We hope you’re staying healthy and sane during the COVID-19 emergency. Here are some things you can do right now to help bring us closer to a just, fossil-free future:
The coronavirus rescue package that Congress passed last week will provide important support for people who are out of work, state and local governments, hospitals, small businesses, and transit agencies. It falls far short of these principles, however. There are many fights ongoing and coming up at the local, state, and federal level.
You can see how these principles are guiding our calls to action on a range of issues of climate justice, public health, and economic justice. We encourage you to:
- Email Mayor Kenney in support of labor and community-based organizations’ call for swift emergency relief during the current crisis. We agree that Philadelphia’s municipal government should step in with immediate protections for the many workers who do not receive benefits like paid time off or unemployment.
- Tell your state senator to uphold Governor Wolf’s veto of House Bill 1100! Last week, Gov. Wolf vetoed House Bill 1100, a massive tax-credit giveaway to the natural gas industry that would increase pollution and further entrench the use of fossil fuels in our state. However, legislators are trying to line up the votes to override the Governor’s veto, and may hold a vote this week.
These senators in the Philly area voted in favor of the bill: Tom Killion, John Sabatina, Sharif Street, Christine Tartaglione, and Anthony Hardy Williams. We need to press them to change their position and vote to keep the veto in place. If one of them is your state senator, please let them know how you feel. Click here to find your senator’s name and the phone number for his or her Harrisburg office. (District offices are closed during the COVID-19 emergency.)
Here is a script you can use: My name is _____, I live in Senator Street’s district. I’m urging the Senator to uphold Governor Wolf’s veto of House Bill 1100. The legislation is a handout to the gas and petrochemical industries, and I don’t want taxpayer dollars to subsidize pollution, sickness, and environmental degradation. I know there’s an urgent need to create living-wage union jobs, but this is the wrong approach. We need a Green New Deal with massive investment in renewable energy and green jobs.
- Watch our online conversation with two co-authors of A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal. The recording is now available in a series of 12 short excerpts on specific subjects, ranging from green affordable housing to financing the Green New Deal. For more information about the book and links to articles by the authors, check our latest blog post. And you can join a book club discussion of A Planet to Win, sponsored by our friends at Lilac, this Saturday, April 4 from 1 to 3 pm (covering the Foreword, Intro, and Chapters 1 & 2).
Need help or looking to offer assistance to others in the community during the COVID-19 emergency? Check out the Philadelphia COVID Resource Guide.
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