Bad news from DC is balanced by continued good work here in Massachusetts. We discuss what it all means, from Seattle’s divestment of DAPL to new bills in the Massachusetts Legislature calling for clean energy. Listen in and don’t forget to register for the Local Environmental Action conference March 5, Northeastern University

The august greybeards of the conservative movement have proposed a carbon tax to address climate change. That is a good thing, on the face of it, but the deal contains some pills that range from bitter to poisonous. We discuss the ‘conservative climate solution’ in comparison to other carbon fee ideas. Also, listen in for DR’s favorite climate news websites.

One of the new administration’s Executive Orders restarted the process of completing the Dakota Pipeline. Construction resumption is imminent, but lawsuits are underway, as are efforts to defund project through divestment. Employees of the EPA are protesting the nomination of Scott Pruitt.  Don’t forget to register for the Local Environmental Action conference March 5, Northeastern University

The trial of an activist in the Pacific Northwest ends in a hung jury, despite the judge’s hopes. Is this a sea change in the attitude toward direct action on climate? Our so-called President’s immigration ban should be opposed on it’s own merits, but climate driven refugees will only become more numerous as we go forward. Climate Hawks need to help build stronger systems for dealing with the suffering. In the US Senate, the ideologues on the right ‘suspend the rules’ to achieve their end. This is bad for democracy. Listen in.

Don’t forget: The MCAN/TAC conference is Sunday, March 5, at Northeastern.  Register for MCAN's LocalEnvironmentalActionConference

Neil Gorsuch’s nomination debate will be full of terms like the “Chevron Deference” and the “Originalist Interpretation.” Those are not show titles from “The Big Bang Theory” but describe legal ideas. “Chevron” is the court case that declared government agencies like the EPA know more about global warming than does the SCOTUS, and so should be respected by the Court. This would help the Obama Clean Power Plan prevail, but Gorsuch disputes the concept.  An “Originalist” like Gorsuch believes that the words of the Constitution need to be defined as did the Founding Fathers. That is all fine, but new technologies were inconceivable to them. Should every individual state regulate the internet? What about pollution from ‘downwind’ states like Ohio blowing into “upwind’ states like MA?  Neil Gorsuch’s legal views are a threat to the “general welfare,” his nomination is tainted by the illegitimacy of the Trump Presidency and the established Senatorial procedures demand that Merrick Garland by given a hearing first. Gorsuch must be stopped.

Executive Orders were issued recently aimed at reviving both Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipeline. Does it still make sense? What does make sense is the eruption of “alt” Twitter accounts for National Parks, the EPA and other agencies.

Read as well Bill McKibben’s  latest piece :

The zeitgeist can’t be rewritten by environmentalists alone. Though there’s no technical reason why environmental protection should be a “progressive” idea, it’s clear that in our day and age the Republican party and the conservative movement have chosen to go with the fossil fuel industry. (They’ve been bought, and they’ve stayed bought). That leaves those who care about the climate standing with those who care about the poor, about racial justice, about immigrants, about peace. And at bottom that’s the right fit: a renewably powered world would be far more localized, democratic, and fair. It’s the opposite of planet Koch in every way. 

Finally, what can Mahatma (The Great Soul) Gandhi teach us about how to resist the authoritarian police state we appear headed for? Listen in.

In the hurricane of lies, bullying and authoritarian moves by the new administration, we try to find a calm and principled response. America is better than this. We are better than this.  The goodness of America will re-assert itself. Instead of responding to each new absurdity from the scoundrels currently in power, we recall our values and focus on a coherent response that reflects them. Don’t be distracted from the real news- we are building a new world. Listen in.

https://soundcloud.com/massclimateaction/america-is-better-than-this-the-climate-minute-podcast

We talk to people who marched on Boston Common, January 21 2017 in the Women’s March for America. If you are looking for what to do next, watch Michael Moore addressing the DC crowd  (the number is 202-225-3121) and then sign up for Mass Power Forward Lobby Day January 25 2017 at 10AM right here in the Massachusetts State House.

The new Administration’s Cabinet of swamp monsters continues to be grilled in Senate hearings. The particularly repugnant Scott Pruitt, candidate for EPA Administrator and fierce defendant of “states rights” for oil companies, went all wobbly on his principles when asked about allowing California to pursue it’s own aggressive clean energy standards.  However, this may be just the tip of the iceberg, since the Fed’s may try to preempt clean energy work in many states. Fortunately, China looks willing to lead the rest of the world into a clean energy future. Listen in!

Barack Obama continues to lead, both with an academic paper on the benefits of clean energy and a stirring call to public action in his Farewell Address. Over the next few days we have the chance to push both of those goals forward. Link to the January 21 march through the MCAN event page and sign up for the  Mass Power Forward Lobby Day January 25 2017 at 10AM .