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For Immediate Release
December, 09 2019, 11:00pm EDT
Contact:
Monica Mohapatra, 350 Action, monica.mohapatra@350action.org
350 Action Endorses Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Deb Haaland(NM-01) for House in 2020
350 Action is endorsing candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to progressive action on climate change, by supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels towards 100% renewable energy that centers a Green New Deal, and advocates to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
This week, 350 Action is endorsing the following candidates:
Brooklyn, N.Y.
350 Action is endorsing candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to progressive action on climate change, by supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels towards 100% renewable energy that centers a Green New Deal, and advocates to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
This week, 350 Action is endorsing the following candidates:
- Ayanna Pressley, African-American freshman Congresswoman and member of the "Squad"; Democrat running for Congress in Massachusetts' 7th District
- Rashida Tlaib, Palestinian-American freshman Congresswoman and member of the "Squad," Democrat running for Congress in Michigan's 13th District
- Deb Haaland, one of the first two women elected to the U.S. Congress and Democrat running for Congress in New Mexico's 1st District
The following is a statement from 350 Action's North America Director, Tamara Toles O'Laughlin:
"The candidates we are endorsing represent the climate leadership we demand in Congress. Pressley, Tlaib, and Haaland have, in just a year, shown a relentless commitment to climate action and their constituencies. As women of color leading transformative progressive change in the United States, they are modeling the work of the future. We endorse them with a firm belief in their vision and ability to make the Green New Deal possible during the climate decade."
350 Action endorses Ayanna Pressley, Democrat running for Congress in Massachusetts' 7th District on a platform of criminal justice reform, economic justice, as well as the Green New Deal. A member of the "Squad," Pressley has provided leadership on the climate crisis, including as a co-sponsor of the GND. Here is her response to our candidate questionnaire, on holding fossil fuel companies accountable:
"Yes, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform I have led strong lines of questioning that aim to put the industry on the record and hold them accountable. I also strongly support the work of Attorneys General like my friend and colleague Maura Healey in Massachusetts, who are working tirelessly to hold major corporations accountable for knowingly contributing to climate change and exacerbating the public health impacts, especially in marginalized communities. I support continued investigation at the local, state, and federal level to hold these corporations accountable, and I believe it's such an important example of why I have elected to reject any contributions from corporate PACs."
350 Action endorses Rashida Tlaib, Democrat running for Congress in Michigan's 13th District, running on policies including Debt-Free College, Medicare-for-All, as well as the Green New Deal. A member of the "Squad" in Congress now, Tlaib notably fought the Marathon refinery to ban petroleum coke as a member of Michigan's House of Representatives. Here is her statement on the Green New Deal, made at climate justice rally in April 2019:
"We don't think this is bold or radical. This is our life every single day as we walk out the door," Tlaib said to a crowd at the Bonstelle Theatre in Detroit. "If there's anyone that deserves a seat at the table, it is us. We are on the frontlines every single day in Wayne County and Metro Detroit."
350 Action endorses Deb Haaland, Democrat running for Congress in New Mexico's 1st District, on a platform of economic justice and ending environmental racism, as well as the Green New Deal. Haaland is a member of the member of the Laguna Pueblo and one of the original co-sponsors of the GND resolution, with a strong record of climate justice advocacy in New Mexico and at the national level. Haaland has pushed for investment in renewable energy and for an end to fracking in her home state. Here is Congresswoman Haaland's climate justice statement on her campaign website:
"We need to act fast to counteract climate change and keep fossil fuels in the ground. I pledge to vote against all new fossil fuel infrastructure, and to fight instead for 100% clean energy -- including tens of thousands of solar energy jobs for New Mexicans. We deserve representatives in Congress who will stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and I will.
Indigenous rights and the fight for climate justice cannot be separated, and I will fight for tribal nations across the country who are battling the fossil fuel industry in their backyards."
350 Action is the independent political action arm of the non-profit, non-partisan climate justice group 350.org.
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'They Profit, We Pay': Coalition Says End Mideast Wars, Tax Fossil Fuel Giants
Governments gathering for International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings "have a clear responsibility," said a 350.org leader. "End this illegal war, stop the flow of destruction, and make the profiteers pay."
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As the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group were held in Washington, DC during a two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran, over 130 civil society groups this week urged global governments to "secure a permanent end to the wars in South West Asia and break the chains of fossil fuel dependence."
The joint statement was coordinated by Fight Inequality Alliance and 350.org, which has been advocating for a windfall profits tax on oil and gas giants since the US and Israel launched their illegal war on Iran in late February, and the Iranian government responded by restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which sent fossil fuel prices soaring worldwide.
"While people struggle to afford food, fuel, and basic necessities, fossil fuel companies are profiting massively from the chaos. The IMF itself has warned of the risk of a global recession," said 350.org managing director Savio Carvalho in a statement.
"Governments gathering in Washington have a clear responsibility: End this illegal war, stop the flow of destruction, and make the profiteers pay," Carvalho argued. "Taxing windfall oil and gas profits could provide immediate relief to families and invest in the clean, affordable energy systems we urgently need. They profit, we pay. It's time to fix it now: no bombs, no barrels."
A permanent end to the war—which has killed people across the region—is the first demand of the open letter. The second is a windfall profits tax on fossil fuel giants, with the revenue being used "to guarantee public services, and provide immediate support to families and precarious workers hit hardest by soaring food and fuel prices."
Martha Tukahirwa, Fight Inequality Alliance's Africa coordinator, explained that "while thousands are killed in the war in Iran, millions of people across Africa are being crushed by soaring fuel prices that have made even the simplest meal unaffordable. In Nigeria, diesel has surged over 60%. In Malawi, the poorest households are forced to choose between cooking and eating."
