The New Progressive Alliance 2017 Annual Report

• The New Progressive Alliance (NPA) continued to expand our organizational outreach and is now allied with 46 other national and international organizations. All allies are listed on our website.
• Facebook supporters remain constant at about 1,600.
• By the end of 2017 we had a total of 146 Public Comments in support of our Unified Platform since the New Progressive Alliance’s founding. We ended the year with 35 Public Comments to agencies – more than any other year in the history of the New Progressive Alliance. We make comments either alone or with others, but it is important to fight for policy specifics. All Public Comments in full are on our website.
• Publishing in social media means at a minimum publishing a reference in Facebook at both NPA and Leftist Third Party and Independent Candidates. We used to publish in Ello, but in April decided it was ineffective and withdrew the New Progressive Alliance site.
• Our democratic republic is threatened by a press which ignores certain stories. In January we referenced with social media the article The Top Ten Under-Reported News Stories of 2016 and followed up with our continually updated NPA article The Powerless Press. 
• In January we published in our blog and social media “The Sickness of Healthcare in the U.S.” by Rose Roby.
• The New Progressive Alliance has consistently opposed the Washington state Kalama Natural Gas to Methanol Refinery for many reasons.
• In April in Public Comment 101 the New Progressive Alliance urged the Washington state Draft Environmental Impact Statement to be updated to address the Kalama Natural Gas to Methanol Refinery increased dangers and pollution from fracking and natural gas, would use a lot of power which would be reflected in higher electricity rates, water use and contamination, and is founded on a bad business plan.
• In January in Public Comment 112 the New Progressive Alliance wrote the Washington state SW Clean Air Agency opposing Air Discharge permit 16-3204 for the Kalama Natural Gas to Methanol Refinery. The reasons are increased pollution, it would use a lot of power which would be reflected in higher electricity rates, and it is founded on a bad business plan.  
• Also in January in Public Comment 113 the New Progressive Alliance urged Cowlitz County to deny local land use permits to Northwest Innovation Works’ Kalama methanol refinery.
• In January we published in social media about Chinese billionaire Jack Ma saying the US wasted trillions on warfare instead of investing in infrastructure. The NPA also supplied documentation that Jack Ma was correct.
• In January we published in our blog and social media an article by long time NPA supporter Sondra Miller The Women’s March on Washington.
• In February we published in our blog and on social media “Indignation is not courage. Outrage is not Brains.” by Jeff Roby. Jeff and Rose Roby are two activists from Florida who also publish St. Petersburg Independents. Here Jeff Roby looks to the future.
• Coal and fracking companies do not deserve a continuing series of good deals at the expense of the American taxpayers. The New Progressive Alliance has written the BLM in June 2012, May 2013, August 2013, June 2015, and August 2016 on this matter and now in February we are writing yet again in Public Comment 114, this time on the Spring Creek Coal Environmental Impact Statement. When we complained before on these and many other environmental problems Obama refused to address, some democrats asked if this was productive and repeated the mantra that republicans would be worse and we must not endanger electing democrats. This bury our head in the sand policy of abandoning the democratic base has now resulted in republican control of the presidency, both houses of congress, and most state legislatures. We are now writing the Trump executive branch on the same issues we wrote the Obama branch.
• Obama’s two appointees to the SEC - which included the SEC Chair - proved to be corrupt and resisted calls to transparency as much as any republican appointee. Both are now back in the same law firm whose business is securing sweetheart deals for the corporations they should have been regulating. The New Progressive Alliance complained for the Obama administration and we will continue to complain for the Trump administration. In our February Public Comment 115 we express our concerns about Walter “Jay” Clayton as SEC Chair who may be just as corrupt as Obama’s appointees.
• Obama’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has consistently championed fossil fuel projects. FERC has traditionally ignored and dismissed community and climate concerns when reviewing industry permits for fracked-gas pipelines and other infrastructure. Research indicates that the agency has rejected ONLY ONE such application, in 2016, in 30 years. FERC is in essence a rubber-stamp agency for the fracked-gas industry. It soon may get even worse.

Right now, FERC is down to two commissioners and can no longer approve fossil fuel infrastructure. Donald Trump will be able to nominate three Republican commissioners and one other commissioner to the five-member panel over the next six months, one of whom will be a new chair.  All FERC-sponsored, open community meetings on proposed fracked-gas infrastructure projects could become one-person-at-a-time, behind-closed-door meetings, as has happened already under the current regime in Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Virginia. FERC could institute rigid, compressed timelines for action on permit applications. Landowners fighting eminent domain abuse could face greater pressure from pipeline companies anxious to take their land. FERC staff could be ordered to do even worse jobs on Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements that deal with threats to community health, safety and climate. The FERC public relations department could actively attempt to portray communities that oppose proposed pipelines in the most negative light. The FERC building security in DC could become more repressive against those who protest there.
 
