May 5th, 2014
Dear
Fellow Sierran
Here's what's in this week's edition of CoolCATs Weekly:
1) Climate Rally Makes Waves
2) Master Lever No More?
3) Transit Financing Hearing
4) The Oyster Bar, an RI Exemplar
5) For Your Enjoyment
6) Deepwater Debate?
1) Climate Rally Makes Waves
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The rally on Saturday in support of the Resilient RI Act was everything that we hoped for. A diverse crowd of 80 showed up on the steps of the State House, heard impassioned speeches, chants, and music from the Extraordinary Rendition Band, and proceeded to march down to Burnside Park. In addition to the noise we made in the process, the press gave us good coverage for a weekend event. You can read the projo story here and the ecoRI article here.
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2) Master Lever No More
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After 50 years of public outcry to do away with the Master Lever (aka straight party voting), the House Judiciary Committee finally found the courage to pass the bill to eliminate it from the ballot onto the House floor. Remarkably it passed the House on a unanimous vote, 70-0. It's enough to make you shake your head in chagrin, but it's better late than never. The RI Chapter has supported this effort the past few years in the pursuit of more competitive elections, better informed voters, and good governance. My testimony was even mentioned in coverage of the hearing.
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3) Transit Financing Hearing
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The recognition is nice, but there is no rest for the weary. We need to continue to make an impact if we want good policy passed this session. Can you come to the State House tomorrow? The Senate Finance Committee will again be considering the bill that would provide RIPTA with increased funding. The hearing is at 3pm in room 211. You can JOIN AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO ATTEND HERE.
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4) The Oyster Bar, an RI Exemplar
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I tend to get overly wrapped up in the affairs of the State House at this time of year (if you hadn't noticed!), and it's easy to lose sight of the what the better future we're reaching for is actually going to look like. What is a resilient Rhode Island? Well, in some places, it's already happening. One shining example is the pond/farm to plate business model that the Matunuck Oyster Bar features. You can read more about this epitome of localization in the Boston Globe. If you want to help create a Rhode Island where localizing is the norm, I encourage you to "LIKE" the Rhode Islanders for a Resilient Economy FB page.
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5) For Your Enjoyment
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It's been busy, and our resident videographer Robert Malin has been busy documenting many of the things going on. Please head over to our YouTube channel at your convenience to see some of the great recent clips. There is truly inspiring footage from the big Reject and Protect action in Washington, DC that happened a couple of weekends back.
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6) Deepwater Debate?
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Recently I was part of a film screening/speaking panel on the potential for offshore wind development that was set up by Deepwater Resistance, the grassroots group that has organized itself in opposition to the Block Island Wind Farm. I may be biased, but I think our side won the debate. You can read about the event on ecoRI.
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Thank you for signing up for Cool CATs Weekly. You can make your community "Cool" by advocating for renewable power, green buildings and transportation choices. Visit the Cool Cities website for resources and toolkits.
Sincerely,
Abel Collins
The Sierra Club Rhode Island Chapter
42 Rice St.
Providence, RI 02907
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