAllan Badiner
Big Sur, CAJayni Chase
Bedford, NYIrene and Jack Banning
Pine Plains, NYGay Chiapetta
Oakland, CAKathleen C. Barry, PhD
Berkeley, CASally-Christine Rodgers
Watsonville, CAAnne Bartley
San Francisco, CAJeff Clements
Concord, MALoren Blackford
New York, NYMarilyn Clements
Stamford, CTBonnie Cockman
Somerville, MAGeraldine Gold
Los Angeles, CAElizabeth Colton
San Francisco, CAMitchell Gold
Los Angeles, CAJulie Corbett
Oakland, CAAdelaide Gomer
Ithaca, NYTony Crabb
Healdsburg, CAIsabel Grantham
Washington, D.C.Gemma Daggatt
Seattle, WAKen Grossinger
Washington, D.C.Blythe Danner
New York, NYPaul and Eileen Growald
Shelburne, VTJudy Drake
Seattle, WAGerald Guez
Beverly Hills, CAMarion Edey
Silver Spring, MDAndrew Gunther
Oakland, CARandi Fisher
San Francisco, CAGeorge Hamilton
Montpelier, VTJim Fournier
Nicasio, CANick Hanauer
Seattle, WARobert and Reba Fournier
Portola Valley, CAChristine Hanna
Seattle, WARobert and Chandra Friese
San Francisco, CAAmy Harmon
Bolinas, CAAndrew Gold
Madison, WICyrus Harmon
Bolinas, CABarry Gold
Los Angeles, CAAnna Hawken
San Francisco, CADaniel Gold
Ann Arbor, MIKaren Heath
Wilton, MEMarshall Herskovitz
Santa Monica, CARobert Kennedy Jr.
New York, NYAnne Hess
New York, NYVinod Khosla
Palo Alto, CABarbarina and Aaron Heyerdahl
Shelburne, VTMichael Kieschnick
Palo Alto, CAJan and Maurice Holloway
San Francisco, CASteve Kirsch
Los Altos Hills, CAJeffrey Hollender
Charlotte, VTNancy Klehr
Piedmont, CAKirk Hulett
San Diego, CAMartha Kongsgaard
Seattle, WAMarion Hunt
Big Sur, CAAnne Kroeker
Seattle, WAJohn Hunting
Grand Rapids, MIStephen Lane
Oakland, CALisa Irmas
Encino, CABarbara Layton
East Hampton, NYScott Jacobs
San Francisco, CABokara Legendre
New York, NYGuyton Jinkerson
Los Altos Hills, CACrea and Philip Linthilac
Shelburne, VTPeter Joseph, MD
San Anselmo, CARuth Lipscomb
Bellevue, WACraig Kaplan
New York, NYAlexandra Loeb
Seattle, WALawrence Keeshan
Berkeley, CAStephanie Low
New York, NYArthur Keller, PhD
Palo Alto, CAElise Lufkin
Seattle, WAElizabeth Welch Lykins
Grand Rapids, MINancy Fleck Myers
Evanston, ILSid and Sue Madison
Piscataway, NJBarry Nelson
Berkeley, CAMitch Mandich
Palo Alto, CAErin Nelson
Seattle, WAGary and Cristina Mauro
Austin, TXJohn O'Farrell
Atherton, CARob McKay
San Francisco, CAElizabeth O'Hara
Oakland, CARobert McKinney
Indianapolis, INMichael and Bobbi Orbitz
Chicago, ILChristine Mednick
Pacific Palisades, CAProf. Richard Ottinger
White Plains, NYAlida Messinger
Minneapolis, MNDennis Pence
Sandpoint, IDNancy Meyer
New York, NYJaMel Perkins
San Francisco, CADan Miller
Orinda, CARobert Perkowitz
Washington, D.C.David Miller
Waban, MAHarry Plant
Palo Alto, CAJim Miller
Wellesley, MASusan Pritzker
Chicago, ILKrisann Miller
Wellesley, MAMel and Dee Raff
Takoma Park, MDMaura Burke Morey
Tiburon, CAAmy Rao
Palo Alto, CALisa Renstrom
Washington, DCFaye and Sandor Straus
Lafayette, CARandy Repass
Watsonville, CASusan Swig
San Francisco, CAMike Richter
Greenwich, CTValerie Tarico
Seattle, WARob Rose
Oakland, CABetsy Taylor
Takoma Park, MDMolly Rose
Castle Rock, COScott and Christy Wallace
Bethesda, MDGuy Saperstein
Piedmont, CAKathy Washienko
Seattle, WAMarshall Saunders
Coronado, COLucinda Watson
Sausalito, CATedd Saunders
Boston, MAJeffrey Weiss
Lincoln, RIMargaret Schink
Portola Valley, CAMarc Weiss
New York, NYJigar Shah
Washington, DCVirgil John White
Sacramento, CALinda Spencer
Oakland, CAMartha Wyckoff
Seattle, LAMargo Kind and John Steiner
Longmont, COSteve Ko and Sophia Yen, MD
Los Altos, CANancy Stephens
Los Angeles, CAShirley Weese Young
Chicago, ILPeter Stern
Mill Valley, CANancy Nicolaus Zacher
Bolinas, CA
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
In a letter sent to President Obama on Friday, 150 high profile Democratic donors urged the president "to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy" and take a stand once and for all against the proposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous," the letter, which was first obtained by The Guardian, said.
"As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption," it continued. "This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to."
Despite a prolonged and dramatic national movement that has risen up to oppose the Keystone XL project, conventional wisdom in Washington supposes that the powerful influence of the oil and pipeline industry is still enough that Obama will likely approve the pipeline. A final decision is expected this summer or early fall.
The letter warns against the long term effects of the pipeline on the world's climate. The unearthing and burning of the toxic tar sands set to be routed via the pipeline, will mean "game over" in the climate battle, many have warned--as it will increase the volume of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere to a "point of no return" in terms of its perpetual warming effects.
"As the IEA starkly warned," the letter from Obama's once-loyal supporters notes, "continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will 'lock in' emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable."
As The Guardianreports:
The letter was endorsed by some of Obama's most prominent supporters such as Vinod Khosla, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems; Rob McKay, the heir to the Taco Bell fortune and chairman of the Democracy Alliance; Blythe Danner, the actor and mother of Gwyneth Paltrow and Susie Tompkins Buell, co-founder of the Esprit clothing line.
Buell alone donated more than $300,000 to Democratic candidates and groups in the 2012 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
For most donors on the list, it is the first time they have weighed in so publicly on the Keystone decision.
The letter echos the sentiments of the growing grassroots protest movement, which has included tar sands "blockaders", a student lead fossil fuel divestment campaign, and the largest climate rally in history.
The letter's dominant theme is the urgency of the climate change issue--and that it will be an irreversible mistake if the president chooses poorly: "Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous."
The letter pledges support to Obama, should he stand up against the nagging influence of the fossil fuel industry: "We pledge to support you in every way possible," the letter said.
"I think the president may feel alone because there is just this drum beat of advertising in favor of Keystone, framed as it is in a jobs context," Betsy Taylor, the political strategist who co-ordinated the letter told the Guardian "But when he denies the Keystone permit he will ignite a rush of financial contributions and boots on the ground for clean energy candidates in 2014."
Read the full letter below:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500Dear President Obama,
As business leaders, philanthropists, and supporters of your 2008 and 2012 campaigns, we write to urge you to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and to do everything in your power to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and to clean energy sources.
We have read of your admiration for President Lincoln, surely the most beloved of all presidents.
He made one of the most important decisions of his presidency and for our nation when he decided that he would fight for the 13th Amendment to end slavery even if it took every ounce of his political capital. Your decision on Keystone may not be so weighty, but we believe it holds a comparable urgency and importance, not strictly as a pipeline decision but as a presidential choice that will signal a fundamentally new direction for our nation.
