Category: What You Can Do Now

Volunteers for Earth Day at Davenport Farmer's Market

4/8/2019

Earth Day Volunteers Needed - Saturday, April 20th at 9:00 am

Freight House Farmers Market
421 W River Dr. Davenport, IA (map)
Environmental Forum

Your Environmental Forum is asking for all hands on deck to help with the Earth Day event. We need volunteers!

Early set up - need people to be there by 7:30 or 8:00 am
Check-in table
Demonstrators Coordinator - arrive at 8:30 am
Activity Tent - Two shifts 9-11, 11-1 (need several volunteers for this)
Working the PACG table - need 2 people per shift 9-11, 11-1
Social Media Station - need 4 volunteers for 1 hour shifts.
Break down - 1:00 pm need at least 4 people

Contact Amber Bordolo or Lori McCollum.

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Call Your Reps - Voter Suppression Bill in Iowa - What You Can Do Now

3/24/2019

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Contact Your Iowa State Legislators Regarding Voter Suppression Bill

Iowa Senator Roby Smith has introduced Senate File 575 that impacts Iowans' ability to vote. Read more about it at:

Senate File 575

PACG members kept the focus of the March Scott County Legislative Forum on the voter suppression bill. Read this excellent article in the Quad-City Times for coverage of the reactions of the audience and legislators when questioned about the bill. The article also provides in-depth information about the threat to voting rights included in this legislation.

Call your Iowa State legislators to express your views on NOT restricting the voting rights of Iowans.

Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371
House Switchboard: 515-281-3221

To find your representative's email information click here.

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Contact Your Iowa Legislators About Sensible Gun Control - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

3/18/2019

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Demand Sensible Gun Control in Iowa - Contact Your Representatives!

The bills HJR 13 is being discussed on the House Floor this week. These bills, if passed and signed into law, would eliminate background checks on gun purchases in the state. They will also allow guns to be carried on college campuses, state fairgrounds and school buses.

The House is also discussing HF636 which allows concealed weapons in weapon-free zones, courthouses, and public/private workplaces.

Please contact your Iowa State legislators and demand that these actions be termed "dead for the year." We want sensible gun control for Iowa.

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Iowa Voting Rights! - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

3/18/2019

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Contact Your Iowa State Legislator to Stop Voter Suppression

Iowa Senator Roby Smith has introduced Senate File 575 that impacts Iowan's ability to vote. Read more about it at:

Senate File 575

Call your Iowa State Senator to express your views on NOT restricting the voting rights of Iowans

Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371

Allison Ambrose

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Contact Iowa State Legislators Regarding Environmental Issues! - March 4, 2019

3/3/2019

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What You Can Do Now -
Iowa State Conservation Efforts at Risk!

Environmental Forum
It feels overwhelming trying to keep up on the devastation being rained down upon us daily by the present Administration. One of the best ways for us to feel empowered as individuals is by contacting our legislators. I do this on a regular basis. A simple, polite call expressing my concerns makes me feel better, and it is an established fact that constituent input is extremely effective in the ways legislators vote, both locally and nationally.

With everything that is going on at the national level, do not forget about what is happening in your own state. For Iowa's environmental issues, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is a good resource. The article below expresses concerns about two pieces of legislature that threaten conservation efforts in Iowa. Call your state representatives today to express your concern over the passage of these bills.

Action needed: Two bills threaten conservation in Iowa
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
written by Joe Jayjack
Two bills were introduced this week in the Iowa legislature that threaten the future of conservation in Iowa. We need your voice to make sure these bills are stopped. We need to pack the Capitol on Monday for subcommittee hearings on these bills at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to show legislators that Iowans care about public land! If you can't make it, call or email your legislators and the subcommittee members and ask them to oppose the bills.

House File 542
Subcommittee hearing: 10:30 a.m., Monday, March 4, House Lobby, Iowa State Capitol
Subcommittee members: Rep. Robert Bacon (R-Story County), Rep. Tom Jeneary (R-Plymouth County), Rep. Scott Ourth (D-Warren County)
HF542 is a direct attack on public lands and conservation in Iowa. It should be opposed in its entirety.

