The Weymouth Compressor saga has many heroes. One such hero is Andrea Honore, who has for months conducted a noontime a vigil outside the Governor’s office in the Statehouse, seeking to make the case about why the compressor should not be built. Listen in as she tells the story of how she came to be the point of a long sword.

The reading list:

• https://sitwithandrea.wordpress.com/

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Building a natural gas compressor station in a busy part of Weymouth seems complicated enough, but when you throw in Sphinx-like leadership styles, backroom sweetheart deals, suppressed data, 200 years of industrial waste and lots of 1,3-butadiene, the plots and subplots multiply. Listen in

The reading list

• FRRACS (NO COMPRESSOR) website
• Itai Vardi of Desmogblog on undisclosed carcinogens
• Matt Beaton leaves to join the pipeline industry
• https://sitwithandrea.wordpress.com/
• Go here to find updates on the May 15 hearing location

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Carbon emissions from Massachusetts’ transportation sector are the next big frontier of climate work in the state. The Governor is searching for ways to finance these efforts and a multi-state effort (called the TCI, for Transportation and Climate Initiative) seems like a good path. At the same time, while his Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs has moved to work with a pipeline company, the incoming Secretary tweets as “@ClimateKatie”.

The reading list:

• Commonwealth Magazine on Gov Baker's TCI efforts
• Matt Beaton leaves to join the pipeline industry
• The new Secretary is Kathleen Theoharides
• MASSLive on Theoharides
• CityScape on Transportation

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Does the imaginative response of the Extinction Rebellion (and that of the Climate Strikes, the Sunrise Movement and others) represent a new way to address the sclerotic politics of our time? Listen in.

The reading list:

• Extinction Rebellion website
• NYT on Extinction Rebellion
• Greta Thunberg nominated for Nobel?
• Congress passes HR9 to protect Paris Accord
• Paolo Bacigalupi's short story "A Full Life"

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Listen in to hear Carol Oldham (MCAN's Executive Director) as we discuss this year’s Local Environmental Action (LEA19) Conference. Bringing together community leaders, environmental justice advocates and activists from across the region to build skills, discuss new ideas, and be inspired for the work ahead.

The Contact List:

• The LEA '19 website
• The Agenda
• The Workshops
• The Keynote
• Registration

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Paying a fee to drive in NYC may be an idea whose time has come. Is it fair? Is it practical? Is it coming to Boston? Then we pose the philosophical question: What is the best way for a Climate Hawk to shape the coming 2020 race? One path is to insist on a “Climate Qualified” candidate, who 1) comprehends the emergency 2) has a pragmatic political plan to get the votes to pass legislation and 3) proposes sound policy. Listen in!

The reading list:

• WBUR on NYC congestion pricing
• Congestion princing in Boston?
• VMT
• New Yorker on climate drivers of Latin American Immigration
• Filibuster reform?

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Alexandria Ocassio-Cortez’s appearance on a cable TV town hall gives us lots of food for thought. Listen in!

The reading list:

• YouTube of the MSNBC town hall with AOC
  • https://youtu.be/RrsQVEk__Hc
  • https://youtu.be/Mg5d6Mz_luI
  • https://youtu.be/3vqMeG1P5NY
  • https://youtu.be/rN0cDlCGkgI
  • https://youtu.be/fSLoiKh69fc
  • https://youtu.be/F1mrF_lZK1k
• Markey upbeat after Senate vote on GND
• Grassley calls Trump comment on wind "idiotic"
• AOC claps back at heckler

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

A truth sandwich tells the true facts, points out the lie, and then repeats the truth. We apply this method: The Green New Deal cannot have a ‘cost’ since it has no specifics yet. The Green New Deal is essentially a ‘request for proposals’ to meet a goal, and no concrete proposals have been made. Therefore a ‘cost estimate’ is necessarily arbitrary and based on the fantasy of the estimator. We should know this when considering a report that the Green New Deal will cost 93 Trillion dollars. (Perhaps the right wing think tank that cooked the books included in their estimate a yearly flight on the space shuttle for every American. Who know?) The truth is that any estimate of the cost of the Green New Deal is premature. Further, such estimates should include the damage avoided over the next 100 years or so, and the economic growth an aggressive package would bring. We should think of the GND as an investment, not a ‘cost’. Listen in as we discuss.

The reading list

• Vox on the GND
• More media coverage?
• What is a Truth Sandwich
• Fortune Magazine propagates the distortion
• Why social aspects of GND are critical
• WBUR CityScape series on climate
• Local Environmental Action Conference

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

President Trump made headlines this week for declaring a national emergency to build a wall. Quickly, the conversation turned to the precedent set by this use of powers and the question “what if the Democrats used the same tactic to tackle climate change?” Jump on our philosophical roller coaster of a discussion about declaring a national emergency. Spoiler alert: the best way to avoid a national emergency that tackles climate change is to elect candidates up and down the ballot who have a robust pro-climate action platform. How do we get such candidates? By sending a clear message that we want climate action and we will vote for climate action.

The reading list:

• GRIST on what a climate emergency would look like
• Climate Leviathan
• Who was Cincinnatus?
• Washington and Cincinnatus
• HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

The confrontation of members of Congress by climate activists is a new and powerful tactic. Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi have both been visited. A viral video of young activists and Senator Feinstein seems to exemplify all the issues in this complex process. Put simply, is the Senator out-of-touch with the urgency of the problem, or is she a sage veteran who can make something practical happen? How aggressive should activist be in challenging erstwhile allies like Feinstein, as compared to clear opponents like Mitch McConnell? Listen is as we discuss.

The Reading list:

• McKibben in the New Yorker
• A defense in the Atlantic
• The long video
• "Why social policy essential to GND"

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre