Beyond Extreme Energy

No new permits for fossil fuel infrastructure. Renewable energy NOW.

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Back up our EJ nominees, and FERC monthly meeting report

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BXE was back at the FERC meeting today! More report and notes below but first – Nominations are due tomorrow for folks to participate in FERC’s Environmental Justice Advisory Panel. Several good and long standing friends of ours have asked to be nominated and to participate in the process. We’ve sent an email to FERC formally nominating these folks with their contact information.

You can help by sending FERC and email supporting their nomination. Backing up our friends will (hopefully) increase the chance that FERC accepts their nomination. You can also write in yourself or anyone you think should be nominated to serve on FERC’s EJ panel at the end of March, 2023.

Earlier in the day

BXE attended the monthly FERC meeting, and supported a press conference by our friends at Frontlines to FERC, which featured stories and testimony from residents and activists from Freeport Texas. Freeport, you may remember, is home to a massive, FERC-approved, LNG terminal that exploded in the summer of 2022. FERC and PHMSA have been in the process of re-opening the Freeport LNG facility this month, while ignoring ongoing community opposition and concerns about safety and pollution. If you missed it, you can watch their press conference on our Facebook page:

The FERC hearing itself was unusually fast – starting right on time at 10am and ending less than an hour later after a flurry of unanimous decisions. No news or updates were announced at this month’s meeting about GNT Express, which we emailed you about earlier in the week So keep those calls and emails coming!

Nor did the Commissioners speak directly to the Freeport LNG facility or community concerns at the meeting – although our friends from Texas met separately with FERC staff later in the day – so we’ll see if they learned anything new soon.

Our flier at this month’s meeting included information about Freeport, GTN Express, the FERC EJ panel, and our ongoing campaign to reject Joe Manchin’s FERC by transforming the agency into a Federal Renewable Energy Commission (FREC).

Finally, a last minute addition to the FERC meeting agenda of a couple MVP dockets alarmed and concerned a number of us! MVP fighters from the POWHR coalition were at the hearing, and met with FERC staff later in the day to confirm that no new permits or decisions were issued regarding the MVP. Instead, according to news reports and expert advice from friends, it appears that FERC simply stood by their existing permits, and rejected a legal appeal from the Sierra Club and other partners to reconsider last year’s permit extension.

So that’s the news from FERC and some actions you can take. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you at some Atlanta forest defense and Stop Cop City solidarity actions next week!

Drew and the crew at Beyond Extreme Energy

A few active groups to follow, join and support.

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Attached below is a non-exhaustive list of a few active groups to follow on social media, join in-person as requested, and also offer resource support.  These include migrant survival support and hospitality, disaster relief and community mutual aid, solidarity with Indigenous Peoples movements, and the various battles against extraction of fossil fuels and natural resources — including human resource extraction in the forms of  human trafficking, labor exploitation, and cultural theft.

Jimmy mentioned this list in his recent email to BXE family. You can read the email here, and chip in to support Jimmy’s ongoing work and the work of BXE here.

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West Texas:

Christmas in Tornillo: The Occupation (December 23-January ??, 2019)

“There is a concentration camp for children in the middle of the desert!! Currently 3000 children between the ages of 13 and 17 are being held behind barb wire and fencing in Tornillo, TX. The camp is expanding rapidly. We want to do something about this prison camp because what we saw shook us to our core. This fund is to help a team of 30 experienced St. Louis activists  occupy Tornillo between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1 in collaboration with local El Paso organizations including Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee and Cosecha. Our hope is that it will inspire others to do the same.”

This is a brown led coalition of resistance against the Tornillo prison camp and corrupt system that devastates our families on both sides of the border.”

FB: https://www.facebook.com/creativebrownresistance/

Donate: https://www.gofundme.com/christmas-in-tornillo-stl

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Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska:

Keystone XL halted temporarily:

“On Friday, December 7, 2018, the Honorable Brian Morris, United States District Judge for the District of Montana in Great Falls, issued a Supplemental Ruling in favor of the lead Plaintiffs in the litigation to stop the Keystone XL (KXL) Pipeline–the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) and North Coast Rivers Alliance (NCRA), and other groups.  Judge Morris’s 16-page Supplemental Order denies TransCanada’s motion to relax the Court’s November 8 Judgment that overturned the Trump Administration’s approval of the KXL Pipeline and issued a permanent injunction against its construction. Judge Morris specifically rejected TransCanada’s request to engage in the following construction activities: (1) preparation of pipe storage and contractor yards, (2) transportation, receipt and off-loading of pipe at storage yards, (3) preparation of sites for worker camps, and (4) mowing and patrolling areas of the pipeline right-of-way to discourage migratory bird nesting. Judge Morris only allowed TransCanada to conduct limited cultural, biological, civil and other surveys that do not harm the environment, and to maintain security at existing TransCanada sites.”

