16 Oct 2013
Letter #201
Dear President Obama,
Please say NO to the Keystone XL Pipeline. The weather is getting very erratic. Cows died in a blizzard in South Dakota just days after 80 degree weather. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/us/south-dakota-blizzard-takes-toll-on-livestock.html?
This is weather disruption. It is very destructive. Our computer models are not good at modeling the disruptions, only the averages. But disruption is what is harmful to the productive life on the planet. Use your brain and your heart. Stop climate disruption before it is too late.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Expecting Weather Disruption
18 Oct 2013
Letter #202
Dear President Obama,
There is a beautiful full moon tonight – that reminds me of another moon – one I wrote a haiku about in 1998:
Startling beauty of the full moon
so low
so ripe for autumn picking
Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is incredible how much carbon we have spewed into the air since 1998 – when I didn’t realize it was a problem!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Moon Lover
19 Oct 2013
Letter #203
Dear President Obama,
Oil companies in North Dakota are flaring off 29% of the natural gas they produce.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/business/energy-environment/oil-companies-are-sued-over-natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota.html
This is putting carbon into the air equivalent to 2 medium coal-fired power plants. It is unconscionable that we allow this rampant ecological harm to continue unabated. Clearly the “cheap” oil coming out of North Dakota isn’t cheap at all. If the oil companies had to pay a carbon tax for every ton of carbon emitted from excavation, then the North Dakota oil would be too expensive to drill for! We are subsidizing their profit to the detriment of our children and grandchildren. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop underwriting collossal environmental damage. Protect our climate.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Abhor Gas Flaring
20 Oct 2013
Letter #204
Dear President Obama,
Recently Tesoro Corp estimated the size of a pipeline oil spill near Tioga, North Dakota of 750 barrels, and later increased that estimate almost 30 times to more than 20,000 barrels. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/us/north-dakota-oil-leak-is-under-scrutiny.html
Oh gee – it was a farmer who reported the spill to the state Health Dept – not the pipeline company Tesoro! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/us/oil-spill-in-north-dakota-raises-detection-concerns.html?
Tesoro should have their operation permits pulled for gross negligence. They didn’t report to the Health Dept because they thought they wouldn’t get caught. Not too many people live in N. Dakota – that’s why they think it’s OK to trash the environment there. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline – it is one more pipeline we don’t want. Keep the oil in the ground, not spilling over the wheat fields. And by the way if a kid steals a t-shirt, it might be shoplifting, but 30 shirts is grand theft!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Pipelines Leak and Tesoro Lies
21 Oct 2013
Letter #205
Dear President Obama,
I was disturbed by yesterday’s article in the NY Times about British government support for exploratory fracking wells near Manchester.
The explanation given is that coal is “demonized” and nuclear is “geopolitically perilous.” But what is really at issue here is what is most profitable in the short term for the energy companies. There is no mention here of RENEWABLE energy – wind and solar. The unstated subtext is that the wind and sun are free and the only profit to be made is in the distribution. But this is what we must do to survive! Government must nudge energy companies away from all fossil fuels so that they become energy distribution companies. Government must protect our long term interests – Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. You must find the POLITICAL WILL to oppose short term reckless development of shale gas and other fossil fuels. Please find the POLITICAL WILL to keep fossil fuels underground.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Fracking would be Bad for BRITS
22 Oct 2013
Letter #206
Dear President Obama,
Yesterday I went to a lecture at MIT by Emmanuel Vincent, a post-doc in climate science. He described his recent work on the relationship between cyclone events and climate variability like El Nino/Nina. It was quite technical, full of equations and aimed at academic researchers, but I enjoyed working my brain through the detail to better understand what we do and do not know about weather events and climate. There is lots we don’t know and one of the audience was excited for the ideas of things we could measure, that we don’t now measure. The take-away message is that we can’t wait for all the data. We must act boldly NOW to slow GHG emissions. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. We must keep that oil in the ground.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Interested in Climate Science
23 Oct 2013
Letter #207
Dear President Obama,
Yesterday and today Al Gore’s website Climate Reality is running 24 hours of world wide climate reality. It is well worth checking out. We are in a climate emergency and the planet needs urgent treatment. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW. Face reality. We need urgent change. Stopping the pipeline sends an important message that the US is serious about curbing GHG emissions. The reality is that every day we wait, we cause more harm to the planet.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Fan of 24 Hrs Climate Reality
Thurs 24 Oct 2013
Letter #208
Dear President Obama,
The main message of 24 Hrs of Climate Reality was that carbon emissions are POLLUTION that harms us all and that we must put a price on carbon and make big oil pay for the damage fossil fuels cause. We must also stop climate-denial by politicians and only vote for ones who will act boldly and soon. And we must tell world leaders, including you to stop subsidies to fossil fuels. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline soon – take this small BOLD action to prove you care. And work to set a carbon tax and stop subsidies for oil and gas. These are things you cannot do alone – so I understand they will take longer – but you can stop Keystone XL. So please do it TODAY.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Acting on 24 Hrs of Climate Reality
Fri 25 Oct 2013
Letter #209
Dear President Obama,
Cape Wind made it to the NY Times on Wednesday.
It is scandalous that Bill Koch’s personal fortune stands in the way of wind power off of Cape Cod that could benefit all of New England. Wind power WILL BE BUILT off Cape Cod – it is the future. We need wind power all up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Mr. Koch cares more about his ocean view than global climate change. He just figures he and his family are rich enough to protect themselves and their properties from climate disruption. His hubris is unconscionable. Please use government in every way possible to counter Koch and other individuals who try to keep America from a better energy future. And please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. I know you can do that today. So just do it!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Cape Wind Fan
Sat 26 Oct 2013
Letter #210
Dear President Obama,
Well now we have a “Handy Uberwachung” scandal in German: US cellphone spying (the German word for cell phone is “handy” – who knows why !!).
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/opinion/international/the-handyuberwachung-disaster.html
We should be ashamed! And congratulations to the Germans for shining the spotlight on this. I love the serendipity that the word for this in German is oh SO HANDY!! Hey! spying has become so much easier with all the electronic surveillance. But just because something is easy to do, doesn’t make it morally right. The same with oil and gas exploration – it’s not morally right either. We need to be developing renewables, not scouting for more fossil fuels. So please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Handy is a Noun in German!
