The need to transition away from fossil fuels is urgent – and citizens across the globe are organizing towards that goal in so many different, inspiring ways. There are those who sue, those who protest, those who testify, those who write, and those who continue to speak out until their voices are hoarse.
The work can be tough. It can feel fruitless. But this past week in Utah, we saw a historic victory that many in the HEAL community worked on, when the University of Utah Academic Senate approved a resolution calling on the school to rid its investment portfolios of equities associated with fossil fuels. (Read coverage here.)
Congratulations to the students, faculty, staff and many others whose hard work led to that vote. Now, as the activists behind the campaign will be the first to say, there is much more work left to do. But it’s important to pause and celebrate victories, even partial ones.
Segue #1: That insight is not my own – but one that author and activist Rebecca Solnit expresses brilliantly in the forward to her newly-reissued book, “Hope in the Dark.” A quick reminder that tickets to our Spring Breakfast Fundraiser and Solnit’s talk on Tuesday, May 24, are going fast – so, if you’d like to attend and haven’t already RSVPd, click here now to get a ticket or two!
Solnit’s Spring Breafkast talk is called “Hope in the Dark: The Case for Environmental Activism.” Yes, we face big obstacles in trying to transform global energy systems. But just because it’s tough, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying.
Segue #2: And we’ve got something you can do today that’ll take just a moment! Please click here to go to our action alert page and comment on a proposal from the Canadian company Crescent Point Energy to open almost 4,000 drilling wells in the Uinta Basin Area. The BLM is considering that bid – and is taking public comment: So, please comment!
Here’s more on the proposal from the Salt Lake Tribune:
The project envisions the construction of 863 miles of roads; 693 miles of pipelines co-located with roads; 170 miles of cross-country pipelines; 400 miles of trunk pipelines; five salt-water disposal wells; five facilities to treat “produced” waste water; 20 central tank batteries; four gas-processing plants; eight oil-storage areas; and four equipment-storage areas.
While none of the project area is roadless or proposed for wilderness, it virtually envelops the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, a vital sanctuary for migratory birds on the Green River. And some of the land overlaps sage grouse habitat that is subject to special drilling restrictions, under the federal land-use plans adopted last September to keep the bird off the endangered species list.
That sounds troubling – to say the least. The BLM is taking comment on this proposal until Monday evening. So don’t delay: Click now to use our handy action alert and make your voice heard.
Best,
Matt.
Matt Pacenza
HEAL Utah Executive Director and Partial Victory Enjoyer