Welcome to the July 2024 Climate Action Newsletter
Quote of the Month:
“We need to finally realize that the health of our citizens and planet should not be compromised for the sake of fossil fuel profits.”
– Scott Simmons of Climate Reality Project NoCo, testifying for SB-159
Action of The Month:
Share this article explaining how most of our state’s oil and gas wells don’t even make enough money to ensure they will be cleaned up!
Take action for climate solutions in Colorado
📱 Share:
- Help us spread the word about an important local environmental justice fight! Share this post about an upcoming screening of the film “A Good Neighbor,” a feature length documentary that follows the story of Lucy Molina, a Latina mother, activist, and Commerce City resident as she navigates the reality of living in the most polluted zip code of the United States. Share on Instagram or Facebook.
📧 Send:
- From our friends at Save the Aurora Reservoir: “Send an email to the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners expressing your opposition to the Secret Stash well pad. This would be a 20-well pad in addition to the 160+ wells proposed by Civitas within the Lowry Ranch CAP. The operator, GMT Exploration, has requested approval by administrative review, without public hearing.
- Use this one-click email or write and send your own email to commissioners@arapahoegov.com”
💧 Show up for the Aurora Reservoir:
- Sign up to attend ECMC hearing on the Lowry Ranch CAP – RSVP here
🎨 Design:
- Do you have graphic design skills and want to volunteer to design a 50-page report related to Suncor’s pollution? We need your help! Email heidi@350colorado.org for more information and to get started.
Organize & Meet Other Activists:
- Join the tabling & outreach crew: We’re so excited to get you connected to this new team! Tabling and Outreach are important and essential tools for organizing – we recruit new volunteers with diverse backgrounds, gather signatures for sign on letters and petitions, and build support for all of our campaigns and committees! Please fill out this form so can get an idea of your background and skillset. Reach out to Melissa (melissa@350colorado.org) if you have questions!
- Go to an event or meeting this month: Check out our list of upcoming events and committee meetings for the month at the bottom of this email. We hope to see you around virtually or in-person!
- Join one of our committees or local teams! To get involved, check out this committee list or sign up for a local team near you! See our calendar for all upcoming committee meetings. No matter your experience level with climate activism or organizing, we’d love to meet you and work together. Local teams include Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Northern Colorado, and Roaring Fork.
Recent news
Environmental groups show gas imaging technology that can ‘see’ emissions
Take a look at this local news article about the fracking pollution and action tour held by 350CO and Earthworks last month!
“We do tours like this and use the camera and give people kind of that firsthand experience in order to both raise awareness about, kind of ongoing emissions from the oil and gas industry, but also just allow for people to kind of ask questions and engage in conversation.”
Read Powerful Testimony from the Public on Oil and Gas Phase Out and Clean Up
We made history on March 28! It was the first time that a top oil and gas producing state debated a bill to phase out new oil and gas permits, and debate it we did – for nine hours! This historic bill, SB24-159, would have phased out new fracking permits by 2030 and enacted liability reform to hold operators responsible for clean up costs.
There were over 200 people signed up on both sides of the issue to testify on and in the end we outnumbered the testifiers who were against the bill. So even though it failed in committee, it was a powerful first step. Read some of the testimony below, published with permission of the speakers. This represents a fraction of the testimony in support of this bill. Thank you to everyone who turned out to give testimony in person, on zoom, or in writing!
If you would like your testimony added to this blog post, please email Heidi@350Colorado.org
The Biggest Climate Change Bill in History Gives You Money! (Inflation Reduction Act)
We need both systems change and individual action to solve the climate crisis, and we climate activists have been working hard to try to change the system. Climate activism has helped get federal and state laws passed to help fund the clean energy transition. Your utility, the state of Colorado, the Federal government, and maybe even your city now have money to help you transition to clean energy and reduce your energy usage – that is a step in the right direction toward a system we want. Here is some information and resources to get started!
An upcoming lawsuit calls for an air pollution crackdown at Suncor Energy’s Commerce City refinery
“Our health is not a joke. We’ve learned we can’t trust our government over and over again, so we need to make sure the law is enforced,” said Lucy Molina, a community activist who lives near the refinery and works with climate advocacy group 350 Colorado.”
“Earthjustice is leading the case on behalf of the Sierra Club, 350 Colorado and GreenLatinos. It filed the notice with Suncor and relevant state and local agencies, clearing a path for the groups to submit an official lawsuit in federal court after a 60-day waiting period.”
