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Clinton OBrien 5 min read

Congratulations to Nonprofit Campaigners on Three Recent Victories

1. Environmental Groups Prompt EPA to Block Five Mountaintop Mining Projects

For several years, Sierra Club, EarthJustice and Appalachian Voices have campaigned strongly to end mining projects that involve blasting away entire peaks, then dumping millions of tons of waste rock in the valleys below, causing permanent damage to the ecosystem. These three leading nonprofit organizations at various times enlisted Care2's support to help them in this great cause -- and as a result more than 100,000 of Care2's activist members took action to support the campaign. The great news is that the effort seems to have paid off: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has now raised concerns about five different mining permit applications, because of the risk that these projects would threaten water quality, and has asked the Army Corps of Engineers to place holds on the projects. While not a complete victory, this is a very positive development that these three tenacious nonprofits can all take pride in!

2. Civic Ventures Wins House and Senate Passage of the Serve America Act

Nonprofit organization Civic Ventures has long campaigned in favor of boosting government support for public service in America. Specifically, Civic Ventures advocated for passage of the Serve America Act, to create 175,000 new opportunities for young people and retirees to volunteer in the USA and overseas by feeding the hungry, greening communities, helping students in school, and more. Care2 was honored to be enlisted by Civic Ventures to assist with this important campaign, and the result was that more than 7,400 Care2 activists joined the organization in urging the U.S. Senate and President Obama to pass the Serve America Act, the largest expansion of government-subsidized public service since the creation of the Peace Corps. The terrific news is that the U.S. House and Senate both have passed the bill, and President Obama is expected to sign it into law on April 21st. Congratulations, Civic Ventures!

3. EarthJustice: Forcing EPA to Regulate Global Warming

EarthJustice in recent years has led the fight to prod the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions -- as required under the Clean Air Act. But the Bush Administration maintained that this was not the EPA's job, saying that greenhouse gas emissions did not sufficiently threaten public health and welfare. This prompted EarthJustice to mount a vigorous campaign, in which they also enlisted the help of about 9,300 Care2 activists who contacted the EPA and demanded that the agency do the right thing to curb global warming. The result? The EPA has just submitted a finding to the White House Office of Management and Budget concluding that greenhouse emissions DO endanger public health and that the EPA should regulate these emissions under the Clean Air Act. Way to go, EarthJustice!

 

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