Blog Archives - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

News from the Environmental Forum

12/31/2018

Next Meeting - Monday, January 7th at 6:30 pm
Cobblestone Place
1212 W 3rd ST, Daventport (map)

The PACG Environmental Forum welcomes newcomers to our Forum, which meets on the first Monday of each month.

We will have a discussion of our upcoming goals for 2019, including:

Potentially partnering w/ other area groups on upcoming events (Radish Health Living Winter Fest January 19 (10:00 -1:00) / Niabi Zoo Earth Day ~ Protect our endangered and threatened Species ~ weekend April 20/21) Attend Bi-State Event (Sarah Gardner)
Expanding our networking to local colleges, specifically their environmental groups, professors teaching courses in environmental science, and administrative staff who control the college's energy systems.
Meeting with Iowa and Illinois state legislatures and federal representatives and meeting w/ volunteers from specific districts to join us when we meet with congresspersons. We will listen and share our concerns about environmental issues.

Get ready for the 2020 U.S. Senate elections – It is essential that we have Senators who take positive action to address climate change before the 2020 elections. Climate change should not be a partisan issue!

We will continue to educate Americans about the growing dangers of climate change and the many climate solutions that work, and ways to take action to demonstrate leadership in environmental sustainability. The Fourth National Climate Assessment outlines growing damage from climate change to the economy including agriculture, infrastructure, health, and water. For more details, visit: https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/

Join us for this planning meeting!

Shirley Johnson
[email protected]

From Our New President

12/31/2018

Happy New Year from the new President of PACG!

Message to our membership

Hello Everyone! Besides wishing you all a happy and progressive 2019, I wanted to let you know how excited and honored I am to be your new president! My name is Allison Ambrose and I have been involved with PACG since December 2016. I was asked to join the board in 2017 and graciously accepted. This organization means the world to me in that it supports all of the progressive ideals that I have always held close to my heart.

I know that many of you are members, volunteers and donors, which is greatly appreciated. During this upcoming year, I would like to hear more from you about what makes PACG near and dear to your heart as well as how the organization can be better in terms of impact and in getting more progressives involved in our activities. Thus, I will be holding a series of focus groups this spring in order to get your input first hand. Look for invitations soon.

In addition, look for information on our 2nd annual “Toast the Resistance” party / membership drive in the near future. Our first annual was a great success and a lot of fun. Please be thinking about new progressives that you could invite!

In closing, I want to thank Alta Price for the fabulous work she has done as outgoing president! She has promised to be by my side as a mentor and for that I am extremely grateful. Together, I know that all of us as devoted progressives can continue to make a difference in 2019.

Sincerely,
Allison Ambrose

Contact Your Senators Regarding Marijuana in STATES Act

12/31/2018

Action Alert! Senator Grassley Squashes Debate on Marijuana STATES Act

Iowa Senator Quashes Floor Debate On Marijuana STATES Act
Drug Policy Forum

Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) recently blocked lawmakers from considering an amendment on the floor of the US Senate that sought to permanently remove the threat of federal intervention in states that regulate marijuana sales.

The amendment, offered by Colorado Republican Cory Gardner, was largely identical to Senate Bill 3032: The STATES Act, which creates an exemption under federal law for those jurisdictions that legally regulate marijuana production and retail sales. Senator Gardner has stated that he has the votes to pass the measure on the floor, and that the President would sign the bill into law. To date, however, the measure has yet to receive either a debate or a vote by members of the Senate.

Senator Grassley, who has previously bottled S. 3032 in committee, quashed Sen. Gardner's effort to attach the language to broader sentencing reform bill, The First Step Act. Senator Grassley called the amendment a "backdoor to legalization," and said that its intent was "inappropriate to consider in the context of a criminal justice reform bill."

Senate members eventually passed The First Step Act. House members followed suit on Thursday. The measure now awaits action from the President.

As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Grassley has refused to permit votes on any Senate bills pertaining to marijuana law reform. However, in November, he announced that he would be stepping down as Committee Chair.

ACTION 1: Please contact Senator Grassley and WEIGH IN -- if Rep Gardner had the votes in the senate, why is Grassley preventing debate on this issue?

https://ballotpedia.org/Who_represents me

ACTION 2: As Senator Grassley will be stepping down as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, it is important that we WEIGH IN with the new chairman once appointed -- stay tuned.

Caroline Vernon
[email protected]

PACG Needs Your Support!