In this bill, counties would be prohibited from expanding parks, wildlife habitat areas and trails by any amount. Funding the cities and counties have relied on would be restricted, and could not be used for expansion of open spaces and new recreational amenities, including public museums. The state would not be able to purchase land for state parks, wildlife areas or strategic water quality projects.

This bill would also strip private landowners of tax incentives for protecting their land by eliminating the Charitable Contribution for Conservation Tax Credit.

Senate Study Bill 1221
Subcommittee hearing: 12:30 p.m., Monday, March 4, Room 217, Iowa State Capitol
Subcommittee members: Sen. Dan Zumbach (R-Delaware County), Sen. Jerry Behn (R-Boone County), Sen. Nate Boulton (D-Polk County)

SSB1221 is more narrow in scope, but would also have wide ranging impact on conservation. The bill eliminates the Charitable Contribution for Conservation Tax Credit that helps make it possible for many private landowners to protect their land or to donate it for public use. The bill also eliminates the use of State Revolving Fund for public land acquisition for water quality purposes.

The message
As Iowa strives to attract and maintain people to live, work and raise families in our state, we need to provide quality of life features that they demand. At the top of list —along with good jobs — is a clean, healthy environment and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Public land plays a special role in the lives of Iowans. For generations, Iowans have made memories in parks, on trails, in woodlands and prairies. We need to continue that legacy for future Iowans. We need to support our existing parks, trails and wildlife areas and continue to look for ways to expand our outdoor opportunities.

Rural communities rely on the jobs, consumer spending and public health benefits that outdoor recreation provides. Iowa is already 47th in the nation in the percentage of public land available to its residents. These bills puts us in a race for the bottom.

Instead of strangling our ability to grow healthy, strong communities, we should be embracing the opportunities the outdoors present. We should be investing more in conservation, not less.
If you have questions about these bills, contact INHF Public Policy Director Anna Gray at agray@inhf.org or at 515-288-1846.

Find tips for connecting with your legislators in our Nature's Advocate policy guide.

Jeannie Price

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MoveOn President's Day Protest, February 18, 2019

2/17/2019

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Attend the MoveOn Presidents' Day Protest - Monday, February 18th at 7:00 pm

Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities (MCCQC)
2930 Locust St, Davenport IA (map)

PACG will mobilize with other community activists and attend MoveOn's nation-wide event. This will be a non-violent rapid-response, as we stand up to defend our democracy, and immigrant, Muslim, black and brown communities from Donald Trump's dangerous (fake) national emergency power grab. This #FakeNationalEmergency is an illegal attempt to push his racist, dangerous policies.

We're participating in the event organized by numerous groups at 7:00 pm on Presidents Day. For more details or to RSVP click here.

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Green New Deal Demonstrates Real Climate Leadership

2/4/2019

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Green New Deal Week - Monday, Feb 4th - Friday, Feb 8th

Friends of the Earth
Nationwide Event

From February 4th to 8th, help bring the call for Real Climate Leadership to your Congressperson’s doorstep. We will ramp up our call for a Green New Deal by calling on our Representatives to:

Halt all new fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure and subsidies, and transition power generation to 100% renewable energy by 2035 or sooner.
Rapidly decarbonize agriculture and transportation sectors and expand access to public transportation.
Ensure a Fair & Just Transition led by impacted workers and communities, including low income and communities of color, without relying on corporate schemes or market-based mechanisms.
Uphold Indigenous Rights
Pass a national jobs guarantee, creating good jobs with collective bargaining and family-sustaining wages.

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Toast the Resistance 2019 Register Now

2/2/2019

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2019_resistance_party_flyer.docx
File Size:	162 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Second Annual Toast the Resistance 2019

Click Here to Register

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Email Comments to the EPA

1/21/2019

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Stop the Rollback of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
The Comment Period Ends Friday, February 22nd
From the Environmental PACG Forum

Please visit the Sierra Club Advocate Group Campaign Website to send a quick email now!

On December 27, 2018 the EPA proposed a rollback to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) that require coal-burning power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants (HAP) like arsenic.