We urge you to proclaim with clarity and purpose that our nation will transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels to job-creating clean energy. As challenging as this may be, the costs pale in comparison to the human consequences of unchecked climate disruption. We must help impacted communities and industries. We cannot make these changes overnight, but we must make them. Yours is the last presidency in which it is possible for America to choose a responsible path forward for itself, before climate disruption becomes unmanageably dangerous.
"Winning" a safe climate future is a long game, but we can lose it very quickly - on your watch.
As the IEA starkly warned, continued investment in capital-intensive, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure like Keystone XL will "lock in" emission trajectories that make catastrophic climate disruption inevitable.
The Keystone decision affords you a rare opportunity to pivot away from fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future in a way that signals the necessary sea change. The controversy associated with the decision is commensurate with its historic significance. Of course, no single decision is technically decisive with respect to climate disruption. But those who dismiss the Keystone decision as "merely symbolic" underestimate both its substantive importance and its place in history and your presidency.
This decision more than any other will signal your direction, your commitment, your resolve. It is the biggest, most explicit statement you will make in this historic moment, the moment when America turns from denial to solutions - or fails to.
Under trying circumstances and against entrenched opposition, you have led America toward a clean energy future by improving fuel efficiency standards, extending clean energy production tax credits, and asserting EPA authority to regulate coal-fired power plants. Your call to action on climate change in your State of the Union and Inaugural addresses inspired us. We thank you for this leadership, and urge you to push now, beyond what official Washington deems possible, toward what we know is necessary.
We pledge to support you in every way possible as you help our nation "respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations."
We believe in the power and promise of clean energy. We believe it's time to look our kids and grandkids - the prospective victims of still-preventable climate disasters - in the eye and say, "We will do what must be done to protect you. We will make this better."
But they won't believe us until we stop making it worse. That's why we urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. With hope and determination to build a healthy future, and the deepest respect for your leadership,
Sincerely,
Wendy Abrams
Chicago, ILDavid Blittersdorf
Williston, VTGeeta B. Aiyer
Boston, MAPeter Boyer
San Francisco, CAKathleen Andreson
Mill Valley, CATerry Gamble Boyer
San Francisco, CABrian Arbogast
Seattle, WAAda Braun
Thousand Oaks, CAJudith Avery
San Francisco, CASusie Tompkins Buell
San Francisco, CAHolly Badgley
Mill Valley, CABob Burnett
Berkeley, CAAllan Badiner
Big Sur, CAJayni Chase
Bedford, NYIrene and Jack Banning
Pine Plains, NYGay Chiapetta
Oakland, CAKathleen C. Barry, PhD
Berkeley, CASally-Christine Rodgers
Watsonville, CAAnne Bartley
San Francisco, CAJeff Clements
Concord, MALoren Blackford
New York, NYMarilyn Clements
Stamford, CTBonnie Cockman
Somerville, MAGeraldine Gold
Los Angeles, CAElizabeth Colton
San Francisco, CAMitchell Gold
Los Angeles, CAJulie Corbett
Oakland, CAAdelaide Gomer
Ithaca, NYTony Crabb
Healdsburg, CAIsabel Grantham
Washington, D.C.Gemma Daggatt
Seattle, WAKen Grossinger
Washington, D.C.Blythe Danner
New York, NYPaul and Eileen Growald
Shelburne, VTJudy Drake
Seattle, WAGerald Guez
Beverly Hills, CAMarion Edey
Silver Spring, MDAndrew Gunther
Oakland, CARandi Fisher
San Francisco, CAGeorge Hamilton
Montpelier, VTJim Fournier
Nicasio, CANick Hanauer
Seattle, WARobert and Reba Fournier
Portola Valley, CAChristine Hanna
Seattle, WARobert and Chandra Friese
San Francisco, CAAmy Harmon
Bolinas, CAAndrew Gold
Madison, WICyrus Harmon
Bolinas, CABarry Gold
Los Angeles, CAAnna Hawken
San Francisco, CADaniel Gold
Ann Arbor, MIKaren Heath
Wilton, MEMarshall Herskovitz
Santa Monica, CARobert Kennedy Jr.
