African American Environmentalist Association

Juan Williams Gets Racial Political Climate Right

2012-01-30T09:04:00.001-05:00

'12 Racial Code Words Obscure Real Issues'

By Juan Williams

Excerpts:

The language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message. The code words in this game are “entitlement society” — as used by Mitt Romney — and “poor work ethic” and “food stamp president” — as used by Newt Gingrich. References to a lack of respect for the “Founding Fathers” and the “Constitution” also make certain ears perk up by demonizing anyone supposedly threatening core “old-fashioned American values.”

Just last week, the Labor Department reported that while the national unemployment rate fell slightly, black unemployment rose again from 15.5 percent to 15.8 percent and from 39.6 percent to 42.1 percent among young black people. The same report showed 11 percent of Hispanics are unemployed.

The problem is not a lack of work ethic on the part of the poor, who are disproportionately minorities. The problem is there are few good jobs for blue-collar people with the best work ethic.

Poverty, unemployment and the hopelessness that pervade minority communities are real issues that the GOP nominee, and President Obama for that matter, should address in this campaign.

(The Hill, 1/30/2012)

EPA Hosts African American Stakeholders Briefing

2012-01-27T08:02:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hosted a briefing for African American stakeholders on Thursday. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss best practices for how the EPA and participating organizations are engaging the African American community and to share information. The briefing was held at EPA Headquarters in the Ariel Rios Building.

A broad cross section of about 20 stakeholders participated in the briefing. The agenda included presentations from various EPA staffers that included: grants overview, environmental job training, government contracts, access points to EPA, environmental justice, Brownfields and clean air regulations.

CBC & Black Business Leaders Meet With President Obama

2012-01-23T16:22:00.001-05:00

Chairman Cleaver and African American Business Leaders Meet with President Barack Obama on Job Creation

In December, Chairman Emanuel Cleaver led a discussion with African American business leaders and President Barack Obama. The first of its kind, the meeting served as an opportunity to discuss job creation recommendations and cultivate stronger working relationships within the African American business community, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Administration.

As legislators and as a Caucus, Members are working diligently to remedy the jobs crisis. The Members of the CBC have introduced over fifty job creation bills since the beginning of the 112th Congress, launched the For the People national jobs initiative, and provided nine job creation proposals that help our nation’s most
vulnerable. These proposals and initiatives are closely in line with the President’s Americans Jobs Act.

The African American business leaders met with the Congressional Black Caucus immediately following their meeting with President Obama. A full list of participating business leaders is included below.

Participating African American Business Leaders:

• Robert L. Johnson — Founder & Chairman, The RLJ Companies

• Ollie Gates — President, Gates BBQ

• Warren Thompson — President & Chairman, Thompson Hospitality Corporation

• Weldon Latham — Sr. Partner, Chair, Corporate Diversity Counseling Practice, Jackson Lewis, LLP

• Ernest Green — Partner, Madison Asset Management Group LLC

• Melvin Clark — GW Peoples Contracting Company

• C. Michael Gooden — CEO, Integrated Systems Analysts

• Tom Moorehead — President, Moorehead Properties

• Janice Howroyd — CEO, Act 1

• Valerie Daniels - Carter — CEO, V&J Holdings Company

• Maurice Tose — CEO, TeleCommunication Systems

• Suzanne Shank — CEO, Siebert Brandford Shank

(Source: CBC Newsletter-December/January)

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo on C-SPAN Book TV

2012-01-20T16:34:00.001-05:00

C-Span / Book TV Airing: No FEAR: A Whistleblowers Triumph

Taped at Mid-Manhattan Library - New York

Saturday, January 21st at 9:15am (ET)

Saturday, January 21st at 4:30pm (ET)

Sunday, January 22nd at 10pm (ET)

(MORE)

Nigerian President Partially Restores Motor Fuel Subsidy

2012-01-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Nigerians Protest Lifting of Motor Fuel Subsidy

In response to nationwide protests, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan offered to partially reinstate a contentious subsidy for motor fuel and ordered soldiers to the streets. and the threat of an oil workers' strike in Africa's largest crude producer, in steps to head off fresh unrest. President Jonathan announced that Nigeria would once again use its vast oil revenue to subsidize the pump price of gas, fixing the per-liter price at 97 naira ($2.27 a gallon). The move essentially reduces the price of gas in Nigeria about a third from the current market price.

The announcement marks a significant policy reversal for the Nigerian president who is facing one of the most challenging periods of his two years in office. The concession comes 16 days—and a week of paralyzing strikes—after Mr. Jonathan completely scrapped the subsidy in an attempt to raise an estimated $7.5 billion for infrastructure.

AAEA Nigeria

Since the subsidy's removal, tens of thousand of protesters have swarmed major city centers, and Nigeria's top two labor unions have staged strikes, demanding full restoration of the subsidy—viewed by many as the only benefit Nigeria's poor have enjoyed from its oil wealth. Last year, the subsidy had kept a liter of gas at 65 naira, but government officials said corruption and fraud made the program wasteful. (WSJ, 1/16/2012, photo courtesy WSJ)

New York Assembly Hearing on Indian Point Energy Center

2012-01-14T19:33:00.006-05:00

Norris McDonald Statement

Dan Durett Statement

The New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Energy and Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions held a hearing on the Potential Closure of Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) on January 12, 2012 in New York City. The hearing examined alternatives to IPEC, including new generation facilities and upgrades to the state's electric transmission system that would prevent power supply disruptions and adequately address the electricity needs of New Yorkers.

Norris McDonald Interviewed by Channel 1

Indian Point Energy Center, located in Buchanan, Westchester County, New York, has two active nuclear reactors with a combined rated capacity of 2,000 megawatts. In 2012 and 2015 respectively, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) operational licenses for both reactors will expire. Entergy Corporation, which operates both reactors, has petitioned the NRC to operate the reactors for an additional 20 years.

The hearing was held in New York City in the Assembly Hearing Room at 250 Broadway on the 19th floor in room 1923.

AAEA President Norris McDonald was interviewed by Channel 1, quoted in The New York Times (see article at link), and quoted in Your New Now.

Why Blacks Support BIG GOVERNMENT

2012-01-04T09:49:00.004-05:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

African Americans support BIG GOVERNMENT because the private sector is not open to them. Blacks, for the most part, are not owners of American resources and infrastructure. In an age when TOO BIG TO FAIL is the order of the day and huge capital costs restrict entry, Blacks do not own or control Exxon Mobils or Wall Street firms. Of course there are always the one or two examples of ownership: Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats; Oprah and HARPO. But the point is that corporate America, for the most part, remains segregated at the ownership level. My particular focus is on the fact that Blacks do not own any of the natural resources and energy infrastructure in the United States.

So why don't Blacks open many more small businesses, which create the most jobs? I guess I could make excuses about competing with Asian-owned establishments, but that is a cop out. Blacks should open more small businesses, particularly in Black neighborhoods. Yet, due to lack of credit access and a proclivity for a more predictable employment venue, many Blacks have chosen a 9 to 5. Having only been free to operate in the marketplace from about 1965, Blacks are still trying to catch up from hundreds of years of involuntarily servitude and Jim Crow. A lack of intragroup organizing, particularly among the economically prominent Black 1%, is probably the strongest factor for why a dynamic economy among African Americans has not developed. This is also a major factor in Blacks not being involved in international trade.

Blacks are registered as Democrats because the GOP is viewed as being hostile to their aspirations. This is manifested by the strong alliance between the GOP and corporate America that is perceived as keeping Blacks at arms length when it comes to spreading the resources. The Democratic Party nominated and elected a Black president while the GOP dumped Michael Steele after he won back the House of Representatives. Not a good signal.

Yet the election of a Black president who cannot do anything overtly to help Blacks should be a wake up call to the Black community. Politics has its limits. And the Congressional Black Caucus, as the real political representative of the Black community, should be leading on issues that can help the Black community gain ownership stakes in America. If the CBC had the discipline of the Tea Party, the African American community would get its fair share. Blacks should focus like a laser beam on the marketplace. And when it comes to government subsidies, food stamps and home heating assistance cannot hold a candle to corporate welfare. Until the marketplace opens up to Blacks, it will be BIG GOVERNMENT that is the focus of this community.

Race Influences How Leaders Are Assessed

2012-01-03T09:32:00.002-05:00

This Is Not News To AAEA.

Try Penetrating the Environmental Movement & the Energy Sector.

When white leaders succeed, people often say it is because they are competent. When black leaders succeed, people say it happened despite their incompetence. At least, that's what two business-school professors found after reviewing news coverage of 113 top college quarterbacks—generally viewed as team leaders—in the 2007 football season.

According to the study, media reports commended successful white quarterbacks for their intellectual prowess, while black quarterbacks got credit for being athletic. Deep-seated stereotypes that black leaders were intellectually inferior also came to light when the athletes performed poorly, with failure attributed to problems like inadequate decision-making skills, not a weak arm or poor agility.

The findings carry over to the C-suite, where the prototypical leader is white, says Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a management professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and co-author of the study on racial bias. Prof. Rosette says that when successful organizations are led by black managers, the strong performance is attributed to broad market factors over which the leader had no control, or to what she calls "compensatory stereotypes," such as humor or public-speaking skills, which would make up for any lack in competence.

Prof. Rosette says black leaders need to be particularly vocal about their qualifications or good works to receive due credit. "Success alone isn't enough," she says.

We particularly agree with the statement above. (WSJ, 1/3/2012)

Gas Subsidies Lifted in Nigeria. Price Rise Causes Outrage

2012-01-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency announced Sunday it was stopping to pay the subsidy on fuel to petroleum importers effective immediately. The government has said the move will save the country some $8 billion, some of which will be dedicated to much-needed infrastructure projects. Previous attempts to lift the subsidies have been met with nationwide strike actions.

Gas powers Nigeria's generators because the national electricity supply is sporadic at best, and fuel also keeps engines running in traffic that can snarl for hours. The government's announcement — made over a long holiday weekend — drew outrage. President Goodluck Jonathan already declared a state of emergency.

Many gas stations were shut down altogether on Monday, since gas station owners had only learned about the change at the same time as everyone else. Signs at a few stations put the cost at $3.50 per gallon (94 cents per liter) — just over double Sunday's morning price of about $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter). While that's cheap by American standards, most Nigerians subsist on just $2 a day and the rising gas prices are expected to force food prices to spiral as well.

Nigeria, an OPEC member nation producing about 2.4 million barrels of crude oil a day, is a top supplier to the United States, but virtually all of its petroleum products are imported after years of graft, mismanagement and violence at its refineries.

In a country where few people see any wealth from the country's staggering oil revenues, the subsidy was a rare government benefit and one Nigerians don't want to lose. (USA Today, 1/3/2012)

AAEA NIGERIA

African Americans and Coal

2011-12-26T08:32:00.003-05:00

Should Blacks Own Coal Mines In A Global Warming World?

YES!

Powder River Basin Coal Extraction

Blacks do not own any of the energy infrastructure and resources in the United States. And sadly, that includes coal from public lands. AAEA acknowledges global warming as the most important environmental issue facing planet Earth today. We also acknowledge that Blacks do not own any of the fossil fuels that power our nation AND contribute to global warming. Traditional environmentalists care about global warming, but care not a bit about the lack of African American ownership in the energy sector. Yet 50% of America's electricity is produced using coal. Although we are deeply concerned about global warming, we are disturbed by the lack of Black ownership in the energy sector.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, 40 percent of the coal used in the 50% used to produce electricity comes from public lands. Blacks hold none of those leases. Note to environmentalists who will condemn us for promoting African American ownership of coal: Blacks should not own coal when America stops using it. Moreover, Blacks shoud not own coal when environmentalists cut their electricity use by 50%, representing the percentage that coal provides in producing those electrons. There is a major dilemma here and AAEA is the only environmental organization promoting African American ownership in the energy sector.

According to stats in a Washington Post article today:

Overall U.S. coal production has dipped slightly since 2008, and federal coal leases have fallen more sharply. Coal production totaled 1.17 billion short tons in 2008, according to the Energy Information Agency. It declined to 1.074 billion tons in 2009 and last year reached 1.084 billion. It is expected to be roughly 1.08 billion tons in 2011.

The number of tons the government leased each year over the past three years has averaged 272 million. The Bush administration, by contrast, leased an average of 515 million tons annually between 2002 and 2008. But federal royalties are rising, reaching $701 million in fiscal 2011.The center of gravity for coal production in the United States has shifted over the past few decades for both economic and environmental reasons, moving from central Appalachia to the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana. Central Appalachia now produces just 17 percent of the nation’s coal compared with 70 percent in the 1970s.

In 2009 the average sales price of coal at mines producing each of the four major ranks of coal:

Lignite: $17.26 per ton
Subbituminous: $13.35 per ton
Bituminous: $55.44 per ton
Anthracite: $57.10 per ton

Powder River Basin coal is classified as subbituminous.

Do the math.

If the federal government can reap $701 million in royalties from coal, why shouldn't Blacks also reap some of those financial beneifts. With unemployment at about 17% in the Black community, coal mine equity could provide much needed jobs. Blacks should also have ownership in the transport of coal and coal export terminals. If you are driving along Interstate 95 in Baltimore, just look over at the port area and you will see mountains of coal. This is a recent development and illustrates the importance that coal export is becoming to the coal mining industry. There are plans to build new coal export facilities in Washington State.

AAEA will continue its aggressive campaign to mitigate global warming. We also intend to aggressively promote African American ownership of the resources and infrastructure that power America and the rest of the world. (Wash Post, 12/25/2011, DOE-EIA, photo courtesy Wash Post)

Book Review: NO FEAR

2011-12-24T13:03:00.005-05:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

I just finished reading "NO FEAR: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA," and not only was it riveting, it took me back to those heady days of the early 1990's. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo's story is one of tragedy and triumph. It is tragic because a brilliant person's career was ended at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. It is triumphant because Marsha took on arrogance and beat it like a rag doll. I could not be more proud of Dr. Adebayo for finally documenting her experiences at EPA during the Clinton/Gore/Browner administration. However, my pride in Marsha is tempered by the fact that her victories did not come without a very high price and her tormentors have only been rewarded for their roles.

This book is very personal to me because I lived through much of it with Marsha. I hate to say it but our two decades old friendship was incubated in the demise of her career. I am to this day baffled as to why EPA Administrator Carol Browner did not become an early ally of Marsha, but instead chose to become her nemesis. After all, Carol and Marsha worked closely together in EPA's participation in a global women's conference in China. I still remember the look on Marsha's face when she informed me that Browner turned her back on Marsha's plea for support in achieving justice at the agency. However, having been around Washington, DC for over three decades, I've seen how power affects people when they breathe that rarefied air inside of our powerful institutions. Women will turn on women and Blacks will turn on Blacks, but white men seem to always come out on top. And the first Black president will bring an administrator whose administration was convicted of racial and sexual discrimination back into the White House as a climate czar. But President Obama, in his inimitable political style, and probably as a result of Marsha's work, also appointed the first black woman as EPA administrator and appointed a black woman to head the EPA Office of International Affairs (source of Marsha's troubles). Fate does seem to have a sense of humor.

Everyone should read this book because it is a textbook on not only how relationships work in powerful agencies, but also how an 'uppity' Black woman can triumph over racial and sexual discrimination when that beast raises it ugly heads. Part of me was not necessarily looking forward to reading about the trial where Marsha won her discrimination lawsuit against EPA because I thought it would be boring, but when I dove into it, it was riveting. I could not stop reading. It turned out to be the most interesting part of the book.

"NO FEAR" details every step of Marsha's academic rise in obtaining an MIT Ph.D., to her unjust firing a decade after her fight began. This book shows how even if you have the academic credentials and drive to excel at your job, your career will be destroyed if you choose to 'blow the whistle' on any issue that the institutions feel must be protected. In this case, it was vanadium mine workers. Marsha wanted EPA to help them and, evidently, the U.S. government valued the mineral more than the health of the miners. Carol chose to go along with corporate/mineral/government interests and she has been wildly rewarded for her loyalty. Marsha did not go along with the systematic poisoning of vanadium mine workers in South Africa and her career was terminated. The sad thing is that there had to be middle ground where everyone could prosper.

Marsha's struggle is not over. If you want to experience the most interesting literary roller coaster ride I have ever experienced, you will read Marsha's book. Thank you Ngozi for including me on the ride (and putting me on the book cover). I would not have missed it for anything. Oh, and I cannot wait to see the movie.

Evangelical Environmental Network Airing Mercury Ads

2011-12-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

Musings On The State of Our Environment

2011-12-19T20:07:00.001-05:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

The Occupy DC folk have partnered with Marsha Coleman-Adebayo and the No Fear Coalition to incubate an Occupy EPA movement. Of course, the holiday season is muting the occupiers IMO. Plus, global warming has kept it warm, but the entire Occupy Movement will be tested during the cold of January and February. Yet I suspect they are not going anywhere. And the folk at EPA do not seem to care too much about the budding movement down at Freedom Plaza in Washingtion, DC. I've been down this road before. Funny things can happen when you ignore the streets. Will Bill McKibben join with Marsha and the Freedom Plaza Occupiers? Inquiring minds want to know. Let's just say that Earth Day will probably be very interesting in 2012.

The Keystone XL pipeline is like a Twilight Zone episode. One minute it is dead and the next minute it is alive and the next minute it is dead. Greenies surround the White House and scare the president into punting on the project. Industry and Republicans hit back with legislation tied to a payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits. Rod Serling would be right at home on Capitol Hill. The Keystone XL pipeline will get built, but approvals will have to wait until after the 2012 elections. It is just a political football until then. If pipelines are to be built, we want some African American ownership. For the Keystone XL pipeline is but a small part of the thousands of miles of pipelines that will be needed if America is to meet its voracious energy demand.

Virginia Uranium wants to mine uranium in Virginia. I like to write that. There is a pretty big deposit of the radioactive mineral near the North Carolina border. The NAACP has come out in opposition to the project siting environmental justice considerations. We are pro nuclear, but our jury is still out on this project. Will the nuclear industry get serious about community concerns, or will they simply try to blast their way through the Virginia legislature. Inquiring minds want to know.

Hydraulic fracturing could provide all of the natural gas we ever dreamed of having. EPA should finalize a years-long study in 2012 that will determine the environmental impacts of fracking. A preliminary EPA report on fracking in a small town in Wyoming has found contaminants in groundwater. The fracking industry disputes the findings of the report. Ultimately, America might have to decide whether having all the natural gas we want is worth contaminating some groundwater sources. We have established criteria for evaluating fracking projects.

I guess that is enough musing for this week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Tavis Smiley 'Remaking America' Panel Discussion

2011-12-19T18:27:00.001-05:00

The nationally televised discussion, “Remaking America: From Poverty to Prosperity”, will be held from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Thursday, January 12, 2012, at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW, Washington, D.C. The event, sponsored by WK Kellogg Foundation and the AARP Foundation is free and open to the public.

During the LIVE broadcast on C-SPAN, panelists will discuss solutions for restoring America's prosperity. Additionally, the participants will discuss a forthcoming White Paper from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), to be released earlier in January, which reveals the "new poor" and how the face of poverty in America has changed.

Panelists include: Cornel West, Princeton University professor and author; Suze Orman, America’s leading authority on personal finance; Michael Moore, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker; Barbara Ehrenriech, prolific author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; Jeffrey Sachs, poverty expert and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University; and Vicki B. Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. Additional panelists to be announced.

The conversation will rebroadcast for three nights on Tavis Smiley on PBS beginning Monday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 18 and will continue during The Tavis Smiley Show and Smiley & West both distributed from Public Radio International (PRI). (Tavis Smiley)

NAACP Opposes Virginia Uranium Mining Project

2011-12-17T13:02:00.002-05:00

The state chapter of the NAACP wants Virginia to keep intact a 30-year ban on uranium mining, stating that opening one of the world's largest known deposits of the radioactive ore is not worth the environmental risk. The NAACP's state conference unanimously approved a resolution opposing the Virginia Uranium project at its meeting Sunday in Richmond. The civil rights organization said the resolution is rooted in fears that poor and minority communities would be disproportionately affected if an accident occurred in mining the Southside Virginia deposit. According to Naomi Hodge-Muse, president of the Martinsville-Henry County NAACP and sponsor of the resolution:

"This is a human right. The NAACP is about human rights and environmental justice. Unemployment ranges from 12 percent to 22 percent in Danville and Martinsville, the two largest cities in Southside Virginia. Still, the mining jobs are not the answer. There is no amount of money that is worth the price of your children."

Virginia Uranium Inc. is proposing to mine the 119-million-pound deposit in Pittsylvania County near the North Carolina line. It is believed to be the largest known deposit in the U.S. and the seventh-largest in the world.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982, when the General Assembly first took up the debate over allowing uranium mining in the state. The accident at Three Mile Island several years earlier dampened enthusiasm for nuclear power and yellowcake, the leached powder from the ore that fuels nuclear power plants.

