Tag: environment

Bill McKibben’s “Do the Math” Road Show

November 16, 2012 at 3:00 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Bill McKibben, well-known author, scholar and advocate for taking action to address climate change, will speak at Duke University on Monday evening. His road tour – Do the Math – explains the terrifying arithmetic of the climate crisis and focuses on building a movement to avoid the most catastrophic effects of a warming planet.  If you need any convincing to get involved, this event will motivate you.  Mike Brune, CEO of the Sierra Club, will join McKibben.

Where: Page Auditorium, Duke University, 402 Chapel Drive, Durham NC

When: Nov. 19th, Doors open at 6 pm, program begins at 7 pm.

Cost: $5 – after you register you’ll be taken to the page where you can buy your tickets.

http://act.350.org/signup/durham-do-the-math/

 

 

 

McCrory’s Energy “To Do” List – for the People or Big Business?

November 9, 2012 at 2:24 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Governor-elect Pat McCrory will make significant decisions on energy issues, especially in year one of his term. These choices will shape our energy future and have a direct impact on North Carolinians and our environment. But given McCrory’s 29 years at Duke Energy, will he show predilection for the energy industry or will he ensure full deliberation and consider what’s good for all of us? Read More…

Orange County voters approved sales tax increase to support transit

November 7, 2012 at 12:06 pmCategory:NC Budget and Tax Center

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Transit supporters in the Triangle have yet another victory to celebrate this morning. Nearly 59 percent of voters in Orange County approved adding a half-cent sales tax increase to the local sales tax rate to expand public transit investments, including additional bus routes and service hours and new light rail. This approval came on the heels of a successful sales tax referendum in Durham County last year. Whether Wake County will follow suit is up in the air and largely dependent on whether County Commissioners will give voters a choice in 2013 to decide.

With this approval, voters are acknowledging that transportation policies that favor highway investments over public transit are no longer sustainable amidst rapid population growth, widespread traffic congestion, and climbing gas prices and vehicle emissions. This approval also sends the message that most voters agree that investments in public transportation pays dividends. Specifically, accessible and affordable transportation creates healthy, connected neighborhoods by improving access to employment, education, and social opportunities—a win for both residents and local businesses. Read More…

A climate change to-do list for the next President

November 6, 2012 at 10:43 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Nat Keohane of the Environmental Defense Fund has an op-ed in today’s edition of Bloomberg Businessweek that’s worth a read. Let’s hope Hurricane Sandy spurs people to take some of the actions he’s promoting.

“In the 2008 campaign, both presidential candidates called for comprehensive action on climate change through a declining cap on carbon. This time around, the economy has taken center stage; while Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have presented different visions on energy policy, climate change has largely been relegated to the sidelines. Nonetheless, the magnitude and urgency of the challenge have not diminished. If we needed any reminder of that fact, Hurricane Sandy should have provided it—especially coming on the heels of devastating drought, record-breaking temperatures through the spring and summer, and a record low in the extent of Arctic sea ice.”

Read the entire piece by clicking here.

A big fracking conflict

August 6, 2012 at 8:21 amCategory:Uncategorized

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The Fayetteville Observer got it right over the weekend with this editorial:

“After all the ethical disasters the General Assembly has seen in the past few years, House Speaker Thom Tillis should have the definition of conflict on the tip of his tongue.

He doesn’t. In fact, he may be clueless.

How else could he have named Sanford businessman Ray Covington to the new Energy and Mining Commission? That’s the body that will come up with guidelines and safety regulations for natural-gas extraction in North Carolina by the hydraulic-fracturing method – fracking….”

Read the entire editorial by clicking here.