[Sustain] Prop H: Regardless Of The Final Vote We Have Already Won!

[Martin Zehr]

Two priorities strike me in the development of a Next Steps Strategy:  One is to establish a legislative agenda that presents our party's priorities for the next session of Congress; The other is to establish a focused state electoral strategy for 2010 that includes targeted campaigns for victory.  To begin this process states should submit summaries of the most recent election campaigns so that the discussion can be zeroed in. California will be having a meeting in January to discuss a state electoral strategy in January.  The issue of public infrastructure has been raised in the campaign and inevitably raises issues of energy transition. See below for a plan posted prior that focuses on working models of renewable energy.  As a foreign policy proposal there should include a mapped proposal for withdrawal and recognition of Kurdistan and Palestine that includes diplomatic status, foreign aid and economic assistance and implementation of Kirkuk Referendum in the Kurdish Autonomous Region.  As a social justice program there should be reconstruction of brownfield urban areas using green models for local integration of economies of scale. The energy transition agenda includes the following: A. Establish the highest percentages for renewable energy production and alternative transportation systems that require the introduction of alternative energies in a twenty year period; http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/PlanB_contents.htm B. Economic compensation packages that address workers impacted by the transition http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/studies_cleanenergyandjobs ; C. Monitoring systems to evaluate the changes in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/ghg_home_e.cfm ;  D. Incentives for the development of alternatives to petroleum-based products http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/essentials_third.cfm?LinkAdvID=4151 ; "Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics; the 16% not used for energy production is converted into these other materials." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum  E. Reduction in the production of single-user modes of transportation http://www.worldwatch.org/node/808 , increase in public investment in mass transit operated with renewable energy http://lrta.info/Facts/facts130.html ; F. Transition of investment of public utility companies in solar and wind technology, decreasing proportion of energy provided by coal, nuclear and oil http://www.energybulletin.net/5000.html ; G. Establishment of stakeholder boards for oversight and review http://maineghg.raabassociates.org/member.asp?sort=other , Public Utilities Commissions elected by energy users and represented by qualified advocates including environmental, residential, municipal, and rural; H. Congressional budgetary commitments through carbon taxes http://www.carbontax.org/ that transition from military expenditures to energy conversion research and development, implementing Swenson's Law :" To avoid deprivation resulting from the exhaustion of non-renewable resources, humanity must employ conservation and renewable resource substitutes sufficient to match depletion." http://www.hubbertpeak.com/swenson/  I. Establishment of Green Building codes; http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/buildings/gbcodtoc.shtml  J. Revamping of commercial railroad system and increasing mileage of track- increase requirement for piggy-backing of trailers across states; http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/2229   Martin ZehrGPSF 
 > Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 11:42:44 -0800> From: brookse32 at aim.com> To: active at sfgreens.org; sustainability at sfgreens.org> Subject: [Sustain] Prop H: Regardless Of The Final Vote We Have Already Won!> > Remember all, that though the vote itself was lost, we have already won.> > We have forced PG&E to spend more money than has -ever- been spent on a> San Francisco campaign. And, after both Lennar corporation's $7 million> ballot deception to force toxic gentrification on the Southeast side in> the last election, and now PG&E's even more outrageous moves to buy this> election at an even higher (ludicrous) price, it is a -very- good bet> that we will easily pass a strong corporate and independent expenditure> campaign finance reform measure in the next year.> > And we have now built a strong and angry coalition of progressives and> Supervisors who are -pissed- at PG&E.> > PG&E's days are numbered.> > So we have already won ;)> > But most importantly, the Community Choice renewable energy project (the> first 51% referred to in Prop H) is already moving forward regardless of> Prop H and PG&E is going to attack it as well. Our campaign has helped> strongly reveal all of the tactics that PG&E will use to attack> Community Choice, and we will now be ready for them. And those attacks> will carry much less weight, both because Community Choice is much less> vulnerable to them in the way it is worded, because State law actually> forbids PG&E from attacking Community Choice, and because the angry core> of organizers that PG&E has just attacked on Prop H, are now primed and> ready to kick PG&E's ass on a much more level playing field with> Community Choice.> > We will need all of you to help us win the Community Choice fight; which> will -absolutely- bring us that 100% clean energy by 2040 regardless of> last night's outcome. Prop H simply would have made it easier too get there.> > To see why Community Choice is so important and why it will need your> help, go to:> http://our-city.org/campaigns/communitychoice.html> and> http://communitychoiceenergy.org/> > Note that Community Choice has already passed as law, and it is now> going out for bids to contractors. The key fight will be to get> customers to stick with Community Choice and not opt out for PG&E over> the next year. This is a fight that we definitely can win, if we stay on> it with a sharp focus.> > If we win this fight San Francisco -will- go 100% renewable and soon.> > Note also that there are two more appointments to be made to the SF> Public Utilities Commission (which is overseeing Community Choice) and> the Supes now have the power to leverage those appointments and make> sure that they will support Community Choice; and also support closing> down the city's remaining polluting power plants.> > So we have actually won our first battle by getting fully up in PG&E's> face! and forcing its bullshit out in to the light of day.> > Now let's win the war for Community Choice which will kick PG&E the hell> out of the City, and lead the world to save the planet.> > peace> > Eric Brooks> > -- > "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate > themselves." – Che Guevara> > > > _______________________________________________> Sustainability mailing list> Sustainability at sfgreens.org> https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainability
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