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Proposed Iowa gun amendment - Action Alert

8/23/2022

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Learn about Iowa's proposed reckless gun amendment - Action Alert
Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 pm

Ridgecrest Village 
4130 Northwest Blvd
Davenport, IA (map) 


AAUW IA Davenport-Bettendorf
​

On September 13th, the American Association of University Women -  Iowa (AAUW-Iowa) will present a program on the Reckless Gun Amendment at 7:00 pm in the Koning Chapel at Ridgecrest Village, 4130 Northwest Blvd, Davenport. This program is open to the public. We urge you to attend to learn more about this proposed amendment.

The Proposed Iowa Constitutional Amendment language is as follows: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. 

This reckless gun amendment will be on the ballot on November 8, 2022. (Read an article from the Gazette about the bill.) This article from Ballotpedia explains the history of the Iowa Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment (2022), details the supporters and opposition, and explains how it got on our ballet for November.
​

This amendment is not the Second Amendment. Most states have gun rights language in their state constitutions that mirrors the US Constitution's Second Amendment. The proposed Iowa amendment goes beyond the Second Amendment. It puts the right to possess and carry a gun without any infringement above the right to public safety for our communities and children. The Reckless Gun Amendment could lead to the invalidation of any reasonable gun safety measure that keeps Iowans safe.

Rosanne Krubsack
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Proposed Pipeline informational meeting - Action Alert

8/21/2022

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Proposed Wolf Carbon Solutions Pipeline Informational Meeting - Action Alert
Wednesday, August 31st at 12:00 noon

River Center
Adler Theater
136 E 3rd Street, Davenport (map)


​Environmental Forum

From the Iowa Utilities Board: 
The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) today issued an order approving the dates, times and locations for six public informational meetings requested by Wolf Carbon Solutions US, LLC (Wolf), which includes a virtual meeting option. The meetings are to discuss Wolf’s proposal to build and operate a carbon capture pipeline system that will transport liquefied carbon dioxide from local facilities in eastern Iowa to an underground storage facility in Illinois.

Read this link for more information, including other meeting locations (including a virtual one on September 19th), pertinent documents regarding the pipeline.

We also have a detailed PACG blog post regarding Carbon Capture and Storage that gives more details.


Susan Leuthauser
carboncapture2.pdf
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Don't Be Railroaded - Action Alert

8/21/2022

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Don’t Be Railroaded! - Update
What does the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads mean to the Quad Cities?

Picture
PACG Environmental Forum

​FACTS:
  • Up to 22 trains, with an average length of 8,000 ft (about a mile-and-a half), will be traveling through the QC daily. A previous 10-minute wait at a crossing can easily become a 40-minute wait. 
  • These trains will transport tank cars from Canada to Mexico. Each car will carry 30,000 gallons of flammable crude oil. 
  • Trains runs throughout the day. Estimates are an increase of a minimum of over 2 hours of train traffic a day.
 
IMPACT OF THE INCREASED TRAIN TRAFFIC:
  • The risk of accidents and derailment will increase accordingly. There have been several accidents and derailments of Canadian Pacific trains since 2019.
  • Due to the longer trains, emergency vehicles might not be able to reach residents and businesses impacted by the location of the tracks. 
  • Noise pollution, vibration, traffic, and the increase in air pollution can all impact property values and the economic development of the river front. 
 
TAKE ACTION:
  • Sign a petition to STOP THE TRAIN. Go to:  https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-train-560c2c4a-b6ab-4425-a3e4-e3055a8e6c34
  • Attend the Surface Transportation Board public meeting on September 13th from 6-8 pm at the River Center, 136 E 3rd St, Davenport. 
  • Attend one of the online meetings or submit written comments online. Go to https://www.cp-kcsmergereis.com/involvement.htm for details.
  • You can also send your comments to Mr. Martin Oberman, Chairman, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423.

September 3, 2022:
A coalition of environmentalists have been working on the issue of more trains going through the QCA due to this merger. A number of us, including Shirley Johnson, Glenda Guster, PJ Slobojan, and myself were at a recent meeting at the Freight House in Davenport. We filmed this long train passing us. 

Watch the resulting one-minute video and think about the risks, and increased traffic and noise from having three times as many trains going through our area. This video is also posted on the PACG Environmental Forum Facebook page. 


Stop the Train: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2QCTOoyZyE

And then sign the Stop the Train petition here.



Susan Leuthauser

dont_be_railroaded_2.pdf
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Vote Today in the Illinois Primary - Action Alert

6/28/2022

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Vote Today in the Illinois Primary! - Action Alert
Tuesday, June 28th from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm

A Message to Our Members

Have you voted by early by mail or in person in Illinois? If not, go to your polling place today!

We are all aware of the numerous challenges facing our democracy. Your vote matters more than ever and it is the path forward for change.