US Supreme Court will review nixing of Utah oil-train project that drew Colorado opposition
“The fossil fuel industry’s insistence on a doomed project at the expense of taxpayers underscores that it’s only interested in protecting its own bottom line,” said Luis Miranda, director of the Sierra Club’s Utah chapter. “The Uinta Basin Railway threatens public health, as well as treasured landscapes and waterways. A derailment would carry immeasurable harm.”
A huge thanks to our Climate Hero of the Month – Melissa Lewis!
Meet Melissa!
Melissa has been passionate about climate justice since she was in high school. While in high school, she participated in civic engagement club that focused around getting people out to vote, to advocate for issues impacting them like climate change, and to show that you are not too young to be an activist.
Since then, Melissa has gone on to attend the University of Denver, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Studies, becoming very involved with activist clubs on campus such as Divest and Ignite. Since college, Melissa has been working in politics and has been an active member on the Denver LC. She has assisted in many 350 Colorado events and campaigns including most recently climate lobby day and the environmental film festival!
“Melissa was crucial to the success of Climate Lobby Day! Her insight and expertise in navigating the capital, security, and materials for the press conference proved to be vital as the day ran seamlessly. Melissa’s kindness and go-with-the-flow attitude that day was so appreciated. Climate activists and champions take many different shapes. Though she wasn’t front and center that day, Melissa’s work doesn’t fail to shine through as she continues to show up for Colorado’s climate and policy work.” – Brigit Stattelman-Scanlan, 350CO Development Director
350 Colorado is so lucky to have Melissa as part of the team, and it is no surprise that she is true climate hero. We are much better off with her skills and expertise. Thank you for everything you do Melissa to make Denver and Colorado the climate leaders we know it can be. What an honor it is to organize with you! ✊
Upcoming Events & Actions
- Monday, July 1st, 4–5pm – 350CO Suncor Action Committee Meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Monday, July 1st, 5-6pm – 350CO Legislative Action Committee Meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Friday, July 5th, 6-6:30pm – 350CO Newsletter Committee Meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Sunday, July 7th, 2-4pm – Petroleum-238 Book Tour (Ft. Collins) – More info
- Monday, July 8th, 6-8pm – Petroleum-238 Book Tour (Denver) – Get tickets
- Monday, July 8th, 6-7pm – 350CO Climate Policy and Regulatory Action Committee meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Wednesday, July 10th, 6:45-9:30pm – “A Good Neighbor” film screening at Patagonia (Boulder) – RSVP here
- Friday, July 12th, 7:30pm – “Fracking the System: Colorado’s Oil and Gas Wars” film screening at Boulder Environmental Nature Outdoor Film Festival (Boulder) – Get tickets
- Saturday, July 13th, 11am-2pm – Suncor OGI Action Tour (Commerce City) – RSVP here
- Sunday, July 14th, 10am-2pm – Patagonia Enviro Non-Profit Fair (Denver) – RSVP
- Monday, July 15th – Sign up to attend ECMC hearing on the Lowry Ranch CAP – RSVP here
- Monday, July 15th, 4-5pm – Suncor Action Committee Meeting – (Zoom) – Sign up
- Thursday, July 18th, 6-7pm – Fracking Action Committee Meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Friday, July 19th, 5-6pm – Defunding Climate Disaster meeting with guest speaker Garvin Jabusch with Green Alpha Advisors (Zoom) – Sign up here
- Saturday, July 20th, 10am-2pm – 4th Annual EcoFiesta with Cultivando (Commerce City) – RSVP and get more info
- Monday, July 22nd, 6-7pm – 350CO Climate Policy and Regulatory Action Committee – (Zoom) – Sign up
- Tuesday, July 23rd, 5pm – 350CO Regenerative Agriculture Panel by multiple 350 groups (Zoom) – RSVP here
- Tuesday, July 23rd, 7-7:30pm – 350CO Youth Action Committee Meeting (Zoom) – Sign up
- Wednesday, July 24th, 6-7pm – Promoting Climate Solutions meeting with guest speaker Tanya Das – Bipartisan Policy Center (Zoom) – Sign up here
- Saturday, August 4th, 2pm-7pm – Pollinating Climate Action, Educational Community Event & Discussion (Manitou Springs) – Save the date!
- Saturday, April 20th, 11am-5pm – Ft. Collins Earth Day (Ft. Collins) – Get more info
Please view our full calendar to join local team meetings, committee conference calls & more!
P.S. Please support crucial climate action work in Colorado – become a monthly sustaining donor at $10 or more per month!