The new proposal’s bottom line: Regulating HAP from power plants under the Clean Air Act is no longer “appropriate and necessary.” It’s just too costly.

According to EPA Acting Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, it’s just not right to count the cumulative health benefits of regulating mercury and HAP emissions from power plants. The annual cost to comply with MATS is $7.4 to $9.6 billion.

EPA estimated annual health benefits from MATS range from $37 billion to $90 billion and include: preventing up to 11,000 premature deaths and more than 100,000 asthma and heart attacks; a decrease in 5,700 emergency room visits; and, over 3 million days of restricted activity each year would be prevented. The quantifiable benefit of rollbacking MATS will benefit industry $4 to $6 million annually.

Read more from the current EPA here.

If you are concerned about the health impact of mercury and toxic pollutants on you and your family, it is critical that you let EPA know that they must not weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.

Take Action:

EPA will accept written comments for 60 days (from 12/27/2018).

Unfortunately, this docket, (EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0794) is not posted on the regulations.gov website to accept comments as it should be. The government shutdown may have interrupted this process.

You can join the Sierra Club campaign to “Protect Our Air From Toxic Mercury!” here. They have a message ready to be submitted to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. All you need to do is add your name to it. Please do so as soon as possible.

Susan Leuthauser
swleuthauser@gmail.com

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Government Shutdown Is Unacceptable!

1/21/2019

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Call NOW (and Daily) to ReOpen the Government

PACG Board President

Call the White House and Your U.S. Legislators TODAY! Demand that they think of all the people who are not receiving their paychecks and open the government ASAP!

White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
U.S. Senate Switchboard: 202-224-3121
U.S. House of Representatives Switchboard: 202-224-1904

Allison Ambrose,
PACG Board President

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Volunteers for Earth Day at Davenport Farmer's Market

Earth Day Volunteers Needed - Saturday, April 20th at 9:00 am

Call Your Reps - Voter Suppression Bill in Iowa - What You Can Do Now

Contact Your Iowa State Legislators Regarding Voter Suppression Bill

Contact Your Iowa Legislators About Sensible Gun Control - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

Demand Sensible Gun Control in Iowa - Contact Your Representatives!

Iowa Voting Rights! - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

Contact Your Iowa State Legislator to Stop Voter Suppression

Contact Iowa State Legislators Regarding Environmental Issues! - March 4, 2019

What You Can Do Now -
Iowa State Conservation Efforts at Risk!

MoveOn President's Day Protest, February 18, 2019

Attend the MoveOn Presidents' Day Protest - Monday, February 18th at 7:00 pm

Green New Deal Demonstrates Real Climate Leadership

Green New Deal Week - Monday, Feb 4th - Friday, Feb 8th

Toast the Resistance 2019 Register Now

Second Annual Toast the Resistance 2019

Email Comments to the EPA

Stop the Rollback of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
The Comment Period Ends Friday, February 22nd
From the Environmental PACG Forum

Government Shutdown Is Unacceptable!

Call NOW (and Daily) to ReOpen the Government

Author

Archives

Categories

Earth Day Volunteers Needed - Saturday, April 20th at 9:00 am

Contact Your Iowa State Legislators Regarding Voter Suppression Bill

Demand Sensible Gun Control in Iowa - Contact Your Representatives!

Contact Your Iowa State Legislator to Stop Voter Suppression

What You Can Do Now - ​Iowa State Conservation Efforts at Risk!

Attend the MoveOn Presidents' Day Protest - Monday, February 18th at 7:00 pm

Green New Deal Week - Monday, Feb 4th - Friday, Feb 8th

Second Annual Toast the Resistance 2019

Stop the Rollback of Mercury and Air Toxics StandardsThe Comment Period Ends Friday, February 22ndFrom the Environmental PACG Forum

Call NOW (and Daily) to ReOpen the Government

Author

Archives

Categories

What You Can Do Now -
Iowa State Conservation Efforts at Risk!

Stop the Rollback of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
The Comment Period Ends Friday, February 22nd
From the Environmental PACG Forum