INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Author: Indivisible Lambertville / New Hope

  • Hot Topic In Our Own Back Yard: FERC Approves PennEast Pipeline

    Hot Topic In Our Own Back Yard: FERC Approves PennEast Pipeline

    On Friday, Jan. 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave its approval to the PennEast pipeline. It’s a big setback, but the pipeline can’t be built without approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Jersey already rejected an application from the PennEast Pipeline Company once. If enough of us keep raising our voices, we can show the Department of Environmental Protection that we don’t want a huge pipeline destroying protected open space and some of our cleanest waterways.
    What are you gonna do?
    “The fight’s quixotic,” my friends asserted. “It’s foolish to think you can make a difference.”
    “But if this pipeline gets built our neighbors will lose their land and our town could be flooded!!” I persisted.
    “All the same, Michael, you can’t stop a pipeline!”
    “I think it’s a cause worth fighting for, don’t you?”
    Thus ran the debate when I joined the fight to stop the PennEast pipeline. It was the first time I’d gotten involved in a political cause.
    My involvement started with a conversation, where I learned that the pipeline’s planned route goes right by Lambertville City’s reservoir, which has a dam rated high risk and is surrounded by granite, which will require blasting for the pipeline. The prospect of our city being flooded got my attention. I discovered that our neighbors in Hunterdon and Mercer counties could have their land taken away and would be living in the pipeline’s blast zone. I joined Homeowners Against Land Takeaway (HALT) and its Board of Trustees, questioned officials and candidates running for office, and do my best to keep the community informed.
    As I got involved in the fight, I came to understand some ugly things. The bad news is:
    Lesson 1: Five companies are investing in PennEast—New Jersey Resources, South Jersey Industries, Southern Company Gas, Spectra Energy Partners, and UGI Energy Services. They provide natural gas to customers and all proclaim the purpose of the pipeline is to provide low-cost gas to New Jersey residents. However, the natural gas market is flat. Their challenge is: How can we create a growth story for Wall Street to keep growing our stock prices? The answer? Build a pipeline! Why? Because the federal government, through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), guarantees a 14 percent profit to companies that build pipelines. When was the last time you were guaranteed a 14 percent profit?
    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of all five companies investing in PennEast state that New Jersey has enough natural gas to satisfy market needs through existing pipelines. The state Division of Rate Counsel, the agency that monitors natural gas supply and demand, concludes the same. That federally guaranteed 14 percent profit and its expected impact on stock prices is the sole reason for the PennEast pipeline. And the consequences for the little guy in cold cash? That 14 percent big corporate profit will come out of the pockets of ratepayers—you and me. So much for the myth of low-cost gas for New Jersey residents!
    Lesson 2: In grade school we’re taught that we’re a nation ruled by laws, not men. This, however, is only a half-truth. Under federal law, FERC guarantees a 14 percent profit, conditionally approves incomplete environmental applications, and enables eminent domain, allowing the seizure of citizens’ land. FERC enforces the law, as it interprets it. In the case of PennEast, FERC’s interpretation includes approving an environmental application so incomplete that it has been rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP). Nevertheless, the NJ DEP can use the federal Clean Water Act to stop pipelines. But here comes the hitch: NJ DEP can only stop a pipeline with the governor’s approval. Enforcement, in practice, is the governor’s decision.
    And the good news? New Jersey has a new governor, Phil Murphy. Murphy stated on videotape in Lambertville last year that the PennEast pipeline makes no sense economically or environmentally, and should be stopped. Suddenly the “quixotic” fight looks winnable!
    Who’s writing and enforcing our laws? Any law that enables a federal agency that (at best case) is influenced by the industry it regulates, or (at worst case) is controlled by that very industry is suspect. Yet this worst-case scenario is exactly what we have in FERC. The Clean Water Act is meant to protect our water and yet one governor can ignore it, and the next can chose to enforce it or not—it’s up to the governor.
    We must enforce existing laws that protect us and our children, and fight to pass new laws that benefit future generations. This is what we should stand for with renewed vigilance. The level of vigilance for any of us—the effort we put into educating ourselves, becoming involved in our communities, and voting—is a matter of temperament.
    Maya Van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, and her organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, have vigilantly worked to protect the Delaware River for many years, fighting the negative impacts of state and federal policies on the health of the Delaware River and its surrounding communities.
    Maya has recently proposed a Green Amendment to the New Jersey constitution (see her inspiring site forthegenerations.org). Now, more than ever, with one of our major political parties denying climate change, we need to join her and other like-minded citizens to ensure our right to a clean environment, clean air, and clean water. If we don’t write and pass the laws we want, the fossil fuel and chemical companies will write the laws they want—laws that guarantee 14 percent profits and allow corporations to seize or pollute our lands.
    In times like these, when the White House talks about “alternate facts” and the influence of dark money permeates our lives, it’s easy to feel discouraged, depressed, and alone. I, for one, have discovered that it helps a great deal to focus on a cause and join forces with others, like HALT and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, that are fighting to protect our rights and improve our lives.
    “What are you gonna do?” can be a resigned expression we use to evoke a sense of powerlessness, or a question we ask ourselves to determine how we can help to make our community a better place. Which will it be for you?
    Even if you’re not an active fighter, you can—and should— be an active voter. Important primaries are coming up in New Jersey in June, and elections will be held in November. If you aren’t inclined to get out and fight, get out and vote. If you are inclined to fight, there is plenty of work to do and organizations for every candidate—Indivisible, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and other groups support causes and candidates.
    The fossil fuel industry can fund candidates, but it cannot win if we vote its candidates out. Voting is the one thing all citizens can do. By voting for candidates that share our values, the next time an unneeded pipeline, or some other threat to the environment, comes our way we’ll have strong laws to prevent catastrophe and elected officials who’ll enforce those laws strictly in order to protect our land, our future and us.
  • Confessions of an Accidental Activist