The National Academies of Science is expected to release a study in December on the impact of uranium mining statewide. While it will not recommend whether Virginia should end the ban, the General Assembly is expected to rely heavily on the report's contents in deciding whether to take up the issue in 2012.

The Sierra Club and the NAACP said the economic boost mining would deliver overshadows its potential environmental impact. According to Mary Rafferty, an organizer for the Sierra Club, "They want good quality jobs and they see a uranium mine as a deterrent to economic development."
Muse-Hodge cited a study that concluded that catastrophic flooding near the mine or the area where waste would be stored could release radioactive contaminants into tributaries that feed Lake Gaston, a source of drinking water that supplies the resort city and several other Hampton Roads municipalities. Virginia Uranium presented its own study that it said countered those findings.

The Sierra Club said the NAACP is among 70 organizations and localities that want the ban to remain in place. (WSLS NBC 10, 12/17/2011)

(More: Coalition to Keep the Ban on Uranium Mining in Virginia Growing Statewide)

For More Information:

Virginia NAACP

King Salim Khalifani, Executive Director
statenaacp@aol.com

Naomi Hodge-Muse
Cell: (276) 632-9674
hodgemuse@gmail.com

Two Environmental Justice Conferences in April

2011-12-15T20:28:00.003-05:00

The U.S. DOE Decided To Break Away From Original EJ Conference

First there was The State of Environmental Justice in America Conference as the original successor to the 1st & 2nd National Environmental Justice Conferences in 1992 and 2002. The State of Environmental Justice in America Conference is in its 6th year when it convenes in Washington, DC from April 3-5, 2012.

The State of Environmental Justice in America Conference evidently spawned a breakaway conference called The National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program, which is being bankrolled by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE had been a sponsor of the State of Environmental Justice in America Conferences until it decided to duplicate the original conference. The DOE conference is one week after the State of Environmental Justice in America Conference.

Both conferences are calling upon representatives from federal and state agencies, local governments, tribes, community groups, businesses small and large as well as public interest groups, academia and other entities to participate.

The DOE sponsored conference claims in a recent email that it is:

"...now in its sixth year, reorganized, selected a new conference coordinator and changed the conference name."

The 6th year claim is inaccurate. It is the first year of the DOE conference. The original grassroots-sponsored conference is in its 6th year. The DOE conference can change the conference name and can claim to have reorganized, but it should not claim in any way that 2012 is the 6th year of the conference.

There is plenty of room for environmental justice conferences. The more conferences the better. This vitally important issue needs to get all of the attention it can. However, a breakaway conference should in no way attempt to take credit for the the hard work put into the previous EJ conferences.

Coalition For Change, Inc Announces 'RMO' Page

2011-12-15T15:19:00.001-05:00

The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) today announced recent updates to its Responsible Management Officials (RMO) page. The civil rights advocacy group, founded to support present and former federal employees injured due to workplace discrimination and retaliation, is shining the spotlight on public officials who have been named in employment discrimination complaints.

According to the Coalition’s founder Tanya Ward Jordan, “It is time to disrobe the anonymity that the federal government provides federal managers and supervisors who engage in workplace discrimination, retaliation, bullying or prohibited personnel practices.”

Listed below are the names of some “responsible management officials” found on C4C’s RMO Facebook site and the agencies these public officials worked for when the complaint was filed.

• Jana Brooks, Department of Commerce -- (Lee v Locke) Civil Action No. 11-0358; Lawsuit pending. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) investigation completed. OSC File No. DI-10-0454 - An Investigation found Ms. Brooks guilty of “mismanaging” asbestos conditions.

• Carol Browner, Environmental Protection Agency -- Former EPA Administrator, (Coleman-Adebayo v. Browner) Civil Action No. 98-CV-926 and, Civil Action No. 98-CV-1938 [Agency found guilty of discrimination.]

• David Cade, Health and Human Services -- Former Acting Director of the Medicaid Bureau and presently Deputy General Counsel, (Jeffers v. Thompson) 264 F.Supp.2d 314 (2003) [Memorandum Opinion issued May 8, 2003 cites Cade in complaint (p7).]

• David Duke, Air National Guard -- Chief 21st Space Wing Manpower and Organization (James v. Roche) EEOC No. 250-2004-00174X [Agency found guilty of discrimination.]

• Lonnie Kimball, Department of Interior – Program Manager, Offshore Compliance and Asset Management. (Stewart v. Kempthorne) EEOC No. 460-2007-00084X [Agency found guilty of discrimination.]

• Craig Littlejohn, Department of the Interior -- Chief Information Officer, Office of the Solicitor (Pierre v. Salazar) EEOC No. 570-2008-00625X [Agency found guilty of discrimination.]

• Katherine Thompson, Department of the Interior -- Assistant Regional Director for Business Services (Robinson v. Salazar) EEOC No. 550-2009-00090X [Agency found guilty of discrimination.]

• Debbie Ridgely, Health and Human Services -- Former Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (Holmes-Martin v. Sibelius) Civil Action No. 07-2128.

• Anne Wagner, Government Accountability Office (GAO) -- Former General Counsel, Personnel Appeals Board, presently Vice-Chairman of Merit Systems Protection Board. (Williams v. Dodaro) Civil Action No. 1:07-CV-1452. Trial: February 2012.

C4C’s RMO Page lists approximately 180 key management officials. “While not all management officials cited have been proven guilty of alleged acts of discrimination or reprisal,” says C4C’s President Taylor, “all have been named in complaints representing a failure to resolve employment claims expeditiously, at the lowest level of the administrative level and in the best interest of the taxpayer.” Taylor added that the complaints had withstood various agency attempts to quash them at the administrative level or in court, and were considered to have merit.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that findings of discrimination totaled 233 in FY2010. This included both final agency decisions and EEOC administrative judge decisions. See Table 15: FY 2010 Complaints Closed With Findings of Discrimination.

About the C4C: The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C), a public interest group, serves as an informational support network for present and former Federal employees injured as a result of workplace discrimination. The C4C’s mission is to expose and eradicate racism and reprisal in the Federal government, thus fostering efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in Federal programs and operations.

National Black Chamber Joins Anti Utility Mact Lawsuit

2011-12-15T14:51:00.002-05:00

The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has joined forces with other organizations in an attempt to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from enacting the Utility MACT Rule on utility companies. The NBCC believes this would have a devastating financial impact on suppliers who do business with various utility companies and would also have a very negative impact in terms of job loss.

SECOND RENEWED PETITION BY THE INSTITUTE FOR LIBERTY,
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY, THE CENTER FOR
RULE OF LAW, THE FREEDOM THROUGH JUSTICE FOUNDATION,
AND THE NATIONAL BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
FOR RE-PROPOSAL OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE,
RECONSIDERATION AND STAY
OF EPA’S PROPOSED UTILITY MACT RULE

Summary

EPA’s fundamental assumption that utilities would be able to implement its Utility MACT Rule’s requirements within three or four years, without impairing electric reliability, is contradicted by a wealth of evidence arising after the close of the comment period in this proceeding. In testimony before FERC on November 29 and 30, 2011, representatives of utilities, regional transmission organizations (“RTOs”), state public utility commissions, and the FERC-designated Electric Reliability Organization (i.e., NERC) presented extensive evidence that the three-year compliance timeline for EPA’s Utility MACT Rule will cause widespread violations of NERC’s reliability standards, jeopardizing electric reliability in communities throughout the nation.

NERC’s 2011 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, released on November 28, 2011, also demonstrates that the unfeasibility of compliance with Utility MACT within a three- or four-year period. NERC identifies EPA rulemaking as “the number one risk to reliability over the next 1 to 5 years.” It also identifies the Utility MACT implementation timeline as the primary cause of this risk. According to NERC’s analysis, “the loss of reliability support functions provided by coal-fired generation [that is forced to retire] may not be easily replaced given the time constraints.” As a result, “the nation’s power grid will be stressed in ways never before experienced.”

In light of this evidence, EPA may not continue to rely on its assumption that compliance would be feasible and reliability therefore unimpaired. Accordingly, the Agency’s exercise of discretion in reliance on that assumption is arbitrary and capricious and subject to judicial vacatur. In addition, this evidence of impossibility also renders the Utility MACT Rule arbitrary and capricious, as well as contrary to the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

This same evidence also demonstrates that the Utility MACT Rule is incompatible with the requirements of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”) because it will require the shutdown, whether permanently or temporarily, of facilities necessary to meet NERC’s reliability standards, which are enforceable under the FPA. This conflict undermines EPA’s exercises of discretion within the Utility MACT Rule that cause or contribute to the violation of FPA requirements.

Accordingly, this evidence that utilities cannot implement the requirements of the Utility MACT Rule while maintaining compliance with FPA requirements regarding reliability demonstrates, at the least, that the Utility MACT Rule is arbitrary and capricious and exceeds the Agency’s discretion. If these defects cannot be corrected, that indicates that EPA’s decision to impose MACT requirements exceeded the Agency’s discretion under the Clean Air Act.

For these reasons and those set forth in the Arising After Petition and previous renewed petition, EPA should re-propose Utility MACT and allow for additional public comment or, if the Agency believes that it lacks the discretion to propose MACT standards for EGUs that are not impossible to fulfill and do not impermissibly conflict with FPA requirements, withdraw its proposal and end this rulemaking. (Lawsuit)

Dr. Bobby Wilson Receives Lifetime Mentor Award

2011-12-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bobby Wilson

Dr. Bobby Wilson, an African Scientific Institute (ASI) Fellow, has been honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) “for his extraordinary efforts to significantly increase the number of African Americans with Ph.D. degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).”

Dr. Wilson—who serves as the L. Lloyd Woods Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Shell Oil Endowed Chaired Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the Texas Southern University—will receive the 2011 AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement during a 17 February ceremony at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (See www.aaas.org/meetings)

A nationally regarded research chemist and a Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology, Dr. Wilson excels at inspiring and encouraging his students to achieve at the very highest levels: He has so far mentored 19 Ph.D.s from the United States who are from underrepresented groups in STEM, including eight African American males and 11 African American females.

In a letter of nomination, Dr. Martin V. Bonsangue, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Mathematics at California State University at Fullerton, noted that a total of 24 African American students in the United States received doctoral degrees in disciplines linked to environmental engineering technologies during the period from 2000 to 2009. Nine of those students—more than a third of all those across the nation—were Dr. Wilson’s students.

Over the years, Dr. Wilson also has served as a program director for institutional support programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF). His activities have included, for example, service as Principal Investigator and/or Co-Principal Investigator for two major NSF programs in the Houston area: the Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and the Texas Southern University Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program.

Dr. Wilson earned his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Alabama State University. Then he obtained his Master’s degree from Southern University. He received a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Michigan State University in 1976.

His many honors have included being named Texas Southern University Researcher of the Year in 1988, and receiving the First White House Initiative Faculty Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 1988. He also has received an Outstanding Teacher Award from his institution, and he is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemists, the Texas Academy of Science, and the American Scientific Institute. Not only is he an ASI Fellow of the African Scientific Insitute, Dr. Wilson is an active member of many professional organizations, including the Beta Kappa Chi Honor Society and the National Organization for the professional advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). He served as Regional Chairman of NOBCChE from 1978 until 1996, and he is now Chairman of the Executive Board of NOBCChE.

Established by the AAAS Board of Directors in 1991, the AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes individuals who have, for more than 25 years, mentored significant numbers of underrepresented students (women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) toward the completion of doctoral studies and/or significantly affected the climate of a department, college or institution, or field in such a manner as to significantly increase the diversity of students pursuing and completing doctorates in the sciences. Also considered are nominees’ demonstrated scholarship, activism and community building. The award includes a monetary prize of $5,000, a commemorative plaque, and complimentary registration for the AAAS Annual Meeting.

The AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award will be presented at the 178th AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., which will take place 16-20 February 2012. The awards ceremony and reception will be held in Ballroom B of the Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, on Friday, 17 February. (ASI)

Green Elementary School Planned for Fort Washington, MD

2011-12-12T11:03:00.002-05:00

Avalon Elementary School Principal Dianne G. Bruce (left)
helps student Vernon Wade, 9, of Fort Washington with his hard
hat during a Nov. 30 ceremonial groundbreaking.
Photo: Greg Dohler/The Gazette

Officials broke ground Nov. 30 on a new 60,520-square-foot, single-story green building located at 7302 Webster Lane in Fort Washington, Maryland. The new building with environmentally friendly features is scheduled to open by January 2013, with construction starting in January 2012.

Principal Dianne G. Bruce said the school’s current enrollment is 342 students, with about 22 teachers. The new building will be able to accommodate 449 students and 53 teachers. The total cost for the project is about $19 million, with the state contributing about $6.6 million, or 35 percent of the costs, with the county paying for the rest.

The new building will be designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification. LEED is a voluntary standard to support and certify successful green building design, construction and operations. LEED Gold certification is the second-highest level of achievement out of four levels — platinum, gold, silver and certified — with platinum being the highest. The new school will serve prekindergarten through sixth grade.

In 2008, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that requires all school construction to meet LEED silver or gold standards. Rankings are determined using a 100 base point system in categories such as water efficiency, sustainability, and energy and atmosphere.

Avalon Elementary is being housed at the former Middleton Valley Elementary School site in Temple Hills at 4815 Dalton St., about three miles from the new school site, while construction is taking place.

AAEA President Norris McDonald lives in Fort Washington, Maryland. (The Gazette, 11/30/2011)

Whites Make More Money Than Blacks in DC & Metro Area

2011-12-08T08:54:00.001-05:00

New census statistics show the income gap between whites and blacks living in the District is one of the widest in the country. That stands in stark contrast to the Washington suburbs, where the gaps have become some of the nation’s narrowest.

The per capita income for whites in the District is more than triple what it is for blacks, and the difference has only widened since 1990. In several suburbs, including Prince George’s, Loudoun and Stafford counties, incomes for blacks and whites are closer than ever, and today whites earn $1.30 or less for every $1 that blacks earn.

Demographers and city activists say the difference reflects four decades of upper- and middle-class blacks abandoning the city for the suburbs, coupled with a more recent resurgence of affluent whites moving to the District.

Nationwide, the gulf between black and white incomes is pervasive. It exists in every one of the 700 counties with significant black populations, according to census numbers that are to be released Thursday. For every $1 in black income, white per capita income ranges from a low of $1.04 in mid-Michigan, near the capital of Lansing, to a high of $4.15 in Manhattan.

Although the Washington area’s individual jurisdictions are at one extreme or another, as a whole the region falls somewhere in the middle of all metropolitan areas. Whites in the area have per capita incomes of $1.80 for every $1 that blacks earn. The narrowest gap is in Stafford County, where white income is $1.18 for every $1 for blacks.

The disparity persists even though many Washington suburbs boast some of the highest per capita incomes for blacks in the nation. Of the top 20 counties for black income, 10 are around Washington. African Americans in the suburbs are in the vanguard of minorities who are moving closer to achieving income parity with whites. The high income levels to federal jobs, which have long been equal-opportunity positions, even during recessions.

The bifurcation can be seen in education levels reported by the census. Almost nine in 10 whites in the District have college degrees, while barely two in 10 blacks do. (Wash Post, 12/8/2011)

Maryland Offshore Wind Debate

2011-12-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

Baltimore City Voters Pack Town Hall Meeting With Senator Pugh, Delegate Robinson

Maryland Senator Catherine Pugh of Baltimore City heard vocal support for offshore wind power from dozens of her constituents and an array of local Baltimore organizations and businesses at a packed town hall meeting Nov. 30th at Saint Mark's Church. This town hall comes just a few weeks before the start of the 2012 General Assembly session in which Gov. Martin O'Malley will promote a bill to tap the power of wind blowing off Maryland's Atlantic coast. Senator Pugh (D) sits on the Senate Finance Committee which will review this legislation.

Senator Pugh was joined by her colleague in the House of Delegates, Del. Barbara Robinson, and a variety of panelists who spoke about job creation, health benefits and climate change reduction that offshore wind power can provide. The District 40 town hall meeting on offshore wind power in Baltimore, November 30th.

MD State Senator Catherine Pugh addresses the District 40 town hall meeting

One moderate sized offshore wind park would create 2400 jobs, and there are over 1000 Maryland businesses, employing over 30,000 workers, that could participate in offshore wind development.

A packed audience heard from labor, faith, health, business, and environmental leaders

Christine D. Keels, a 30-year Baltimore resident with severe asthma, spoke emotionally about her yearly hospitalizations and complications from asthma over the last decade and highlighted the importance of Maryland moving toward a clean energy future.

Left to right: Health activist Christine Keels; business leaders Ross Tyler and Joe Gaskins; labor leader Rod Easter

With offshore wind, Maryland families will save over $4 billion over 25 years by preventing premature deaths. Marylanders cannot afford to continue paying higher medical bills for asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and lung disease.

Maryland cannot meet its statutory clean energy standards without offshore wind power. The state's renewable electricity standard and the carbon reduction standard are required by historic acts of the General Assembly. Offshore wind energy will help to meet these responsibilities.

Christine Keels, speaking about the health benefits of offshore wind power

Contact: Tom Carlson, Maryland Campaign Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
(w) (240) 396-2035
(c) (651)-587-0730
http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/

Obama Gulf Task Force Releases Final Strategy

2011-12-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

Task Force Established by President Obama Releases Final Strategy for Reversing Deterioration of Gulf Ecosystem

USDA $50 million financial assistance for restoration projects announced as Task Force efforts shift from planning to action

Task Force Chair Lisa Jackson

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force today released its final strategy for long term ecosystem restoration for the Gulf Coast, following extensive feedback from citizens throughout the region. EPA Administrator and Task Force Chair Lisa P. Jackson, partnering with Task Force Co-Chair Garret Graves, made the announcement today during keynote remarks at the 2011 State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Houston. Administrator Jackson was joined by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman and several other Task Force members.

The Task Force delivered the final strategy on Friday, Dec. 2 to President Barack Obama, who established the Task Force by executive order, to continue the Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Gulf region. The group is made up of representatives from the five Gulf States and 11 federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy and White House Domestic Policy Council.

With the release of the final strategy today, the Task Force marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the strategy by announcing new initiatives, including $50 million in assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to help agricultural producers in seven Gulf Coast river basins improve water quality, increase water conservation and enhance wildlife habitat. USDA's multi-year environmental restoration effort, known as the Gulf of Mexico Initiative, or GoMI, represents a 1,100% increase in financial assistance for Gulf priority watersheds.

The natural resources of the Gulf’s ecosystem are vital to many of the region’s industries that directly support economic progress and job creation, including tourism and recreation, seafood production and sales, energy production and navigation and commerce. Among the key priorities of the strategy are:

1) Stopping the Loss of Critical Wetlands, Sand Barriers and Beaches

The strategy recommends placing ecosystem restoration on an equal footing with historic uses such as navigation and flood damage reduction by approaching water resource management decisions in a far more comprehensive manner that will bypass harm to wetlands, barrier islands and beaches. The strategy also recommends implementation of several congressionally authorized projects in the Gulf that are intended to reverse the trend of wetlands loss.

2) Reducing the Flow of Excess Nutrients into the Gulf

The strategy calls for working in the Gulf and upstream in the Mississippi watershed to reduce the flow of excess nutrients into the Gulf by supporting state nutrient reduction frameworks, new nutrient reduction approaches, and targeted watershed work to reduce agricultural and urban sources of excess nutrients.

3) Enhancing Resiliency among Coastal Communities

The strategy calls for enhancing the quality of life of Gulf residents by working in partnership with the Gulf with coastal communities. The strategy specifically recommends working with each of the States to build the integrated capacity needed through effective coastal improvement plans to better secure the future of their coastal communities and to implement existing efforts underway.

The final strategy was developed following more than 40 public meetings throughout the Gulf to listen to the concerns of the public. (EPA)

Review the final strategy

The National Republican African American Caucus

2011-12-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

The Purpose of The National Republican African-American Caucus (NRAAC) is to create an organization that is comprised of people of spirit and faith within the African American community, that works in conjunction with local, state and national party efforts to embrace, and offer African-American Republicans opportunities for inclusion and involvement in the Republican Party, and builds bridges between the African-American community and the Republican Party.

Prince George's Co. Residents Support Offshore Wind Power

2011-12-03T11:03:00.003-05:00

Prince George’s Residents Pack Town Hall Meeting Focused on Benefits of Offshore Wind Power in Maryland

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, a capacity audience from south-central Prince George’s County packed a town hall meeting in Temple Hills to ask questions and show support for proposals to develop an offshore wind power industry in Maryland. The attendees – numbering over 100 and hailing from state districts 24, 25, and 26 -- were especially interested in the jobs and health benefits of offshore wind as well as the prospects for lower, long-term electricity bills from this non-fossil fuel source of power.

Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, who kicked off the event at the Hillcrest Heights Community Recreation Center, passionately explained that he and Governor O’Malley believe offshore wind is an important component of Maryland’s energy future.

Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown Addresses Attendees

Other speakers at the town hall included Delegate Aisha Braveboy (D-District 25); Kari Fulton, Director of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative; Fred Tutman of Patuxent Riverkeeper; Tom Carlson of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network; and Mike Kutzleb, President of Phoenix International, a PG County-based underwater engineering business that plans to hire workers to help build future offshore wind farms in Maryland.

Community members seemed particularly impressed by the health and environmental benefits of the wind project. Kari Fulton of EJCC spoke passionately about the need for urban communities to engage in efforts to build a new clean-energy economy. Fred Tutman, with Patuxent Riverkeeper, discussed the harmful environmental and health impacts of current DC-area power plants that burn massive amounts of dirty fossil fuels. Tutman singled out PG County’s Chalk Point coal plant, which in recent years has experienced multiple violations of federal pollution laws.

Panelists also explained that these jobs and the $4 billion is anticipated savings on Maryland health costs more than outweigh a potential small initial increase in ratepayers’ bills. Indeed, a recent poll showed that nearly 70 percent of voters in Maryland’s D.C.-area suburbs favor spending up to $2 per month to help develop a new wind-power industry in the state that reduces fossil-fuel use.

[Courtesy Ivan Lanier, Greenwill Consulting Group, 125 West Street Suite 101, Annapolis MD 21401, Ilanier@greenwillgroup.com, 410-490-1309]

Jerome Ringo Joins BARD Holdings, Inc.

2011-12-03T08:24:00.001-05:00

Jerome Ringo at House Energy Hearing

BARD Holding, Inc, a clean-technology development and production company based in Morrisville, PA, has announced that leading environmental advocate Jerome Ringo will serve as the company’s Chief Business Officer. Previously, Ringo served as CEO of Synergy Global Development, was the first African American to head the National Wildlife Federation board of directors and was president of the Apollo Alliance.

BARD sees itself as a steward of algae technology. BARD built its first commercial scale pilot plant for algae production system and algae oil extraction system in Bucks County at Morrisville, PA. BARD has also established several commercial scale algae production plants in Calhoun, GA; Dalton, GA; Augusta, GA; Milledgeville, GA and Detroit, MI. Further, it is expanding to Sarnia, Canada and Ahmedabad, India.

Ringo has campaigned for environmental justice for over 20 years, delivering his message through global lectures, business meetings, lobbying groups, governmental officials and non-profit organizations. His message advocates for policies that protect the environment, stimulate the economy, and help eliminate the world’s addiction to fossil fuels. (BARD)

Dec 2, 2001 Statement Opposing Keystone XL Pipeline before House Energy & Commerce Committee

Anadarko Petroleum Corp Mozambique Offshore Natural Gas

2011-11-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation sharply raised its estimate for the amount of natural gas contained in a big field it has found off the coast of Mozambique. This could be one of the most important natural-gas fields discovered in the last 10 years. Anadarko said it had increased the estimate of recoverable resources from the four discoveries made in its Offshore Area 1 block to between 15 trillion and 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Initially, the Texas-based company had said the field contained six trillion cubic feet, a figure it raised to 10 trillion cubic feet in October. Thirty trillion cubic feet would be enough to meet an entire year's gas consumption by the U.S.

Anadarko, whose partners in the block include Dublin-based Cove Energy PLC and Japan's Mitsui & Co., is the field's operator, with a 36.5% interest.

The announcement came just a month after Eni SpA, the Italian energy giant, announced it had found 22.5 trillion cubic feet of gas off Mozambique's coast—the biggest such exploration discovery in the company's history. Such large resources appear big enough to sustain the construction of a large liquefied-natural-gas, or LNG, plant in Mozambique, catapulting the impoverished former Portuguese colony into the world's major league of gas exporters.

Meanwhile the gas-rich waters offshore Tanzania have recently attracted a number of big players, including Exxon Mobil Corp., Statoil ASA of Norway and BG Group PLC, which is also exploring off Kenya. (WSJ, 11/29/2011)

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo on Tavis Smiley Show

2011-11-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo appears on the Tavis Smiley Show tonight to discuss her new book, "No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA."

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, left, was a senior policy analyst for the United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA). Beginning in 1996, she filed complaints alleging that a company from the United States was mining vanadium in South Africa and harming the environment and human health. The EPA did not respond, and Coleman-Adebayo reported her concerns to other organizations. Coleman-Adebayo filed a suit against the agency, alleging racial and gender discrimination. On August 18, 2000, a federal jury found EPA guilty of violating the civil rights of Coleman-Adebayo on the basis of race, sex, color and a hostile work environment, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Coleman-Adebayo is a founder and leader of the No FEAR Coalition. Through her leadership, the No FEAR Coalition, working closely with Representative James Sensenbrenner, organized a successful grass-roots campaign and secured passage of the “Notification of Federal Employees Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act,” the first Civil Rights Law of the 21st Century. The Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002. (Wiki)

Author Tavis Smiley hosts the late-night news program, conducting interviews with newsmakers, politicians and celebrities. His goal to ``introduce Americans to each other'' offers stimulating conversations with diverse trendsetters and opinion-makers from the worlds of arts, entertainment, politics and media.

Political commentator Tavis Smiley offers in-depth analysis of topical issues and interviews with newsmakers of the day. (Wash Post)

Sustainable DC

2011-11-22T16:59:00.001-05:00

Letter From DC Department of Planning and DC Department of the Environment

Thanks to creative energy from you and thousands of other citizens across the District, Mayor Gray’s Sustainable DC plan is off to an exciting start.

We now invite you to join Mayor Vincent Gray on November 29th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Room 202B) as we present the progress from the “Start in September” outreach, and establish working groups to develop recommendations to make Washington, DC the greenest, healthiest, most inclusive and livable city in the nation!

On behalf of the Mayor, we thank everyone who contributed ideas at sustainable.dc.gov, attended one of over 50 public meetings and events, or tweeted during our #SustainableDC Twitter chat. Now it’s time to take our initial collection of ideas, existing local efforts, and the best national and global examples of sustainable practices to develop our vision, goals, and priorities. The plan will also evaluate environmental and health benefits, and take steps to strengthen the city’s economic vitality and build community.

On November 29th, we will begin the meeting together as a group to hear from Mayor Gray, review input to date, and map out the Sustainable DC planning process. We will then break out into nine topical working groups: the built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. We invite you to actively participate in one (or more) of these working groups, which will delve into the details of these topics over the course of four to six meetings from December through February. At the mid-point and again at the end of the working group process, all participants will come together to share ideas and address the critical connections among these working group topics.

While all meetings will be open to the public, we are asking those who wish to officially participate on a working group to commit to some basic roles and responsibilities. More details are included in the attachment. So we can prepare for this kick-off meeting, please RSVP here. For questions, please email sustainable.future@dc.gov or call (202) 442-8809. For more information on the plan and to follow plan updates, please visit http://www.sustainable.dc.gov/.

We look forward to working with you to make the District the greenest, healthiest, most livable city in the nation!

Harriet Tregoning
Director
DC Office of Planning DC Department of the Environment

Christophe A.G. Tulou
Director
DC Office of Planning DC Department of the Environment

EPA Requests Proposals for Urban Waters Small Grants

2011-11-22T16:07:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to award between $1.8 to $3.8 million in funding for projects across the country to help restore urban waters by improving water quality and supporting community revitalization. The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve, and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational and employment opportunities in nearby communities.

The goal of the Urban Waters Small Grants program is to fund research, studies, training, and demonstration projects that will advance the restoration of urban waters by improving water quality through activities that also support community revitalization and other local priorities such as public health, social and economic opportunities, general livability and environmental justice for residents. Examples of projects eligible for funding include:

· Education and training for water quality improvement or green infrastructure jobs

· Public education about ways to reduce water pollution

· Local water quality monitoring programs

· Engaging diverse stakeholders to develop local watershed plans

· Innovative projects that promote local water quality and community revitalization goals

Information about Urban Waters Small Grants including the Request for Proposal (RFP) and registration links for the webinars. EPA expects to award the grants in Summer 2012.

Note to Applicants: In accordance with EPA's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), EPA staff will not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposals, provide informal comments on draft proposals, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their proposals. However, consistent with the provisions in the announcement, EPA will respond to questions from individual applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement. Questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail to and must be received by the

Agency Contact, Ji-Sun Yi, by January 16, 2012 and written responses will be posted on EPA’s website

Dates to Remember:

· Deadline for submitting proposals: January 23, 2012.

· Two webinars about this funding opportunity: December 14, 2011 and January 5, 2012.

· Deadline for submitting questions: January 16, 2012

Related Links:

For more information on EPA’s Urban Waters program

· EPA’s Urban Waters program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 11 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their
waterways. For more information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership.

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo on the Tavis Smiley/Cornel West Radio Show

2011-11-20T02:01:00.002-05:00

Federal whistleblower Marsha Coleman-Adebayo reveals her battle with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Tavis Smiley/Cornel West Radio Show with Marsha Coleman-Adebayo.

The Nature Conservancy: LEAF Program

2011-11-18T14:26:00.002-05:00

The Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program provides paid summer internships for high school students and helps educators from environmental high schools share best practices and scientific resources. The long-term goal of LEAF is to support more than 30 environmental high schools across the country, ultimately serving over 20,000 students.

LEAF is an ambitious effort to empower the next generation of conservation leaders and equip them with the skills and knowledge to address our world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

With the support of the Toyota USA Foundation in 2011, LEAF will expand a nationally-recognized partnership model with environmental high schools to combine classroom lessons with real-world conservation work experience for urban youth.

The program works with a select group of environmental high schools, and provides paid summer internships for students in natural areas across the nation and helps educators from environmental high schools share best practices and scientific resources during the academic year.

The LEAF model:

• helps urban youth gain critical life, school and workplace skills;

• provides sustained exposure to nature; and

• supports students pursuing higher education opportunities and career paths in environmental fields.

The program marries The Nature Conservancy’s scientific expertise and access to natural areas with the lessons learned in environmental high schools to provide students with the web of mentors, alumni, and peers that is fundamental to successful youth development programs.

Supplementing classroom lessons on ecology and conservation with the real world experience of applying those lessons in the field has a tremendous impact on students’ lives — opening their eyes to career possibilities, building self confidence, independence, work skills, conservation literacy and a love of the outdoors.

For more information on LEAF, or to sponsor a student, please contact leaf@tnc.org

2011-11-15T19:40:00.001-05:00

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo discussing her book, "No Fear" at Busboys and Poets. Washington, DC, October 11, 2011

Pepco's Minority-Owned Subcontractor Scope Services, Inc

2011-11-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

Scope Services, Inc Trains Smart Meter Installers in Maryland

Pepco's minority-owned subcontractor Scope Services, Inc. is recruiting and training local workers to install smart meters in Prince George's and Montgomery counties now through the end of 2012. Pepco serves 778,000 customers, with the majority residing in both Maryland counties.

Pepco also is installing smart meters in the District of Columbia and anticipates completing that deployment by the end of 2011.

Since May, Pepco and Scope Services, Inc. staffs have worked with Montgomery Works and the Prince George's One-Stop Career Center to extend to Maryland residents the opportunity to apply for contract meter installer and administrative support positions that have been created locally as a result of the smart meter deployment in Maryland.

These meter installers will be hired and trained by Scope Services, Inc. to disconnect, remove, install and reconnect electric power meters that are used to record the energy consumption of residential and commercial customers.

The potential benefits of the new smart meters will empower customers to control their energy costs, decrease the time associated with restoring power, and reduce the need for estimated meter readings among other benefits. (Electric Light & Power, 7/21/2011)

National Society of Black Engineers

2011-11-14T17:10:00.002-05:00

The mission of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is:

"to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community."

The National Society of Black Engineers strives to accomplish the following objectives for their organization:

• Stimulate and develop student interest in the various engineering disciplines

• Strive to increase the number of minority students studying engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels

• Encourage members to seek advanced degrees in engineering or related fields and to obtain professional engineering registrations

• Promote public awareness of engineering and the opportunities for Blacks and other minorities in that profession

• Function as a representative body on issues and developments that affect the careers of Black Engineers

Innovative project ideas are generated and implemented throughout the year on the chapter, regional and national levels. Some of NSBE's present activities include tutorial programs, group study sessions, high school/junior high outreach programs, technical seminars and workshops, a national communications network (NSBENET), two national magazines (NSBE Magazine and NSBE Bridge), an internal newsletter, a professional newsletter (Career Engineer, a supplement in NSBE Magazine), resume books, career fairs, awards, banquets and an annual national convention.

AAEA looks forward to working with NSBE on practical solutions to environmental problems.

Black Environmentalist

2011-11-12T18:44:00.001-05:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

How can you be a Black environmentalist and deal with the fact that Blacks do not own energy infrastructure and resources in the USA? Do you toe the traditionalist environmentalist company line, or do you think for yourself? Do the traditional environmental organizations care about the lack of Black equity in the energy sector? We think they do not care and will never work to promote African American energy infrastructure and resources ownership.

Thus, the Black environmentalist. The environmentalist who must admit that Blacks do not own any of the entities that produce smog (okay we own cars but no car production companies) and global warming, yet who are expected to toe the conservationist line. A race in America that consumes its share of energy resources, but owns none of the equity in any of those energy industries, is a race without equity. And energy industries do not let you in. Nor is there access to the huge federal government energy subsidies. Okay.

Blacks have formed their own environmental organizations. No use in waiting for the mainstream environmental groups to integrate. But I must say that although they do hire black professionals, they do not seem to be able to retain them (except for the Sierra Club). Green DMV, Green For All, and Black and Into Green, are three of the newer black-led environmental groups. Lisa P. Jackson is the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Van Jones has made a name for himself.

Yet the rubber meets the road with public policy. Does one blindly promote conservation when one's community has no ownership in the energy sector? Should Blacks strictly stick to 'green' energy when it represents less than 2% of the electricity sector? What about international trade? Black Africans and African Americans should, at a very minimum, be dominating the trade between these two continental cousins.

The Black environmentalist has some things to consider.

2011-11-11T13:02:00.002-05:00

The State of the African-American Consumer Report

2011-11-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Release of report at The National Press Club

The State of the African-American Consumer Report found that black buying power is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015. The study, which focuses on black spending, media habits and consumer trends, reported an increase in the amount of blacks attending college or earning a degree. It also found an increase in the number of African American households earning $75,000 or higher by almost 64 percent.

Nielsen partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, also known as the Black Press of America, to release the report. The companies announced the results on Sept. 22.

Other notable findings in the report include:

• With a buying power of nearly 1 trillion annually, if Blacks were a country, they'd be the 16th largest country in the world

• Blacks make more shopping trips than all other groups, but spend less money per trip. Blacks in higher income brackets, also spend 300 percent more in higher end retail grocers more than any other high-income household.

• There were 23.9 million active Black Internet users in July 2011--76 percent of whom visited a social networking/blog site.

• Thirty-three percent of all Blacks own a smart phone.

• Black Americans use more than double the amount of mobile phone voice minutes compared to whites--1,298 minutes a month vs. 606.

(Huffington Post, Black Voices, 11/10/2011)

Occupy DC & No Fear Coalition Occupy EPA

2011-11-11T04:47:00.003-05:00

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, president of the No Fear Coalition, speaks at the Occupy EPA protest on Nov. 10.

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo (Photo by Jason Miller/Federal News Radio)

Occupy DC protestors carried crosses and laid three wreaths in front of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) building Thursday to mock memorialize the death of clean air and environmental justice. Protestors accused the EPA of supporting the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline and failing to fully implement regulations within the Clean Air Act.

Facebook - Occupy The EPA

(October 2011)

Outdoor Afro

2011-11-11T04:22:00.002-05:00

Outdoor Afro is a community that reconnects African-Americans with natural spaces and one another through recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, skiing — and more!Outdoor Afro uses social media to create interest communities, events, and to partner with regional and national organizations that support diverse participation in the Great Outdoors.

Founder Rue Mapp split her childhood time between urban Oakland, California and her families’ working ranch in the Northern woodlands, where she cultivated a passion for natural spaces, farming, and learned how to hunt and fish. As a youth, her participation in the Girl Scouts and Outward Bound broadened her outdoor experiences, such as camping, mountaineering, rock climbing, and road bicycling. But Rue was troubled by the consistently low numbers of African Americans participating in these activities. So for two decades, Rue has used digital media as an important and practical tool to connect with people of color who share her outdoor interests. Outdoor Afro emerged naturally from these experiences.

Rue Mapp

Rue Mapp has a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was inspired by her study of the artistic representation of the American forests. She is also a successful entrepreneur whose game and hobby store start-up (It’s Your Move) remains an important part of the Oakland community. Rue was honored to be invited to the White House to participate in the America’s Great Outdoors Conference where President Obama signed an historic memorandum to help reconnect all Americans to the Great Outdoors. She is now serving as program officer at the Stewardship Council to oversee its youth investment program that connects programs with the resources they need to get underrepresented youth to engage meaningfully with the outdoors. Rue is a proud mother of three school-aged children – Seth, Arwen, and Billy, and lives in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.

Photo by Donna Petagrew, Outdoor Afro Photo Contest Winner

White House Hosts African American Leadership Conference

2011-11-09T17:14:00.002-05:00

White House African-American Policy Agenda Conference

White House Releases New Policy Report Outlining the Obama Administration Achievements in the African American Community

Today, Wednesday, November 8, the White House held an African American Policy in Action Leadership Conference, bringing community leaders from across the country together with a broad range of White House and Cabinet officials for an in-depth series of interactive workshops and substantive conversations on the Administration’s efforts and achievements in the African American community.

Participants including community leaders, professors, faith leaders, civil rights leaders, and elected officials, have the opportunity to interact with Administration officials on pressing issues that directly impact African Americans. Discussion topics included strengthening the economy through the American Jobs Act, job training, access to capital for growing businesses, reforming our nation’s education system, protecting civil rights, community development initiatives, and strategies targeting poverty.

At the conference, the White House released a new policy report, outlining how the President's policies directly impact the African American community.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined President Obama, Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Vilsack and leaders from across the country at the White House to talk about issues affecting African American communities. As the first African American Administrator of the EPA, Administrator Jackson is proud to be working to address the health and environmental disparities we see in minority communities - and to help strengthen local economies through pollution clean ups and by giving these neighborhoods what they need to compete for business investments.

AFRICAN AMERICAN POLICY IN ACTION LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE--AGENDA

Date: November 9th, 2011
Time: 9:00-4:30PM ET

Agenda

9:00-9:15AM Welcome: Michael Strautmanis, Deputy Assistant to President Obama and Heather Foster, Director of African American Outreach

9:15-9:30AM Opening Remarks: Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama

9:30-10:30AM Panel Session One: Economic Security, Job Creation, and the African American Community

Panelists

Danielle Gray, Deputy Director, National Economic Council
Rebecca Blank Acting Deputy, Department of Commerce
Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary, Department of Labor
Don Graves, President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness
Undersecretary Martha Kanter, Department of Education

10:50-12:00PM Panel Session Two: The President’s Domestic policy agenda and the African American community

Panelists

Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services
Acting Deputy Secretary, Estelle Richman, Housing and Urban Development
Administrator Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency

12:00-12:45PM Working lunch with Attorney General Eric Holder

1:30-3:30PM Afternoon Breakout sessions

Track one: Education Reform and Job Training
Track two: Economic Growth, Jobs Creation, and Business Development
Track three: Anti-Poverty Strategies
Track four: Prevention and Health Disparities (Let’s Move)
Track five: Fatherhood, Prevention, and Reentry Issues
Track six: Housing and Urban Affairs

3:45-4:15PM Report and Action Steps: Jon Carson, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement

4:15-4:30PM Closing Remarks by Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama

(The White House)

EPA: Most Areas Meet Air Quality Standards for Lead

2011-11-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that available air quality information indicates that 39 states are meeting the health-based national air quality standards for lead set in 2008. Based on 2008 to 2010 air quality monitoring data, EPA also determined that Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Puerto Rico each have one area that does not meet the agency’s health based standards for lead. Exposure to lead may impair a child’s IQ, learning capabilities and behavior.

The agency also is identifying three areas located in Tennessee, Arizona and New York as “unclassifiable,” meaning that available information is insufficient to confirm whether or not the areas are meeting the standards. EPA will take further action once additional information is available.

