Local Level Actions
Attend Public Hearing 4/17 and/or Comment on the Anacortes Tesoro Xylene DEIS
Source: Re-Sources for Sustainable Communities
Description: Attend the public hearing on 4/17 and/or submit comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tesoro Xylene Project.
Background: Tesoro refinery in Anacortes has proposed an expansion project that would increase the risk of a chemical spill in the Salish Sea. The “Tesoro Anacortes Clean Products Upgrade Project” is a proposal to upgrade the refinery to produce and export xylene, a flammable petrochemical used to make plastic and synthetics. The plan to produce 15,000 barrels of xylene per day for export to Asia would bring an addition 5 tankers per month through the Salish Sea – each additional tanker increases the risks of spills of crude oil and refined products. In March 2017, Skagit County released the draft EIS for the proposal. The public hearing is April 17th in Anacortes, and the public comment period ends May 8th, 2017.
Take Action!
Suggested Script:
As a resident of [insert city/County], I am deeply concerned that the proposed Tesoro Anacortes CPU Project threatens our climate, public health, and the sensitive Salish Sea ecosystem. The draft EIS lacks both accurate calculations for carbon pollution and assurances the project won’t increase crude oil train traffic. I would like to request that Skagit County include language in the final EIS that:
- Requires the highest standards during the transport, refining and shipping of xylene.
- Ensures refinery workers follow the highest safety standards and are protected from the risks of toxic xylene spills.
- Creates an adequate disaster response plan with mitigation measures for water and air during a xylene spill at the refinery or from a tanker in the Salish Sea.
- Prevents Tesoro from utilizing the upgrades to begin exporting crude oil without additional permits and an independent environmental impact assessment.
- Prevents Tesoro from increasing crude oil train traffic to the refinery to provide the products needed to create xylene.
- Fully offsets any increases in refinery pollution by specifically supporting mitigation projects in Northwest Washington.
Additional Information: For the ReSources action alert (which links to news articles and other sources of info), click here. To learn more about the proposed project and to review the Draft EIS, click here.
Write a Letter or Postcard to Legislators Regarding Fully Funding Public Education (Due 04/18/17)
Source: Lisa Van Doren
Description: Washington’s Paramount Duty (WPD) will be visiting Olympia on Thursday to talk to legislators about fully funding public education. They will deliver letters/postcards to representatives on our behalf. If we get enough letters/postcards, I will take them to Seattle on Wednesday for WPD members to deliver in person. Let’s do this!
Write a quick postcard or see talking points below to assist in writing a letter. Print and sign your letter, including your address (to verify you are a constituent). I’ll be at Elizabeth Station on Tuesday between 6-8pm and you can drop it with me. If this doesn’t work for you, message me and I will meet up with you to get it another time.
Choose one or two of these talking points (or go freestyle!) and add a personal anecdote, if you can. You can talk about your own kid’s education, teachers, PTA experience, etc. Bonus – if you do write a letter, you can later submit it as a Letter to the Editor – two birds with one stone!
Suggested Script:
40th District Constituents (Dem Budget)
- This budget proposal is a good start that uses new revenues paid for by the wealthiest in our state. It gets us closer to the goal of fully and amply funding our public schools.
- Washington state has over 600 tax breaks—more than any state other than New York.
- The loopholes in the tax code deprive the state of 30 billion dollars a biennium that could be invested in our public schools. We like that this proposal includes closing some tax loopholes, but we urge you to look to close additional tax breaks for big businesses. Massive corporations should be paying their full and fair share towards public schools in our state.
- Unfortunately, this budget still falls short of fully and amply funding our public schools. For example, budget doesn’t meet the legislative-set deadline of fully funding schools by September 1, 2018. The investments need to be made now, rather than ramping up. The legislature had years to ramp up, and you didn’t do it. You must meet your own deadline to fulfill your promise to our children.
- Great public schools are not only the key to providing Washington’s kids with an opportunity for a bright future; they are also the foundations of a prosperous state.
- In a state that is home to world-class companies, Washington has the wealth to ensure every Washington student receives a world-class education.
- The legislature’s paramount duty is to fund our schools, not to keep taxes low on rich people and large corporations.
42nd District Constituents (GOP Budget)
- The Senate plan claims to lower property taxes, but this comes with huge caveats. Their plan doesn’t provide districts enough money for things like buses, or sports, or other priorities. They limit the amount districts can raise through local levies, but if districts pass a local levy, then the property taxes go up, not down. The Governor’s budget is the only one that lowers property taxes without hurting schools.
- The Republicans’ plan is a back-door massive property tax cut for large corporations such as Walmart, Puget Sound Energy, Avista, and Boeing.
- The Republicans are choosing to raise a regressive tax on the hardworking families rather than ask the richest 1% and the corporate special interests to pay their fair share.
- Great public schools are not only the key to providing Washington’s kids with an opportunity for a bright future; they are also the foundations of a prosperous state.
- In a state that is home to world-class companies, Washington has the wealth to ensure every Washington student receives a world-class education.
- The legislature’s paramount duty is to fund our schools, not to keep taxes low on rich people and large corporations.
Contact Information:
40th District Constituents
42nd District Constituents
Additional Information: Please deliver your letter or postcard to Lisa Van Doren on Tuesday, April 18th at Elizabeth Station or contact her at lisa.vandoren@gmail.com to make arrangements for pick-up.
Carbon Tax Lobby Day (In-Person or Virtual), 4/20
Source: Carbon Washington/ACT NOW coalition (Advocates for a Carbon Tax NOW)
Description: Participate in the lobby day on April 20th (either in person or virtually, by calling your legislators) to convey support for a carbon tax.
Background: Advocates for a Carbon Tax NOW (ACT NOW) is a growing coalition of volunteers and organizations that want to see a carbon tax pass this legislative session. Together with Carbon Washington, they have organized a carbon tax lobby day for Thursday, April 20 (Earth Day), in Olympia. You can participate in any of the following ways:
- Attend carbon tax lobby day, Thursday 4/20, in person in Olympia (click here for more information and to RSVP).
- Call your legislators on 4/20 (see contact info and suggested script below).
- Write a Letter to the Editor by 4/20 (click here to request assistance from organizers).
Suggested Script: My name is [name], and I am a constituent of the [district #] legislative district in [insert city or County]. Climate Change is a moral and economic threat to Washington State, and one of the most efficient and effective policies to reduce carbon emissions is a price on carbon pollution. I urge the [Senator/Representative ] to enact a price on pollution as a measure to uphold our obligation to future generations. A price on carbon pollution will generate revenue that could be used to provide tax relief for citizens, in particular, low-income communities, funding for healthy forests and clean water, acceleration of the clean energy economy and vital state services.
Contact Information:
Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 1-800-635-9993)
42nd District
40th District
Additional Information:
Sign the Petition for Albertsons to Abandon the Non-Compete Clause with Park Manor Shopping Center
Source: Submitted by Community Member
Description: Call on Albertsons to abandon the “non-compete clause” and permit other grocers to move into the Park Manor shopping center so that Bellingham’s Birchwood residents again have access to a wide selection of affordable and healthy foods and end the food desert.
Contact Information: Click here to sign the petition.
National Level Actions / Other
Write Postcards to President Trump and Senator Schumer to Release Trump's Tax Returns
Source: Submitted by Community Member
Description: We need to keep the pressure on President Trump and demand he release his tax returns for years 2006-2016.
The second postcard is to ask Senator Chuck Schumer to keep up the pressure on DJT’s tax returns, and because Trump will never admit he got so many postcards. Senator Schumer can verify how many people care about this issue.
Contact Information:
- President Trump, White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC 20500
- Senator Chuck Schumer, 322 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510
From the Calendar
Mondays from 11:30a.m.-1:30p.m.: Attend a vigil hosted by C2C every Monday in front of City Hall. Show the powers that be that you stand by our undocumented workers and anyone else running afoul of ICE. Let the officials know it’s not alright to tear families apart!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 from 5:00-6:00p.m.: Please join the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center and the Veterans For Peace Chapter 111 at Lottie and Grand (by the Bellingham Public Library) in resisting a federal budget that fuels the U.S. war machine and corporate greed. Bellingham will be one of hundreds of sites of action across 35 countries calling on elected representatives to prioritize human needs over war. We will:
- Unveil a massive banner exposing the outrageous amount of funding the U.S. federal budget allocates to the military in comparison to other federal programs.
- Reflect on the problems caused by excessive militarism and the military-industrial complex.
- Demand that Congress start to prioritize human needs over corporate greed by agreeing not to vote for increases to military spending.
Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 7:00-9:00p.m.: Community Forum: The Future of Affordable Care hosted by Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement at St. Luke’s Community Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Pkwy, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 7:00-9:00p.m.: Put a Cork in it, Trump! A postcard writing party at Vinostrology Wine Lounge & Merchant, 120 W. Holly Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 12:30-4:00p.m.: March for Science Bellingham at City Hall. Click here to learn more. Use the Facebook post to spread the word.
Sunday, April 23, 2017 from 1:00-2:30p.m.: RC Education Series: Campaign 101 at the Leopold Crystal Ballroom, 1224 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Join Riveters Collective for a nuts and bolts campaign training for candidates and campaign volunteers. This is a family-friendly event. Bring a snack or beverage to share if you’d like, potluck to follow!