    Confessions of an Accidental Activist

    As our new newsletter was conceived and as a new year begins, I thought it would be kinda cool for us to be able to share some thoughts and ideas about our work. Then came the time for me actually to put hands to keyboard and it all came to a grinding halt. What the heck do I have to say? I’m not even a real activist. Or am I?

    A year ago, we had a choice. We could stay in a pit of despair, or we could do something. We chose to do something. A bunch of women and one man came to Giuseppe’s in Lambertville to do something. (See ILNH member Olga Vannucci’s limerick on that, below!) Then, a bunch more people came to Dig! Yoga a couple weeks later, to do somethin

    Before any of us had a moment to wonder if it was a good idea, or if we had time and energy to change the very nature of our lives, we were activists.

    On a daily basis, I find myself pleasantly surprised and completely terrified.
    For the past year, I have thought of all of us who are part of Indivisible Lambertville-New Hope as kind of “accidental activists.” After the reality of the 2016 election sank in, the only thing that made sense was to come together and fight and work and push back against the daily stream of assaults to our democracy. And we did!


    Our mighty little community tried everything. We all stretched ourselves to do things we had never done before. We hosted postcard parties, we got out the vote, we taught ourselves the issues, we learned social media, we got a website, we got incorporated, we marched, we protested, we wrote, we called, we resistbot-ed we texted, we 4-H’d, and so much more. Heck, when one of our Congressmen called us “ruffians,” we knew we were doing something right! As we get ready to start 2018, two things are clear: First, we are now intentional activists; Second, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We have some big fights ahead of us, and while they will test our determination, we can and will show up with the same passion and dedication that we brought to Year One. We will have some days that feel like a gut punch and others that feel triumphant. We will sometimes feel exhausted and we will need our Indivisible peeps to step up so that we can sit down and rest for a minute. I don’t know what 2018 will bring but I have no doubt that it will be amazing.

  • Holiday Jam Celebrates the Indivisible Guide

    Holiday Jam Celebrates the Indivisible Guide

    At a meeting both lively and quick, nearly 200 attendees filled the Cornerstone Event Center on Dec. 10 for Indivisible Lambertville-New Hope’s first Holiday Jam. Guest speaker Billy Fleming, co-author of the Indivisible Guide, roused the crowd with the guide’s history and inspiration.

    Billy reminded us what 6,000+ Indivisible organizations along with other like-minded groups have managed to accomplish this year, saying that “we had no reason to win anything, with a Republican Congress and administration, yet we did.” He cited the repeal of ObamaCare, the travel ban and the effort that spurred Alabama residents to get out the vote, winning a Senate seat for Democrat Doug Jones in a deeply red state.

    Although the focus of Indivisible.org has largely been on national politics to date, the organization is already looking at how to do in statehouses what has been accomplished in Congress. He credits the local Indivisible groups like ours for “all their good ideas,” which they then share with others and amplify.

    “Keep doing what you’re doing, and if you need more from Indivisible.org, let us know,” he said.

    Action: Check out Indivisible435.org for information and ready-made materials covering Elections 101, Voting Rights and Voting Suppression, Voter Registration, Endorsement Guides and more. Policy information will be added especially as hot button items arise.

    Organizations to check out for help with 2018 Elections: Swing Left and Flippable.

  • Trump Administration Education Plans Threaten American Public Education

    Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration plan to spend billions of public dollars to encourage parents to send their children to schools that may be for-profit, may discriminate in their admissions policies and are not subject to monitoring of their performance or practices.
    Many education professionals and researchers believe that this emphasis on what the administration calls “school choice” threatens our entire system of public education. This is because such programs redirect public money to privately operated schools, a move that may cripple the ability of public schools to serve the full range of student needs and interests.

    The fundamental problem is that when a public school loses a percentage of its students and funding to private schools, it’s impossible to reduce its costs by a similar percentage. The school still has to pay much the same utility, maintenance, transportation, administrative, custodial and food service costs. Even teaching staff costs are unlikely to drop because there has to be a teacher in the classroom whether there are 25 or 10 students in attendance. The result is that public schools are often forced to cut support staff or programs such as art and music.

    Research shows that the fiscal impact of private school choice policies on public schools can be enormous:
    •– A study of Buffalo, NY, schools found that private charter schools programs had cost that district $57.3 million in a single year.
    •– In Nashville, TN, a study by the research firm MGT of America estimates that the growth of private charter schools has meant more than $300 million in direct costs to public schools over a five-year period.
    •– In Los Angeles, another MGT study calculated that the city’s public schools had lost $591 million due to declining enrollment attributable to students who leave and go to private charter schools.

    To make matters worse, DeVos wants to allow tax money to flow to private schools through vouchers, government-funded scholarships or corporate tax credits. Voucher programs are especially threatening to public schools because more children will leave if they are subsidized to attend any private or religious or virtual school their families favor.
    But what about results? Do voucher students really improve their performance when they escape the “evils” of the public school system? Some recent studies of the limited voucher programs currently in operation—studies that compare the performance of voucher students and similar students who remained in public schools—suggest the opposite. The performance of voucher students declined when they left their public schools.

    Highly regarded education researcher Mark Dynarski, of the Brookings Institution, summarizes the most recent studies:
    •– Indiana, 2015: “In mathematics,” the researchers found, “voucher students who transfer to private schools experienced significant losses in achievement.” They also found no improvement in reading.
    •– Louisiana, 2016: Researchers found large negative results in both reading and math for students using vouchers to transfer to private schools. Public elementary school students who started at the 50th percentile in math dropped to the 26th percentile in a single year in the private school. Results were somewhat better in the second year, but were still well below the starting point.
    •– Ohio, 2016: A study funded and conducted by proponents of school choice found that “Students who use vouchers to attend private schools have fared worse academically compared to their closely matched peers attending public schools.” Results were worse in math.

    Dynarski concludes, “A case to use taxpayer funds to send children of low-income parents to private schools is based on an expectation that the outcome will be positive. These recent findings point in the other direction.” And he offers a possible explanation: “our historical understanding of the superior performance of private schools is no longer accurate.”

