Climate Justice Unity March: Day 2

April 24, 2017 by Ed Fallon
No comments
Sunday, April 23, 2017 – Deep River to Montezuma (10 miles) As we circle up this morning and prepare to leave Deep River, a man driving an ATV pulls up. He introduces himself as Darrin Ehret — the guy next door who put up the Confederate flag yesterday. He was surprised at how quiet and respectful we were last night, and that inspired him to come over. Based on the things he’d heard on Facebook, he was expecting all kinds of noise and bad behavior. Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 1

April 23, 2017 by Ed Fallon
310 comments
Saturday, April 22, 2017 – Little Creek Camp to Deep River (12.8 miles) Today saw three notable “firsts,” none of them good. Our troupe of 25-30 marchers were flipped off three times by passing drivers. I’ve walked 700 miles along Iowa’s highways and gravel roads and never had someone do that to me. Also today, as we were taking a break on a gravel road, I walked a short distance across a field to talk with a young farmer who was watching us. I introduced myself, explained Continue reading →

Toilet paper provided; bring your own towel

April 18, 2017 by Ed Fallon
One comment
Q: What’s more challenging than marching ten miles a day for eight days? A: Organizing the logistics to make such a march possible. Seriously. Shari Hrdina, Sarah Spain and I have done this before, organizing the coast-to-coast Great March for Climate Action in 2014. Did we learn our lesson? Apparently not. Here we are again, organizing the Climate Justice Unity March reminded on a daily basis just how complex are the logistics of a march of 25 people. One example: Check out these pictures of our Enviro-Commode/Solar Continue reading →

Iowa Climate Justice Unity March: April 22-29

March 9, 2017 by Ed Fallon
No comments
The People’s Climate Movement is gaining momentum for what should be a landmark day of action on April 29, marking the 100th day of the Trump Presidency. The major event is in Washington, DC, billed as “a march for climate, justice and jobs,” but there also will be hundreds of related marches in cities across the U.S. and around the globe. People’s Climate Movement Rally: April 29 in Des Moines In Iowa, the People’s Climate Movement will rally at the Iowa State Capitol at 1:00 Continue reading →

Native Nations Rise! Rally in Des Moines March 10

March 8, 2017 by Ed Fallon
No comments
The sad news is that oil may soon flow through the Dakota Access pipeline. But there are several silver linings in that dark, oil-soaked cloud. First, the lawsuit filed by Iowa landowners against the abuse of eminent domain is on its way to the Iowa Supreme Court. In a recent Radio Iowa story, the attorney for the plaintiffs, Bill Hanigan, said “if eminent domain was improper, then all of the condemnation easements are invalid. If the condemnation easements are invalid, then that pipeline and all of Continue reading →

DAPL Contractor Reaches Out

February 14, 2017 by Ed Fallon
No comments
Recently, Heather Pearson was contacted by a former DAPL contractor, who said to her: “I have the highest respect for what you and others are doing to protect the environment. Truth be told, I really had no idea about the concerns involving the pipeline, or knew much about it at all. Boy, was I in for a shock! “Regarding Dakota Access, I’ve never had a position working for such a morally bankrupt entity. I struggled with it everyday. You always hear about corruption in large Continue reading →

Day of Direct Action Against DAPL

February 10, 2017 by Ed Fallon
No comments
Dear Friends, As we claw our way through the gut-punch gauntlet of President Trump’s funhouse, it’s easy to want to just quit, give up, “crawl into solitude” as one dismayed friend told me this week. Don’t! That’s just what Trump wants. In David Frum’s excellent article for The Atlantic, “How to Build an Autocracy,” he writes: “Trump and his team count on one thing above all others: public indifference. . . . What happens in the next four years will depend heavily on whether Trump is right or wrong Continue reading →

Feb. 22: DAPL Day of Direct Action

February 1, 2017 by Mark Hefflinger
448 comments
  On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Bold Action Teams (BATs) will mobilize for direct action across Iowa, targeting officials and businesses that have aided and abetted construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. WHY: The Dakota Access pipeline isn’t finished. Politicians, public officials and businesses who’ve supported it need to hear that the pipeline is wrong for Iowa and wrong for our planet. THE PLAN: * Take Wednesday the 22nd off from work (yes, we know not everyone can). * Sign up on the form below to Continue reading →

Tell the U.S. Army Corps: Conduct a Full Environmental Review of Dakota Access That Includes Iowa

January 19, 2017 by Mark Hefflinger
433 comments
On Jan. 18, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will conduct a limited Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the section of the Dakota Access pipeline near Lake Oahe and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s land and reservation in North Dakota. [1] While we are thrilled that President Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers are listening to Indigenous nations and Americans across the country who have raised concerns about the Dakota Access pipeline — it’s not enough simply to examine the pipeline’s Continue reading →

Florida Farmers Robbed Through Eminent Domain for Sabal Trail Pipeline

January 8, 2017 by Ed Fallon
17 comments
(Bold Iowa director Ed Fallon recently visited with water protectors, environmentalists and others fighting the Sabal Trail Pipeline in Florida.) “Water is Life!” A cry started in the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline has become a national rallying cry in the growing movement to beat-back Big Oil. Pipeline fights across the country have now brought the reality of the essential importance of water home to millions of Americans. More and more are jumping on board, working to protect water, land, property rights and our climate from the Continue reading →