May 2013 - Sustainability - list.sfgreens.org

[Sustain] Please Forward This Critique Of The Petro-Sponsored SWITCH 'Clean' Energy Documentary
by Eric Brooks 26 May '13

26 May '13

Hi all, The film SWITCH, which pretends to promote clean energy solutions while subtly promoting petroleum and other mined fuels, is suddenly getting a lot of attention and is unfortunately now even scheduled to run during the San Francisco Green Film Festival. Please forward this critique of the film widely: SWITCH Documentary Is Petroleum Industry Propaganda It is extremely important in the overwhelming avalanche of news and documentary sources that we receive on energy issues that we very carefully scrutinize the sources of that information before we let them guide our thinking. The case of the film Switch is a prime example of this. Do some digging on Switch and you will see that the University Department managing and promoting the film, the Bureau of Economic Geology, is focused on oil extraction. And one of the top donors to the film is the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Most of the other major donors are also geologist organizations, and the core business of the members of such organizations is oil and mineral extraction. Most notably, the lead donor to the film is Peter O'Donnell Jr (through his O'Donnell Foundation). O'Donnell is a high powered Republican from Texas who used to be the Chair of the Texas Republican Party and began his political activities supporting the campaign to draft Barry Goldwater to run for president. O'Donnell has donated massive amounts of money to Republican candidates, including George Bush. O'Donnell also heavily funds University research in sciences and engineering, undoubtedly in order to influence that research. The film Switch is very sly and effective fossil fuel industry propaganda pretending to support clean energy while very subtly shifting the viewer's attention away from truly clean strategies, to instead fool us into passively accepting that fossil fuels, biofuels, nuclear, and other harmful sources will inevitably play a role; all in order to slow down the transition to true clean energy solutions and perpetuate traditional fuel industry profits as long as possible. For documentation see: Funding for the film (near bottom of page at): http://www.switchenergyproject.com/about/funding-and-content An example of Bureau of Economic Geology's work on petroleum extraction: http://www.beg.utexas.edu/resprog/permianbasin/playanalysis.htm Peter O'Donnell: http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/philanthropy/21817-godfather-of-texas-gop… Eric Brooks Sustainability Chair San Francisco Green Party brookse32(a)earthlink.net

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[Sustain] NEW CEQA UPDATE: Next Strategy Meeting Fri, May 31, 12 noon, SF Main Library (Stong Room - 1st floor) THEN HEARING Mon June 3, 10am, SF City Hall Rm 263 (tentative)
by Eric Brooks 24 May '13

24 May '13

Hi all, NEW CEQA UPDATE In the Land Use Committee meeting this past Monday, the timeline was tentatively accelerated on us a bit and there is a likely Land Use Committee hearing on the CEQA legislation on Monday, June 3 at 10am. (This is tentative, and to be confirmed late next week). So this necessitates holding our strategy meeting sooner, next Friday at the main library. (See details below.) We now need to focus our effort on getting very strong language allowing us to appeal project modifications (because we are being forced to accept a much earlier initial CEQA appeal trigger than we were demanding). I'll send out an action alert soon with talking points for contacting our key swing Supervisors to insist on sufficient appeal protections. Next Friday's strategy meeting will serve to address any surprises, and any good and/or bad developments that might require a revised strategy on our part before the following week. We will also need to touch base on where we think our swing Supervisors stand on our revised demands and on what last minute lobbying or other pressure we might need to engage, to ensure their support. Here are the meeting/hearing details. Please RSVP to confirm if you plan to attend either or both: 1) CEQA STRATEGY MEETING - Monday, May 31, 12 noon - SF Main Library, Stong Room, 1st Floor (the SF Library is between United Nations Plaza & SF City Hall near Civic Center BART/Muni) 2) LAND USE COMMITTEE HEARING CEQA AMENDMENTS (tentative - to be confirmed) - Monday, June 3, 10am - SF City Hall, Room 263 in solidarity Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City 415-756-8844

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[Sustain] CEQA UPDATE: Hearing Today, But Next Key Hearing, Mon, June 10
by Eric Brooks 20 May '13

