Nan Hildreth

Please call your members of Congress in support of HR 9, Climate Action Now.  It should pass the House next week as it has 224 co-sponsors, enough to win.   Curiously, my Rep, Sheila Jackson Lee is not a co-sponsor.  To look up your member of Congress  https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

The fun will be in the Senate.  Republicans have talked a bit about what climate action they WOULD support since they detest Green New Deal.   This will put them on the spot.   Our senator John Cornyn has already made a modest public statement for our climate, so he may swing our way.  Please call Cornyn  202-224-2934 or 713-572-3337.   If you want to call Senator Cruz also,  (713) 718-3057

Then the fun will be whether President Trump will veto the bill.   

Representative Lizzie Fletcher has an excellent op-ed in Today's Chronicle about Climate Action Now.  https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/To-fix-global-warming-the-world-needs-Houston-13798340.php

I called the texas legislators on some of the bills.  Thanks Lisa.   It's urgent.  The Legislature only meets every 2 years and hopes to finish in May.  

Calling was easy. All the info I needed was on the link Lisa posted:  http://texasimpact.org/project/weekly-witness/    The phone numbers are at the bottom of that page.  If you can't call during working hours, its OK to call after hours.  

HB 100 requires some state agencies to plan for climate disruption with advice from State Climatologist.  HB (house bill) 928 asks for a commission for climate change mitigation and adaptation.  Who could oppose? 

Another couple of bills are against protesters at "critical infrastructure" i.e. pipelines and refineries. HB 3557 is out of committee and could be voted on next week.  They've been submitting these nationwide.   Louisiana passed a law that makes it a felony to trespass on an oil and gas pipeline area.  
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB3557
http://polluterwatch.org/TEXAS-Oil-Gas-Critical-Infrastructure-Anti-Protest-Bills-alec-csg

To look up your state representative, google texas who represents me or  https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Nan 713-504-9901  NanHildreth@riseup.net

I couldn't find any bills on forests in the Texas legislature.  

I've learned a lot from watching Reverend Dowd, the climate prophet, on Youtube.  He speak Sunday 5pm at First Unitarian Universalist Church.

He says "The fundamental role of religion is to ensure that the future is not compromised by the present."   And then makes it clear WHY we are robbing the future of prosperity and risking human extinction.  The problem is the "secular religion of perpetual growth".   

My roommate, an economist, agreed and says the solution is to live simply.   Then told me to bicycle and I told him to bicycle around.  

RSVP for the 5pm Sunday talk at 5200 Fannin at  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reverend-michael-dowd-climate-and-deep-sustainability-tickets-57255465639

At the big oil conference, this week, nobody was denying global warming and lots of talk about emissions. So the next step for Houston is to focus on solutions.   The conversation has moved on from "It's not real" to "What do we do about it?"  

The politicians and candidates don't know too much.  EcoChallenge is a good place for us to learn it so we can teach them. 

Also, at the Conference they argued about how much electric vehicles would hurt the oil industry.  I love my EV. Fuel cost is half as much as gas for my 22mpg vehicle.  And also electricity is cleaner than gasoline.  Wind and hydro in part.    So my EV cut my climate footprint by 65%.   

Drawdown says Electric Vehicles aren't as big a solution as eating for our climate. "Clean your plate and eat your veggies"  means less trees cut down for food. 

Here's the article  https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/Electricity-and-oil-battle-for-future-of-13689989.php#photo-17073065