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Karen Feridun, Berks Gas Truth, 610.678.7726, karen.feridun@gmail.com
Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper, 845.901.1029, wes@catskillmountainkeeper.org
Kate Kiely, NRDC, 212-727-4592, kkiely@nrdc.org.
Peter Hart, Food & Water Watch, 732.839.0871, phart@fwwatch.org,
Jeff Tittel, Director, New Jersey Sierra Club, 609.558.9100, jeff.tittel@sierraclub.org
David Pringle, Clean Water Action New Jersey, 732.996.4288dpringle@cleanwater.org
Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, 215.369.1188x102keepermaya@delawareriverkeeper.org
Barbara Arrindell, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, 845.252.6677dcs@DamascusCitizens.org
Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, 215.369.1188x104tracy@delawareriverkeeper.org
Representatives of organizations and members of the public spoke directly to the Delaware River Basin Commissioners today during a comment period at the Delaware River Basin Commissioner's (DRBC) public business meeting demanding a just public input process for the draft fracking regulations and proposed ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River Watershed.
The DRBC issued draft natural gas regulations on November 30 that are open for public comment through 5:00pm, February 28, 2018. But the agency set a public input process that the public is heavily criticizing as very difficult to navigate. For example, there are only Public Hearings in two locations, both in Pennsylvania, both difficult to access, with no hearings in New York, New Jersey or Delaware and, for some inexplicable reason, it's required that people register on line by December 31- right in the middle of holidays - to speak at the January 23 and 25 Hearings. Written comments can only be submitted through an on-line system, prohibiting written comments to be filed through the postal service, email, or hand delivery. This gauntlet actually limits public access on the critical issue of whether or not fracking and all its activities, including frack wastewater dumping and water withdrawals for fracking, will be banned in the Basin - a decision that will indelibly impact the future of the Delaware River Watershed, the Wild and Scenic Delaware River, the communities throughout the Watershed, and the water supplies for 15 to 17 million people.
The proposed fracking rules were not on the agenda but people saw this as a rare opportunity to ask the Commissioners - who are the ultimate deciders at the DRBC - for changes that would add accessibility, time, and fairness to the public process on this crucial issue. This may be the only meeting with all of the Commissioners present during the draft fracking regulation public comment period.
"The process the DRBC has put in place is unjust. People throughout the basin feel strongly about preserving all of the protections that have been in place since 2010. They want a full fracking ban. They should be able to be heard regardless of whether or not they have access to computers to submit comments or have cars to get to difficult to access hearing locations. They should not have to travel for hours, miss work, or try to figure out how to pay for parking just to be able to participate in a process that is the public's one opportunity to be heard," said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth.
"While there are many positives to the fracking regulations proposed by the DRBC, there is a lot that needs to be fixed in order for our watershed to be truly protected. Rather than present a process to allow people to bring forth the science, facts, and information needed for a good outcome, DRBC seems to be carefully crafting a process designed to shut people out. The process needs to be fixed and we are here today to ensure the Commissioners hear us on that point," said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.
"DRBC seems to keep forgetting or caring that its charge is to protect the public's water and the public is its base. The proposed public process and the proposed fracking rules do not protect the public's water well enough and do not permit the public meaningful, plentiful public comment. DRBC needs more public hearings in more public places at more public friendly times in all the Delaware River Basin's regions and states," David Pringle, NJ Campaign Director, Clean Water Action.
"The DRBC needs to get the frack out of the Delaware Valley! Not only do we need a complete ban on fracking in the Valley, but they cannot allow fracking waste to be dumped here either. The purpose of a ban is to protect the drinking water for 17 million people. We can't do that if they steal our water for fracking or dump toxic chemicals into our waterways, " said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "The DRBC needs to schedule more than just two hearings and extend the comment period to give citizens across the Basin a chance to play a part in the process. We're telling the DRBC to do their job to represent the people and protect the environment of the Basin!"
"That the DRBC is proposing to prohibit fracking is excellent, that the DRBC is making it a difficult and technology dependent process to comment on the proposed regulations is not good. No postal letters? Only hearings where there is no public transportation? And only two days of hearings and only at the extreme ends of the Basin? Is this even a legal process?" said Barbara Arrindell, Director, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability.
"Banning fracking while allowing frack waste and water withdrawals puts the drinking water for millions at risk," said Lena Smith of Food & Water Watch. "Any deal that would allow toxic, radioactive fracking waste into the watershed should be a non-starter for the governors responsible for protecting the Delaware River watershed."
