September, 04 2019, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mark Hefflinger, Bold Nebraska, 323-972-5192, mark@boldnebraska.org
Collin Rees, Oil Change U.S., 308-293-3159, collin@priceofoil.org
Democratic Presidential Candidates Sign "NoKXL Pledge" to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One if Elected
As candidates gear up for CNN and MSNBC Climate Forums, activists push for clarity on fossil fuel infrastructure
Hastings, NE
After delivering a letter asking all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to sign the "NoKXL Pledge" on Aug. 13, so far ten of the candidates have signed onto the pledge -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Jay Inslee (no longer in the race), Sen. Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Sec. Julian Castro, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Kamala Harris -- making it clear that on Day One in office they will revoke the unprecedented, unilateral permit that President Trump issued for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
Over the years, Democratic candidates and elected officials have made it clear that there is a link between building new fossil fuel infrastructure and climate change. Before the Keystone XL fight, even the Democratic Party supported building more pipelines, without regard to how this infrastructure locks us into additional decades of fossil fuel dependence and worsens climate change.
The #NoKXL Pledge is backed by a coalition of farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations and environmental groups that have been fighting the proposed Keystone XL tarsands export pipeline for 10 years.
The #NoKXL Pledge specifically urges the Democratic presidential candidates to pledge to:
- Immediately revoke the unilateral permits issued by President Trump for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines;
- Direct all federal agencies (State Department, FERC, Army Corps) to submit these two projects -- as well as all new energy infrastructure projects -- to a true climate test;
- Reject any project that will exacerbate our climate crisis; and
- Protect property rights from eminent domain abuse and honor U.S. treaties with sovereign Tribal Nations.
View letter to Democratic candidates urging them to take the 'NoKXL Pledge':
Online petition urging candidates to sign the NoKXL Pledge:
https://boldnebraska.org/nokxlpledge
"NoKXL Pledge" Coalition Co-Sponsors:
Bold Nebraska & Bold Alliance
Nebraska Easement Action Team
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Indigenous Environmental Network
350.org Action
Greenpeace USA
Oil Change U.S.
Friends of the Earth Action
Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund
Climate Hawks Vote
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Progressive Democrats of America
NYC Grassroots Alliance
Earth Action
Bucks Environmental Network
Greenbelt Climate Action Network
Anthropocene Alliance
New York Climate Action Group
Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline
Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipeline
Seeding Sovereignty
MN 350
Bold Alliance is a non-profit organization fighting fossil fuel projects, protecting landowners against eminent domain abuse, and working for clean energy solutions while building an engaged base of citizens who care about the land, water and climate change.
LATEST NEWS
China Announces 'Major Military Drills' Around Taiwan in Wake of Massive US Arms Sale
The Chinese military drills appear to be "an effort to gain air and maritime superiority and cut off external military support" for Taiwan, said one expert.
Dec 29, 2025
The Chinese military on Monday announced it was conducting "major military drills" around Taiwan weeks after the US announced an $11 billion arms deal with the island nation.
As reported by CNN, China is mobilizing its army, navy, and air force units around Taiwan in a move that it says should serve as a "serious warning" to any "external" forces interfering with the island, which China has long claimed as its territory.
Taiwan's government, meanwhile, responded by accusing China of conducting a campaign of "military intimidation," while vowing to "take concrete action to defend the values of democracy and freedom."
Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that China's military drills appear to be "an effort to gain air and maritime superiority and cut off external military support."
William Yang, a senior Northeast Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, told DW that while Chinese military exercises around Taiwan are now regular occurrences, the speed with which China ramped up its latest exercises "shows that the Chinese People's Liberation Army is becoming increasingly capable of rapidly deploying forces to combat-ready positions."
Although China did not mention the US directly when denouncing "external" powers, CNN noted that the decision to launch military drills came weeks after the US reached an $11 billion arms deal with Taiwan that included HIMARS rocket systems, anti-tank and anti-armor missiles, drones, howitzers, and military software.
China responded to this arms sale directly last week by announcing sanctions against US defense firms including Boeing, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, and L3Harris Maritime Services, according to the Guardian.