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South Texas:

Somi Se’k Village Base Camp: “Under the leadership of the Esto’k Gna (Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas), the Somi Se’k Village Base Camp’s mission is to populate and support a network of front Line Encampments (Wolf Pack) villages along the so called Mexican-American border. These villages will be active in providing aid to our asylum seeking relatives, protecting indigenous sacred sites, resisting construction of the #LNG (fracked gas) terminal, accompanying pipelines, and stopping the Border wall. We fight to stop the senseless endangerment of people, animals, and the environment.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Somi-Sek-Village-Base-Camp-2452609318101453/

Feel free to contribute with confidence: https://paypal.me/CampsARising

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Louisiana:

Resistance to Energy Transfer Partners and the Bayou Bridge Pipeline (#NoBayouBridge #StopETP)

StopETP Coalition: http://StopETP.org

L’eau Est La View Camp:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/LeauEstLaVie/

WEB: http://NoBBP.org

Update from Dec 6: Judge Rules Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) has trespassed and constructed without permits, but allows them to seize private land using eminent domain.

And this recent piece regarding law enforcement serving and benefiting directly from corporate interests and the extractive industry. READ the report here: http://bit.ly/BayouBridgeMoonlighting

As we continue to resist ETP and the State, we need your support: http://GoFundMe.com/NoBBP

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West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina:

Appalachians Against Pipelines, defense against the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and more:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/appalachiansagainstpipelines/

IG: @AppalachiansAgainstPipelines

Donate: http://bit.ly/supportmvpresistance

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Minnesota:

Ginew Collective Frontline Resistance Camp, “a grassroots, frontlines effort led by indigenous women to protect Anishinaabe territory from the destruction of Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands project”

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ginewcollective/

IG: @Ginew__ (two underscores)

Donate: https://bit.ly/stoppipeline3

The cold has been creeping in, with temperatures reaching -6 and -19 with the wind. Help provide gear: https://amzn.to/2EacYqE

Anti-colonial Land Defense, “a collective of Indigenous/non-Indigenous Water Protectors/Land Defenders under the direction of both indigenous elders & indigenous youth cooperating together; we are centered around protecting & reclaiming ancestral homelands via mutual aid…”:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/AnticolonialLandDefense/

IG: @AntiColonialLandDefense

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Southern Oregon:

Stop Jordan Cove LNG and the Pacific Connector Pipeline

FB: https://www.facebook.com/noLNGexports/

IG: @NoLNGExports

WEB: http://StopJordanCove.info & http://NoLNGExports.org

More Info and to send a comment to Oregon Department of State Lands to Stop Jordan Cove LNG:

https://nolngexports.good.do/DSL/DSLComments/

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Communitized Decentralized Disaster Recovery (WI, TX, LA, FL, PR, etc):

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR), “Solidarity, Not Charity. Recent events have shown that the effects of climate change are not distant fears, but current realities. From historic flooding in Louisiana to Hurricanes Matthew, Harvey, Irma, and Maria we need each other more than we ever have before. Immediately after floods and other disasters, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief listens to affected community members and responds with supplies, work crews, and amplifying the grassroots community-led initiatives that blossom following disasters.”

FB: https://www.facebook.com/MutualAidDisasterRelief/

IG: @MutualAidDisasterRelief, @MADRLumberton, @MADR_tour

WEB: http://MutualAidDisasterRelief.org

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Arizona and Immigration Reform:

No More Deaths/No Más Muertes, “The mission of No More Deaths is to end death and suffering in the Mexico–US borderlands through civil initiative: people of conscience working openly and in community to uphold fundamental human rights. Our work embraces the Faith-Based Principles for Immigration Reform and focuses on the following themes: • Direct aid that extends the right to provide humanitarian assistance • Witnessing and responding • Consciousness raising • Global movement building • Encouraging humane immigration policy.”

FB: https://www.facebook.com/nomoredeaths/

IG: @NoMoreDeaths_NoMasMuertes

WEB: http://nomoredeaths.org

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Labor and the Border:

Movimiento Cosecha, “Cosecha is a nonviolent movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Our name, “harvest” in Spanish, honors the long tradition of farmworker organizing and the present-day pain of the thousands of undocumented workers whose labor continues to feed the country. Committed to winning real victories for our community, Cosecha believes in using non-cooperation to leverage the power of immigrant labor and consumption and force a meaningful shift in public opinion.”