"The DRBC has proposed regulations that will affect the future of our lives and this region for years. That is why we need easier access to making comments on these important regulations. They should allow for written comments, give us more hearings and ensure the people of this region have a voice the process," said Wes Gillingham, Associate Director, Catskill Mountainkeeper.
"A fracking ban would be historic, but these regulations still put drinking water at risk of contamination from the cocktail of chemicals found in wastewater," said Kimberly Ong, Staff Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council. "The public deserves a real chance to share the concerns they have about how fracking--and everything that goes with it--would impact their health and communities."
"One of the most important decisions to ever be made by the DRBC regarding the water resources of the Delaware River Watershed - a frack ban and proposed regulations - requires a robust and inclusive public participation process. Everything from the scarcity of public hearings to the restrictive logistics of submitting verbal and written comment, to the short length of time of the comment period, especially considering the holidays, is unjust and limits public input. This is so wrong but can be easily transformed into an open and fair process if the Commissioners listen to the public's plea for the opportunity to meaningfully participate," said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
To see the letter filed with the DRBC for public input process changes, go here: https://bit.ly/2AqjQ2H and to see some Talking Points about the unfair process, go here: https://bit.ly/2kZcUlT.
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500Over 100,000 marched in Tel Aviv against the government, in one of the biggest protests in Israel in many years
Tens of thousands of Israelis marched in central Tel Aviv and in two other major cities on Saturday night, protesting far rightwing PM Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the legal system and weaken the Supreme Court — undermining democratic rule just weeks after his election.
Despite cold, rainy weather, marchers, many covered with umbrellas, held Israeli flags and placards saying “Criminal Government," “The End of Democracy,” and "We Are Preserving Our Shared Home." Netanyahu was guilty of a "legal putsch," read another.
Critics say Netanyahu's would cripple judicial independence, foster corruption, set back minority rights, and deprive Israel's court system of credibility.
Netanyahu and his ultranationalist security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered police to take tough action if protesters displayed Palestinian flags at Saturday’s protest. Social media footage showed a number of Palestinian flags on display in defiance of Netanyahu.
\u201cLive update: Tzipi Livni adresses anti-government protest in Tel Aviv: \u2018Nobody is above the law, not even the PM\u2019 https://t.co/LRqjToFYkN\u201d— TOI ALERTS (@TOI ALERTS) 1673726103
"Elections do not give anyone the power to destroy democracy itself," said former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni as she addressed the protest in Tel Aviv, adding that Israel's far-right government is "carrying out a political takeover of the country and waging a war against its democratic institutions."
"Spilled poison, lies, slandering one's brother, marking as an enemy anyone who thinks differently. [They are doing] everything so that we crumble from the inside and weaken as a society before the big attack," she said.
"We will stop you, and we will not compromise because democracy in Israel, our freedom and our rights are not political trade," Livni said. "They can call us traitors, but we are the ones who protect the motherland from them. They can threaten handcuffs – we are not afraid," she said.
\u201cReports say between 100-150k people protesters came to Tel Aviv to fight for democracy and against Netanyahu's attempts to change the legal system a la Hungary, so he can avoid the multiple legal cases he has against him.\u201d— Dr. Pinkeee\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb@DrPinkeee@assemblag.es (@Dr. Pinkeee\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb@DrPinkeee@assemblag.es) 1673728531
\u201cLightning illuminates the sky as protesters take part in a rally against the new government over reform plans for the country's judicial system in Tel Aviv, Israel, 14 January 2023. \ud83d\udcf7\ufe0f epa / Abir Sultan\n\n#Israel #protest #supremecourt #epaimages\u201d— EPA Images (@EPA Images) 1673719320
\u201cGood to see Israeli and Palestinian flags together. Demonstrating to preserve democracy in Israel.\u201d— Leon Rozewicz (@Leon Rozewicz) 1673724863
\u201cSeveral Palestinian flags were raised(raising a \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 was declared a criminal offence by new Israeli Gov) during tonight\u2019s protest in #Tel Aviv where more than 100k people are gathered to protest against the newly elected government. \n#\u05ea\u05dc \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d1 \n#\u062a\u0644_\u0623\u0628\u064a\u0628\u201d— Unit 085 (@Unit 085) 1673726962
Greta Thunberg criticized Germany’s Green Party on Saturday for supporting the demolition of the village of Lützerath
Thousands of people demonstrated in a pouring rain on Saturday protesting the clearance and demolition of a village in western Germany that is due to make way for the expansion of the coal mine Garzweiler.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined the demonstrators as they protested the clearance of Luetzerath, walking through the nearby village of Keyenberg. Protesters chanted “Every village stays” and “You are not alone.”
Activists from climate action groups including Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and Last Generation came from across the country to join the protest.
\u201cThe carbon needs to stay in the ground. #GretaThunberg in #Luetzerath #LuetziBleibt #LuetzerathUnraeumbar #AlleDoerferBleiben #LuetziLebt\u201d— Guenther Schneider (@Guenther Schneider) 1673708029
Thunberg criticized Germany’s Green Party on Saturday for supporting the demolition of the village of Lützerath.
German outlet dpa reported:
Making deals with fossil fuel corporations such as energy giant RWE – which has bought the site of Lützerath for mining – “show where their priorities are”, Thunberg said of the Greens, who form part of Germany’s coalition government, in an interview with dpa.
Leading Green politicians such as Economy Minister Robert Habeck have defended the demolition of Lützerath, arguing that the coal below is needed to maintain energy security in the current crisis.
“The coal that is in the ground here will not lower prices immediately. Anyone who thinks like that is simply out of touch with reality,” Thunberg said.
The Greens are also in power in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, where the village of Lützerath has become the latest flashpoint for activists opposed to the government’s continued use of coal.
During a visit to Lützerath Friday afternoon, 20-year-old Thunberg said it was "horrible to see what's happening here."
"We expect to show what people power looks like, what democracy looks like. When governments and corporations are acting like this, destroying the environment, putting countless people at risk, the people step up," she said.
The climate activist also referred to "outrageous ... police violence" occurring at the site.
Thunberg held up a sign that read, "Keep it in the ground."
Sara Ayech, Global Campaign Lead for Climate at Greenpeace International said Saturday: “We’re in 2023, in the middle of a climate crisis, and while destroying a village to expand one of the biggest carbon bombs in Europe should be considered criminal, it is still legal. Fossil fuel companies’ influence is so powerful that the ones considered criminals now are the ones fighting for climate justice. It is time to hold fossil fuel companies accountable.”
Environmentalists say bulldozing the village to expand the Garzweiler mine would result in huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
The local and national governments, both of which include the Green party, made a deal with fossil fuel giant RWE last year allowing it to destroy the village in return for a promise to end coal use by 2030, rather than 2038.
\u201cThere has been a shocking amount of police violence against people protesting for climate justice in #Luetzerath, Germany. #RWE\u2019s profits and political deals obviously matter more to those in power than a liveable future on this planet \ud83d\ude22. \n\nhttps://t.co/hUse8kfz4u\u201d— 350.org Deutschland (@350.org Deutschland) 1673710812
\u201c35.000 Menschen trotzen Wind und Regen - was ein riesiger Erfolg f\u00fcr die Klimaschutzbewegung! Gemeinsam streiten wir gegen die Kohlebagger und verteidigen die 1,5-Grad-Grenze in #Luetzerath. Auf dass #Luetzerathbleibt!\u201d— Christoph Bautz (@Christoph Bautz) 1673702878
\u201c35,000 people show solidarity with the activists in #Luetzerath \ud83d\udc9a\n\nThey demand that fossil fuel companies stop their climate killing activities \ud83c\udf0e\ud83d\udd25\u201d— Greenpeace e.V. (@Greenpeace e.V.) 1673705823
"This is a huge victory for undocumented workers and the labor movement," said one organizer.
Migrant workers and advocates on Friday applauded a Biden administration policy to help protect noncitizen employees who are victims or witnesses of labor rights violations "from threats of immigration-related retaliation from the exploitive employers."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that noncitizens will be able to submit requests for temporary relief from deportation or other immigration actions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) "through a central intake point established specifically to support labor agency investigative and enforcement efforts."
"This policy will change lives, but only if our local and national leaders stand with workers loud and clear, to make this policy a reality."
DHS said that "for deferred action requests from noncitizens who are in removal proceedings or have a final order of removal, upon reviewing the submission for completeness, USCIS will forward such requests to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make a final determination on a case-by-case basis."
As Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute, explained Friday in a blog post welcoming the announcement:
Given the current budget constraints of federal labor standards enforcement agencies—which are funded at just one-twelfth the rate of immigration enforcement agencies—the use of deferred action in this manner will encourage workers and whistleblowers to speak out without fear and will act as a force multiplier for underfunded and understaffed labor enforcement agencies, thereby assisting them in their mission to protect worker rights and hold lawbreaking employers accountable. This will make workplaces safer for all workers.