In announcing the sanctions against US firms, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that "the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," while warning that "any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Trump's Economic Policies Did This': US Business Bankruptcies Surge to 15-Year High
At least 717 US companies filed for bankruptcy through November 2025—the highest figure recorded since the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Dec 29, 2025
Businesses in the United States have filed for bankruptcy this year at a level not seen since 2010 as President Donald Trump's tariff regime has jacked up costs for companies in manufacturing and other major sectors.
Citing data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, the Washington Post reported over the weekend that at least 717 US companies filed for bankruptcy through November 2025, the highest figure recorded since the aftermath of the Great Recession and a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.
"Companies cited inflation and interest rates among the factors contributing to their financial challenges, as well as Trump administration trade policies that have disrupted supply chains and pushed up costs," the Post noted. "But in a shift from previous years, the rise in filings is most apparent among industrials—companies tied to manufacturing, construction, and transportation. The sector has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s ever-fluid tariff policies—which he’s long insisted would revive American manufacturing."
Recent data shows that the US has lost 49,000 manufacturing jobs since Trump's return to office.
The bankruptcy figures add to the growing pile of evidence showing that Trump's tariffs and broader policy agenda have harmed the US economy—weakening job growth, driving the unemployment rate up to the highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic, and worsening the nation's cost-of-living crisis.
Democrats immediately seized on the new reporting as evidence of Trump's failed stewardship of the US economy, messaging that's likely to be central as the 2026 midterms approach.
Trump's economic policies did this. pic.twitter.com/tRfcNxAyAU
— Sean Casten (@SeanCasten) December 27, 2025
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Monday that "when Donald Trump signed his Big Ugly Bill into law, he cemented the Republican Party as the party of billionaires and special interests—not working families, farmers, or small business owners."
"While millions of working families are already being squeezed to afford groceries, utilities, and rent, Trump chose to strip them of their healthcare and food assistance just so he could give his ultrawealthy friends and donors an extra buck," said Martin. "Make no mistake: Trump’s ‘signature achievement’ will be the nail in the coffin for the Republican majority when voters head to the polls next November."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Trump Slashes US Humanitarian Aid Pledge as His Cuts Kill Hundreds of Thousands Globally
One tracker estimates that the Trump administration's assault on foreign aid programs has killed more than 700,000 people so far—a majority of them children.
Dec 29, 2025
The Trump administration on Monday announced a commitment of $2 billion to United Nations humanitarian assistance efforts, a fraction of what the US has previously provided as President Donald Trump's foreign aid cuts continue to wreak deadly havoc worldwide.
The US State Department said the funds will be tied to reform efforts pushed by the administration, as it warns individual UN agencies to "adapt, shrink, or die"—all while giving massive handouts to billionaires.
"The agreement requires the UN to consolidate humanitarian functions to reduce bureaucratic overhead, unnecessary duplication, and ideological creep," said the State Department.
Al Jazeera reported that the reduced commitment "is a sharp contrast to the assistance of up to $17 billion the US has provided as the UN’s leading funder in recent years."
"The $2 billion will create a pool of funds that can be directed at specific countries or crises, with 17 countries—including Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Syria, and Ukraine—initially targeted," the outlet noted. "Afghanistan is not included on the list, nor is Palestine, which officials say will be covered by money included in Trump’s yet-to-be-completed Gaza plan."
The Associated Press observed that "even as the US pulls back its aid, needs have ballooned across the world: Famine has been recorded this year in parts of conflict-ridden Sudan and Gaza, and floods, drought, and natural disasters that many scientists attribute to climate change have taken many lives or driven thousands from their homes."
The new funding pledge comes after the Trump administration's lawless dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which was the United States' primary body for foreign aid.
Experts say the destruction of USAID at the hands of billionaire Elon Musk and others inside the Trump White House has killed hundreds of thousands of people across the globe—and could kill millions more in the coming years.
A conservative tracker maintained by Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols estimates that the Trump administration's assault on foreign aid programs has killed more than 700,000 people—a majority of them children.
In a blog post for the Center for Global Development earlier this month, Charles Kenny and Justin Sandefur wrote that "while quantification is difficult, there is little doubt many people have died as a result, and without action many more will die in the future."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular


