Call In Days to Protect Communities from Pipelines & FERC
Mark Your Calendars –
- March 22 & 23
Call In Days to Protect Communities From Fracked Gas Pipelines, Compressors and LNG Exports
Right Now, FERC Can't Approve Any Fracked Gas Pipelines or LNG Export Facilities Because they Don’t have the Legal Quorum Necessary to Cast Binding Votes
Let’s Keep it That Way
Join the call-in days on March 22 and 23 when we're asking you to make 6 calls to tell your Senators and the members of the Energy and Natural Resources committee to hold hearings to get to the bottom of FERC's abuses of power and address them before approving one more appointee to the Commission!
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is a proven rubber stamp for fracked gas pipelines. In 30 years the FERC Commissioners have only rejected one (1) pipeline project.
Right now, FERC is operating without a Quorum – it only has 2 Commissioners, not the needed 3.* Until a new FERC Commissioner is approved by the Senate, the agency cannot issue the Certificates needed to approve fracked gas pipelines, compressors or LNG exports subject to its jurisdiction.
This means communities are in a rare moment of protection. Please help us fight to keep it that way.
We need Congress to keep FERC in this power vacuum until it has held hearings that expose the abuses of power and law inflicted by FERC on our communities and environment. And to then craft legislative reforms that will prevent these abuses from continuing in the future – even if that means dismantling FERC altogether and replacing it with a better option.
Any time now, President Trump will nominate new commissioners for Senate consideration and confirmation.
Help us call on Congress to push for what we really need—congressional hearings that lead to needed reforms and an agency dedicated to facilitating a just transition to an exploitation-free energy system based on locally controlled and distributed renewable sources.
(* Information Note: FERC only has 2 confirmed Commissioners on its 5 seat Board. Until FERC gets a quorum of Commissioners – three – it does not have the power to approve pipelines, compressors or LNG export facilities.)
It’s Time to Call Our Senators and Secure their Commitment to:
- Oppose Any New FERC Commissioners
- To Demand Congressional Hearings into FERC Abuses and Bias
- To identify reforms that will result in an agency dedicated to a just transition to energy that serves the people rather than abuses them.
We’re calling on communities across the nation to call key Senators on
- March 22 & 23
- April 5 & 6
To demand an investigation and reform of FERC before supporting any Trump nominations.
What will we be saying to senators?
- FERC is a demonstrably biased agency – it has only denied one pipeline project brought before its commissioners in 30 years
- Trump’s nominees for FERC Commissioner need to be opposed until Congress has held hearings into FERC’s abuses of power and has identified and put in place needed reforms.
- Ask Trump’s nominees the tough questions that will expose the bias and abuses that exemplify FERC.
Below, you will find all the resources you need to make your calls, including phone numbers, a sample script, and an optional form to tell us how your calls went.
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Contact Information for your senators
Call Your Two Senators
We need you to call your two senators and speak as their constituent.
Don’t know their number? Find it here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MA
Then Call Four More
We then need you to call 4 of the senators that sit on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which is responsible for holding hearings on Trump’s nominees to FERC.
Democrats:
Senator Maria Cantwell, Minority Ranking Member: 202 224 3441
Senator Bernie Sanders: 202 224 5141
Senator Al Franken: 202 224 5641
Senator Ron Wyden: 202 224 5244
Senator Debbie Stabenow: 202 224 4822
Senator Angus King: 202 224 5344
Senator Mazie Hirono: 202 224 6361
Senator Tammy Duckworth: 202 224 2854
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto: 202 224 3542
Senator Joe Manchin: 202 224 3954
Senator Martin Heinrich: 202 224 5521
Republicans:
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chair: 202 224 6665
Senator Rob Portman: 202 224 3353
Senator John Barrasso: 202 224 6441
Senator James Risch: 202 224 2752
Senator Mike Lee: 202 224 5444
Senator Jeff Flake: 202 224 4521
Senator Steve Daines: 202 224 2651
Senator Cory Gardner: 202 224 5941
Senator Lamar Alexander: 202 224 4944
Senator John Hoeven: 202 224 2551
Senator Bill Cassidy: 202 224 5824
Senator Luther Strange: 202 224 4124
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Sample Script
Please note that this is a template. Feel free to revise it as you’d like. The more personal you can be, and the more specific about your own concerns, the better.
When Calling Your Own Senator:
My name is (name). I’m a constituent of (name of Senator) from (your town and state).
I am calling to implore the Senator to call on his colleagues to resist any nominations put forth by Donald Trump to serve as Commissioner on FERC.
FERC his a demonstrated history of abusing communities and misusing the law when it comes to reviewing and approving natural gas infrastructure like pipelines, compressors and LNG facilities.
Before any new commissioners are appointed to FERC, and the agency’s quorum reestablished, I want Senator X to call for congressional hearings into FERC’s well documented and routine abuses that are harming communities and the climate, stripping people of their legal rights, undermining the legal authority of states, and allowing FERC employees and commissioners to personally benefit from the work they do at the agency.
When Calling a Committee Member who is not Your Senator
My name is (name). I am a resident of the United States who is concerned about FERC’s abuses of power and law when it comes to reviewing and approving pipeline infrastructure projects and LNG export facilities.
I am calling Senator X because he serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee that will be holding hearings on Donald Trump’s nominations for FERC Commissioners.
FERC his a demonstrated history of abusing communities and misusing the law when it comes to reviewing and approving natural gas infrastructure projects.
I am urging Senator X to use his position on the Committee to oppose confirmation of any new Commissioners to FERC, until such time as Congress has held hearings and investigated FERC’s well documented and routine abuses that are harming communities and the climate, stripping people of their legal rights, undermining the legal authority of states, and allowing FERC employees and commissioners to personally benefit from the work they do at the agency.
If you want to be able to give more detail here is a little bit more:
- FERC routinely uses a legal loophole that strips people of their legal right to challenge a pipeline project in court before FERC allows the company to use the power of eminent domain to take property and to actually start constructing activities for their pipelines.
- FERC routinely undermines states rights and legal authority when it comes to pipeline reviews.
- It has been documented that FERC has a revolving door between agency staff and the gas industry.
- FERC Commissioners are known to approve pipeline projects that benefit themselves and their family.
- FERC is known to use consultants in its pipeline process that are working for the very companies they are supposed to be reviewing on behalf of FERC.
If you are talking to a live person, and want to engage in some dialogue, here are some questions you could ask to find out where the Senator stands and to see if they are open to input during the nomination process regarding questions and information:
Can you tell me where the Senator stands on FERC commissioner appointments at this time? (Respond appropriately by saying thank you or by reiterating the need to vote no. The staffer may mention that Trump has not nominated anyone yet. Be sure to indicate that this isn’t only about who the nominees are. Be clear that until legislation is put forward to replace FERC, you demand that the senator vote no on all appointments, and that FERC lacking a quorum is a good thing).
Can I suggest questions for the senator to ask the FERC nominees during the confirmation hearing? (If yes, ask how to get these questions to the senator, but try to relay them over the phone. If no, relay the questions you’d like your senator to ask anyway, and demand that they be asked. Click here for sample questions)
Would the Senator support legislation to replace FERC with an agency dedicated to a just transition off fossil fuels? (If yes, ask what the senator will do to make such legislation a reality. If no, tell the senator that you can’t support candidates who don’t stand with you, your community, or the planet, and that unless the senator shapes up, you will join the effort to vote them out.)
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Tell Us About Your Calls
It would help to know who you called – if you are willing to share this information please do so at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvj7BonEaE084ALpMdj6ny8aGobxPW91ZFd_Yv0WY9wC50OA/viewform