In October 2008, EPA strengthened the nation’s air quality standards for lead ten-fold to 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air. EPA also finalized requirements for new monitors to be located near large sources of lead emissions. EPA designated areas as meeting or not meeting the standards in two rounds. Using air quality data from existing monitors, EPA completed the first round of designations in November 2010. This second round in today’s announcement relies on data from the new monitors to classify the remaining areas.

Last year, EPA designated 16 other areas in 11 states as not meeting the standards because their 2007 to 2009 air quality monitoring data showed that their emissions were above the agency’s health-based standards. Based on new air quality monitoring information, and recommendations from Pennsylvania, EPA is expanding the size of one of those areas, Lower Beaver Valley, Pa to ensure that the entire area that exceeds the standard is properly identified.

Areas designated as not meeting the standards will need to develop plans within 18 months and implement them within five years to reduce pollution to meet the lead standards. No areas in Indian Country are being designated nonattainment.

Lead emitted into the air can be inhaled or can be ingested after it settles. Ingestion is the main route of human exposure. Children are the most susceptible because they are more likely to ingest lead, and their bodies are developing rapidly. There is no known safe level of lead in the body.

National average concentrations of lead in the air have dropped 93 percent nationwide since 1980, largely the result of the agency's phase-out of lead in gasoline. Lead in the air comes from a variety of sources, including smelters, iron and steel foundries, and piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded aviation gasoline. (EPA)

More information on the designations

Occupy DC To Occupy EPA and Lafayette Park on Nov 10th

2011-11-08T20:41:00.002-05:00

Occupy Washington
DC.org
No FEAR Coalition
National Whistleblower Center
net-We.org

Protestors from a wide range of organizations led by the Occupy Washington, DC. org, the No FEAR Coalition, the National Whistleblower Center, net-We.org, Federal Alliance for Workplace Accountability, and others will demonstrate against the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, November 10 at noon.

The demonstration will gather from 12 noon at Freedom Plaza before proceeding to the Environmental Protection Agency to lay wreaths at EPA's door symbolizing the illness and deaths from asthma and other upper respiratory diseases that will occur as a result of the Administrations' decision to delay smog regulations.

Led by E.P.A. whistleblower Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo the protest is directed against the Environmental Protection Agency for bowing to pressure from President Barack Obama to postpone changes to the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from smog and other dangerous pollution.

In May the Centers for Disease Control reported that from 2001--2009, 24.6 million additional people were reported with asthma. A rising trend in asthma prevalence was observed for non-Hispanic black children (11.4% to 17.0%), non-Hispanic white women (8.9% to 10.1%), and non-Hispanic black men (4.7% to 6.4%). That higher prevalence costs around $50 billion a year for medical expenses. according to the CDC. Add to that, $3.8 billion in missed school or work hours, and $2.1 billion for 12,000 premature deaths. Medical expenses associated with asthma were $3,259 per person per year during 2002—2007. And the biggest toll is among African-Americans.

Dr. Coleman Adebayo noted:

“Occupy groups around the country should demand that President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson immediately reverse their decision on clean air. We don’t have enough laws to protect the sick, but we have enough good people with conscience, spirit and bravery to do the right thing. Even when political leaders fail us.”

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo is the author of “No FEAR A Whistleblower’s Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA.” Her website: Marshacoleman-adebayo.com contains a petition demanding that the president reverse his decision. (No Fear Coalition)

White House Surrounded By Keystone XL Pipeline Protesters

2011-11-07T13:13:00.003-05:00

Thousands gathered on Sunday to surround the White House to protest the Keystone XL pipeline proposal.

LETTER FROM BILL MCKIBBEN - - [Tar Sands Action]

Friends–

There are days along any journey that stick with you, and today was one of them.

Under blue Indian Summer skies, more than ten thousand people from every corner of the country descended on Washington; then, with great precision, they fanned out to ring the White House and take a stand against the Keystone pipeline.

Here are just a couple of pictures, and you can see lots more by clicking here.

What speaker after speaker today made clear (and they came from every part of our movement: indigenous leaders, labor organizers, environmentalists, young people, preachers) was that today was in no way a grand finale — there’s lots more work to do.

I have no idea how this battle is going come out — only that, together, we stand a chance to shut down this dirty pipeline and shift the flow not just of oil but of history. This day was an important part of that history, and we’ll carry it’s power with us as we take this fight forward.

Thanks in advance for all the work we’ll do together, shoulder-to-shoulder, on the road ahead.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben

(Tar Sands Action)

California Solar Subsidies Used By Rich But Not Poor

2011-10-31T14:14:00.001-04:00

Based on how California policymakers giving subsidies for solar panels placed on the residential roofs, the poorest parts of California have not sufficiently utilized the benefits.

California's ambitious program to convert to solar energy is partially paid for with $3.3 billion provided by the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC), spread over 10 years, taken in small slices from utility customers' monthly bills. The Public Utilities Commission reported earlier this year that California Solar Initiative subsidies have amounted to $885 million so far. They've created 924 megawatts of power spread across 94,900 locations owned by large and small commercial users, and residential customers.

The piece of program reserved for lowest income customers is not quite so robust. The PUC reports solar has been installed on the homes of 862 low-income Californians. People with low income can't afford any piece of it, rebate or no rebate.

The California Public Utilities Commission reports that one residence in the Sonoma County wine town of Glen Ellen received a $372,000 subsidy on a $2.2 million solar installation. A Newcastle residence received a $319,000 subsidy on a $1.45 million installation. In all, 22 residential solar projects received subsidies in excess of $100,000 each, and 71 others received subsidies of $50,000 or more.

The Public Utilities Commission reports that the ZIP code covering the eastern end of Clovis, one of the most tony areas of the Fresno region, received $3.5 million in solar roof subsidies. Down in the flatlands of Fresno, in the southern and western ends of the city, subsidies totaled $40,000.

In three ZIP codes for Malibu, rebates for residential solar installations have amounted to more than $1.5 million. About 13,000 people live there. In three ZIP codes in Compton, home to almost 140,000 people, there was one solar subsidy for $2,269. The same is true in Granite Bay, where there have been $1.3 million in subsidies, and El Dorado Hills, where there have been $1.5 million in subsidies.

In April, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring that utilities get a third of their electricity from renewable sources, in an event at a new solar panel factory in Milpitas, owned by SunPower, the largest manufacturer of solar panels used in the California Solar Initiative.

SunPower executive, called the initiative "wildly successful" with installation prices dropping significantly. The initiative helped spawn an industry that employs several thousand people. The clean energy generated by the panels displaces other types of electricity generated by fossil fuel.

But the rooftop solar business wouldn't exist, at least not in its current form, without various subsidies, including the state rebates and 30 percent federal tax credit.

San Diego Gas & Electric is raising issues related to rooftop solar in filings with the PUC. The utility is seeking to charge solar customers an average of $22 a month to cover transmission, distribution and other overhead costs.

Sempra also is seeking approval of midsize solar arrays that could be installed at power substations, on the roofs of large warehouses, on land that is too polluted for other uses. The company would sell the electrons to apartment dwellers and customers who couldn't afford rooftop solar. It would be far more efficient than placing panels on individual roofs. (Sacramento Bee, 10/31/2011)

Prince George's County Remains Black By Choice

2011-10-31T09:38:00.005-04:00

Blacks Have Moved In and Whites Have Moved Out

America has a black president and every city in the country also has a black side of town and a white side of town. This scenario is clearly illustrated in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. In Prince George's County, Maryland, Whites have congregated in Bowie and Blacks are the majority in most of the other neighborhoods.

From Loudoun to Fairfax to Montgomery, communities that are growing in the Washington Metro Area are also growing more integrated, with people of every race and ethnicity living side by side. Prince George’s stands virtually alone as a place that is gaining population yet has an increasing number of residents living in neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly one race, African American.

Census data shows that the number of Prince George’s neighborhoods where more than 85 percent of residents are the same race or ethnicity — what demographers consider a high level of segregation — has inched up, from 25 percent in 1990 to 27 percent last year. Though the increase is small, any uptick is interesting in comparison with everywhere else in the region. While the all-white neighborhood has all but disappeared from Northern Virginia, Montgomery and the District, the all-black neighborhood is on the rise in Prince George’s.

Prince George’s is a beacon for middle-class African Americans who want to live around other blacks and few whites are moving in. It appears that the majority of Blacks and Whites prefer to live among their own. Twenty years ago, fully a third of Prince George's County’s segregated neighborhoods were white. Today, none are. Meanwhile, the arrival of affluent and accomplished blacks — not only from the District and surrounding counties but from throughout the nation — has transformed vast swaths of the county. More than a third of the county’s African American residents live in neighborhoods that are more than 85 percent black. FromBowie to Brandywine, threequarters of the neighborhoods where household incomes surpass $100,000 are majority African American.

The Prince George’s experience also illustrates the limits of integration. Most blacks and whites still live in separate neighborhoods, despite the dismantling of legal segregation decades ago. Prince George’s has neighborhoods that are like almost no others in the United States: segregated African American enclaves with median household incomes above $100,000. The only other black enclaves in the
country with incomes that high are two small tracts in Queens and one in Brooklyn. The much larger DeKalb County in suburban Atlanta may offer the best point of comparison. Like Prince George’s, DeKalb is an affluentmajority black county that is both growing and growing more segregated.

In the Washington region, 90 percent of whites still live in neighborhoods where they are a majority or the largest group. Many whites remain unwilling to buy houses in black neighborhoods. A lot of white people don’t want to live around black people. Conversely, Blacks in Prince George's County are where they want to be. They’re not thinking about integration. It’s not on their radar screen. Their goal is to live in a community of like-minded, like-valued people, and these are other middle-class blacks.

Over the past decade, the county’s white population dropped by 50,000. At the same time, the county gained 72,000 Hispanics. There are now more Hispanics than whites in Prince George’s. (Wash Post, 10/31/2011)

CNN "Blacks in America 4" : Blacks in Silicon Valley?

2011-10-29T12:45:00.002-04:00

CNN's "Black in America 4" displays the difficulties of African-American entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Some Black Silicon Valley enrepreneurs say there's plenty of evidence that active -- if often subconscious -- bias plays a role in their limited participation prospects.

Some ask: Where are the roots of the problem? Is it that venture capitalists shy away from funding minorities, or are there too few minorities entering the field? Others respond: The problem isn't that there are barriers, the problem is that Blacks aren't entering the field in the first place. (CNN Money, 10/28/2011)

BLACK FOUNDERS: Mission: To increase the number of successful black entrepreneurs in tech.

The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley, the fourth installment in CNN's Black in America series, will premiere November 13 at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch the trailer on CNN.com, and check out CNNMoney's full coverage of the project

Miquela Craytor: Leaving Sustainable South Bronx

2011-10-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

Miquela Craytor

LETTER FROM MS. CRAYTOR

Dear SSBx Supporter,

After five years at Sustainable South Bronx, I will be moving on: Friday, November 4, will be my final day as Executive Director. I have accepted a position with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to oversee the City's Industrial Policy.

After my experience at SSBx I am acutely aware of the critical need to devise ways to ensure that the industrial sector can thrive in urban areas, while remaining responsive to the needs and concerns of local communities. I'll now be able to use this knowledge at a citywide level. Of course I will remain an active and committed part of SSBx's work going forward.

In May 2008, when I became the Executive Director, SSBx had trained nearly 100 individuals in five years of running our BEST ECO program. Today, only three years later, the program has expanded significantly-now known as BEST Academy-and we have trained 300 more people. BEST has expanded, to offer training in two different green collar sectors, and is continuously evolving to stay innovative in this dynamic and now competitive field of green-job training. We have also enriched our programming to connect homeowners to retrofits in the South Bronx. Starting just this year, our work has already led to 50 homes receiving free energy audits, with several retrofits now underway. And in the next month we will be taking this work borough-wide. Additionally, we have constructed 4 greenroof/wall projects, and currently are completing our largest project ever, a 10,000-square-foot greenroof. And our catalyst project, the South Bronx Greenway, is now seeing completion of several of the first phase projects-which began only a year ago.

These achievements are the result of a lot of hard work on the part of our staff and our BEST graduates, but none of our program's growth or advocacy successes would have been possible without our supporters. So I would like to offer my most heartfelt thanks to the generous donors, dedicated volunteers, partner organizations and businesses, not only in the Bronx and but the City as a whole. I would also like to thank SSBx's Board of Directors for giving me the opportunity to lead the organization and for working closely with me over the past three years.

I am so thankful to you for all of your support of the organization and our efforts over the years. Because of that support, and the support of the staff and board, I feel confident about SSBx's next chapter.

I am also pleased to introduce you to our newly appointed interim Executive Director, Michael Brotchner. Michael has been working with me over the past several weeks in advance of my departure. Michael comes to us from Generation Rwanda, having run offices in both New York and Rwanda. He brings tremendous expertise, confidence, personality and energy to the table. He graduated from Wesleyan and has an MBA from Berkeley. I am positive that both Michael (whose email address is mbrotchner@ssbx.org) and SSBx will flourish in his stewardship.

SSBx serves as an amazing model of what is possible when environmental and economic development are addressed simultaneously. We are an action organization that exemplifies the idea that sustainability is possible in every community.

I hope that you will continue to support these efforts going forward.

Gratefully,

Miquela Craytor
Executive Director (Emeritus)

Black Environment Network - BEN

2011-10-28T16:33:00.002-04:00

Based in the United Kingdom, Black Environment Network (BEN) is a unique organization, recognised nationally and internationally as the pioneer working for ethnic environmental participation. BEN was established to promote equality of opportunity with respect to ethnic communities in the preservation protection and development of the environment.

BEN proposes there is no such thing as a pure environmental project - a so called pure environmental projects is one which has rejected its social and cultural context. BEN therefore works to integrate social, cultural and environmental concerns in the context of sustainable development. In order to achieve this, we work across diverse sectors. Our current themes integrate the areas of natural environment, the built environment, heritage, social justice, health and housing.

Vision

To have representation and participation, at all levels, of ethnic communities in the built and natural environment, which reflects the profile of the ethnic population in Britain

Organizational Aims

To represent issues and concerns relating to ethnic participation in the built and natural environment

To develop training and consultancy services in order to underpin ethnic participation

To develop, strengthen and maintain the Network

To secure resources in order to maintain and increase operations across the UK

To address current issues and concerns relating to ethnic participation in the natural and built environment

Blacks Not Part of DOE's Loan Guarantee Program

2011-10-27T09:31:00.001-04:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

Blacks are effectively locked out of benefiting from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program. At a 2009 Congressional Black Caucus energy forum, I asked Secretary of Energy Steven Chu about how the Department of Energy could help Blacks to get ownership of energy companies. His response was that Blacks should buy stock. Well I already knew that. You could also sense the collective groan of the Blacks in the room.

What about half billion dollar loan guarantees Mr. Secretary? Yet no Black company has the experience and infrastructure to qualify for the loans. But some of these companies, such as Solyndra, are out of business soon after receiving half billion dollar loan guarantees [Solyndra collapsed despite receiving a $535 million Energy Department loan guarantee in 2009]. A start up could not do any worse than that. So Secretary Chu should have said the department would be looking into loan guarantees for start-up Black-owned energy companies. I got the impression that Mr. Chu had no clue about suggesting such a thing.

I say all of that because of the current controversy related to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) attack on a potential $730 million Energy Department loan to a Russian steel company for manufacturing high strength automotive steel in Michigan. If the Russian company Severstal North America – a subsidiary of Russian steel giant OAO Severstal – can receive public financing to re-tool and expand facilities in Dearborn, Michigan, then so should a Black-owned company receive subsidies to particiapate in energy-sector-related endeavors.

Issa argues that Severstal was already moving ahead with production plans “with apparently no need for federal financing” and also questions whether the project is even eligible under the requirements of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program. Issa also notes the wealth and connections of Alexei Mordashov, the CEO of the Russian parent company, who according to Forbes has a net worth of $18.5 billion. Issa argues the company could self-finance the project or find funding on the open market. Even the 1% of Russia trumps the Black part of the 99% in the United States.

I complain because Blacks do not own any energy infrastructure and resources in the United States. Now one can sit back and complain or one can try to do something about it. But one is challenged to 'get in' when Big Boys are getting the really big supports from the public. And those who groan at the mention of race should ask themselves if it is okay that no Blacks own energy infrastructure and resources in the USA. If this is okay with them, then I have to dismiss their view and proceed to do whatever it takes to get equity in the energy sector.

The Energy Department announced conditional approval of the Severstal loan in July but has not given final approval. The Energy Department says the Severstal’s application is for a project that would help make American car manufacturers be more competitive as demand for lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles increases, strengthen the American steel industry and support more than 2,500 construction jobs and over 260 permanent manufacturing jobs in Michigan.

The auto loan program was authorized in a 2007 energy law (H.R. 6: Energy Independence and Security Act) that passed with wide bipartisan support and was signed by President George W. Bush.

Finally, Turner Station, an African American community in Baltimore is suffering from pollution from a nearby Severstal plant. Not only are Blacks locked out of participating as owners in the energy sector, but then Black communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution from some of those facilities. (The Hill, 10/27/2011)

EPA Student Diversity Internship Program Spring Term

2011-10-26T17:35:00.002-04:00

EPA Annnounces the Spring Term (February 6 - April 13, 2012)

The internship is offered under a U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Program, Student Diversity Internship Program (SDIP) contract. This contract was awarded on March 17, 2011, to AGi Mission Support Services, Incorporated (AGi). AGi is 8(a) certified and a service disabled veteran-owned small business located in Silver Spring, Maryland. As part of their contract, AGi is managing the recruitment and administrative procedures applicable to the SDIP contract.

EPA's SDIP is unique because it provides EPA headquarters, regional offices, and laboratories with the option of retaining a student for the summer, fall and spring. You can have a student participate in your program for ten weeks for each period. The contract may also be used as a mechanism to help you meet your MAI and Small Business goals.

EPA's MAI Program was created to increase opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions to participate in federal programs. Increased participation in federal programs will strengthen these schools, and the entire nation, by promoting faculty development; increasing institutional capacity; and fully developing the diverse
talent pool that constitutes our nation. Success in fulfilling these critical objectives will help our economy to thrive and keep America competitive in the global market.
The SDIP is not limited to MAI colleges and universities, it is open to all college students that are enrolled in an accredited college, university, institution or graduate program. Students must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, a sophomore, junior or senior, and have maintained an overall GPA of 2.8 or above on a 4.0 scale. Apply on-line.

The cost per Spring Term intern is $9,000. For each student hired, you must complete an Assignment Description Form (Attached), and funding must be processed through the EPA Acquisition System (EAS). You must email the completed Assignment Description Form to M. Saida Agostini, Managing Director and courtesy copy Tammy Thomas, Alternate Project Officer (APO) When preparing your funding document in the EAS system, please reference your document as contract number EP-W-11-027, Student Diversity Internship Program (SDIP), and add Tammy Thomas as a courtesy copy to your routing history. To expedite your request for the Spring Term interns, submit the Assignment Description Form and the EAS documents by COB Friday, January 20, 2012. Once the contractor receives your Assignment Description Form, they will send you three resumes for review and selection per student. Each program office will be responsible for supplying their intern(s) with a work station, computer, and telephone.

On February 6, 2012, EPA will host a “Welcoming Orientation Program” at headquarters for the interns and their mentors (additional information forthcoming). Interns and mentors who are located in EPA regions and laboratories will be able to participate via a webinar. This orientation will also be videotaped.

If you need additional information regarding the SDIP, please feel free to contact Patricia Durrant, Project Officer (PO) at (202) 566-2458 or Tammy Thomas, APO,, at (202) 566-1209.

Job at Greenpeace

2011-10-25T20:36:00.001-04:00

POSITION TITLE: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR
LOCATION: WASHINGTON, D.C.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Summary Description:

The Executive Assistant is a high level administrative position that works closely with the Executive Director and the Senior Management Team. This position manages the Executive Director’s time, correspondence, travel, and speaking engagements, ensuring that the Director’s time is spent focused on managing and communicating to the organization. The Executive Assistant works directly with the Executive Director in support of his or her work with the Senior Management Team and Greenpeace International to make certain that information is communicated in a timely, accurate and appropriate manner. This position handles and assesses the Executive Director’s time to ensure that he or she is focused on tasks that create the most value in service of key objectives to the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Manage Executive Director’s scheduling, email communication, travel and speaking engagement coordination
• Draft original and routine correspondence for Executive Director’s signature
• Manage Senior Management Team calendar, plans, and action items
• Provide assistance to the Executive Director and Senior Management Team for meeting preparation and planning events
• Handle staff requests that come in for the Executive Director and the Executive Assistant role
• Plan and prepare materials for Senior Management Team meetings
• Support Governance and Internal Communications Coordinator on board and internal communication needs
• Manage deliverables to Executive Director and provide any necessary reporting
• Develop relationships with high level contacts
• Perform Greenpeace USA liaison duties for Greenpeace International
• Create and edit PowerPoint presentations for the Executive Director upon request
• Project manage special projects
• Pitch in with office management responsibilities as a true team member

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years stable administrative experience, with at least 2 years executive experience
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to draft correspondences and other communications quickly with minimum direction
• Experience facilitating meetings
• Keen attention to detail with ability to track and manage multiple projects at one time
• Familiarity working with organizational budgets
• Ability to act efficiently on last minute projects
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word and Power Point / general computer literacy
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and facilitate the completion of large administrative projects in a timely manner, including meeting strict deadlines
• Proactive and service-oriented but easy going personality
• Self-starter with demonstrated ability to work both independently and within a team
• Ease in getting along with team members at all levels
• Ability to manage up
• Consistency and a high degree of quality in work
• Excellent execution – a perfectionist
• Curiosity and a constant interest in learning
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and diplomacy
• A high level of energy and enthusiasm
• Commitment to environmental issues and principles of non-violence central to Greenpeace’s mission

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, including where you heard of this position, and resume to resumes@wdc.greenpeace.org . Please use the email subject line: Executive Assistant Applicant – YOUR NAME. Application deadline is November 8, 2011. No phone calls.

