Prayer
"Are you waiting for the next shoe to drop? Are you anticipating the worry even before it happens? If so, you may be wearing yourself out. Rather than worry about what might happen, why not help make something different happen: an alternative, a positive change, a softer impact. Many of us are working on that right now. So when you get tired of waiting for the shoe to drop -- come catch it in midair." From Rev Steven Charleston, a Native American elder, author, and retired Episcopal bishop of Alaska.
Advocacy and Action
This week, the House passed a very concerning bill that will give the Treasury Department the ability to revoke the non-profit status if any organization currently carrying one. It is being touted as a tool to go after terrorist organizations. However, within the bill, there are no guiderails on who can and cannot be targeted. If passed by the Senate, this law will provide the legal basis to silence any dissenting voices. Let’s do what we can to catch this shoe in mid-air … before it drops. Contact your Senator NOW. It would be best to call as often digital communications are received weeks after they are sent.
Education and Information
This week, the House passed a very concerning bill that will give the Treasury Department the ability to revoke the non-profit status if any organization currently carrying one. It is being touted as a tool to go after terrorist organizations. However, within the bill, there are no guiderails on who can and cannot be targeted. If passed by the Senate, this law will provide the legal basis to silence any dissenting voices. Let’s do what we can to catch this shoe in mid-air … before it drops. Contact your Senator NOW. It would be best to call as often digital communications are received weeks after they are sent.
For our Ohio readers: The Ohio House of Representatives is considering House Bill 451 (HB 451). The bill would levy a remittance transfer fee on money transmissions to a person outside the United States. HB 451 puts onerous restrictions on residents of Ohio who support friends and families in foreign nations through money transfers. These small and consistent payments from men and women living in Ohio provide critical aid to family members and communities suffering from poverty and violence. You can send a message to your Ohio Representative to oppose HB 451
Our friends at Interfaith Power and Light have asked us to advocate on behalf of our federal lands and water against the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (EPRA). This bill would undermine bedrock environmental laws (especially on indigenous lands), endanger public health (especially in communities of color), and expedite the exploitation of our federal lands and waters for oil and gas leasing. While EPRA includes provisions that could accelerate clean energy deployment, it does so at the cost of giveaways to the fossil fuel industry. We have an obligation to protect our climate and the most vulnerable among who are disproportionately affected by climate change. Use this tool to advocate for us all.
Our friends at Interfaith Power and Light have asked us to advocate on behalf of our federal lands and water against the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (EPRA). This bill would undermine bedrock environmental laws (especially on indigenous lands), endanger public health (especially in communities of color), and expedite the exploitation of our federal lands and waters for oil and gas leasing. While EPRA includes provisions that could accelerate clean energy deployment, it does so at the cost of giveaways to the fossil fuel industry. We have an obligation to protect our climate and the most vulnerable among who are disproportionately affected by climate change. Use this tool to advocate for us all.
Education and Information
For our local readers: The Cincinnati Jesuit Works hosted a webinar titled Environmental Justice 101. Sarah Kent, Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio River Valley, presented on the state of environmental justice issues in our city and the work of organizations like Groundwork to address these issues in a community-centered way. You can view that recording here.