20 May '13

Brief CEQA Update - Hearings Today & June 10 Hi all, It looks like we are getting a breather from the intense CEQA schedule that we have been under and can plan for our next strategy meeting to be in the first week of June. Our legislative drafting team has been in intense negotiations with Supervisor Chiu for the last two weeks and Chiu has decided to continue the CEQA item in today's Land Use hearing until Monday, June 10 when we are hoping to have a final and acceptable compromise CEQA procedures measure ready for a vote of the Board of Supervisors. I'll send an email soon proposing a June 3 meeting (either at the Main Library or City Hall at around 12 noon) so that we can regroup and prepare for the hearing the following week. (NOTE: We should also begin discussing the looming and very serious threat to CEQA posed by the 'One Bay Area Plan' development rules juggernaut. See http://onebayarea.org/regional-initiatives/plan-bay-area.html ) Today's Hearing With that said, it wouldn't hurt for a few of us to attend today's hearing to make sure everything goes according to plan, and to reiterate a core message that if the San Francisco CEQA appeal trigger is going to be pushed to an earlier time in the process, we need -other- rules to be assured that enable the community sufficient CEQA protections; such as a longer appeal window, the strongest possible noticing, and a -very- strong definition for project modifications which would mandate CEQA review with the rock solid ability to appeal the Planning Department's decisions on such project modification assessments. The hearing starts today at 1:30pm in SF City Hall Room 263 and the CEQA items are numbers 5, 6, and 7, so showing up by about 2pm is likely soon enough if you want to be there to comment. I'll send a more detailed report-back soon with next meeting and hearing details. in solidarity, Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City 415-756-8844

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[Sustain] CEQA: Powerful Hearing Video: Dialogue/Combat With Planning & SFPUC Staff Over 8 Washington Impacts
by Eric Brooks 12 May '13

12 May '13

Hi all, In last Thursday's jaw droppingly revealing Government Audit & Oversight Committee hearing on the poor process followed with the 8 Washington project approvals, I have seen no better proof showing the absurd resistance and incompetence we face from the staff of Planning and other agencies every time we challenge the environmental impacts of a project. This video gives us powerful ammunition to argue for the strongest possible local CEQA protections and notifications. To watch go to the 2hr & 4min mark at: http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=11&clip_id=17467 This 8 Washington hearing runs 2 and half hours and I strongly recommend watching the entire thing, to remind yourself of why we are fighting so hard to protect CEQA, and to get new talking points to use with David Chiu during the Monday CEQA hearing in Land Use, to get him to allow more time to produce the best possible CEQA legislation. Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City 415-756-8844

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[Sustain] CEQA UPDATE: Next Strategy Meeting & Hearing, Mon, May 13, 11:45am & 1:30pm, SF Main Library (Stong Room - 1st floor) & SF City Hall Rm 263 *AND* HPC Wed May 15, 12:30, Rm 400
by Eric Brooks 08 May '13

08 May '13

Hi again all, In Monday's Land Use Committee hearing, Supervisor David Chiu once again amended improvements into Supervisor Wiener's CEQA legislation, but once again he did not address the key fundamental remaining issues on which we must stand firm, and on which Jane Kim's measure is far superior. And Chiu yet again, only gave us a one week continuance when we needed two. NOTE: Kim's legislation also goes before the Historic Preservation Commission next Wednesday May 15th. (See next week's meeting and hearing info below.) Remaining Problems & Requirements As before, the most dangerous aspect of Wiener's legislation - the trigger of all appeals on the FIRST APPROVAL of a project - has -not- been removed. Other serious problems remain, such as too much CEQA judgement power being delegated to city departments, reduced noticing on projects within area plans, and project approvals being allowed during the CEQA appeal of a project. We must also insist on strong proactive language allowing us to appeal project modifications. And we must insist on sufficient time to add solid supports for affordable housing and pedestrian safety. So we are closer to the end of this, but still need to stay on top of it and push Chiu to make Jane's measure the foundation of the new CEQA procedures, and to give us the time to make this real by bringing Jane's measure to active status in committee on May 20th. Here are next week's meeting details: 1) PRE LAND USE (& HPC) CEQA STRATEGY MEETING - Monday, May 13, 11:45am - SF Main Library, Stong Room, 1st Floor (the SF Library is between United Nations Plaza & SF City Hall near Civic Center BART/Muni) 2) LAND USE COMMITTEE HEARING ON CEQA AMENDMENTS - Monday, May 13, 1:30pm - SF City Hall, Room 263 (to support FINAL APPROVAL TRIGGER & Kim's community alternative) 3) HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION HEARING ON KIM CEQA LEGISLATION - Wednesday, May 15, 12:30pm - SF City Hall, Room 400 (IMPORTANT: the HPC now appears to be stacked with developer rubber stamps and we need to put high pressure on this hearing) in solidarity! Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City 415-756-8844