Durban Climate Change Conference

2011-10-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

November 28 - December 9, 2011

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, will bring together representatives of the world's governments, international organizations and civil society. The discussions will seek to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.

[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]

Race Riots are Back: "White Girl Bleed a Lot"

2011-10-25T19:06:00.001-04:00

A New book from award winning reporter Colin Flaherty

EXCERPT

Race riots are back.

Along with widespread racial crime and violence.

In hundreds of episodes in more than 50 cities since 2010, groups of black people are roaming the streets of America -- assaulting, intimidating, stalking, threatening, vandalizing, stealing, shooting, stabbing, even raping and killing.

But local media and public officials are silent. Crime is color blind, says a Milwaukee police chief. Race is not important, a Chicago newspaper editor says.

That denies the obvious: America is the most race conscious society in the world.

We learn that every day from black caucuses, black teachers, black unions, black ministers, black colleges, black high schools, black music, black moguls, black hair business owners, black public employees, black art, black names, black poets, black inventors, black soldiers.

Everything except black violent crime. That is Taboo.

Result: Few know about it. Fewer still are talking about it.

The list of cities under attack is long and getting longer -- with some cities suffering dozens of attacks in the last year alone:

Almost as astonishing is the willingness of people in authority and in the media to deny it. Ignore it. Explain it away. Even condone and lie about it.

A member of Congress from Chicago, Bobby Rush, said black violence in Chicago was routine and the only reason anyone was paying attention to the race riots in downtown Chicago was because it was it was black on white violence. This is a theme heard in Rochester, Washington, D.C., and dozens of other places: ‘What’s the big deal? This has been happening a long time in black neighborhoods.’

Congressman Rush is probably right. Which means this problem is hundreds of times worse than we think.

ORDER YOUR E-BOOK NOW

Reaction from the press

University of Pittsburg Conference on the Black Male

2011-10-25T18:38:00.002-04:00

The news media’s depictions of Black males can have a profound effect on readers and viewers. How Black men are portrayed can often reinforce stereotypes, which can lead to negative perceptions and result in racial bias in everything from court decisions to policymaking.

A group of scholars, experts, and news media executives will discuss these issues at a one-day summit at the University of Pittsburgh Nov. 1 titled “Evolving the Image of the African American Male in American Media.” The by-invitation-only event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the second-floor Ballroom B of Pitt’s University Club, 123 University Place, Oakland. The summit, presented by Pitt’s Office of Public Affairs, is made possible by a grant from the Heinz Endowments.

8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks and Introduction of the Keynote Speaker

Robert Hill, vice chancellor for Public Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

Keynote Address

Marc Lamont Hill, associate professor of English education at Teachers College of Columbia University, host of the nationally syndicated TV show Our World With Black Enterprise, and regular commentator for CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.

9:30 a.m. Imagery in the News

A discussion of the power of major news media to shape opinions and the problems that result from unbalanced news coverage.

Travis Dixon, professor of communications, UCLA;
Robert Entman, J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University; and
Paul Hitlin, senior researcher, Pew Research Center.

Moderator: Paula Poindexter, vice president, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and associate professor of journalism and graduate advisor, University of Texas at Austin.

10:30 a.m. A Conversation Among Young African American Males

Seven teenage and young adult Black males will discuss their perceptions of the news media as well as how their communities are depicted.

Amani Davis, senior at Winchester Thurston High School, Pittsburgh;
Antoine Allen, freshman at Syracuse University;
Ashton Gibbs, senior student athlete, University of Pittsburgh;
Tosen Nwadei, sophomore, University of Pittsburgh;
Raymont Hopkins, Pittsburgh youth who attended Pittsburgh Carrick High School;
Jasiri X, Pittsburgh-based entertainer; and
Jay Oriola, senior, University of Pittsburgh.

Moderator: Chris Moore, producer and host of WQED Horizons.

Noon : Luncheon Speaker

Larry E. Davis, dean of the School of Social Work, Donald M. Henderson Professor, and director of the Center on Race and Social Problems at Pitt, will address the psychological impact on Black men of negative stereotypes promulgated by the media.

1:30 p.m. A Conversation Among Black Media Executives

Executives from traditionally African American-focused news outlets will discuss the role of the “Black Press” in the 21st century.

Tene’ Croom, former news director, American Urban Radio Network;
Rod Doss, editor and publisher, New Pittsburgh Courier;
Pamela Newkirk, professor of journalism, New York University; and
John B. Smith, publisher, Atlanta Inquirer.

Moderator: George E. Curry, president and CEO, George Curry Media, LLC, and former editor-in-chief, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) News Service.

2:30 p.m. A Conversation Among News Decision Makers

Panelists will reveal how decisions are made in the coverage of the African American community, providing an insider’s view into how race and race-based issues are discussed and managed at major news outlets.

Shirley Carswell, deputy managing editor, The Washington Post;
James N. Crutchfield, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism and Multimedia Arts, Duquesne University, and former president and publisher, Akron Beacon Journal;
Rick Henry, former president, WTAE-TV; and
David Shribman, executive editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Moderator: Lorraine Branham, dean, S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University.

4 p.m. Town Hall Meeting

This session, moderated by Robert Hill, is designed for open feedback and discussion. A representative from each of the panels will engage with the audience about topics discussed during the day and answer questions.

5 p.m. Concluding Remarks

Ervin E. Dyer, senior editor, PITT Magazine, and former news reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

About the Heinz Endowments: The Heinz Endowments was formed from the Howard Heinz Endowment, established in 1941, and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment, established in 1986. Its vision is for Southwestern Pennsylvania to prosper as a premier place to both live and work, as a center for learning and educational excellence, and as a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.

The foundation’s mission is to help the region thrive as a whole community—economically, ecologically, educationally, and culturally—while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the fields in which people work. Its fields of emphasis include philanthropy in general and the disciplines represented by its five grant-making programs: Arts & Culture; Children, Youth & Families; Education; Environment; and Innovation Economy.

Winter Energy Efficiency Tips from Energy Star

2011-10-25T13:22:00.001-04:00

The average family spends $2,200 a year on energy bills, nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling.

With winter approaching and Americans heading indoors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program is offering easy energy saving tips that increase household efficiency while helping Americans save money and stay warm.

EPA recommends taking the following steps this winter:

Maintain your heating equipment. Dirt and neglect are the top causes of heating system failure. If your heating equipment is more than 10 years old, now is a good time to schedule a pre-season checkup with a licensed contractor to make sure your system is operating at peak performance. Check your system’s air filter every month and when it is dirty, change it. At a minimum, change it every three months.

Use a programmable thermostat. Control your home’s temperature while you’re away or asleep by using one of the pre-programmed settings. When used properly, programmable thermostats can save up to $180 every year in energy costs.

Seal air leaks in your home. If rooms are too hot/cold or you have noticed humidity or excessive dust problems you should consider taking action to seal air leaks. Sealing air leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a significant impact on improving your comfort and reducing energy bills. If you are adding insulation to your home, be sure to seal air leaks first, to ensure you get the best performance from your insulation.

Utilize the Energy Star website. Use Energy Star’s Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy use to similar homes across the country and see how your home measures up. Energy Star’s Home Energy Advisor can give recommendations for energy-saving home improvements for typical homes in your area.

Look for Energy Star qualified products. Whether you are replacing light bulbs or appliances in your home, Energy Star qualified products can help you save energy and reduce energy bills. The label can be found on more than 60 types of products ranging from heating and cooling equipment to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy-efficiency. Energy Star offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to decrease energy consumption, save money, and help protect the environment. More than 20,000 organizations are Energy Star partners, committed to improving energy-efficiency in homes, products, and businesses. (EPA)

Information on cutting energy costs this winter

Information on other ways to save energy year round

Remembering The Anthrax Attack Ten Years Later

2011-10-22T11:50:00.001-04:00

AAEA Only Group To Protest Disparate Treatment

On Friday, Joseph P. Curseen Jr. and Thomas L. Morris Jr. were remembered by postal workers and officials with prayer vigils and memorials. Their deaths are a reminder of the slow horror and mystery of the anthrax attacks as they unfolded from the elite world of Capitol Hill to the Brentwood facility, where workers had been assured by health officials that theywere safe. Postal workers at Brentwood felt that they were treated differently from Capitol Hill personnel because the Senate office was closed immediately while the closure of Brentwood was delayed.

Norris McDonald speaking at Brentwood press conference

The letter-borne anthrax terrorism killed five people and sickened 17 more, including several postal workers in New Jersey. In 2008, federal prosecutors declared a scientist named Bruce Ivins, who worked at the government’s biodefense labs at Fort Detrick, Md., as the culprit. Ivins had killedhimself daysbefore. The FBI closed its investigation last year. Some have questioned whether Ivans was guilty. (Wash Post, 10/22/2011)

AAEA organized a rally to support the plight of the postal workers at the Brentwood postal facility, now known as the Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. Processing & Distribution Center. The rally was held on October 30, 2001 in front of the closed Brentwood building to show support for the postal workers. The rally was cosponsored by EPA Victims Against Racial Discrimination, Friends of the Earth, Gray Panthers, Urban Protectors, EPA-Nat'l Treasury Employee’s Union, Chapter 280, Women Like Us (Brenda Richardson), Donald Temple Law Offices, and the DC Statehood Green Party. The rally was covered by numerous news outlets.

Herman Cain: Opportunity Zones

2011-10-22T08:40:00.001-04:00

Opportunity Zones & The 9-9-9 Plan

The 9-9-9 Plan will essentially turn the whole country into one giant Opportunity Zone. Some of the most attractive features of the original Enterprise Zones, such as a zero capital gains tax, immediate expensing of business equipment, and no payroll taxes are “factoryinstalled” in the 9-9-9 Plan for the whole countryto beneﬁt.

In addition, districts designated as Opportunity Zones will have the following additional beneﬁts:

• Deductions to employers for the total amount of payroll employed within in the Zone, subject to income limits. By basing it on payroll and not income, it reduces “gaming” and helps new businesses which generally don’t generate proﬁts in early years.

• Value-added businesses that are more labor intensive get the most “bang for the buck.” This will match the existing labor pool better than, say, a high tech R & D lab or a law ﬁrm.

• Deductions will not be limited to “new” businesses or “new” jobs but are designed to beneﬁt all within the Zone. Why not provide relief and reward to those already struggling in the Zone, many of whom have been doing so for a long time. They are most likely to lead to economic renewal.

• Anyone living in the Zone will get a deduction (not a credit) and anyone working in the Zone will get a deduction (subject to income limits).

• Means tested beneﬁts should be restructured or reformed so they don’t counteract the incentives for work. (Scribd)

Environmental Justice Blog

2011-10-21T17:59:00.000-04:00

AAEA has been managing and producing the Environmental Justice Blog for five years. The first article was published on December 30, 2006 and featured Samara Swanston. The blog was created to address environmental justice issues as a supplement to The State of Environmental Justice in America Conference(s). The conference brings together federal employees, academics, business and industry, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, local community activists and others to participate in dialog on achieving equality of environmental protection. The first conference was held in May 2007. The 6th Annual State of Environmental Justice in America Conference is scheduled for April 3-5, 2012.

AAEA will continue to publish the blog and support the conference. In addition to the blog, AAEA has been a cosponsor of the conference. We have also conducted forums on Nuclear Power and Environmental Justice and Converting Carbon Dioxide Into Gasoline.

AAEA compliments John Rosenthall for coordinating the conference for the past five years and we look forward to working with him on the 2012 conference.

African American

2011-10-21T12:02:00.001-04:00

The use of the taxonomic category African American fundamentally reflects the historic and contemporary systems of racial stratification in American society. The term "African American," as a categorical descriptor, includes many different segments of the American population referred to as "Black" or Americans of African ancestry. It is also a product of the group self-definition process in which African Americans have historically engaged as an expression of identity, power, defiance, pride, and the struggle for human rights. These designations were often in contradistinction to official government classifications and popular characterizations, which frequently reflected prevailing ideas about white supremacy intended to denigrate African Americans.

One reason for the attention African Americans have given to group designations is that group classifications by the white majority were highly instrumental in attempting to justify slavery, deny basic human rights, and restrain social opportunities. About 30 million persons were identified as African American in the U.S. Census of 1990.

Being classified as African American is quite significant because it reflects an important social group transformation and reality in terms of group identity, political orientation, life chances or social opportunity, normative standards and lifestyles, and discriminatory behavior. It is only when the reality of racial classification carries little social impact that the term will become obsolete. At the present time, it is unlikely that serious consideration can be given to eliminating the use of racial designations such as "African American." (Answers)

Wadi Muhammad

2011-10-21T11:37:00.002-04:00

New Public Engagement Specialist at EPA

AAEA welcomes Wadi Muhammad to Washington, DC.

Mr. Muhammad transferred to EPA Headquarters from EPA New England (Region 1) where he worked with faith and community leaders as a resource and advocate for energy efficiency in their respective organizations.

Wadi Muhammad
Public Engagement Specialist
Office of the Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
202-564-8876
muhammad.wadi@epa.gov

America's Biggest Land Owners

2011-10-21T10:02:00.003-04:00

#1 John Malone. Owns: 2.2 million acres in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Maine and New Hampshire. The cable-television billionaire was outed as one of the nation's largest property owners by The Land Report two years ago and dramatically increased his holdings last year with the purchase of New Mexico's 453-square-mile Bell Ranch. Now he passes longtime No. 1 Ted Turner with the purchase of 1 million acres of timberland in New Hampshire and Maine from an investment firm.

#2 Ted Turner. Owns: 2 million acres in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Florida and several other states. An ardent conservationist, Turner began buying ranches in the 1970s and revived the nation's bison herd to 55,000 head on his ranches across the upper Great Plains. No regrets about losing the title as the nation's No. 1 land baron to John Malone: "I consider John a good friend and have great respect for him," Turner said.

#3 Archie "Red" Emmerson. Owns: 1.87 million acres in California and Washington. #3 Archie "Red" EmmersonIn 1949 Emmerson and his father, Curly, leased a sawmill and built the business into Sierra Pacific Industries. Red borrowed $460 million to buy 522,000 acres in California, a position since increased to almost 2 million acres.

#4 Brad Kelley. Owns: 1.7 million acres in Texas, New Mexico and Florida. This Nashville, Tenn., farmer's son sold his Commonwealth Brands cigarette company for $1 billion in 2001 and began investing in land. Big time. The Land Report estimates the tightlipped Kelley owns 1.7 million acres. Most recently he's reported to have bulked up his holdings with ranchland in the Big Bend region of Texas.

#5 Irving family. Own: 1.2 million acres in Maine. Pictured: Arthur Irving.These Canadian descendants of a Scottish sawmill operator are secretive and all business. They've amassed roughly a 20th of the state of Maine and will plant 28 million seedlings this year to keep the timber coming.

#6 Singleton family. Own: 1.11 million acres in New Mexico. Henry Singleton was a brilliant engineer who co-founded Teledyne and began buying land in New Mexico in the mid-1980s. Now his heirs run the massive Singleton Ranches, headquartered in Santa Fe, one of the nation's biggest cattle and horse-breeding operations.

#7 King Ranch Heirs. Own: 911,215 acres in Texas and Florida. Henry King ran away from the drudgery of indentured servitude in New York to make his fortune as a steamboat captain. But his fame comes from the massive King Ranch, which he assembled in the 1800s. It sprawls across four counties, including ranching, hunting, farming and oil and gas operations.

#8 Pingree heirs. Own: 830,000 acres in Maine. The Pingree family, now into its seventh generation of timber management, is descended from a Massachusetts shipowner who decided to diversify into land in the 1800s. Pingrees are still actively cutting on their Maine properties, but in 2001 they sold a conservation easement to 762,000 acres to the New England Forestry Foundation for $28 million, or $37 an acre, to prevent any future development.

#9 Reed family. Own: 770,000 acres in Washington. Sol Simpson was a Canadian lumber raftman who immigrated to Nevada to find gold but made his fortune in Washington timber. Descendents of Simpson and Mark Reed, an early manager who married into the family, still run Simpson Investment Co., a diversified lumber-products company that owns hundreds of thousands of acres of timberland to help supply its raw materials.

#10 Stan Kroenke. Owns: 740,000 acres in Montana and Wyoming. Husband of Wal-Mart heiress Anne Walton, Kroenke has added to his growing sports franchise (St. Louis Rams, Denver Nuggets, England's Arsenal soccer team) by assembling ranchland in Montana and Wyoming. Kroenke's, Q Creek Ranch, at 570,000 acres, is the largest contiguous ranch in the Rocky Mountains.

(Forbes)

AAEA would be willing to speculate that two to three of these individuals owns more land than all African Americans combined.

Between 1865 and 1915, African Americans purchased 15 million acres of land, most of it in the rural south.

Today black farmers own less than 2 million acres. (Lawyer's Committee, African American Land Loss)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument

2011-10-20T12:35:00.001-04:00

President's Corner

By Norris McDonald

Martin Luther King, Jr. now stands tall on the National Mall and looks out over the Tidal Basin towards the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. How fitting that Dr. King should be honored so. It is a unique monument. Very natural. Very esthetic. Very calming.

I met Harry Johnson at the monument. He is the president and CEO of the MLK Jr. Memorial Foundation. I also met Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at the memorial along with Bob Stanton (Senior Advisor to the Secretary) and Jon Jarvis (Director of the National Park Service). These men cooperated to assure a wonderful tribute to Rev King.

"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Thank you Dr. King.

The Marsha Coleman-Adebayo Story: The Video

2011-10-19T22:25:00.002-04:00

SEC Writing 'Conflict Minerals' Rules for Corporations

2011-10-19T10:43:00.001-04:00

Congress in ordering the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to write new rules intended to tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A law enacted last year calls for companies listed on U.S. stock markets to disclose whether their products contain “conflict minerals” — substances that originate in the DRC or neighboring countries. International trade in the minerals is fueling the brutality in the DRC.

Businesses have argued that the mandate, though inspired by the noblest of motives, would be costly and difficult to implement. The SEC has been having a hard time translating the law into a rule for companies to follow because of the complexities of global supply chains for products as varied as refrigerators, fighter jets, jewelry, biscuits (packaged in tin) and the chemical derivatives of minerals such as columbite-tantalite. The value of the minerals is being driven up by consumers’ insatiable appetite for iPads and BlackBerrys and cellphones.

Minerals are embedded in millions of parts from thousands of shifting suppliers and no manufacturer can trace these all the way back to the mine. Unreasonable requirements could cost the aerospace industry hundreds of millions — if not billions — of dollars, which would be passed on to customers such as the Defense Department

Companies want flexibility, for example, the ability to rely on statistical sampling. Companies believe complying with it would be overwhelming, because some companies use tens of thousands of suppliers to make tens of thousands of products. Even discussing

Some believe the rule could unintentionally inflict economic harm on Africans. Should the disclosure requirement be limited to tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold? Or should it extend to niobium? Congress said it
should cover substances “necessary to the functionality or production” of manufactured items. What should the SEC do about ornamental embellishments or naturally occurring impurities? And should there be an exception for substances used in only tiny quantities?

The conflict minerals disclosure is not the only rule of its kind the SEC must write. The agency is also working on requirements that mine operators disclose health and safety violations and that companies involved in the development of oil, gas and minerals disclose payments they make to foreign governments.
These payments at times have become the subject of bribery investigations. (Wash Post, 10/19/2011)

Dr. James West Honored at John Hopkins University

2011-10-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

Legendary Black Scientist Honored

Dr. James West

Scientists, mathematicians, engineers and doctors, Noble Prize winners, professors and other intellectuals came to John Hopkins University in Baltimore to honor a living legend in the field of science, Dr. James West, an ASI Fellow. At the age of 80, Dr. West has dedicated 60 years of his life to the advancement of science and to provide opportunities for minorities and women in the field of science.