Here are a few resources if you need more information today: 

For voting instructions and assistance: https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/VotingInstructions.aspx

Find your vote by mail drop box here: https://www.elections.il.gov/VotingAndRegistrationSystems/VoteByMailBallotDropBoxLocations.aspx?T=637915089565405758

Polls are open to vote in person from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Glenda Guster
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Support the QC Gun Buyback Program - Action Alert

6/3/2022

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Support the QC Gun Buyback Program - Action Alert
Saturday, June 25 from 9:00 am to noon

Moline Police Department
1640 6th AV
Moline, IL (map)


Moline Police and Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities
The Moline Police Department, along with Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities, have begun a gun buyback program. The Facebook post about this event includes the following information: 

Gun violence continues to be an epidemic in our community and country. 

Together we can do something about it, by removing unwanted guns from our closets, drawers and homes before they go into circulation as criminal commerce. 

On June 25th, the Moline Police Department and Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities will host a gun buy back event from 9am-12pm.

If you have an unwanted firearm you can turn it in for cash, no questions asked and no identification needed. We will give you $100 for handguns/shotguns and $200 for magazine fed semi-automatic rifles.


PACG is asking members to call the Chief of Police at this non-emergency number to express your support for this brave action: 309-797-0401. Please leave a message of gratitude for this initiative. (Note: although this is a non-emergency number, the same operators answer emergency calls so please be patient if you are asked to hold.)

Any positive changes in our country’s current gun safety measures bring about improvement step-by-step, helping to provide a safer, better life for our local community and our nation!

Deb Sperry
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March for Our Lives rally - Action Alert

5/31/2022

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We Want Change! March for Our Lives Rally - Action Alert
Saturday,  June 11 at 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Picture
Vander Veer Botanical Park
215 W Central Park AV
​Davenport, IA 52803 (map)


Moms Demand Action - QC


The Quad Cities chapter of Moms Demand Action is sponsoring this peaceful March for Our Lives rally. 

In light of the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX—which claimed 21 lives, 19 of which were children—let us peacefully gather in unity to demonstrate our solidarity with the victims, their families, and all those who wish to no longer live in fear of gun violence. Activists are Marching in Washington, DC and across the nation.

March For Our Lives (MFOL) last marched in 2018, which resulted in the passing of some lifesaving legislation in states across the country. It's time to hit the streets once again. 

An official MFOL March has been scheduled in DC on Saturday, June 11 demanding that President Biden and lawmakers take action immediately to stop the mass shooting epidemic. Organizers from the Quad Cities are putting on this local march around Vander Veer Botanical Park to honor the 100+ children and adults killed by guns in this country every single day and to demand that our lawmakers enact common sense gun reform. 

This is an entirely peaceful and cooperative demonstration that welcomes families and people of all ages. Our goal is to gather in unity to demand a safer future for all of us. 


Join us in the next chapter in our fight. If you are not in the QC area, find a march near you.

PACG Office Manager
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Carbon Capture and Storage - Action Alert

5/3/2022

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Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) - Action Alert

Environmental Forum

Three companies proposed to build CCS pipelines across the Midwest, one will be going through the Quad Cities. Find out why this is not a solution to the climate Crisis. Contact your representatives and give them your opinion on these projects.
Picture
Proposed CO2 pipelines in the Midwest
Picture
New proposed CO2 Pipeline that will go through the Quad Cities

​What do we know about CCS?
  • CO2 generated must be processed to remove other co-pollutants prior to transport. To capture each metric ton of CO2, up to 3,000 metric tons of hazardous waste can be generated.
  • CO2 must be compressed into liquid form to be transported. Such a process requires a significant amount of energy. The increased energy production to support CCS will increase the emission of greenhouse gases, toxic air pollutants, and hazardous wastes.
  • The rupture or break of a highly pressurized pipeline can result in an explosion. On February 22, 2020, a CO2 pipeline in Mississippi collapsed and exploded; it resulted in the hospitalization of 46 residents and evacuation of over 300 people. https://weather.com/news/news/2020-02-23-yazoo-mississippi-ruptured-gas-line-evacuations
  • CO2 is an acidic gas; it forms a corrosive acid in the presence of water. A pipeline leak can acidify ground water or surface water.
  • CO2 is not classified as a toxic gas, but it can cause asphyxiation by depleting oxygen in the air. 
    • A pipeline leak can kill all the living organisms at the site.
    • Gas-powered emergency response vehicles/equipment require oxygen to operate and will cease to function when there is a high level of CO2.
 
Is CCS a feasible solution to the climate crisis? CCS is not a climate solution; it increases energy usage. Currently, there is no requirement to monitor CO2 leakage at the storage sites. When not properly managed, CCS can cause significant damage to the environment. We must end our dependence on fossil fuels and invest in REAL climate solutions like alternate energy, battery storage, energy conservation, and efficiency. 