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[Sustain] Fwd: Alert: Contact SF Supervisor David Chiu By Noon Mon, May 6, To Defend Environmental Quality Act
by Eric Brooks 06 May '13

06 May '13

Hi all, California's most important environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is under attack. In late August of last year, state Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) attempted to introduce legislation that would have greatly weakened CEQA, making it much harder for citizens and environmental groups to appeal bad corporate and developer projects that would harm ecosystems and communities. Thankfully, a statewide coalition of over 150 organizations was able to block that attack and protect CEQA at the state level. Local Attack On San Francisco CEQA Protections But only two months later, using the November and December election and holiday time as cover, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener launched his own attack locally to gut San Francisco CEQA protections. In the guise of cleaning up some small inefficiencies in the local CEQA process, Supervisor Wiener's proposed amendments would force environmental determinations on projects to happen so quickly and so removed from the sight of the public, that in many cases we would not even find out that a problem project was happening, let alone be empowered to challenge it. To take immediate action to help stop this attack on our local environmental protections go to: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq - or read on for more details. Local Coalition Rises Up To Defend CEQA In late October 2012, Our City brought together a new coalition that has now grown to over 41 environmental, social justice, community and labor organizations, which is fighting to defend our local CEQA protections. Together we have succeeded in drafting counter legislation to Wiener's attack measure. Our community-based CEQA alternative, now sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim, will make CEQA more fair and efficient, but also make local CEQA protections stronger (not weaker). But Supervisor Kim's measure is trailing Supervisor Wiener's proposal in the legislative process at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, creating the danger of Supervisor Wiener's bad legislation becoming law. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and our other San Francisco supervisors by noon Monday, May 6, to support Jane Kim's community alternative. Follow the link below to Sierra Club's easy to use CEQA action alert: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq Please forward this email widely. And as always, thank you for your continued involvement and action. peace Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator Our City -- This alert sent by: Our City 1104 Polk St. #225 San Francisco, CA 94109 415-756-8844 For more information about Our City campaigns go to: Web: http://ourcitysf.org FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/OurCitySF Twitter: http://twitter.com/OurCitySF -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] URGENT CEQA Update, & Alert To CONTACT Supervisor David Chiu ASAP!
by Eric Brooks 06 May '13

06 May '13

Hi all, It is very important that we all contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu immediately so that by Monday morning (before the Monday afternoon Land Use hearing) he has heard from us and our member groups. See contact info below. As you know, Supervisor Chiu's amendments to Scott Wiener's CEQA legislation (though they are a marked improvement) are not nearly enough. The Wiener/Chiu text still forces appeals on the -first- project approvals, does not contain a strong enough process to define first and last approvals, does not have strong enough language to guarantee rights to appeal major modifications in projects, and is much weaker in general on noticing and other responsibilities of the Planning Department. We must now refocus to insist on the following points: 1) The primary CEQA appeal must be allowed to be filed up to the -final- approval in multi-approval projects. 2) So that first and final approvals for projects are completely clear and understandable to the public, all planned approvals of multi-approval projects must be clearly listed in project application documents and environmental determination documents which are noticed to the public. 3) A second appeal -must- be allowed following any substantial modification in a project. This modification appeal trigger must be very well defined in the new ordinance, and the opportunity to appeal a modification must be available regardless of new environmental determinations by the Environmental Review Officer of the Planning Department. 4) The Planning Department must be the entity responsible for making and noticing the final environmental determinations on projects sponsored by other city agencies; not the other agencies themselves. 5) Jane Kim's public noticing requirements throughout her CEQA legislation are far superior to those in the Wiener/Chiu compromise and must be chosen as the core noticing provisions of the CEQA ordinance. IMPORTANT: We should all contact/call David Chiu's office from now through Monday morning to insist on these points, and to insist that we wait until May 20 to complete any CEQA ordinance in the Land Use Committee; this so that Jane Kim's legislation can be fully incorporated as the foundation of our CEQA improvements. TO CONTACT Board President David Chiu, write and/or call -both- David and his aide Amy Chan at: David.Chiu(a)sfgov.org Amy.Chan(a)sfgov.org Chiu's Office Phone: 415-554-7450 cheers Eric Brooks -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] Fwd: Alert: Contact SF Supervisor David Chiu By Noon Mon, May 6, To Defend Environmental Quality Act
by Eric Brooks 05 May '13