Dr. West has over 250 patents, but his most significant invention is the electric microphone, which he along with German scientist, Gerhard Sessler invented in 1961. To this date the electric microphone has been made over a billion times and is used in cell phones, cameras and many other devices.

While at Temple University, West interned at Bell Labs where he would work after he graduated. West would wind up working at Bell Labs for over 40 years. During his time there, he would not only advance science but would provide many opportunities for African Americans, other minorities and women to follow in his footsteps, which he would continue to do as a professor at John Hopkins University.

Dr. West co-founded the Association of Black Laboratory Employees (ABLE), in order to provide give African Americans a chance to excel in the field of science. ABLE has helped to establish more that 500 Phds for minorities and women through a summer research program at Bell Labs.

Several of the people who James West provided opportunities for came to John Hopkins University to honor the man who had guided them. Some of the people who came to honor James West were 1996 physics Nobel Prize winner, Douglass Osheroff, 2008 Presidential Medal Of Freedom winner, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and Princeton Professor William Massey, who was a colleague of Dr. West’s at Bell Labs.

Dr. Massey showed James West’s legacy by bringing three African American protégés from the ABLE Bell Labs summer internship program to present scientific research in their various fields. Otis Jennings, a professor at Columbia Business School presented scientific research on the inequality of the American Justice system. Robert Hamshire, a professor at Carnegie Mellon presented research on energy saving through shared usage of public cars and bicycles.

James West’s legacy is firmly implanted in history. Not only did he win the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering, but he is also an inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and one of Bill Nye The Science Guys “real cool scientists.” Still, the true test of Dr. West’s legacy is the hundreds of African American scientists he guided, mentored and inspired. (ASI-Org . net Press Release)

WALMART AWARDS MILLION DOLLAR GRANT TO CBCF

2011-10-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Funds to Support Internships to Develop Next Generation of Leaders

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) today announced a $1 million grant from Walmart to support the CBCF/Walmart Emerging Leaders Internship Program. The announcement marks Walmart's renewed commitment to supporting deserving African-American college students who are interested in internships on Capitol Hill or with government agencies. Walmart has donated $2 million to this program since 2006.

The CBCF/Walmart Emerging Leaders Internship Program is a semester-long internship program that prepares participating students for careers in public service or the private sector. As a result of Walmart's funding, interns also receive a stipend and housing during their internships.

Walmart's first grant to the CBCF in 2006 - an initial $1 million, three-year grant, established the CBCF/Walmart Strive for Excellence Scholarship Program and the CBCF/Walmart Emerging Leaders Internship Program. The programs were created to provide students with the funding and experiences needed to reach their educational and career goals. Since 2007, more than 80 exceptional college-aged students have participated in the internship program.

The funding also supports the CBCF partnership with the George Washington University's Semester in Washington Program to give interns an opportunity to earn academic credit. This partnership offers a combination of hands-on coursework and networking opportunities with like-minded peers and professional politicos.

More information about CBCF's internship programs, application criteria and deadlines.

Herman Cain Wants To Close The U.S. EPA

2011-10-18T10:36:00.000-04:00

Surely He's Kidding Again

We have not read presidential candidate Herman Cain's explanation about how he or the marketplace would protect our air, land and water. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act are no small matters. He would have to repeal all of those laws in order to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency. The late President Richard Nixon must be turning over in his grave about this Cain proposal. Nixon signed the law that created the EPA. Nixon also signed all of the aforementioned environmental laws. Of course, in the Republican camp, Nixon is no Reagan.

How would Herman Cain implement the requirements of the Clean Air Act without EPA? Relaxing regulations are one thing, but leaving air pollution mitigation completely to the marketplace would be a disaster. Don't get us wrong, AAEA is marketplace oriented. Just look to the smog-filled skies of China for the reality of unbridled economic development without sufficient clean air regulations. We are still baffled too about the flip flop of both parties on Cap-&-Trade. First it was a Republican strategy and then it was a Democratic strategy. Now it is not a strategy at all. But we digress.

How would Cain manage clean water permits? Industry already self reports. Does Cain really believe that unscrupulous companies would not maximize profits by indiscriminately dumping its waste into our waterways? Come on Herman. What about our drinking water plants and safe drinking water standards? Does Herman really think the public will trust oversight of our drinking water systems to private companies?

What about toxic wastes? Would Mr. Cain get rid of all of the regulations that control the generation, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes? We don't think so.

So Mr. Cain is kidding again. Plus, we know he could never do it anyway. The legendary President Ronald Reagan came to Washington with grandiose plans to reform and reduce government. He didn't do it. In fact, Bill Clinton implemented more of Ronald Reagan's plans than the Gipper ever achieved. Herman has to get the Republican nomination first. And then he has to defeat the best politician in the history of the United States.

AAEA is here to advise you Mr. Cain on energy and environmental issues if you are so inclined. Give us a call. We are nonpartisan. And stop joking around when it comes to protecting our environment.

What Would Ron Paul's Plan Mean To Black America?

2011-10-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has released an 11-page "Plan To Restore America" that is full of budget cuts and spending freezes. Here is a 7-point summary of the plan:

1) Cuts $1 trillion in one year and more in following years through attrition.
2) Reduces other funding to 2006 levels.
3) Eliminates 5 cabinet secretaries (Energy, HUD, Commerce, Interior, and Education).
4) Block grants Welfare Programs to remove federal strings and let states work out their best solutions.
5) Eliminates subsidies and Corporate Welfare.
6) Slashes perks and salaries for congressman and Bureaucrats. President Paul will take a salary of around $39,000 per year, the median salary for an American worker.
7) The corporate tax rate would fall to 15% from the current 35%.

One thing is sure, Prince George's County, Maryland would be devastated. It is the richest majority Black county in the United States because of those six-figure government jobs. Paul would kill thousands of those jobs by closing 5 cabinet agencies and reducing the budgets of other agencies.

Some of his other ideas might help Black America. Cutting corporate tax rates would be beneficial. Cutting the president's salary would be a symbolic gesture, however, when proposals such as this (along with getting rid of Air Force One and First Helicopter fleet) are proposed when there is the first black president, it can be perceived as being a bit biased.

Eliminating corporate welfare would be beneficial to everybody in America, including Black America.

Paul wants to sell federal assets and federal lands. This could be a major benefit to Black America because it could provide access, ownership and development of natural resources.

Paul keeps the Environmental Protection Agency but cuts the budget from $10 to $5.8 billion. EPA should be able to get by with this amount, particularly when compared to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Interior, which he eliminates. Black America benefits from DOE's Weatherization and other conservation programs, but the largest parts of the agency's budget goes to other activities, such as nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons facilities cleanup. Not much of that money going to blacks. The same can be said of the Department of the Interior (DOI). No black owned offshore oil and gas leases or any other natural resources leases. So does Black America need DOI?

HUD, Commerce and Education? Most Blacks would probably say these agencies are beneficial. But they do not seem to be making a dent in the Black unemployment rate and home ownership. In fact, home foreclosures have decimated many Black communities.

Maybe it is incumbent upon Blacks to more fully engage the marketplace to find solutions to intractable problems.

What Do We Do About Energy Now?

2011-10-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Green jobs and nuclear power had Renaissance potential for a minute. Now both are sputtering. What are we left with if these juggernauts are treading water. Admittedly we need clean green jobs, but wind and solar hover around 1% in providing electricity compared to other sources. The nuclear renaissance has produced relicenses for numerous commercial nuclear power plants. Virtually all or most of the current fleet (104 plants) will be relicensed. This is the equivalent of building new nuclear power plants.

Clearly natural gas and coal will lead the way in new electricity generation. That is the real world. And American coal is a very valuable commodity in Asia, particularly China. Hydraulic fracturing is being touted as the next new wave in natural gas production. If it gets going seriously along the Marcellus Shale region, and if it lives up to industry expectations, natural gas could pick up several percentage points in terms of use.

Natural gas and coal currently make up 70% (20% and 50%, respectively) of electricity generation fuel. Nuclear will remain steady at 20%. Hydro provides another 8 percent with wind, solar and others making up 2% of the electricity production marketplace. These percentages will probably remain stable.

MLK Site, Occupy Wall Street, Bryant Park & Times Square

2011-10-09T01:22:00.000-04:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

This was an interesting week. I visited four very interesting locations that represent significant history and current events. It feels good to get on the road. It feels good to look around and examine natural places. And unknown faces.

I toured the 'Occupy Wall Street' headquarters (Occupy Together . org). It was 7 in the morning so the protesters were still in their sleeping bags in Zuccotti Park. Zuccotti Park, formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, is a 33,000-square-foot rivately owned, publicly accessible park in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is located between Broadway, Trinity Place, Liberty Street and Cedar Street. The park's northwest corner is across the street from the World Trade Center site. I walked down Wall Street too, which is barricaded and not open to vehicle traffic. I wanted to go the the World Trade Center memorial site but you have to get tickets online first. Plus there is a lot of construction going on at the site.

I went to Bryant Park. I love that park. Beautiful and right in the heart of New York City. Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is bounded by Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, 40th Street and 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Although part of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Bryant Park is managed by a private not-for-profit corporation, the Bryant Park Corporation.

I walked through Times Square and it was just a delight. I go to Times Square often and it is always fun to soak up the surroundings. Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The extended Times Square area, also called the Theatre District, consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan.

One of my oldest friends, Mutter D. Evans, came to town to meet at The White House and to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial site. Mutter is also Godmother to my son, Sandy. I introduced Mutter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Senior Advisor to the Secretary Robert (Bob) Stanton, Director of Park Service Jon Jarvis and MLK, J.r Memorial Foundation President & CEO Harry E. Johnson. I took a picture of them (below).

Bob Stanton, Jon Jarvis, Ken Salazar, Mutter Evans, Harry Johnson

Chicago Enviro Groups Want Controls on Coal Fired Plants

2011-09-22T12:04:00.002-04:00

Fisk & Crawford Plants

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was presented with a petition on Wednesday that included more than 6,000 signatures urging support for a proposed ordinance that would control the emissions from two coal-fired power plants that spew tons of contaminants into the air in Latino neighborhoods. The effort is being spearheaded by the Chicago Clean Power Coalition

The environmentalists are demanding an ordinance directed at the Fisk and Crawford plants, located near the Latino neighborhoods of Little Village and Pilsen, respectively. Both plants are owned by Midwest Generation. The coalition notes that Fisk, built in 1903, and Crawford, which dates from 1924, "are subject to more lenient federal pollution limits because of their age."

The environmentalists cite a 2001 Harvard University study which found that pollution from Fisk and Crawford could be responsible for 42 premature deaths, 66 heart attacks and at least 2,800 asthma crises annually.

Chicago's proposed Clean Power Ordinance has not been resolved despite months of discussions within the 50-member City Council. The measure recently was returned to the Council's agenda on the initiative of Aldermen Daniel Solis and Joe Moore, but no date has been set for a vote on it.

Kim Wasserman-Nieto, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, demanded the mayor's intervention to "put this problem behind us once and for all."

The ordinance under study would obligate the plants to stop burning coal to generate electricity and to switch over to natural gas or stop operating.

It establishes that if an installation has a quarterly emissions average that exceeds the federal and state limits, it will be fined up to $10,000 and will have to suspend its operations until pollution controls are installed to ensure it complies with the standards. (Fox New Latino, 9/20/2011)

6th Annual State of EJ in America Conference

2011-09-19T18:49:00.000-04:00

ANNOUNCING THE 6TH ANNUAL STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA CONFERENCE

EJ Conference, Inc. announces the 6th Annual State of Environmental Justice in America Conference will convene April 3-5, 2012 at the DoubleTree Crystal City.

Since 2007, EJ Conference, Inc. has presented a premier environmental justice conference in Washington, DC, each spring.

The 2012 Conference will follow the same pattern as the previous conferences, and will endeavor to feature activities, including:

Meet the Agencies, Small Town/Rural Community Business Forum

Minority Alternative and Renewable Energy Forum and new activities aimed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and

Other Minority Serving Institutions.

The Conference Call for Papers and Presentations will be released by the end of September.

Intern with GREENPEACE for Spring Semester 2012

2011-09-19T16:33:00.001-04:00

Why intern with Greenpeace?

As a Greenpeace intern you can:

· Promote solutions to the global warming crisis

· Stop the destruction of the world's last ancient forests

· Empower consumers and shareholders to hold corporate polluters accountable

· And yes - save the whales!

A Greenpeace Internship is a great way to learn first-hand how an international environmental campaigning organization works. You’ll gain issue expertise, build valuable career skills and make connections. In addition to job training, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in trainings such as corporate campaigning, non-violent direct action, media relations and grassroots outreach. You’ll get to meet awesome people and work alongside experienced staff in a casual, high-energy environment.

Apply now for a Greenpeace internship

Available Internships:

Global Warming, Toxics, Campaigns, Grassroots Organizing, Student Organizing, Activist Recruitment, Actions, Strategy, Media, Photography, Video, Online Organizing, IT Support, Human Resources, Membership, and more! Visit our website for a full list and details on the specific tasks and requirements for each internship.

Locations:

Positions are available in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, LA, New York City, Philadelphia, and Tampa. Not all internships are available in all locations. Visit our website to see details on where each internship is offered.

Program Details:

Our fall internships start January 30th and end May 4th. Part time and full time positions available. We are flexible with your schedule and can help you receive class credit. All internships are unpaid. Unfortunately Greenpeace cannot provide travel or housing.

Requirements:

Applicants must be over 18, but do not have to be current students. We’re looking for people with excellent verbal and written communications skills, strong online research skills, the ability to work well independently, commitment to non-violence as a means of affecting change and enthusiasm for protecting the environment.

Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way Greenpeace selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and effectiveness of our campaigns. Greenpeace strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, and other under-represented communities.

Apply now for a Greenpeace internship

Cali High Speed Rail Project Must Include Minority Businesses

2011-09-16T16:55:00.001-04:00

FEDERAL AGENCY ORDERS CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL TO OPEN UP CLOSED CONTRACTING SYSTEM FOLLOWING CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT BY MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES

Decision Cites Evidence of Agency Misrepresentations, Incompetence

In a 12-page decision issued today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) ordered California's High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to open up its closed contracting system to resolve a civil rights complaint filed by small minority-owned businesses. Citing evidence of insular bidding practices and misrepresentations regarding receipt of federal funds, the FRA ordered far-reaching reforms to CHSRA's system for awarding contracts to private businesses.

The complaint, filed last December by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area on behalf of the Associated Professionals and Contractors (APAC), asserted that minority-owned small businesses are being largely excluded from contracting opportunities available through the California High Speed Rail, the country’s largest public infrastructure project. Although CHSRA is mandated to ensure that 25 percent of contracting business is allocated to small businesses, over the past five fiscal years, less than four percent of contracting dollars have gone to small or micro-businesses, with nearly all contracting dollars begin funneled to large, majority-owned firms. The complaint asked federal agencies to open a formal investigation into the CHSRA’s contracting practices under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

When and if completed, the controversial California High Speed Rail will travel through 14 regions throughout the State and cover over 800 miles from Sacramento to San Diego. Nearly half of the estimated $43 billion cost for the project is expected to come from federal funding, with more than $3 billion already awarded.

Today’s decision by the FRA orders far-reaching reforms in CHSRA’s contracting practices. Among other requirements, the order requires CHSRA to appoint within 60 days a high-level official “with direct, unfettered access” to California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Roelof van Ark to oversee the needed reforms to its bidding practices. Also within 60 days, the agency is required to submit a “comprehensive plan” for opening up its contracting processes that sets goals for small and disadvantaged business utilization and that ensures broad outreach. The complete list of required actions is on pages 10 and 11 of the decision.

In reaching its decision, FRA cited evidence of misrepresentations and incompetence by CHSRA. Specifically, FRA criticized CHSRA for incorrectly representing when it began receiving federal funds. FRA noted that the agency had in fact received federal funds as far back as 2002, yet represented in correspondence to FRA and in statements to the public that it had only recently begun doing so (Decision, page 5-6). The decision also found a “disconnect” between official statements of FRA concerning its contracting and the on-the-ground reality of contracting opportunities being put out to bid with little to no public notice and the absence of a "coherent policy" for ensuring a fair and open contracting system (Decision, page 8, 9). (Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, NBCC)

The Federal Rail Authority’s Decision

Original Complaint

EARTHSEED Consulting

2011-09-15T15:00:00.002-04:00

Using regenerative strategies and new media approaches, EARTHSEED Consulting engages multiple stakeholders in the design and implementation of environmental projects aimed at diverse communities.

With over 25 years of combined professional experience in business, media, education and environmental sectors, EARTHSEED Consulting leverages their broad networks to foster collaboration and ensure measurable success.

Pandora Thomas & Zakiya Harris

Whether successfully delivering Toyota’s first African American Green Initiative, integrating permaculture and environmental literacy into San Francisco's Unified School District, producing an original urban green living television series and training youth to produce the bay areas largest solar powered hip hop music festival, their work represents a new model of engagement at the intersection of culture, media, environmental awareness and sustainable solutions.

Their services cannot be put into a box, but are customized to meet the individual needs of each of their clients. Here is a taste of what they offer:

Strategic development & implementation

Marketing and communications

Curriculum and workshop design

Public speaking

Group facilitation

Multimedia content development

Green event production

Youth leadership training

Pandora Thomas’ life and work are rooted in creating a world where all people have access to empowering and hands on environmental education experiences. She is passionate about deepening her and others connection to the natural rhythms of our earth in order to heal our communities.

She is co-founder of Earthseed Consulting LLC, a holistic consulting firm whose work deepens the impacts of environmental advocacy in the lives of diverse communities. Most recently she directed the Environmental Service Learning Initiative as well as serving as the environmental educator for Grind for the Green. Both programs aim to reconnect youth of color to the earth using innovative strategies.

Her education has sought to link issues such as global affairs, womens rights, the environment and sustainability, racial justice and youth empowerment. She studied at Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs, Teachers College, and Tufts University.

She is a credentialed multiple subjects teacher, a naturalist and outdoor education instructor, as well as a certified green building professional and permaculture teacher who has created and delivered curriculum to pre-k through adult audiences throughout the US around multiple themes including human rights, environmental justice, and outdoor and environmental education.

She has lectured extensively around issues of diversity, women's leadership, the environment, and human rights. Her writing includes a childrens book, various curricula and a greenbuilding manual for youth. She has studied and lived in over ten countries and some of her other achievements include presenting at Tedx Denver, being awarded fellowships to Columbia University Human Rights Program as well as Green For All’s Green Fellow Program. She also volunteers regularly and served as a Global Peer to four Nigerian women working to bring safe water technology to their communities through the Global Women’s Water Initiative.

Zakiya Harris is a California native, who has been working as an artist, educator and activist for the past 10 years. She received her B.A. in Political Science and History from Rutgers University and attended New College of Law in San Francisco before leaving to pursue her life long passion of teaching. She has taught elementary through collegiate level in a variety of public and private settings. In 2003, she became the lead trainer at the DJ Project where she facilitated job training and entrepreneurship modules using the medium of hip-hop culture. In 2007, she Co-Founded Grind for the Green the largest youth led “green” social media and events program in the nation, which is committed to moving young people of color from the margins to the epicenter of the environmental movement using hip-hop, art and culture. The program has been heralded for its innovation and production of the 1st Solar Powered Hip-Hop Music Concert in the Bay Area. In 2008, she became the first African-American Regional Director of the San Francisco Green Festival, the largest sustainability event on the planet, where she served for two years.

Named one to watch by Grist.org, some of her achievements include receiving the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Future Leaders award, serving as a Fellow for Green For All under the direction of Van Jones and presenting at Tedx Denver. Recently she co-founded Earthseed Consulting LLC her first for profit venture, the firm is dedicated to the reconnection of communities of color to the earth. She is also an accomplished dancer, vocalist, actor and member of the west coast based neo folkloric ensemble Ase Dance Theater Collective. Her highest honor in life is being a mother to her beautiful 5 year old daughter.

Zakiya Video

2011-09-14T08:59:00.002-04:00

Compton To Catalina Program

2011-09-13T18:40:00.001-04:00

Introduction: The Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy (Center), and its membership arm, the African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA), are expanding our environmental outreach in the West. We have established a partnership with the Greater Union Baptist Church (GUBC) to operate an environmental tour program called “Compton To Catalina,” which will take students and other young people from Compton, California to Catalina Island.

The purpose of the program is to expose young people from Compton to the Pacific Ocean and an incredibly beautiful island. People take it for granted that the vast majority of this kids never get on the water and many people live their entire lives without directly experiencing the Pacific Ocean even though they live within five or ten miles of it. We believe that such early exposure to this environment could lead to a lifelong environmental stewardship ethic.

