Writing LTE’s In Opposition to Trump’s Nominations to FERC

Todd Larsen from Green America provided our coalition with advice and a template for writing Letters to the Editor in opposition to Trump’s FERC nominations. Please take a look at the below material, and consider sending in your own LTE to local press outlet.

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This advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists is helpful:  http://www.ucsusa.org/action/writing-an-lte.html#.WNfI-jvyvIU

It is best to write in response to an article that was run in the paper/new source and reference that article, keep the LTE short (200 words is ideal and no more than 300), and provide full contact info at the end.

SAMPLE

[XX REPORTER’S] article [ARTICLE TITLE] on [DATE}, reporting President Trump’s proposed appointments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) misses the key issue regarding this appointment process.  No matter who is appointed to FERC the agency will continue to rubber stamp natural gas pipelines and infrastructure projects that damage the land, air, and drinking water of communities nationwide.  In the past 30 years, FERC has sided with the fossil fuel industry repeatedly and has rejected only one pipeline.  Currently FERC only has two commissioners in place, and lacks a quorum, which prevents the agency from approving new projects.  That’s why over 150 organizations nationwide are using this moment to ask the Senate to reject any nominees to FERC, and prevent FERC’s approval of any more pipelines, until Congress holds hearings on the agency’s pro-industry bias and refusal to listen to the legitimate concerns of communities.  Congress needs to take steps to identify reforms to FERC that will result in an agency dedicated to a just transition to clean energy sources like solar and wind, instead of expanding our reliance on fracked natural gas.  Senator [XX – of your state] needs to take a strong stand to oppose Trump’s nominees for commissioner and serve the people of our state and country by pushing for reforms of FERC now.

FULL NAME
ADDRESS
CONTACT EMAIL
CONTACT PHONE

(Newspapers will need to contact you to ensure that you actually wrote the LTE and approve of publication.  They may also want to edit the piece and run edits by you)