05 May '13

Hi all, California's most important environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is under attack. In late August of last year, state Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) attempted to introduce legislation that would have greatly weakened CEQA, making it much harder for citizens and environmental groups to appeal bad corporate and developer projects that would harm ecosystems and communities. Thankfully, a statewide coalition of over 150 organizations was able to block that attack and protect CEQA at the state level. Local Attack On San Francisco CEQA Protections But only two months later, using the November and December election and holiday time as cover, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener launched his own attack locally to gut San Francisco CEQA protections. In the guise of cleaning up some small inefficiencies in the local CEQA process, Supervisor Wiener's proposed amendments would force environmental determinations on projects to happen so quickly and so removed from the sight of the public, that in many cases we would not even find out that a problem project was happening, let alone be empowered to challenge it. To take immediate action to help stop this attack on our local environmental protections go to: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq - or read on for more details. Local Coalition Rises Up To Defend CEQA In late October 2012, Our City brought together a new coalition that has now grown to over 41 environmental, social justice, community and labor organizations, which is fighting to defend our local CEQA protections. Together we have succeeded in drafting counter legislation to Wiener's attack measure. Our community-based CEQA alternative, now sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim, will make CEQA more fair and efficient, but also make local CEQA protections stronger (not weaker). But Supervisor Kim's measure is trailing Supervisor Wiener's proposal in the legislative process at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, creating the danger of Supervisor Wiener's bad legislation becoming law. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and our other San Francisco supervisors by noon Monday, May 6, to support Jane Kim's community alternative. Follow the link below to Sierra Club's easy to use CEQA action alert: http://tinyurl.com/cmvzkuq Please forward this email widely. And as always, thank you for your continued involvement and action. peace Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator Our City -- This alert sent by: Our City 1104 Polk St. #225 San Francisco, CA 94109 415-756-8844 For more information about Our City campaigns go to: Web: http://ourcitysf.org FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/OurCitySF Twitter: http://twitter.com/OurCitySF -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] URGENT CEQA Update, & Alert To CONTACT Supervisor David Chiu ASAP!
by Eric Brooks 05 May '13

05 May '13

Hi all, It is very important that we all contact Board of Supervisors President David Chiu immediately so that by Monday morning (before the Monday afternoon Land Use hearing) he has heard from us and our member groups. See contact info below. As you know, Supervisor Chiu's amendments to Scott Wiener's CEQA legislation (though they are a marked improvement) are not nearly enough. The Wiener/Chiu text still forces appeals on the -first- project approvals, does not contain a strong enough process to define first and last approvals, does not have strong enough language to guarantee rights to appeal major modifications in projects, and is much weaker in general on noticing and other responsibilities of the Planning Department. We must now refocus to insist on the following points: 1) The primary CEQA appeal must be allowed to be filed up to the -final- approval in multi-approval projects. 2) So that first and final approvals for projects are completely clear and understandable to the public, all planned approvals of multi-approval projects must be clearly listed in project application documents and environmental determination documents which are noticed to the public. 3) A second appeal -must- be allowed following any substantial modification in a project. This modification appeal trigger must be very well defined in the new ordinance, and the opportunity to appeal a modification must be available regardless of new environmental determinations by the Environmental Review Officer of the Planning Department. 4) The Planning Department must be the entity responsible for making and noticing the final environmental determinations on projects sponsored by other city agencies; not the other agencies themselves. 5) Jane Kim's public noticing requirements throughout her CEQA legislation are far superior to those in the Wiener/Chiu compromise and must be chosen as the core noticing provisions of the CEQA ordinance. IMPORTANT: We should all contact/call David Chiu's office from now through Monday morning to insist on these points, and to insist that we wait until May 20 to complete any CEQA ordinance in the Land Use Committee; this so that Jane Kim's legislation can be fully incorporated as the foundation of our CEQA improvements. TO CONTACT Board President David Chiu, write and/or call -both- David and his aide Amy Chan at: David.Chiu(a)sfgov.org Amy.Chan(a)sfgov.org Chiu's Office Phone: 415-554-7450 cheers Eric Brooks -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] Fwd: SF Pride Afraid of the Pentagon?
by Don Eichelberger 03 May '13