12/20/2018

PACG Needs Your Support!

This has been a busy year for progressives and everyone else resisting the drastic shift away from our traditional American values of equality, fairness, concern for our environment and taking care of the most vulnerable in our society. Throughout it all Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) continues to be a unique and respected force leading the resistance and promoting progressive principles.

We have four very active Issue Forums: Civil Rights, Environmental, Health Care Reform and our newest Issue Forum on Drug Policy. We started a PACG Book Club which right now is reading books with a racial justice theme. Check our website pacgqc.org for information on our many activities and events and to contact the leaders (facilitators) of any of our Issue Forums. Contact me if you want to start a new Issue Forum.

A great way to keep up is to sign up for our Weekly Email Update. You will need to respond to a confirmation email. Those of you on Facebook should like our Progressive Action for the Common Good page and join the PACG Facebook group of the Book Club or any Issue Forum that interests you.

Another way to help is to become a paying member. An individual membership is $10 and family membership is $20. Those who can afford to give more are encouraged to do so. We especially appreciate those who give monthly. You can donate through our pacgqc.org website or send a check to:

PACG
1212 W 3rd St, Suite 3D
Davenport, IA 52802

PACG is a 501(c) 3 organization, and donations are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the extent allowed by law.

We have a new part time office manager and organizer, Amber Bordolo. She will support the efforts of our many volunteers, whether they serve on an Issue Forum or the Board. Amber will also help us utilize social media more effectively. You will meet her soon!

Resistance is hard work and must be on-going. The only way to succeed is by uniting with other progressive individuals and organizations. We couldn’t do it without you!

Alta Price
Board President
[email protected]
563-505-2996 cell

Environmental Forum's 2019 Goals

12/17/2018

News from the Environmental Forum's Last Meeting of 2018

The Environmental Forum met on Monday, December 3rd. We discussed upcoming goals for 2019, and are reviewing two primary efforts.

One involves a focus on the Iowa and Illinois legislatures. We will be meeting with state and federal representatives from both states and would like to have volunteers from specific districts to join us when we meet with congresspersons. We will listen and share our concerns about environmental issues.
Our second focus will be expanding our networking to local colleges, specifically their environmental groups, professors teaching courses in environmental science, and administrative staff who control the college's energy systems.

We encourage everyone to join us for our monthly meetings on the first Monday of each month, at 6:30 at Cobblestone Place.

Lori McCollum
[email protected]

Holiday Party Was Another Success!

12/17/2018

2018 PACG Holiday Party - After Action Report

Over 70 people sat down to a potluck dinner on December 6th at the Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) Holiday Party at Cobblestone Place in Davenport. More than 26 PACG memberships were renewed or started and many more friendships were formed or deepened during our annual dinner.

The PACG Holiday Dinner is also the platform to announce The Dick Fallow Endowment for Social Justices annual grant awards. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad-Cities and the Teamsters Community Action Network (TeamCan) both received awards to support their work in the QC Community.

The Reverend Jay Wolin of the UU Congregation of the QC accepted the award for the Sanctuary Team and said that they will use their award to hold events to educate the public about immigration policy and the Sanctuary Movement.

Jesse Case, President of the TeamCan Network, accepted their award. TeamCan will use their award to broaden their networks to distribute locally grown organic food to people in eastern Iowa who are food insecure.

The Dick Fallow Endowment was established in 2013 to carry on the life work of Richard E. Fallow, local activist and union member. Each year, the Endowment issues grants to organizations that fulfill his mission by working in the areas of labor / economic justice, environment / sustainability and/or democracy/ human rights.

Greg Coleridge, Outreach Director of Move to Amend, also talked about amending our Constitution to establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. He encouraged all those who attended to sign a petition reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

The PACG Holiday Committee thanks you for coming and for celebrating another busy year:
Allison Ambrose, Margie Mejia Caraballo, Susan Meenan, Janice Williams, Caryn Unsicker, and Ann McCluskey.

If you have not done so already please sign up here for the PACG weekly email update to keep on top of our activities for 2019.

Happy Holidays and may you all have a busy 2019 fighting for social justice.

Ann McCluskey
[email protected]

Recent ACA Ruling in Texas

12/17/2018

Regarding The Recent Ruling Invalidating the ACA

from the PACG Health Care Reform Forum

We are, of course, dismayed that one federal judge in Texas has ruled to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act, but we will immediately begin looking at what actions we might take and/or recommend to the PACG membership in order to help fight this ruling, to support the ACA, and to continue to work for quality, accessible, affordable health care for all Americans.

