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For Immediate Release
August, 23 2016, 11:00am EDT
Contact:
Lindsay Meiman,Senior U.S. Communications Specialist,lindsay@350.org,us-comms@350.org,+1 347 460 9082,New York, USA
Gulf Residents Occupy BOEM office in Louisiana To Demand That President Obama Cancel Upcoming Fossil Fuel Lease Sale
Flooding debris from damaged homes damaged piled at BOEM’s front door
New Orleans, La.
This morning, a group of Gulf residents is risking arrest and occupying President Obama's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's office in New Orleans, demanding that he cancel the August 24th lease sale for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Debris from flood-damaged homes in the Baton Rouge area was placed in front of the BOEM office doors with a banner reading "President Obama: More Drilling = More Floods," underscoring the agency's role in perpetuating the climate crisis. President Obama will arrive in Baton Rouge this morning to address those affected by flooding.
"My heart is filled with both a deep sadness and deep anger -- at the fossil fuel companies driving this ongoing crisis, and at an Administration that continues to sell them the right to do so," said Cherri Foytlin, Gulf Coast mother of six and State Director of Bold Louisiana, in a petition to President Obama launched last week. "The fact that this fossil fuel auction is set to take place in the New Orleans Superdome -- the site of one of the most visible and tragic instances of climate injustice in recent history -- is nothing short of insulting."
BOEM, which oversees offshore leases for the President, is scheduled to auction of an area the size of Virginia to the fossil fuel industry for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow. A new study released today finds that burning fossil fuels under unleased federal waters in the Gulf would release 33 billion tons of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of running 9,500 coal-fired power plants for a year.
From its disappearing wetlands below rising waters to the catastrophic pollution of oil spills, the Gulf Coast has been at the forefront of climate impacts. Meteorologists and climate scientists have tied the recent flooding directly to climate change. Burning fossil fuels, including the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, warms the climate, which causes the air to hold more moisture. This, in turn, causes more rainfall and flooding. For any chance of curbing these impacts and preventing worse, President Obama must cancel all proposed offshore drilling and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
"While climate change affects everyone, communities of color and low-income communities continue to be hit hardest by the lasting impacts of climate disasters," said Anne Rolfes, Founding Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. "That's true in the Gulf Coast, and it's made worse by the fossil fuel industry's destructive projects in the region. Thousands of oil spills, sinking lands, and extreme weather creating turmoil for countless people. What more will convince the Obama administration to stop treating the Gulf like a sacrifice zone to fossil fuel interests?"
In March, a coalition of Gulf Coast residents and national organizations interrupted BOEM's offshore drilling auction at the Superdome in New Orleans, calling again for President Obama to cancel it. Since then, the Bureau announced that its August 24th lease sale will be livestreamed online, closing it to the public's presence for the first time. This lease sale is scheduled to be held in the morning at the Superdome behind locked doors.
"As a mother and a teacher, I'm standing up for my children and all other children in the world," said Renate Heurich, a resident of New Orleans and a member of the group occupying BOEM's offices. "If we want to give them any chance to have a livable climate, we need to keep the vast majority of all known fossil fuel reserves in the ground. When BOEM sells the Gulf, they are selling our children's future."
For the latest information about the action, follow Louisiana Bucket Brigade (@labucketbrigade) and 350 Louisiana (@350Louisiana) on Facebook and Twitter, or follow the hashtag #nonewleases.
Photos:
350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.
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Israel's 120-member Knesset "on Monday evening voted 39-16 in favor of the first reading of a controversial government-backed bill sponsored by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech," the Times of Israel reported. "Two other death penalty bills, sponsored by Likud MK Nissim Vaturi and Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, also passed their first readings 36-15 and 37-14."
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A Kansas county has agreed to pay $3 million over 2023 police raids of a local newspaper and multiple homes—one of which belonged to its elderly publisher, whose death shortly followed—sparking nationwide alarm over increasing attacks on the free press.
Marion County agreed to pay the seven-figure settlement and issue a formal apology to the publishers of the Marion County Record admitting that wrongdoing had occurred during the August 11, 2023 raids on the paper's newsroom and two homes.
The apology states that the Marion County Sheriff's Office "wishes to express its sincere regrets to Eric and Joan Meyer and Ruth and Ronald Herbel for its participation in the drafting and execution of the Marion Police Department’s search warrants on their homes and the Marion County Record. This likely would not have happened if established law had been reviewed and applied prior to the execution of the warrant."
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Rhodes was referring to the 98-year-old Record co-owner, who was reportedly in good health for her age, but collapsed and died at her home in the immediate aftermath of the raid by Marion police and country sheriff's deputies.
"This is a first step—but a big step—in making sure that Joan Meyer’s death served a purpose."
Eric Meyer, Joan Meyer's son and the current publisher of the Record, said: “The admission of wrongdoing is the most important part. In our democracy, the press is a watchdog against abuse. If the watchdog itself is the target of abuse, and all it does is roll over, democracy suffers.”
According to the Record, awards include:
- $200,000 to Eric Meyer, whose home was raided and two computers and a cellphone seized;
- $250,000 to reporter Deb Gruver, whose cell phone was seized;
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- $600,000 to reporter Phyllis Zorn, whose cell phone was seized;
- $650,000 to former vice mayor Ruth Herbel, whose computer and cell phone were seized, and her husband, Ron, whose dementia was aggravated by the raid on their home; and
- $1 million to the estate of Joan Meyer.
Record business manager Cheri Bentz—who suffered aggravation of health conditions following one of the raids—previously settled with the county for $50,000.
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State District Judge Ryan Rosauer ruled last month that Cody likely committed a felony crime when he instructed a witness with whom he allegedly had an improper romantic relationship to delete text messages they exchanged before, during, and after the raids.
While Cody will not be tried in connection with Meyer's death or the 2023 raids, Rosauer ordered him to stand trial over the deleted texts.
Meyer at the time expressed dismay that Cody wasn't being tried for his mother's death or the raids. He also worried that Cody was being made a scapegoat, as other people and law enforcement agencies were involved in the incident.
Following the announcement of the settlement, Meyer said that "this never has been about money, the key issue always has been that no one is above the law."
"No one can trample on the First and Fourth Amendments for personal or political purposes and get away with it," he continued. "When my mother warned officers that the stress they were putting her under might lead to her death, she called what they were doing Hitler tactics."
"What keeps our democracy from descending as Germany did before World War II is the courage she demonstrated—and we’ve tried to continue—in fighting back," Meyer added.
"This never has been about money, the key issue always has been that no one is above the law."
Five consolidated federal civil rights lawsuits have been filed in the US District Court for the District of Kansas, alleging wrongful death, unlawful searches, retaliation for protected speech, and other claims tied to the raids.
“It’s a shame additional criminal charges aren’t possible,” Meyer said, “but the federal civil cases will do everything they can to discourage future abuses of power.”
Although unable to savor the Record's victory, Joan Meyer presciently told the officers raiding her home, "Boy, are you going to be in trouble."
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) last year issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel's war in Gaza that has killed at least 69,000 Palestinians.
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Although Mamdani backed off some of his most strident past statements during the campaign, particularly when it comes to the New York Police Department (NYPD), he doubled down on arresting Netanyahu during a September interview with The New York Times.
"This is a moment where we cannot look to the federal government for leadership," Mamdani told the paper. "This is a moment when cities and states will have to demonstrate what it actually looks like to stand up for our own values, our own people."
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