Organizations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Immigrant Work praised the policy, with Haydi Torres, an organizer with Unidad Latina en Acción NJ, declaring that "this is a huge victory for undocumented workers and the labor movement."
"Our fight goes beyond our immigration status, it is a fight for all the workers who sustain the economy of this country," Torres said. "Without our hands there is no work."
Yale Law School professor James Bhandary-Alexander, an attorney with Unidad Latina en Acción CT, said that "the threat of deportation is like a gun in the boss's hand, pointed at workers and their rights."
Workers' rights leaders such as Victor Agreda agreed, saying that "the bosses always act like they have more power than the workers."
While "my co-workers and I overcame our fear to denounce labor abuses," Agreda said, "deferred action is labor justice for all workers who remain silent in the face of abuse."
\u201cHUGE win for immigrant workers! This is a historic step for victims of workplace mistreatment and wage theft. This is only the start - we won\u2019t stop until there\u2019s #citizenshipforall! \u270a\ud83c\udffd\n\nMigrant workers can now be protected from deportation while disputing workplace abuse.\u201d— NICE: New Immigrant Community Empowerment (@NICE: New Immigrant Community Empowerment) 1673630263
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asserted Friday that "unscrupulous employers who prey on the vulnerability of noncitizen workers harm all workers and disadvantage businesses who play by the rules."
"We will hold these predatory actors accountable by encouraging all workers to assert their rights, report violations they have suffered or observed, and cooperate in labor standards investigations," he pledged. "Through these efforts, and with our labor agency partners, we will effectively protect the American labor market, the conditions of the American worksite, and the dignity of the workers who power our economy."
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), said that "today's announcement by Secretary Mayorkas is welcome news. Immigrant workers are critical to the success of our economy, yet they are among those who suffer the most exploitation and abuse at work, and then suffer further from intimidation and retaliation when they stand up for their rights."
\u201cFor far too long, immigrant workers have had no one in their corner as they faced employers who threatened them with deportation and unlivable wages. This new guidance will help create fairer and safer working conditions for #OurComunidad and all workers.\u201d— Hispanic Federation (@Hispanic Federation) 1673647227
Since then-President-elect Joe Biden announced Marty Walsh as his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor in October 2021, migrant worker advocates have pressured the administration to ensure that its immigration and labor policies are aligned and to protect whistleblowers by removing the threat of deportation.
"From Las Vegas to Washington D.C., to Mississippi to New York, we have fought tirelessly to reach this moment," Rosario Ortiz of the Arriba Las Vegas Worker Center noted Friday. "My coworkers and I have been fighting our case for more than three years, facing threats and intimidation on top of wage theft and health and safety risks as workers of Unforgettable Coatings Inc."
"We've met personally with Secretary Walsh and Secretary Maryokas to call for these protections," Ortiz said. "Today I am proud of my coworkers and our brothers and sisters across the country who have helped open a pathway for others in our circumstances to seek the protections that we have won."
\u201c#BREAKING: #DHS announces new migrant workers whistleblower policy! It\u2019s a recognition of the many workers who launched the #DALE campaign demanding Biden protect rights of migrant workers confronting abuse + unsafe work - with work permits - not try to deport them!\u201d— Justice Action Center (JAC) (@Justice Action Center (JAC)) 1673638469
While celebrating the administration's move, Unidad Latina en Acción CT director John Jairo Lugo stressed that "words without actions are not enough. This policy will change lives, but only if our local and national leaders stand with workers loud and clear, to make this policy a reality."
National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) co-executive director Nadia Marin-Molina vowed that "we are going to fight like hell in the days and weeks ahead to ensure that every single worker who qualifies can get the benefit of this new policy."
"We are going to fight like hell in the days and weeks ahead to ensure that every single worker who qualifies can get the benefit of this new policy."
Farmworker Justice, which also applauded the announcement, pointed out that the policy "will have a particularly powerful impact among farmworkers, more than half of whom are either undocumented or on precarious H-2A work visas, and their families."
"Farmworker Justice has supported advocate demands for these protections for many years, and we look forward to continued engagement with DHS as well as labor enforcement agencies to educate farmworkers and their advocates about the new guidance," the group said. "We will also continue to advocate for comprehensive solutions that improve the lives of farmworkers and their families, including legislation that provides immigrant workers with a path to citizenship, protections against workplace hazards like extreme heat and pesticides, and the elimination of unjust farmworker exclusions from federal labor protections."