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The letter's third demand is to "make food and energy secure for all." The war has impacted the availability of not only fuel but also fertilizer. The coalition called on governments to "invest public money in sustainable local farming and homegrown renewable energy, and stop harmful handouts to weapons, fossil fuels, and fossil fertilizer."
The groups—which also include ActionAid International, Corporate Europe Observatory, Council of Canadians, Friends of the Earth International, GreenFaith, Greenpeace Japan, Make Polluters Pay, Oxfam in the Pacific, War on Want, and more—called for urgently rolling out "renewable energy solutions for farms, homes, schools, and clinics to protect them from this and future energy crises."
Rev. Fletcher Harper, executive director of GreenFaith, said that "our faiths call us to make peace with people and the planet alike, and to hold the powerful to account. Letting fossil fuel giants pocket windfalls while families struggle is a moral failure. Taxing windfall profits to provide energy relief is not radical. It is basic justice."
The fourth and final demand is to cancel debt payments for Global South countries, and agree to fairer debt rules. The coalition stressed that "after paying interest to Wall Street lenders, bankers, and rich governments, many Global South countries have no money left over to protect their people from this crisis."
As part of the debt demand, the coalition also urged governments to "support informal workers, farm laborers, women, and older people, and guarantee universal access to healthcare, education, and public transport."
David Archer, head of programs and Influencing at ActionAid, pointed to civil society's push for a United Nations treaty for restructuring sovereign debt.
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Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is facing pressure to sign what would be the nation's first statewide moratorium on artificial intelligence data centers after state legislators passed the bill on Tuesday.
The Maine House of Representatives approved the bill 79-62, and then the state Senate sent it to Mills' desk with a 21-13 vote.
"The bill, LD 307, would create a limitation on data centers with electric loads of at least 20 megawatts by preventing the state, local governments, and quasi-governmental agencies from issuing permits or other approvals until November 2027," according to the Portland Press Herald. "In the meantime, a new Data Center Coordination Council—also created in the bill—would get time to study the centers' potential impact in Maine and issue policy recommendations."
In addition to calling for a national moratorium on constructing new AI data centers, the advocacy group Food & Water Watch (FWW) has fought for related proposals in not only Maine but also California, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
"Great credit to the people and state legislators of Maine for being at the forefront of a large and swelling national movement to put a halt to the reckless, unchecked explosive growth of hyperscale AI data centers," Mitch Jones, FWW's managing director of policy and litigation, said in a Tuesday statement.
"These massive facilities suck up unimaginable amounts of water and electricity, and wreak havoc on the everyday Americans in nearby communities that are forced to foot the bills for this irresponsible, profit-hungry industry," Jones stressed. "Gov. Mills should listen to the people and legislators of Maine, and sign this smart, nation-leading bill into law immediately."
However, as Maine Public detailed on Monday:
Mills has said the measure needs to have an exemption for a proposed $550 million project at the former Androscoggin paper mill in Jay to get her support.
"The people of Jay need those jobs, with appropriate guardrails on preserving water resources, electricity resources, local generation and all those things," Mills told reporters during an event in Bangor last week.
Mills' office did not respond to an email Monday asking if the governor intends to veto the bill.
After the votes on Tuesday, The Washington Post similarly noted that legislators had rejected an amendment for the exception sought by Mills, and a spokesperson for the governor "did not immediately respond to a query about whether she plans to approve the legislation."
Mills is locked in an intense US Senate primary race with combat veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who has been leading her in various polls. While the governor has released attack advertisements targeting her opponent, Platner has largely focused on his platform—which prioritizes the needs of the working class—and Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican trying to keep her seat in November.
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Italy's right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, announced on Tuesday that it was suspending an agreement with Israel that dates back to 2003 and involved cooperation between the two countries, which traded military equipment and shared technical data.
“In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said on Tuesday.
It marks a dramatic shift in policy for Italy's government, which has until recently been one of Israel's closest allies in Europe. Amid the genocide in Gaza, Meloni has faced pressure both from opposition parties and from the public to cut ties with Israel for more than a year.
The relationship appears to have finally frayed with the events of the past several weeks, when Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon that has involved the displacement of more than 1 million people, the razing of entire villages, and the aggressive bombing of civilian areas.
Tension between the two countries hit a boiling point over the past week, when the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at Italian UN peacekeepers, which caused damage to a vehicle but resulted in no injuries.
Italy was also among several European countries that called for Lebanon's inclusion in last week's ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran. Meloni accused Israel of "disrespecting" the two-week truce when it launched the most devastating attack yet on Lebanon the day after the ceasefire was reached, which killed and wounded more than 1,400 people, including many civilians.
Though Meloni has been an ideological ally of US President Donald Trump, she has grown increasingly critical of the American president. On Monday, she condemned what she called "unacceptable" insults from Trump against Pope Leo XIV, who criticized the war in Iran.
Trump responded with his own shots at Meloni: “I thought she had courage. I was wrong," he said.
Meloni is also facing mounting pressure from her own people over Italy's relationship with Israel, which could loom large as she faces reelection in 2027.
Nearly 3 out of 4 Italians said in a September survey that they believe Israel's actions in Gaza constitute a genocide, and 59% said they wanted Italy to cut ties with Israel. During the fall, millions of Italians took to the streets to rally in solidarity with Palestinians and support the Global Sumud Flotilla as it carried humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza.
This anger has been seized on by the opposition. Last week, during a heated exchange, the Parliament erupted in applause after opposition lawmaker Angelo Bonelli took Meloni to task for "failing" to condemn or distance herself from Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Responding to Israel's attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, Bonelli asked the prime minister: "200 people were killed as if it were nothing. What is your response? What are you doing? Do you have the courage to take action?"
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