    So DeVos’s plans threaten to undermine public school financing, shift funds to unregulated for-profit schools and lower student performance.It’s time to let our elected representatives know how we feel about defunding and destabilizing America’s public education system.
  • "She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

    "She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

    “I am an American living in a small isolated village in the south of France. I’m originally from Oregon—my family was active politically in the state (my father Robert B. Duncan was a Democratic congressman from Oregon for a number of years). I was a fervent Hillary Clinton supporter, and like so many, was devastated by the election results in November. Today I wanted somehow to share in the protests around the world but I am far from any city where people are marching. So I decided to do a one-woman march through my village. Fortunately my photographer husband followed me so my solitary march could be recorded.”

    This is Nancy and she lives in France. I’m wondering how many of us are reading this now wishing we lived in France with Nancy. After this weeks events, I’ve considered what living in another country would mean for me and my family. Of course, at least not today, I’m not leaving the country.

    So we are left with Resisting until impeachment or mid-term elections-whichever comes first. We will be challenged to keep motivated, energized and focused. By now we’ve realized this is a marathon, not a sprint. We are going to feel the sting of losing, often.
    My hope is we relish in the victories and use them to fuel us for the next fight. I firmly believe that one of the benefits of belonging to a Resistance group like Indivisible is that when some members are losing faith, the other members are there to lift their brothers and sisters up.

    These past few days have been another roller coaster ride for the country. As I write this, an appeals court has upheld the stay on Agent Orange’s Muslim Ban. Good news, though temporary-I am hoping it sends him over the edge.

    Elizabeth Warren was basically shushed by Bitch McTurtle while she was reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King regarding Jeff Sessions and his history of racist acts. While this felt like he was shushing all of us, it did give us an amazing new rally cry and possible campaign slogan for Liz-so there. It also elevated her to the level of full blown hero in my eyes, especially after watching her read the letter out in the hallway on Facebook live!

    Go Liz, Go!

    There’s more good news! (How can that be, you ask?). On February 1 the Lower Bucks Indivisible group had their first meeting. They were expecting about 50 people to show up at a local pizzeria. Three hundred residents came to the meeting! The meeting had to be re-located to a larger space! More and more Indivisible groups are forming, and at last count there were 6,000 groups registered with IndivisibleGuide. So while the struggle seems very real, a small army is forming, and we’re not goin’ anywhere!

    I have begun following Indivisible groups on Twitter. One woman tweeted they were starting out with three people in their Indivisible group! More power to ’em! If their experience is anything like ours has been, I’m sure they will have steadily increasing numbers at their meetings.


    This picture is from our first group meeting and our second one. We do not have official numbers, but you can see there’s a significant increase in activists here!

    Its going to be a slow, steady, up hill climb. We need to rely on each others strengths and skills during this time. In addition, we need to ask for help. Reach out when you’re exhausted and don’t think you can resist another day. (Take a day off from Resisting if you need to-it’ll be here when you get back). Do not be afraid to call on a new friend you met at a meeting, it is likely they need some encouragement as well.

    I had seen the post about Nancy, the solitary marcher, and wanted to share it here. It took some time and effort to find it again. While I was looking and googling “march” I was taken back to January 21 of this year. So many posts, photos and stories about the men and women that marched that day, in this country and around the world.

    March on! This is the story of 15 women that marched from a small population of 65 people in Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia. Check out their story, it will renew your spirit!

    If you’re feeling deflated, I highly recommend you just google “photos from women’s march”. You’ll see large and small groups, groups from other countries, some really creative signs-and you’ll remember how you felt that day. I was reminded of the excitement of the day, and the determination I felt in my very soul. We must keep that fire burning within if we’re going to resist for 4 years. (God Forbid)!

    So I say to you, remember Nancy the solitary marcher, the 15 women marching in their village, the 3 women starting an Indivisible group in Wisconsin-if they can do it, so can we!