Due to the on-going water, energy management and air pollution problems in California, we focus a significant percentage of our attention on these issues. We have an extensive history in energy policy, water and clean air programs.

Program Organization: AAEA will work with GUBC to recruit people to participate in the Compton To Catalina (CTC) Program. We will make arrangements for the tours and facilitate educational experiences for the students. Each tour will be a daylong affair that will include transportation to Long Beach, where the tours will originate. Participants will have escorts at all times and activities on the island will be arranged to maximize the environmental experience.

We will utilize the services of Catalina Express. Passengers on board Catalina Express can expect to arrive in Catalina in about an hour, from Long Beach, San Pedro or Dana Point. Catalina Express offers year round service and the convenience of up to 30 round trips daily. We will use the Long Beach Downtown and Long Beach Queen Mary locations. We will alternate between the Avalon and the Two Harbors locations on the island. For the Two Harbors tour we will leave from San Pedro Terminal because service to and from Two Harbors is only available from the San Pedro Terminal. Most boat trips are only about an hour. There are numerous activities available on Catalina Island, including: hiking, biking, camping, swimming, snorkeling, diving, sightseeing, dining, shopping or relaxing, to name a few. Our main activity will be a submarine ride to view submerged vegetation and fish species.

Round trip tickets are approximately $70.00. We will provide roundtrip van or bus service to Long Beach. We will also provide lunch. We are planning to take 5-10 people on each tour.

AAEA Experience: AAEA has operated river programs on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. AAEA utilized our 22-foot Boston Whaler to operate these programs. We would explore various ways to include inner city youth in navigation, pollution education programs and ecology. Our water resources program will include everything from sponsoring tours to Catalina Island and electricity power plants to water conservation projects in housing in Compton.

Center President Norris McDonald has been a member of Seafarer’s Yacht Club in Washington, D.C. Seafarer’s was the first black boat club established in America in 1945. He has served on its board for four years and is an experienced boater. McDonald was also director of environment for the Maryland town of Highland Beach.

The Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy was established in 1985 as a non-profit--501(c)(3), public interest organization dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing the human ecology, and working to ensure the efficient use of natural resources. The Center, through its membership arm, the African American Environmentalist Association, provides opportunities for minorities to participate in the environmental movement. AAEA includes the African American point of view in environmental policy decision-making and resolves environmental racism and justice issues through the application of practical environmental solutions.

Greater Union Baptist Church is located in the heart of Compton, California. GUBC has two main Sunday services and aggressive outreach into the surrounding community. Their opportunities to serve include participation at the Compton Women’s Shelter, the Long Beach Rescue Mission and the Grace Elliott Medical Center, among others. Reverend Kenneth R. Jones is the pastor of the church. Reverend Sammy P. Darling, II is Associate Minister, Director of Youth Programs and Outreach Coordinator. Reverend Darling will coordinate the Compton To Catalina Program on behalf of Greater Union Baptist Church.

Summary: The Center intends to provide a valuable environmental service to the youth of Compton, California. We believe this CTC Program will provide a rich environmental experience for participants. We will engage as many churches, schools and other institutions involved as possible. We will also appeal to the greater Los Angeles community to support the program.

Time Frame: The program time frame is for a one year period. We are establishing the Compton to Catalina as a permanent program.

Call to request full budget: 443-569-5102

Columbia University Master of Public Administration Program

2011-09-13T17:12:00.001-04:00

Columbia University

Learn about Columbia University's twelve month Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy housed at the School of International and Public Affairs. Program representatives make campus visits this fall. Learn how the program combines the University's hands-on approach to teaching public policy and administration with the Earth Institute’s pioneering thinking about the environment. Program graduates are trained for careers in environmental policy, environmental management and sustainable development, among other fields in the public, private or not for profit sectors. Our approach reflects the system-level thinking that is needed to address issues of environmental management and sustainable development.

Below are listed the information sessions on both Columbia University’s campus and others around the country this fall. Ask program representatives about the upcoming deadlines:

Application Deadlines:

• November 1st: Early Decision deadline for applying to the program with fellowship consideration. Applicants who submit their application by this deadline will be informed of the admissions decision by December 1st.

• January 15th: Regular Decision application deadline for applying with fellowship.

• February 15th: Final Deadline to apply with fellowship consideration.

To view the application, please click here .

For more information about our program, please visit our website or call our office at 212-854-3142.

For an up-to-date list of campus visits, please click here.

If you are unable to attend an information session, but would like to talk with Faculty or current students, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sarah Tweedie
Assistant Director
st2745@columbia.edu

41st Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference

2011-09-13T15:44:00.001-04:00

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 41st Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) will take place from September 21-24, 2011 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Registration for ALC is open now.

This year's themeis iLead / iServe. ALC attendees will have many opportunities to share their thoughts and experiences on leading and serving – how and why they do it, the value of each, and the impact of each within their lives and their communities. The conference will use social media, a town hall meeting, brain trusts and personal interaction to further encourage discussions and follow-up conversations among attendees.

Walter E. Washington Converntion Center

ALC provides an outlet to highlight the mission of CBCF – to develop leaders, to inform policy and to educate the public - by providing more than 85-high level, thought-provoking forums to address the critical challenges facing the African-American Diaspora. Also offered during the four-day event are free health screenings, a job fair, interactive financial sessions, networking opportunities and cultural activities.

U.S. Reps. Al Green of Texas and Marcia Fudge of Ohio will serve as honorary co-chairs of ALC. The conference will also include a fundraiser awards dinner, exhibit showcase, book signings and community outreach in volunteering at a local homeless shelter. (CBCF)

News One For Black America

2011-09-10T16:55:00.001-04:00

Top 5 list of how Obama’s American Jobs Act will positively affect African Americans

1. The extension of unemployment insurance will benefit 1.4 million African- Americans and their families. At the same time, the President is proposing bipartisan reforms that will enable that – as these families continue to receive UI benefits – the program is better tailored to support reemployment for the long-term unemployed.

2. Targeted support for the long-term unemployed could help the 1.4 million African- Americans who have been looking for work for more than six months: To help them in their search for work, the President is calling for a new tax credit for hiring the long- term unemployed.

3. A commitment to rebuilding and revitalizing communities across the country will target investments to the communities hardest-hit by the recession. The President’s investments in infrastructure include a school construction initiative with a significant commitment to the largest urban school districts, an investment in revitalizing communities that have been devastated by foreclosures, and a new initiative to expand infrastructure employment opportunities for minorities, women, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

4. Support for subsidized jobs and summer/year-round jobs for African-American youth – for whom unemployment is above 30%. In an environment with an unemployment rate of 32.4% for African-American youths, the President is proposing to build on successful programs like the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund to create jobs and provide training for those hardest-hit by the recession.

5. An extension and expansion of the payroll tax cut for nearly 20 million African- American workers. By extending the payroll tax cut for employees next year and expanding it to cut payroll taxes in half, the President’s plan will help increase the paychecks of nearly 20 million African-American workers – providing them with more money to spend in their communities.

(News One For Black America)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Environmental Justice

2011-09-10T13:31:00.007-04:00

Is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission For or Against Environmental Justice

NRC POLICY STATEMENT ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice: Matters in NRC Regulatory and Licensing Actions

NRC Policies On Environmental Justice

According to the NRC, as an independent agency, they are not required to follow the Presidential Executive Order (E.O. 12898) on Environmental Justice or to adopt EPA or CEQ guidelines. The basis for admitting EJ contentions in NRC licensing proceedings stems from the agency’s NEPA obligations, not Executive Order 12898. As part of NEPA’s mandate, agencies are required to look at the socioeconomic impacts that have a nexus to the physical environment. According to the NRC, absent “significant impacts, an environmental justice review should not be considered for an EA where a Finding of No Significant Impact [FONSI] is issued [or anticipated] unless special circumstances warrant the review.” If the impacts are significant because of the uniqueness of the communities, then a FONSI may not be possible and mitigation or an EIS should be considered.

In 1989, Louisiana Energy Services (LES), a wholly owned subsidiary of Urenco Limited, proposed to build The National Enrichment Facility (Claiborne Enrichment Center) outside Homer, Louisiana (population 4,600) in northern Louisiana's Claiborne Parish. The $855 million facility was to be built in one of the state's poorest counties, Clairborne. LES was a consortium of five energy companies

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a local environmental group, Citizens Against Nuclear Trash (CANT), with help from the Sierra Club Sierra Club, filed a series of complaints seeking to block construction. In 1994, they received additional ammunition via President Clinton's Executive Order on Environmental Justice (12898), which required all federal agencies to protect minorities from disproportionate exposure to pollution.

On May 3, 1997, the NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board gave activists a sort of victory by sending the plant's license back to the NRC staff for further study. However, the board agreed that minority populations would not be "disproportionately affected" by the project. But it said the "possibility that racial considerations played a part in site selection cannot be passed off as mere coincidence." The consortium was thus placed in the position to prove that it did not locate the facility where it did because black people lived nearby.

Yet the board expressed reluctance to apply environmental justice considerations, stating: "Because this agency's primary responsibilities historically have dealt with technical concerns, investigating whether racial discrimination played a part in a facility siting decision is far afield from the [NRC] staff's past activities. Indeed...this is an area in which the staff has little experience or expertise."

LES eventually decided to shelve the project.

In an August 6, 2004 decision, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board denied a public hearing on environmental justice contentions related to an application from the Entergy Corporation for an "Early Site Permit" to build one or more new nuclear reactors at its Grand Gulf site in Mississippi. (NIRS, AAEA)

AAEA has used environmental justice positives (clean air and climate change mitigation) in defending the continued operation of Indian Point nuclear plant in New York. AAEA used the same justification in supporting proposed new reactors at Grand Gulf in Mississippi. All of the blacks (& black organizations and agencies) in the area also supported the plant.

(The Feel Free Library, EJNet, NRC Policy Statement on Environmental Justice,

Blacks Kicked Out Of Cherokee Nation (Again)

2011-09-10T09:02:00.001-04:00

(Again?)

The Cherokee Nation acted this week after its Supreme Court upheld the results of a 2007 special vote to amend the Cherokee constitution and remove the slaves’ descendants and other non-Indians from tribal rolls.

One of the nation’s largest American Indian tribes has sent letters to about 2,800 descendants of slaves once owned by its members, revoking their citizenship and cutting their medical care, food stipends, low-income homeowners’ assistance and other services. The 300,000-member tribe is the biggest in Oklahoma, although many of its members live elsewhere.
The tribe never owned black slaves, but some individual members did. They were freed after the Civil War, in which the tribe allied with the Confederacy. An 1866 treaty between the tribe and the federal government gave the freedmen and their descendants “all the rights of native Cherokees.”

But more than 76 percent of Cherokee voters approved an amendment stripping the descendants of their citizenship. Tribal leaders who backed the amendment said the vote was about the fundamental right of every government to determine its citizens, not about racial exclusion. The freedmen’s descendants disagree. Along with losing services, descendants of freedmen won’t be able to vote in the election for the principal chief. (Wash Post, 9/10/2011)

Wanted: Greenpeace Needs a Chief Program Officer

2011-09-07T17:59:00.001-04:00

Organization: Greenpeace USA
Position Title: Chief Program Officer
Location: Washington, DC or San Francisco, CA

Greenpeace seeks a Chief Program Officer to plan and execute all of the organization’s campaigns through managing the campaign, digital, grassroots, communication, and action departments. Greenpeace USA is part of a global organization working on global campaigns. The Chief Program Officer is also responsible for ensuring Greenpeace USA campaigns relate to US audiences as well as work within the global program being executed throughout the Greenpeace global network. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Chief Program Officer leads a team of sixty plus staff to deliver Greenpeace’s core function—running and winning campaigns—and in so doing, building the organization’s grassroots power, reputation, and supporter base so as to position Greenpeace to tackle greater challenges in the future. The position has a seat on the four-member executive team at Greenpeace, charting organization-wide strategy in partnership with the Fundraising Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Director. This is a full-time, exempt position located in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA.

Responsibilities:

* Running Powerful, Public Campaigns – The Chief Program Officer is responsible for the design and execution of campaigns that are well packaged, motivate and mobilize activists, inspire people online, and make a measureable impact.
* Campaign Design and Evaluation – Provide strategic guidance and support to the Research and Campaign teams to create ambitious, high impact, and well-researched campaigns. Create a culture of innovation in which people are allowed to try things and fail, as long as they fail fast and ultimately win big.
* Building Power – Through campaigns and other initiatives, ensure the maintenance and growth of the organization’s relationships with activists, corporate and government decision-makers, coalition partners, reporters, bloggers, and other key influencers.
* Operations Management – Ensure the operational integration of the five program departments. Using automation, online tools, business processes, and investment in new programs, increase the organization’s capacity to exert pressure on corporate and government decision-makers per dollar spent.
* Executive Leadership – As a member of executive team, advise and contribute to the development of the organization’s strategic direction and help ensure its successful execution.
* Organizational Leadership – Greenpeace U.S.’ 450 staff, including 250 street canvassers, work hard to win campaigns. Provide leadership through establishing a shared vision and strategic direction and communicating it through speeches, briefings, and written communication.
* Global Leadership – Actively play a leadership role in strategically planning and inputting into the global program priorities and objectives.
* Budget Management – Set and manage the annual departmental budget. Develop, manage, and review project budgets and expenditures ensuring team members meet their financial responsibilities.

Qualifications:

* Strong understanding of global environmental issues and desire to leverage Greenpeace’s global resources to win campaigns at the global scale
* 10-15 years of successful experience in planning, running and winning major national and/or international campaigns, including experience with strategy formulation, campaign design, communications, political strategy, policy formulation, and grassroots organizing
* 5-10 years of experience as a senior executive or senior manager
* Planning skills, including the ability to allocate work, set and manage by objectives, risk analysis and mitigation, and the ability to create and manage projects
* Crisis management and clear decision-making ability
* Effective negotiation skills in a national and international environment
* Experience with non-profit financial management
* Experience with and commitment to cultural diversity
* Languages: Excellent spoken and written English; fluency in Spanish desirable

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

Greenpeace USA has engaged Koya Consulting to help in this hire. Please send a compelling cover letter and resume to Molly Brennan at executivesearch@koyaconsulting.com .

Greenpeace is an equal opportunity employer

Andrea Cimino, Recruitment Fellow
Greenpeace USA, Washington DC
202-319-2477

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo on NPR to Discuss NO FEAR

2011-09-06T15:51:00.001-04:00

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo earned a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and worked with the United Nations before joining the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990. During her time at the U.N., she also developed an expertise in African developmental issues.

During her tenure at the EPA, Coleman-Adebayo says she requested that the agency devote attention to environmental problems in South Africa that were allegedly caused by an American company. She says that the agency reneged on promises to investigate the matter, and the harder she pushed for change, the more she faced a backlash from her superiors.

Coleman-Adebayo's new book No Fear: The Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA chronicles her experiences and the discrimination lawsuit that followed. She won the case in 2000, and also successfully advocated for a special whistleblower protection law. The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act — or The No FEAR Act — passed in 2002. It aims to discourage federal managers and supervisors from engaging in unlawful discrimination and retaliation.

In an interview with guest host Jacki Lyden, Coleman-Adebayo talks about the problems she encountered in 1996 in her role as the EPA's representative to the Gore-Mbeki Commission. That group was created by an agreement between the governments of South Africa and the United States, with the goal to improve lives of South Africans and aid the transition of the new government of Nelson Mandela.

In the course of her work, Coleman-Adebayo traveled to South Africa, and said that she discovered an American company there was ignoring the health complaints of its South African workers. They were mining the substance vanadium, and many of those miners suffered from serious health problems.

Coleman-Adebayo says that, when she reported situation to her supervisors, she was told to "shut up" and just decorate her office. She adds that she faced death threats, rape threats, and that she felt her family was in danger.

Coleman-Adebayo says, "I was surprised that the in environment of the EPA, instead of being rewarded for being proficient in what you do, loyalty was a much greater value. When I began questioning U.S. policy, I was considered disloyal. And at that point, at the minds of many people at the EPA, I had become their enemy."

She chronicles this and other conflicts within the agency in "No Fear," and sees the book as part of her activism. (NPR, Tell Me More)

I Love Going To The White House

2011-09-02T19:58:00.002-04:00

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

Norris McDonald at The White House

I toured the White House last Friday. Although I have been to the White House several times in the past few years, I had never been on the tour. It is self guided and you get to take your time and examine pictures and rooms. I entered through the 15th Street, NW entrance and went through three security check points. I'm very familiar with this entrance because it is the one I have used most for events in the East Wing. You use another entrace for West Wing events. I looked at the various photographs, which I usually just walk by and peered through the south facing windows out into the Rose Garden and South Lawn. After quick peeks into the Library and a couple of other rooms I went up the stairs to the second floor.

The East Room was being completely renovated. I've been to many events in the East Room. Then around to the Green Room. I was excited about going to the Green Room because that is the room where the president usually enters and exits the East Room. Although I had been in the Red Room and the Blue Room, I had never been in the Green Room. I took a picture with President Bush in the Red Room. I also had the opportunity to chat with him for a brief moment too. The State Dining Room (down the hallway from The East Room) was being painted. I guess the Park Service, which manages the White House, was touching up all they could while the president was on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. There were renovations going on outside too (pressure washing and replacing stone walk panels).

I exited to the front driveway of the White House and looked out over the lawn facing Pennsylvania Avenue where the Keystone XL protesters were demonstrating. I looked up to the 3rd floor, the President's and First Lady's residence. After getting some other tourists to take my picture with their cell phone cameras, I exited via Pennsylvania Avenue. I like the tour. If you've never been to the White House, you should put it on your tour schedule.

National Public Lands Day

2011-09-02T15:45:00.000-04:00

MOBILIZES URBAN COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE LOCAL PARKS

Few places encourage a healthy lifestyle like the great outdoors, and National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is mobilizing urban communities across the U.S. to get active outside. NPLD is the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands and parks nationwide and is held on September 24, 2011. The event will involve more than 170,000 volunteers around the nation dedicated to improving and promoting use of our national, state and local public lands. This year, NPLD is actively recruiting cities, including their African-American residents, to join their neighbors and visit local parks and green spaces. The initiative aims to beautify urban communities, increase care for the environment and positively impact participants’ health.

From trash removal to planting trees, NPLD volunteers at more than 2,000 sites will join the national effort hosted by local organizations, government agencies, companies, and parks and public land managers. Volunteers will discover uses of local parks for family-friendly activity and enjoyment while demonstrating environmental stewardship. NPLD is also supporting first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Outside! campaign emphasis on involving children and families in outdoor recreation as a way to help reduce and prevent childhood obesity.

J.L. Armstrong

NPLD is a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). JL Armstrong, a NEEF board member and national manager of external affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., is among the African-American leaders spearheading the involvement of cities including their African-American residents. Toyota is sponsoring NPLD for the 13th consecutive year.

National Public Lands Day has thousands of opportunities to get involved and urges everyone to roll up their sleeves on September 24. Join the effort at your local park and encourage your neighbors to participate. To locate a volunteer project in your area and for more information about National Public Lands Day .

Atlanta Post Lists AAEA President Among Innovators

2011-08-31T17:15:00.001-04:00

The Atlanta Post listed 7 Innovative African American Environmentalists

Norris McDonald

Here is what they said about our illustrious prez:

Norris McDonald is head of the African American Environmentalist Association. The organization was actually founded in 1985, and although it has only existed for 26 years, it’s one of the oldest African American-led environmental organizations in the country. The purpose has remained the same: to protect the environment, enhancing human, animal, and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources, and increasing African American participation in the environmental movement.

Wanted: Presidential Management Fellows

2011-08-30T18:51:00.001-04:00

Opportunity for graduate students to be part of the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program and the U.S. Forest Service

The PMF program is a prestigious, government-wide fellowship that aims to recruit graduate students (masters, law, or doctorate) who demonstrate promise as future leaders into public service. It is a two year program that provides opportunities for leadership and management development and it leads to a permanent job with the Federal Government.

**If you know of any graduate students or graduate programs that would be interested in hearing about this wonderful opportunity, please pass this information to them.**

This is a call for outstanding graduate student candidates of all backgrounds to apply for nomination to the PMF program. This year’s application period is from September 15-25 2011. More information can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) PMF website: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/ .

The PMF program includes opportunities with dozens of federal agencies in many disciplines. However, as a Forest Service PMF, I’d like to share some of the unique aspects of the PMF program in the U.S. Forest Service that distinguish us from other agencies. The Forest Service PMF program provides:

• Entry at high level positions with fast-paced promotion

• Excellent training and developmental opportunities

• Engaged network of current and former PMFs in the Forest Service

• Support for the PMF program from the highest levels of the agency

• Opportunities to work in all regions of the country

Forest Service PMFs include graduates with degrees in natural resource management, law, public policy and planning, environmental studies/sciences, wildlife biology, forestry, landscape architecture, economics, and more. For more information about the Forest Service PMF program, visit our website (http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/pmf/index.html ) or feel free to send an email or call.