New York, NYAnne Hess
New York, NYVinod Khosla
Palo Alto, CABarbarina and Aaron Heyerdahl
Shelburne, VTMichael Kieschnick
Palo Alto, CAJan and Maurice Holloway
San Francisco, CASteve Kirsch
Los Altos Hills, CAJeffrey Hollender
Charlotte, VTNancy Klehr
Piedmont, CAKirk Hulett
San Diego, CAMartha Kongsgaard
Seattle, WAMarion Hunt
Big Sur, CAAnne Kroeker
Seattle, WAJohn Hunting
Grand Rapids, MIStephen Lane
Oakland, CALisa Irmas
Encino, CABarbara Layton
East Hampton, NYScott Jacobs
San Francisco, CABokara Legendre
New York, NYGuyton Jinkerson
Los Altos Hills, CACrea and Philip Linthilac
Shelburne, VTPeter Joseph, MD
San Anselmo, CARuth Lipscomb
Bellevue, WACraig Kaplan
New York, NYAlexandra Loeb
Seattle, WALawrence Keeshan
Berkeley, CAStephanie Low
New York, NYArthur Keller, PhD
Palo Alto, CAElise Lufkin
Seattle, WAElizabeth Welch Lykins
Grand Rapids, MINancy Fleck Myers
Evanston, ILSid and Sue Madison
Piscataway, NJBarry Nelson
Berkeley, CAMitch Mandich
Palo Alto, CAErin Nelson
Seattle, WAGary and Cristina Mauro
Austin, TXJohn O'Farrell
Atherton, CARob McKay
San Francisco, CAElizabeth O'Hara
Oakland, CARobert McKinney
Indianapolis, INMichael and Bobbi Orbitz
Chicago, ILChristine Mednick
Pacific Palisades, CAProf. Richard Ottinger
White Plains, NYAlida Messinger
Minneapolis, MNDennis Pence
Sandpoint, IDNancy Meyer
New York, NYJaMel Perkins
San Francisco, CADan Miller
Orinda, CARobert Perkowitz
Washington, D.C.David Miller
Waban, MAHarry Plant
Palo Alto, CAJim Miller
Wellesley, MASusan Pritzker
Chicago, ILKrisann Miller
Wellesley, MAMel and Dee Raff
Takoma Park, MDMaura Burke Morey
Tiburon, CAAmy Rao
Palo Alto, CALisa Renstrom
Washington, DCFaye and Sandor Straus
Lafayette, CARandy Repass
Watsonville, CASusan Swig
San Francisco, CAMike Richter
Greenwich, CTValerie Tarico
Seattle, WARob Rose
Oakland, CABetsy Taylor
Takoma Park, MDMolly Rose
Castle Rock, COScott and Christy Wallace
Bethesda, MDGuy Saperstein
Piedmont, CAKathy Washienko
Seattle, WAMarshall Saunders
Coronado, COLucinda Watson
Sausalito, CATedd Saunders
Boston, MAJeffrey Weiss
Lincoln, RIMargaret Schink
Portola Valley, CAMarc Weiss
New York, NYJigar Shah
Washington, DCVirgil John White
Sacramento, CALinda Spencer
Oakland, CAMartha Wyckoff
Seattle, LAMargo Kind and John Steiner
Longmont, COSteve Ko and Sophia Yen, MD
Los Altos, CANancy Stephens
Los Angeles, CAShirley Weese Young
Chicago, ILPeter Stern
Mill Valley, CANancy Nicolaus Zacher
Bolinas, CA
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