Download the attached flyer to share with your community.

​Susan Leuthauser
carboncapture.pdf
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File Type: pdf
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Action Alert - Repeal 2021 Iowa Election Law Changes

1/25/2022

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Petition to Repeal the 2021 Iowa Election Law Changes - Action Alert
Tuesday, February 1st

League of Women Voters Johnson County

In November, the League of Women Voters Johnson County (LWVJC) initiated a campaign to collect signatures to repeal the changes in the 2021 Iowa Election Law. At this time, they're short 5,000 signatures and are extending this campaign to Tuesday, February 1st. If you have already participated, thank you. If you haven't, and would like to be part of it, please provide your electronic signature at www.lwvia.org/anti-voter-laws. For more information about this campaign, visit www.lwvia.org/petitions.

See a summary of the 2021 Iowa election law changes published by the Iowa State Association of County Auditors.

Susan Leuthauser
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Support Afghan Refugees - What You Can Do Now

1/18/2022

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Furniture Donation for Afghan Refugees - Action Alert
Drop off Monday through Friday 9 am to 3pm

World Relief Quad Cities
1852 16th Street, Moline, IL (map)


World Relief and PACG Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights Forum works in coalition with other groups aiding immigrants and refugees. World Relief is in the process of resettling 175 Afghan refugees who will be arriving in the Quad Cities by February. The relief volunteers have been impacted by the surge in Covid cases and could use our help.

Initially, most of the refugees are temporarily housed in area hotels while permanent living quarters are being set up. World Relief is requesting donations of furniture, household appliances and other supplies to help these people start their new lives in our area.

Susan Leuthauser
Picture
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Action Alert - Petition to Repeal Iowa Voting Restrictions

11/21/2021

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Petition to Repeal Iowa's New Restrictive Voting Laws -
​Action Alert​

petition_to_repeal_new_voter_laws.pdf
File Size: 275 kb
File Type: pdf
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A Message from the President

PACG has joined a coalition of Iowa organizations to support the effort of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, Iowa (LWVJC) to oppose the changes to Iowa's new voting laws (HF413 and SF568). These laws are restrictive and unnecessary. They make it harder to vote! Per the LWV, the restrictions:

  • Invalidate some mail-in ballots that, even when mailed promptly, cannot be returned before polls close
  • Impede voting by medical and other workers with 12-hour shifts by closing the polls earlier on primary and general election days
  • Obstruct returning absentee ballots by limiting the use of ballot drop boxes to one per county, regardless of population, and by unnecessarily restricting who may return absentee ballots
  • Drastically shorten the early voting period from 29 days to 20 and needlessly limit ballot request periods
  • Invite interference in our elections by allowing political parties to challenge Iowa elections in court
  • Limit county auditors’ abilities to adapt to local conditions and criminalize good-faith errors
  • Provide less time for voter registration and move voters who miss any general election to an “inactive” list

To get an even better understanding of what changed in these new laws, see this PACG blog post.

The list of voting law changes summarized by the Iowa State Association of County Auditors in the flyer below.
 
The League of Women Voters (LWV) is collecting signatures to oppose these changes from now until December 15th. The goal is to collect thousands of signatures across the state. These signatures will be delivered in person to the Iowa Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the Speaker of the House and Minority Leader in January of 2022. LWV will host a press conference at that time. 
 
LWVJC is offering both a paper petition or online signature. Here’s more information about the petition:
  • For further details about the petition, and to sign in online click this link: https://www.lwvia.org/petitions
  • To sign the online petition without further details, click this link: https://www.lwvia.org/anti-voter-laws
  • All signees must be Iowa residents, at least 18 years old and eligible to vote. However, a signee does not have to be registered to vote.
  • Paper copies of the petition can be printed from pdf we have attached above. Susan Leuthauser will pick up your signed petition or you may mail it to the address below.
  • Each person can sign only one petition - either online or a paper copy.

If you have visitors from Iowa over the holiday, encourage them to sign the petition. Feel free to forward the online signature link to friends and relatives living across Iowa, and encourage your neighbors and friends to participate in this campaign. Email them this link: https://www.lwvia.org/petitions

Contact Susan Leuthauser (by clicking on her name) with any questions. She will also coordinate the collection of the signed petitions. If you would rather mail your signed petition, send it to: 

LWVJC

P.O. Box 5254
​Coralville, Iowa 52241



Our growing list of coalition partners for this petition drive includes:
  • Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
  • Common Good Iowa
  • Sierra Club
  • Delta Sigma Theta
  • Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
  • Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
  • Interfaith Alliance
  • Des Moines Chapter, The Links, Incorporated
  • Progressive Action for the Common Good
  • One Human Family of the QCA
  • QC Pride, Inc.
  • Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities
 
As usual, PACG is proud to be working for the common good in this important way.
 
Allison Ambrose
​
iowaelectionlawchanges.pdf
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