03 May '13

This is pretty egregious action on the part of SF Pride to denigrate Bradley Manning in favor of a "support gays in the military" attitude against peace. Bradley's actions should be supported by everyone who cares about truth in government. Don -------- Original Message -------- Subject: SF Pride Afraid of the Pentagon? Date: Fri, 3 May 2013 14:02:57 -0400 From: Brian Sonenstein, Firedoglake.com <act(a)firedoglake.com> Reply-To: act(a)firedoglake.com To: Don Eichelberger <done7777(a)sbcglobal.net> Firedoglake.com <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/38…> Show your support for Bradley Manning at SF Pride <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/38…> Dear Don, Do you think honoring Pfc. Bradley Manning would be an "insult to every one [sic], gay and straight, who has ever served in the military of this country?" San Francisco Pride board president Lisa Williams thinks so, and wrote that they were rescinding Manning's nomination as a Grand Marshal at this year's parade because his actions "placed in harms [sic] way the lives of our men and women in uniform --- and countless others, military and civilian alike..."^1 SF Pride may honor whomever they wish, but to denigrate Bradley and extinguish the voices of anti-war members of the LGBT community at the event is despicable. *If you're going to be at the SF Pride parade on June 30th, can you please consider wearing a Bradley t-shirt or carrying a sign to support him?* Click here to let us know you're attending the SF Pride parade on June 30th and plan to show your support for Pfc. Bradley Manning. <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/38…> The mere possibility that they would appear to oppose the Pentagon motivated SF Pride's leadership to override the normal voting process just to exclude Bradley Manning.^2 Once an homage to impiety, counterculture and dissent, SF Pride appears to have morphed into a place for Democratic Party loyalists and other Very Serious People to safely celebrate while taking great pains not to offend the masters of war. What Ms. Williams fails to mention is that SF Pride's major sponsors are exempt from these same standards.^3 Take sponsors Bank of America and Wells Fargo for example, whose orgy of illegal foreclosures kicked thousands of innocent veterans (and countless other Americans) out of their homes, inflicting far more harm than Bradley's truth-telling. Sponsors also include Clear Channel, home to virulent anti-gay voices like Rush Limbaugh, and AT&T, which assisted government agencies in illegally wiretapping Americans for years. Somehow, Bradley Manning's good faith disclosures exposing the ugly machinations of US war policy make him an un-American traitor --- not the global theft and fraud scheme perpetrated by money hungry corporations that have actually destroyed innocent American lives. The hypocrisy and complete disregard for facts on display should not go unchallenged. Ms. Williams writes that Manning supporters have the "first amendment right to show up, participate and voice their opinions at Pride." Let's show her we're not afraid to and mobilize as many Bay Area Bradley Manning supporters to show solidarity with the whistleblower at this year's SF Pride Parade. Click here to let us know you're attending the SF Pride parade on June 30th in solidarity with Bradley Manning. <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/38…> In solidarity, Brian Sonenstein Campaign Director, Firedoglake.com Sources: 1. SF Pride President Capitulates to Military Groups, Announces Bradley Manning Won't Be Honored <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f4/38…>, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 4/27/2013. 2. Former San Francisco Pride Grand Marshal Who Nominated Bradley Manning Details Board's Capitulation <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f5/38…>, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 4/29/2013. 3. Bradley Manning is off limits at SF Gay Pride parade, but corporate sleaze is embraced <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741ea/38…>, Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian, 4/27/2013. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Firedoglake is supported entirely by small donations from people like you. Can you chip in to keep us strong? Click here to contribute. <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741eb/38…> <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741eb/38…> This email was sent to: done7777(a)sbcglobal.net To unsubscribe, go to: http://action.firedoglake.com/unsubscribe <http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741e8/38…>

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