In the meantime, please remember that the ACA is still the law of the land.

There will be a long process of legal appeals, probably ending up in the Supreme Court. The five judges who voted to uphold the law when it was first challenged are still on the court. The ACA continues to gather increasing public support even as major benefits of the law have been challenged or eliminated by the present administration. We hope that support, including from grassroots Americans, will help elect a new congress and president in 2020 that will uphold, strengthen, and expand the provisions of the ACA.

So don’t panic. The ACA is still in effect for the foreseeable future, and we will be bringing forward some actions we can take to fend off this latest effort to repeal it.

Frank Samuelson
[email protected]

Inhumane Treatment Isn't a Partisan Issue - Dispatch-Argus Column by Aaron Wagner

12/11/2018

Quad Cities Interfaith Organizer Aaron Wagner's Powerful Column in Dispatch-Argus on Asylum Seekers

The Dispatch-Argus published a powerful column by Quad Cities Interfaith organizer Aaron Wagner, who brought PACG and other community organizations and churches together to protest the tear-gassing of asylum seekers on our southern border. Aaron was responding to criticism of the rally. Read the whole column at the Dispatch-Argus.

Here is one of my favorite paragraphs:

All persons of conscience need to conclude that if we have $200 million to spend in deploying troops to the border as a pre-election political ploy (the current White House admitted as much), we certainly have the resources to legally process asylum seekers at the border, to not jail or detain them, and to put resources into providing a path to citizenship for 11 million currently undocumented New Americans.

You can also view television and print coverage of the rally itself at this PACG Blog page.

Alta Price

EPA Proposes Dangerous Methane Emission Rollback

12/10/2018

EPA Proposes Rollback of Methane Emission Rules to Save Oil & Gas Industries $484 Million

Environmental Forum
USEPA, Washington DC

On Sep 18, EPA released a proposal to relax requirements for how energy companies monitor and repair methane leaks, rolling back an Obama-era regulation. The 2016 rule requires energy companies to conduct leak inspections on their drilling equipment every 6 months. Under the new proposal, companies would perform a leak inspection at least once a year, in most cases every 2 years for low-producing oil and gas wells. The current rule requires a company to fix methane leaks within 30 days, the new rules give the company 60 days to fix leaks. The new rule will also relax the requirement for companies to have a professional engineer certify that methane emission regulations had been met.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-09/documents/oil_and_gas_technical_proposal_fact_sheet.9.11.18_0.pdf

Methane is the main component of natural gas, and it is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas compared to CO2. Leaks from oil and gas wells, pipelines, or processing equipment account for 30% of the overall methane emission.

EPA estimates that this change would save the gas and oil companies $484 million over 6 years and would result in the emission of an additional 380,000 tons of methane, 100,000 tons of volatile organic compounds, and 38,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants. These are toxic chemicals which can cause cancer, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses.

EPA is accepting public comments until Dec 17.
The Docket ID number for the proposed amendments is EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0483

Take One of the following Actions Now:

Go to www.regulations.gov and type the Docket ID number above in the search box. Click on the “Comment Now!” button at the top right of the page, and follow the instructions for submitting your comments.

Send comments by e-mail to [email protected], Attention Docket ID EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0483. Please include the docket number in the subject line.

Fax your comments to: (202) 566-9744, Attention Docket ID. No. EPAHQ-OAR-2017-0483

Mail your comments to Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mail Code 28221T, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0483, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460.

Note: You can find more tips on submitting comments here: www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#tips

Susan Leuthauser
[email protected]

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

12/7/2018

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

We had a good turnout at the rally in support of asylum seekers on Friday, November 30th at 4 pm. We also had great press coverage! Check it out at the following links:

KWQC

WHBF-TV/KGCW-TV/KJLB-TV

WQAD

Read this story at the Dispatch-Argus.

Thanks to all who came to a cold winter rally in support of Central American asylum seekers who were tear-gassed by our government. We are a land of immigrants, and we demand that our government and ICE treat asylum seekers humanely. We further demand that our government and ICE follow our own laws and international laws that give asylum seekers the right to apply for asylum.

We plan to follow up this rally with meetings with our Illinois and Iowa Senators and Representatives and local ICE officials.

The rally was organized by Aaron Wagner of Quad Cities Interfaith.