This organizing body is active nationally and also specifically organizing in San Diego supporting refugees and migrants:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/movimientocosecha/

IG: @Cosecha_Harvest

WEB: http://LaHuelga.com

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People’s Media:

Hecate Society, “an art and media collective that was birthed out of necessity by a group of QTPOC* and accomplices.”

FB: https://www.facebook.com/hecatesociety/

IG: @HecateSociety

WEB: http://HecateSociety.org

Recent article, “Divided People: connecting Black Mesa with the Central American Refugee Exodus”: http://bit.ly/DividedPeople

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BXE shows up to Make McNamee’s first day the Worst Day.

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This morning, members of Beyond Extreme Energy and friends were at FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to “welcome” new commissioner Bernard McNamee to his first meeting. After a campaign against his Senate confirmation because of his close ties to – and adulation of – the fossil fuel industry, and his denigration of both clean energy and those advocating for it, he squeaked by in a 50-49 Senate vote along party lines – by far the most controversial nominee ever seated.

“Recuse yourself” is the call from legal experts, many members of Congress, climate activists and members of frontline communities fighting the projects FERC routinely approves.

D.C. resident Carole Lewis Anderson said she went to her first FERC meeting because, “I’ve been persuaded that FERC is one agency that does not seem to make the goals and desires of the people part of its agenda. They just don’t care and have a way of dealing with input that’s discouraging. Also, most of its work has to do with supporting the fossil fuel industries and I am adamantly opposed to further extraction of any fossil fuels anywhere on earth. I didn’t want to be disruptive, so I told them before the meeting officially started that they need to allow the public’s views to be heard, how wrong it is to have McNamee on the commission, and that he must recuse himself.”

Michael Bagdes-Canning interrupted the meeting to say, “I am from the shalefields of western Pennsylvania, and every time they act they destroy communities like mine. They need to keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

John Quarterman is the Sewannee Riverkeeper, fighting to protect a river that runs through Alabama, Georgia and Florida, which is also home to the fracked gas pipeline, the Sabal Trail, approved by FERC. He told the commissioners, “The Sabal Trail already leaked and they didn’t even detect it, much less stop it, for a day. FERC abdicated responsibility.”

The Electricity Law Institute at Harvard Law School has filed a legal challenge urging frequent recusals because of McNamee’s conflicts of interest. And last week 17 Democratic Senators sent him a letter saying, “We are concerned about positions you have taken, both while serving as the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy and in the private sector. These positions and statements suggest a lack of independence and an inappropriate predisposition on a number of topics likely to be involved in proceedings that will come before you in your new role as a FERC Commissioner. We urge you to recuse yourself from any future FERC proceedings where your impartiality could be questioned. . .”

Maybe he’s listening. BXE veteran Ellen Barfield noted, “McNamee said at least for today and a little while in the future he’s going to just listen and vote present.” Activists are also urging anyone who doesn’t think such an extreme partisan in favor of expanded burning of planet- and community-destroying fossil fuels should be sitting as a FERC commissioner to call his office to express their opinion

Activists Disrupt Senate Hearing of Trump’s Corrupt, Climate-Denying FERC Nominee

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For Immediate Release:

Washington DC – At this Morning’s hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee three activists from Beyond Extreme Energy were arrested while speaking in opposition to Bernard McNamee, who is Trump’s latest Republican nominee to be a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

This action put the exclamation point on the more than 25,000 signatures and letters gathered to oppose McNamee’s nomination.

McNamee is a long-time fossil fuel insider and climate denier. He has worked as a lawyer for energy companies, was the energy spokesperson for the conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (funded by Exxon-Mobil and Chevron), and an energy advisor for Senator Ted Cruz, who introduced him at today’s hearing.

Last summer McNamee was instrumental in drafting policy with Energy Secretary Rick Perry to have ratepayers bail out ailing nuclear and coal plants owned by political allies of Donald Trump. When this radical plan was unanimously rejected 5-0 by FERC, McNamee was again part of crafting a plan to use the War Powers Act to force the same subsidy through. That radical plan raised the concern of many members of the ENR Committee, but Politico reports that it was seen as a key “litmus test” for Mcnamee’s nomination to FERC.

BXE and other activists contend that by putting McNamee in a position of power at FERC Trump is seeking to take direct political control of what is supposed to be an independent government agency, all while forcing American ratepayers to buy power from uneconomical power plants that would raise costs on U.S. consumers by billions of dollars per year. Preliminary estimates range from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity projection of about $4 billion per year, to The Brattle Group’s estimate of between $9.7 billion and $17.2 billion per year.

A BXE activist stood up during the hearing, interrupting McNamee as he gave his personal introduction to say “Members of the committee, I have to object to this nominee. I ask you to think about conflict of interest and what a terrible example this nominee is with all his connections to fossil fuel industries.” As he was removed from the hearing room he continued: “Think about all the victims of eminent domain, and the refugees and those killed by the fires and hurricanes. Vote NO ON MCNAMEE.”

Two additional BXE members stood and held a banner reading “Vote No On McNamee!”
All three were taken out of the hearing room and arrested, but have since been released after paying a small fine.

The ENR Committee is to vote soon after Thanksgiving on McNamee and the other nominees to other government agencies. Senator Murkowski (AK) has stated that the decision will go before the full Senate in December.

Activists have been speaking out in opposition to McNamee for weeks — in addition to the tens of thousands of signatures, activists collected letters from citizens and endorsements from more than 100 organizations, and compiled an impressive list of detailed questions and concerns about the nominee. Shortly before Halloween, these same three activists who were arrested today (and others) visited the offices of most members of the ENR Committee dressed as “Super Villians for FERC,” in an action that added a little humor to the question of why they oppose this nomination (video).

Thanks for Sending a Comment to the Army Corps, spread the word!

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Thanks for sending a comment to the Army Corps of Engineers. Your comment has already been emailed to the Corps, and we’ll send them a summary before the Feb 10 deadline.

Now, Can you share the comment form with your networks using the links below? You can also take a look around our website for more campaigns and updates, or click here to donate.

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share this link

Live From FERC – the Aliso Canyon hearing we deserve

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Earlier today, BXE members visited the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a special hearing on Aliso Canyon – the fracked gas storage facility in California that sprang a massive leak last year. The leak eventually lead to evacuations, major health problems for people and animals in the area, massive media coverage, and an emergency declaration from Gov. Jerry Brown.

Five BXE members entered the meeting and spoke out to disrupt the hearing and demand that the concerns of the public be included. Ellen (in the video below) and other speakers were backed up by more than 300 people who joined a “thunderclap” action – tweeting and posting at the same time to show solidarity with BXE and our allies around the country fighting fracked-gas infrastructure projects that FERC reviews and oversees.

A short while later, we set up camp outside the building and held our own “people’s hearing” featuring front-line activists and experts from around the country. Our lineup included:

  • Dr. Robert Howarth on the climate threat of fracked gas.
  • Ellen and other BXE activists on the hearing and why FERC doesn’t work.
  • Nancy LaPlaca on cumulative v individual threats and federal policy on fracked gas infrastructure.
  • John Dennis A researcher from near Seneca Lake New York on the current and future risks of fracked gas storage in his area.
  • Michael Bagdes-Canning on the local harms from fracking in Western Pennsylvania, where he lives.
  • Karen Feridun from PA Against Fracking on the climate effects of methane leakage.
  • And finally Richard Mathews, a Save Porter Ranch board member who has been organizing during and after the evacuation to expose Sempra Energy’s terrible conduct. Richard’s interview was cut off when we lost power for a few minutes. We’ll post our interview with him as a separate video soon.

Here’s the recording:

After our people’s hearing (and a short break), BXE members marched to the national headquarters of the Army Corps of Engineers a few blocks away. Several volunteers including Ellen Barfield and Steve Norris, who are themselves veterans, asked to meet with someone from the Army Corps about the Dakota Access pipeline.

When no one would come out to meet us, BXE marched around the building blowing whistles and ringing bells to “blow the whistle” on the Army Corps for not denying the DAPL permit outright. To date, the Army Corps, in coordination with the Department of Interior and other parts of President Barack Obama’s administration have ‘paused’ the pipeline pending a review now expected to last just weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates and info on BXE actions at FERC and in solidarity with the #NoDAPL protests soon!

The BXE Frontline Community Support Fund

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We are excited to announce the launch of our Frontline Community Support Fund – through which we’re able to make small grants (up to $1,000) that support frontline community action to stop fossil fuel infrastructure. Because of the nature of our fund, it may be best to ask for specific items or equipment that you’ll need for an action rather than cash.

Click here to fill out an application for your group today.

OR click here to for a detailed application guide.

In general, we hope to fund actions that strengthen you or your group’s engagement with the entities you are opposing. The BXE Frontline Fund is primarily focused on fighting against fossil fuel infrastructure, environmental racism, and the social impacts of the energy industry such as man camps.