A list of key deadlines for the program are at the bottom of this email and can also be found on the OPM website.

Feel free to contact Ms. Lin for advice, assistance, or questions.

Sonja Lin
Program Specialist PMF
USDA Forest Service
Strategic Planning, Budget and Accountability
(202) 205-1616
slin@fs.fed.us

Approximate Timeline for Class of 2012

( From http://www.pmf.gov/becomeapmf/index.aspx )

(All deadlines are 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, and subject to change)

NOTE: They are presently finalizing dates for the 2012 application cycle and will update this timeline accordingly. Please check frequently for updates.

Thursday, September 15, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 opens via a job opportunity announcement on USAJOBS; search for "Presidential Management Fellows"

Sunday, September 25, 2011 Application for the PMF Class of 2012 closes

Friday, September 30, 2011 • Deadline for Nomination Officials to fax nominations

• Deadline for applicants to submit supporting documentation for any claims for Veterans' Preference.

October 1-10, 2011 Invited applicants participate in on-line assessment process

By November 1, 2011 • Applicants notified on eligibility and nomination status

• Semi-finalists selected and notified

• Semi-finalists scheduled and notified for in-person assessments

November 14 - December 16, 2011 In-person assessments conducted for semi-finalists

January 24, 2012 On or around this date, semifinalists notified of Finalist status via email

Late-February/Early- March 2012 PMF Class of 2012 Finalists Job Fair (Washington, DC, metro area)

Natural Resources Defense Council Midwest Advocacy Director

2011-08-22T17:07:00.000-04:00

Position Description: Chicago Office: Background:

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a global non-profit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. They have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Beijing, China. Their staff of over 350 includes lawyers, scientists, economists, and policy experts work to protect the environment and public health through advocacy and education.

Specific Role:

The Midwest Advocacy Director will be responsible for building public support to advance NRDC’s strategic priorities and our federal, state, and local policy agenda in the region. The Director will work to build relationships with elected officials, advocacy groups, and other potential allies; coordinate with NRDC programs; and will be responsible for the development and execution of NRDC advocacy, coalition building and grassroots activities in the region. Specific near-term objectives include promoting clean energy policies; protection of the Great Lakes; strong mercury, smog, and carbon standards under the Clean Air Act, and robust support of the Clean Water Act. The Midwest Advocacy Director will be based in NRDC’s Chicago office, and will report jointly to both the Midwest Program Director and the Government Affairs Director.

Major Responsibilities/Activities

• Develop and help manage a robust NRDC network in the Midwest, leverage influence of “Grasstop” supporters, allies and affinity groups on NRDC’s strategic priorities.
• Help develop and oversee strategies, including campaigns, to promote NRDC’s policy objectives in the Midwest.
• Foster a network of relationships with elected and appointed officials, businesses, civic leaders and advocacy groups, and build an advocacy structure to affect and influence decision-makers, opinion leaders and policy experts in the Midwest on NRDC’s strategic priorities.
• Work with NRDC’s government affairs, communications, development, program staff and policy advocates in planning and implementation of NRDC’s governmental and policy advocacy in the Midwest.
• Help foster effective connections between NRDC’s regional and national staff on campaigns and programs.

Specific Role: Major Objectives: Professional Requirements:

• B.S. or B.A. degree in public policy, political science government, or related area; Master’s or J.D. degree preferred;
• At least 10 years experience in government relations, political consulting or legislative practice; Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated leadership, management, and administrative skills; and
• Excellent written and oral communications skills required.
• Work experience in government relations and legislative action;
• Practical experience with political campaigns, policy advocacy, or public interest campaigns;
• Practical knowledge of energy policy, public health issues, or environmental regulations desired;
• Practical experience with press and/or social media advocacy desired; and
• Practical knowledge of key political figures and issues in the region.

Personal Requirerments:

NRDC offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment and is committed to workplace diversity. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates may send information to: Christine Boulware at chrisb@boulwareinc.com

Natural Resources Defense Council is committed to ensuring diversity in its workplace, and candidates from diverse diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. For further information about NRDC, please visit http://www.nrdc.org/

"I Will Be A Hummingbird" - Wangari Maathai

2011-08-19T19:38:00.002-04:00

In this beautifully animated clip from Dirt! The Movie, Wangari Maathai tells an inspiring tale of doing the best you can under seemingly interminable odds.

Wangari, we are doing the best that we can to mitigate wildfires by utilizing fire prevention pre-cuts. The wood so pre-cut can also be used to generate electricity. Our Green Electric Project is trying to do just that in Mississippi, California and Kenya.

Our AAEA Kenya Office is fully prepared to implement a wood-energy power plant project. Come join us.

SELC Seeks Legislative Associate in Washington, DC

2011-08-19T18:46:00.001-04:00

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking a legislative associate with two or more years of experience to join its Government Relations team in Washington, D.C. This is an excellent opportunity to join an organization that is successfully addressing some of the most important and challenging environmental issues facing the Southeast and the nation.

About SELC: With offices across the region (Charlottesville, VA; Chapel Hill, NC; Atlanta, GA; Asheville, NC; Charleston, SC; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Birmingham, AL; and now Nashville, TN), SELC uses law and policy expertise to protect the South’s natural resources—its land, air, water, coast and wetlands—and to preserve our rural countryside and community character. Although their regional focus is the Southeast, much of their work is national in scope and impact.

SELC works collaboratively with over 100 national, state, and local groups to enhance their efficacy and achieve our common conservation goals. Their legal and policy staff comprises some of the nation’s leading experts in their respective fields, and over its 25-year history, SELC has earned a reputation as one of the most effective environmental organizations in the country. They currently have a staff of 85, including 44 attorneys. Additional information regarding work and staff.

About the position: SELC’s government relations team works in Congress and federal agencies to advance policy objectives that enhance environmental protection and quality of life in the Southeast. The legislative associate assists the team in implementing SELC’s legislative and regulatory priorities. Duties include monitoring legislative hearings, working with SELC policy and legal staff to develop support materials, representing SELC at coalition meetings, and providing additional support to the legislative team as necessary.

Start date is as soon as possible.

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $38,000 - $42,000, commensurate with experience, and an excellent benefits package.

Qualifications: They are seeking a highly motivated individual with two or more years of experience in legislative and/or environmental policy making, and a strong work ethic and sense of initiative. An advance degree is preferred. The successful applicant will have excellent academic credentials, strong communication and interpersonal skills, a demonstrated ability to work well in a collegial setting, and a strong personal commitment to SELC’s mission.

To Apply: If you have these qualifications and are seeking a challenging and rewarding environmental advocacy position, please send your letter of interest, resume, and at least three references to Nat Mund, Legislative Director, Southern Environmental Law Center, 122 C St. NW, Suite 390, Washington, DC, 20001, or e-mail dcjobs@selcdc.org .

SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is continually seeking to diversify its staff. They strongly encourage applications from persons of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Donate

2011-08-19T18:25:00.002-04:00

If you like our service, please click on the Donate button in the right hand column and support us.

President Obama Issues Diversity Executive Order

2011-08-19T08:38:00.000-04:00

President Obama on Thursday issued an executive order requiring government agencies to develop plans for improving federal workforce diversity. The executive order directs a group of high-ranking officials to create a government-wide plan, followed by specific plans in each agency.

Whites hold more than 81 percent of senior pay-level positions.

The order creates a framework, but the details have not been worked out. Instead of creating a new administrative body. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will participate. They will be responsible for creating a government-wide plan within 90 days. The efforts must reflect initiatives on a number of fronts, including recruitment, training and promotion.

According to the latest Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program Report, women hold 31 percent of senior positions, African Americans 7 percent and Latinos 4 percent. (Wash Post, 8/19/2011)

Black Scientists Less Likely To Get NIH Grants Than Whites

2011-08-19T08:29:00.003-04:00

Black scientists are significantly less likely than white researchers to win grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to an NIH-initiated audit released Thursday. The audit verifies a suspicions inside the agency about bias against African Americans.

The analysis of data from more than 40,000 researchers who submitted more than 80,000 grant applications to NIH between 2000 and 2006 found that only about 16 percent of those from black applicants were approved, compared with about 29 percent of those from white scientists.

Even after the researchers accounted for other factors that could help explain the discrepancy, such as differences in scientists’ education and training, black applicants were still about 10 percentage points less likely than whites to get NIH funding, the researchers reported.

The findings are troubling because they indicate that race remains a significant factor in who gets funding for research into diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other health problems from the premier funder of biomedical research.

NIH’s internal auditing indicates that there is a problem with bias in its scientific review process. The agency initiated and helped fund the study to investigate those concerns.

Officials agreed the new findings were alarming and outlined steps the $31 billion agency will take to try to address the problem.

Only 1.4 percent of applications came fromblack scientists, even though they account for about 12 percent of the U.S. population. Moreover, the applications from black scientists tended to receive poorer scores than those from whites, resulting in bleaker chances of getting funded. The research showed that if you hold everything else constant and the only thing different between these two investigators is the color of their skin, that person is less likely to get funded.

NIH officials have stated that they intend to take steps to boost the number of black scientists on NIH committees that review grant proposals. Having served on such a committee appears to increase the chances of a researcher later getting a grant, the study found. (Wash Post, 8/19/2011)

AAEA Kenya Director Named Director at Jahwar Amber Fund

2011-08-18T15:12:00.004-04:00

Boaz Adhengo

Jahwar Amber Fund, publisher of the Balozi Journal has appointed Mr. Boaz Adhengo as its Programs Director, a role that could lead to being ‘Editor–in– Chief’ of the Balozi Magazine.

Boaz established the AAEA Kenya Office in 2010. His role as director will complement the Jahwar Amber Fund and AAEA. AAEA will provide outreach support for the fund and the fund's journal will provide an additional platform for disemination of AAEA information.

Boaz is the man for the job because he has the unique entrepreneurial qualities to make both institutions a success. We hope that others will support his efforts by making donations to the fund and AAEA.

The fund was established in 2009 as an effort to steer the realization of Church – State separation in Kenya, focusing greatly on campus projects and consequently diversifying its approach to involve capacity building of like-minded organizations in East Africa.

The next issue of Balozi Journal will focus on “Genetically Modified Organisms,’ highlighting the possible debates en route to ending famine and drought in Africa at large, using successful Kenyan examples and documented cases. This owes to the fact that at this time of the year, Kenya is recording numbers of starved children and the whole region is suffering from food insecurity, which warrants a probable debate on such issues.

Articles are welcomed for submission to be considered on the next issue of Balozi Journal, which is managed by the AAEA Kenya Office.

Sustainable Training Services, LLC

2011-08-18T11:17:00.002-04:00

Sustainable Training Services, LLC (STS) was created for two primary purposes:

• To provide economic development and job creation programs and consulting services targeted toward minority communities, organizations and constituencies;

• To develop and deliver quality training to small and minority businesses, communities and individuals to succeed in those economic development and job creation programs.

Additionally, they help coordinate resourcing, training, outreach, partnership development and associated support for the development of the evolving energy efficiency and renewable energy industries and their respective workforces with a goal of personal economic independence and national energy independence.

STS utilizes cutting edge technologies and techniques to increase knowledge and strengthen dialogue between businesses and their customers. Their programs offer real job growth and practical training that presents ideas and strategies small and minority businesses can use every day to improve their operations or advance their career.

Carletta Waddler

A graduate of Howard University, Carletta Waddler is a dynamic and compelling speaker with experience in marketing, and green business concepts. A former owner of a lucrative marketing business, she developed a natural curiosity for the malaise of the environment and its detrimental effects on the health of all living creatures after viewing “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore. She read voraciously, became a green certified consultant and LEED trained. She founded two green businesses… EcoMaintenance, Waddler & Associates. She is the CEO of a joint venture called Sustainability Training Inc.

In 2009, she became the recipient of the North Carolina Green Business Fund Award. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Green Management from the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. Ms. Waddler has dedicated her life to improving the environment for future generations. She has been featured in the Daily Advance as an outstanding “green” female entrepreneur. Her business is a UNC BASE recipient.

Ms. Waddler is currently presenting at many community colleges and universities across North Carolina and the U.S.

• Green Business League Certified Green Consultant

• Green Business Intermediary for North Eastern North Carolina

• LEED Trained Consultant

• Former General Manager of several radio stations in the Hampton Roads, Virginia market

• Marketing Expert and Public Speaker … past clients include The Mariners Museum, International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England, Barbados Tourism Authority, AMISTAD America inc. and the Freedom Schooner Amistad, City of Newport News, City of Portsmouth, Hoop it Up, City of Hampton, Tim Reid Foundation, Opsail 2000, Retail Alliance, Davenport Dukes, and the State of North Carolina

• Recipient of the Echoes of Excellence Broadcast Award

Southern Environmental Law Center Seeks Energy Attorney

2011-08-17T11:50:00.000-04:00

Energy Attorney: Atlanta, Georgia Office

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is seeking an attorney with four or more years of experience to join a team of ten attorneys working on issues related to energy policy and global warming. The position will be based in our Atlanta, Georgia office, and will focus on work in Georgia and Alabama. This is an excellent opportunity to join an organization that is successfully addressing some of the most important and challenging environmental issues facing the Southeast and the nation.

About SELC: With offices across the region (Charlottesville, VA; Chapel Hill, NC; Atlanta, GA; Asheville, NC; Charleston, SC; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Birmingham, AL; and now Nashville, TN), SELC uses law and policy expertise to protect the South’s natural resources—its land, air, water, coast and wetlands—and to preserve our rural countryside and community character. Although our regional focus is the Southeast, much of our work is national in scope and impact.

SELC works collaboratively with over 100 national, state, and local groups to enhance their efficacy and achieve our common conservation goals. Our legal and policy staff comprises some of the nation’s leading experts in their respective fields, and over its 25-year history, SELC has earned a reputation as one of the most effective environmental organizations in the country. We currently have a staff of 85, including 44 attorneys. Additional information regarding our work and staff is available at www.southernenvironment.org.

About the position: If viewed as a country, SELC’s six-state region would rank 7th in the world in carbon dioxide emissions, due in large part to the region’s heavy reliance on coal to generate electricity. Our Clean Energy and Air team is advocating strategies to reduce the region’s outsized carbon footprint and improve air quality by decreasing reliance on coal generation and promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy resources as alternatives to traditional power plants. This position will involve litigation in state and federal courts and before utility regulatory commissions, and policy analysis and development in various settings at the state and federal levels.

Start date is as soon as possible.

Compensation: SELC offers salaries competitive with leading national environmental non-profits, and an excellent benefits package.

Qualifications: They are seeking an attorney with strong litigation skills and a strong work ethic and sense of initiative. The ideal candidate will be knowledgeable about energy law and policy, and utility regulatory matters. The successful applicant will be a skilled and multi-faceted lawyer with excellent academic credentials, strong communication and interpersonal skills, a demonstrated ability to work well in a collegial setting, and a strong personal commitment to SELC’s mission.

To Apply: If you have these qualifications and are seeking one of the most interesting, challenging, and rewarding environmental advocacy positions available, please send your letter of interest, resume, law school transcript, and at least three references to Colleen Arthur, Southern Environmental Law Center, 201 W. Main Street, Suite 14, Charlottesville, VA 22902, or e-mail.

SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is continually seeking to diversify its staff. They strongly encourage applications from persons of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

CONTRACT FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM

2011-08-09T10:12:00.002-04:00

On Monday afternoon, MoveOn.org and Rebuild the Dream announced a campaign to build up a popular movement that could match (if not surpass) the debt reduction crowd in both size and energy. And they have borrowed a concept from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) as their organizing principle.

Van Jones

The campaign, led by Van Jones, President of Rebuild the Dream; Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org; and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), among others, is debuting a new Contract for the American Dream. They describe it as "a progressive economic vision crafted by 125,000 Americans … to get the economy back on track." Its debut will involve a nationwide day of action, as well as an ad in The New York Times to run sometime this week. (Huffington Post, 8/8/2011)

We, the American people, promise to defend and advance a simple ideal: liberty and justice... for all. Americans who are willing to work hard and play by the rules should be able to find a decent job, get a good home in a strong community, retire with dignity and give their kids a better life. Every one of us – rich, poor or in-between, regardless of skin color or birthplace, no matter their sexual orientation or gender – has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is our covenant, our compact, our contract with one another. It is a promise we can fulfill – but only by working together.

Today, the American Dream is under threat. Our veterans are coming home to few jobs and little hope on the home front. Our young people are graduating off a cliff, burdened by heavy debt, into the worst job market in half a century. The big banks that American taxpayers bailed out won’t cut homeowners a break. Our firefighters, nurses, cops and teachers – America’s everyday heroes – are being thrown out onto the street.

We believe:

AMERICA IS NOT BROKE. America is rich – still the wealthiest nation ever. But too many at the top are grabbing the gains. No person or corporation should be allowed to take from America while giving little or nothing back. The superrich who got tax breaks and bailouts should now pay full taxes – and help create jobs here, not overseas. Those who do well in America should do well by America.

AMERICANS NEED JOBS, NOT CUTS. Many of our best workers are sitting idle, while the work of rebuilding America goes undone. Together, we must rebuild our country, reinvest in our people and jump-start the industries of the future. Millions of jobless Americans would love the opportunity to become working, tax-paying members of their communities again. We have a jobs crisis, not a deficit crisis.

To produce this Contract for the American Dream, 131,203 Americans came together online and in their communities. We wrote and rated 25,904 ideas. Together, we identified the 10 most critical steps to get our economy back on track and restore the American Dream:

1. INVEST IN AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE.

Rebuild our crumbling bridges, dams, levees, ports, water and sewer lines, railways, roads and public transit. We must invest in high-speed Internet and a modern, energy-saving electric grid. These investments will create good jobs and rebuild America. To help finance these projects, we need national and state infrastructure banks.

2. CREATE 21ST-CENTURY ENERGY JOBS.

We should invest in American businesses that can power our country with innovative technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal systems, hybrid and electric cars, and next-generation batteries. And we should put Americans to work making our homes and buildings energy efficient. We can create good, green jobs in America, address the climate crisis, and build the clean energy economy.

3. INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.

We should provide universal access to early childhood education, make school funding equitable, invest in high-quality teachers, and build safe, well-equipped school buildings for our students. A high-quality education system, from universal preschool to vocational training and affordable higher education, is critical for our future and can create badly needed jobs now.

4. OFFER MEDICARE FOR ALL.

We should expand Medicare so it’s available to all Americans, and reform it to provide even more cost-effective, quality care. The Affordable Care Act is a good start and we must implement it – but it’s not
enough. We can save trillions of dollars by joining every other industrialized country – paying much less for health care while getting the same or better results.

5. MAKE WORK PAY.

Americans have a right to fair minimum and living wages, to organize and collectively bargain, to enjoy equal opportunity and to earn equal pay for equal work. Corporate assaults on these rights bring down wages and
benefits for all of us. They must be outlawed.

6. SECURE SOCIAL SECURITY.

Keep Social Security sound, and strengthen the retirement, disability, and survivors’ protections Americans earn through their hard work. Pay for it by removing the cap on the Social Security tax, so that upperincome
people pay into Social Security on all they make, just like the rest of us.

7. RETURN TO FAIRER TAX RATES.

End, once and for all, the Bush-era tax giveaways for the rich, which the rest of us – or our kids – must pay eventually. Also, we must outlaw corporate tax havens and tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas. Lastly, with millionaires and billionaires taking a growing share of our country’s wealth, we should add new tax brackets for those making more than $1 million each year.

8. END THE WARS AND INVEST AT HOME.

Our troops have done everything that’s been asked of them, and it’s time to bring them home to good jobs here. We’re sending $3 billion each week overseas that we should be investing to rebuild America.

9. TAX WALL STREET SPECULATION.

A tiny fee of 1/20th of 1% on each Wall Street trade would raise tens of billions of dollars annually with little impact on actual investment. This would reduce speculation, “flash trading,” and outrageous bankers’ bonuses – and we’d have a lot more money to spend on Main Street job creation.

10. STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY.

We need clean, fair elections – where no one’s right to vote can be taken away, and where money doesn’t buy you your own member of Congress. We must ban anonymous political influence, slam shut the lobbyists’ revolving door in D.C. and publicly finance elections. Immigrants who want to join in our democracy deserve
a clear path to citizenship. We must stop giving corporations the rights of people when it comes to our elections. And we must ensure our judiciary’s respect for the Constitution. Together, we will reclaim our democracy to get our country back on track