Tell me to shut up

Dear Friends, If you’re among the handful of people who tell me I’m spending too much time talking about climate, let me respond bluntly: You’re wrong. If anything, I’m not spending enough time talking about it. At this pivotal moment in human and planetary history, if the current trajectory of increased fossil fuel consumption continues, Earth will be unfit for human habitation. If your home was on fire, that’d be the only thing on your mind, right? Well, our world is on fire. As the Continue reading →

Court rules against people, planet, property rights

Dear Friends, For those of us who have fought Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) and the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) for nearly five years, today is a sad day. This morning, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that ETP had the right to forcibly take Iowans’ land for an export crude oil pipeline. And make no mistake: DAPL is an export pipeline. While I’ve yet to find anyone, even inside the oil industry, who can tell me exactly how much of the oil is destined for export, it’s Continue reading →

Pipeline Ruling Expected Tomorrow!!!

Dear Friends, The Iowa Supreme Court ruling we’ve long-expected will likely be issued tomorrow, Friday, May 31. The case is titled “Puntenney v. Iowa Utils. Bd.,” and the Court’s decision will be viewable online at this link. Kudos to the landowners and the Iowa Sierra Club for investing so much time and money in pursuing the case. Their persistence and dedication is for all of us. Here’s what the Iowa Supreme Court’s website says about the case: “The district court denied petitions for judicial review Continue reading →

Apology is O’Rourke’s path out of climate contradiction

Dear Friends, Six Bold Climate Bird Dogs arrived at Beto O’Rourke’s CNN town hall last week with great expectations. O’Rourke had just released a climate plan that generated much excitement. He talked about climate during his recent Iowa tour and the plan is featured prominently on his website. Forty-five minutes into the CNN town hall, Terrance Pendleton asked O’Rourke a general question about climate. That was followed by Patrick Bourgeacq’s more specific inquiry into O’Rourke’s past donations from fossil-fuel interests and his pro-oil-industry votes while in Congress. Continue reading →

Joe Biden loves Big Oil

Dear Friends, [CHECK OUT BOLD IOWA’S VIDEO FROM JOE BIDEN’S DES MOINES RALLY] Joe Biden’s campaign bulldozer rolled across Iowa last week. (Tune in to the Fallon Forum, 11:00-12:00 noon today, May 6, as Charles Goldman and I analyze Biden’s Iowa launch. You can also hear the conversation as a podcast and on KHOI 89.1 FM in Ames, KICI 105.3 FM in Iowa City, and other stations across the country.) After stops in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Iowa City — where Biden barely mentioned climate Continue reading →

Biden not there on climate

Dear Friends, As further evidence of the efficacy of bird-dogging — or penguin-popping, as my daughter Fionna suggests we call it — look no further than Joe Biden’s just-finished campaign blitz through Iowa. At his first three stops — Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Iowa City — Biden barely mentioned climate change. “He made some basic statement about climate, but it wasn’t anything like we’d want to hear,” said Christine Lehman-Engledow, who attended Biden’s rally in Cedar Rapids. In Iowa City, Diane Lahr reports, “There was some Continue reading →

Bold Climate Penguins grill Andrew Yang

Dear Friends, We kick-off this week’s Fallon Forum with Dara Jefferson and Oliviah Walker of the Meskwakie Tribe, discussing the upcoming National Day of Awareness rally for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It’s at the Iowa State Capitol, Sunday, May 5 at 1:00. Come stand with our Native allies who are fighting to let people know of this tragedy — and let’s do something about it! On this week’s Forum, I also talk with Sam Kuhn and Matthew Peirce — two young activists who have Continue reading →

A workshop you don’t want to miss

Dear Friends, Honestly, saving the world shouldn’t be this much fun. At Bold Iowa’s Climate Bird Dog Workshop (April 25, 7:00-9:00 pm at the Mickle Center, 1620 Pleasant Street in Des Moines), you’ll not only learn a lot but the role plays we’re preparing will be creative and, well, a blast. Sign up today as we’re limiting the workshop to 100 people. Whether you’ve bird-dogged before or are a newbie, this two-hour workshop will give you the tools you need to effectively agitate for climate Continue reading →

Farewell, LaVerne Johnson

Dear Friends, Sadly, those of us fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) lost one of our strongest allies this week. LaVerne Johnson died suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday. My heart goes out to his wife, family, and closest friends — though he will be missed by more people than he would have imagined. I first met Vern four years ago this month, when I walked the proposed Iowa route of DAPL. Recalling my first conversation with Vern always brings back a smile. In the most Continue reading →

Working with Warren

Dear Friends, For evidence that our Climate Bird Dog initiative is having an impact, check with Elizabeth Warren. Bold Iowa has mobilized 31 people to attend Warren campaign events in 6 cities. We’ve asked questions during the formal program and talked with her one-on-one on several occasions. Most recently 9 climate bird dogs stood directly in front of Warren as she spoke to a packed room in West Des Moines. She referenced our signs several times during her speech. After the formal program, her state Continue reading →