That means we’re more likely to support a rally, protest, civil disobedience, non-violent direct action, or training for an action. We’re less likely to fund a conference, a legal review, or general operating expenses like staff and rent. We do not reject any application out of hand – tell us what you need and how we can help.

Initial applications are screened for relevance by our staff person (Shane). The application then passes to a council of Frontline Advisors  — we’re honored to have Cherri Foytlin, Donna Chavis, and Michael Bagdes Canning as our current FLCF Advisors. Their choice and advice are passed along to the BXE General Meeting, which discusses the application and tries to come up with any further questions. We welcome applicants to attend the beginning portion of the General Meeting to talk more about their plans. The BXE General Meeting – which is open to all – to make sure we honor our commitment to horizontal leadership and the motto “To leave no one behind, we must all lead.”

The coordination and final call on how to fund a project is made by the BXE Fundraising and Budget Committee.

For more details on how to apply, and tips on what to expect, download the 1-page support guide above, or just click on the application to get started. We look forward to working with you!

Summer heat: On the Streets in DC and Philly

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In case you missed it, during a record breaking heat wave on the east coast, Beyond Extreme Energy was heating up the streets of our nation’s capitol and the City of Brotherly love with a series of actions challenging polluters and politicians over fracked gas, eminent domain and more. Below is a re-cap of the last few weeks’ worth of work – including video, press clips and more.

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But first, a message from our sponsors – you! BXE is at a critical juncture this summer. We’ve raised money in the past to support specific actions and events – the vast majority of it donated in small, individual contributions by people like you. We’ve also been able to secure some limited funding from foundations to underwrite our 2 traveling staff Lee and Jimmy and directly fund some of the front line communities we work in partnership with.

But our existing funds will be exhausted by the end of the summer or early fall. To keep fighting, and putting on even more events like the ones below – we need your help. Please, can you chip in $15, $25, or $100 to keep BXE fighting through the fall and far into the future?

Now, back to our previously scheduled re-cap:

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On July 21, dozens of BXE-ers met up with friends from Greenpeace and Environmental Action to pressure the DNC to stand on the side of people and the planet instead of the fracked-gas industry. Activists visited the Congressional office of then-DNC-Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz, and then blockaded the doors at the Democratic National Committee office for nearly three hours. Read more about it here, and see and hear coverage from local media below.

Next it was off to Philadelphia for big conferences, rallies and the Epic, 10,000 Person March for a Clean Energy Revolution — all during a sweltering, 100+ degree heat wave.

You can see a recap of the Summit for a Clean Energy Revolution and PowerShift Philadelphia in Environmental Action’s blog, and a short Recap of the massive Sunday march below. Check out the amazing in-frack-structure banners painted and designed by our friends Kim and Seth (with lots of help from Ellen and other BXE friends)!

But it didn’t stop when the DNC started either! BXE staffer Jimmy Betts was in Philly all week, working with the Democracy Spring team and others to organize creative, non-violent direct action protests to the DNC’s position on fracking, fossil fuels and money in politics. One of the most dramatic events came when environmental activists, Indigenous youth, and other concerned citizens disrupted a Politico event sponsored the American Petroleum Institute, the leading American trade group of the fossil fuel industry. The event, “Energy and the Election at the DNC”, featured prominent Democratic lawmakers and energy advisors including, Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA), Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Ed Rendell, former PA Gov., Trevor Houser, Hillary For America Energy Policy Advisor, and Heather Zichal, former Obama climate official.

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And even after the convention, Beyond Extreme Energy can’t stop and won’t stop fighting for climate justice. Volunteers and staff are on their way to Florida to support a pipeline-stopping conference there. We’re making our first organizational donations through the Frontline Community Support Fund we established to raise funds for frontline communities from the Gulf Coast to the Canadian Border (and beyond)  that are carrying out creative actions to keep fossil fuels and extreme energy in the ground.

But we’re seriously in danger of having to stop our plans mid-motion if we can’t raise an additional $5,000 this summer. And that’s why we’re asking for your help. If you click the link now, we’ll ask you to pledge to support BXE’s organizing work this fall. You will not be charged right away – only if enough people pledge will the campaign “tip” and our collective funds donated to BXE.

Note: Donations made through the Tilt platform are not tax deductible, but if you prefer, you can send a donation to our new fiscal sponsor by mail:

Make Check out to “Earthworks” and write “Beyond Extreme Energy” in the memo line.

Send to
Earthworks
1612 K St., NW
Suite 808
Washington, D.C.
20006

Earthworks is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. EIN/Tax ID #52-1557765.

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