Trump’s nominations need to be approved by the full Senate. We call upon members of the Senate, especially those on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee which has to review those nominations, to speak out about the myriad problems with FERC and press Trump’s nominees about its rubber-stamp history for gas industry expansion. To achieve this, Beyond Extreme Energy is banding together with the New Progressive Alliance and other organizations around the country to fight Trump's upcoming appointments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). See Public Comment 116 made in February 2017.

• In March the New Progressive Alliance made the following comment in support of the almost 140 organizations concerned about FERC appointments. "China, most of Europe, Japan, and even impoverished Island, Central American, and African nations have made substantial progress in transitioning off fossil fuel towards renewable energy. Thanks to FERC, however, the United States is not among the leaders. It matters not whether a democrat or republican is in the White House or which party controls congress, FERC acts as an irrational anchor to the past."
• Fourteen Democrats in the House wrote to President Trump calling on him to make FERC operational again by putting forward nominees for the open commissioner spots. These representatives don’t understand FERC. (See Public Comment 116.) They think making this rubber stamping agency operational again will be helpful. We know otherwise and in March 2017 in Public Comment 117 wrote these 14 democrats.
• In March the New Progressive Alliance published through social media two articles with disturbing implications. See “We No Longer Have Three Branches of Government” at http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/three-branches-government-separation-powers-executive-legislative-judicial-214812?hl=1&noRedirect=1 The author says, “I served in Congress for 16 years and taught civics for 13 more. Our government no longer looks like the one I told my students about—or the one the Constitution describes.” See also “Greenwald: Empowering the "Deep State" to Undermine Trump is Prescription for Destroying Democracy” at https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/16/greenwald_empowering_the_deep_state_to
• To give up civil rights and abandon our constitution appears to cause no concern among either democrats or republicans. In March we published in social media “The Forever Prisoners of Guantanamo” at http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176249/tomgram%3A_karen_greenberg%2C_the_forever_prisoners_of_guantanamo/#more See also “Civil Rights” at  http://www.newprogs.org/civil_rights_under_the_democratic_republican_uniparty
• In March the New Progressive Alliance published through social media  a way forward that was used by Swedes and Norwegians in How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’ at  http://www.commondreams.org/views/2012/01/26/how-swedes-and-norwegians-broke-power-1-percent

·        In March we published in social media "The Dance of Death,"  at http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_dance_of_death_20170312 by Chris Hedges. Chris Hedges is perceptive, but offers no solutions.

• In March we expressed concern about the Supreme Court nominee in Public Comment 118.
• In March we expressed concerns about the survival of the Post Office in Public Comment 119.

·        As of April the New Progressive Alliance no longer posts on Ello because they are not appropriate for political commentary and unlikely to change. We will be continuously on the lookout for a Facebook replacement.

• In April we published in social media “Syria - the latest example of continuous war” by Jeff Roby. 
• In April we published about the last Nuremberg Prosecutor alive.
• In April we published an article warning us that we should not let distractions keep us from seeing the truth that more war is the policy of both Democrats and Republicans.
• In April we published an article linking African famines to climate change.
• In May we issued an open call for NGOs to help the United Nations in Public Comment 120.
• In May the New Progressive Alliance is proud to welcome ACT NOW as an ally. The ACT NOW coalition supports a price on carbon in Washington state. Taxing polluters could promote renewable energy, help keep our air and water clean, provide tax relief, and fund healthy forests and vital state services. Details are in Public Comment 121.
• In May we published about a message of hope in a previous commencement address by Howard Zinn.
• Public Comment 122: May 2017 - Rover Pipeline FERC The New Progressive Alliance opposes a gas pipeline running through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
• In June we published an article "Climate facts are not enough." Citing science is not enough. Nonetheless, those who deliberately choose to ignore science and substitute their own childish beliefs are very close to evil and will have a disastrous effect on the next generation. Public Comment 124 discusses this and the U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations COP 21.
• In June we published an article about eerie similarities between the collapse of the Soviet Union and where we are now.
• Public Comment 123: June 2017 - CA Disclose ACT (AB14) We support more transparency in government.
• Public Comment 124: June 2017 - U.S. Withdrawal from United Nations COP 21. We comment as a United Nations NGO in consultative status.
• Public Comment 125 June 2017 - Political Intelligence Transparency Act - We support more transparency in government.
• In June we published hopeful news from the Labor Party in the United Kingdom on the recent election.
• In June we published an interesting article. The Naval War College taught about nations clashing between democracies and dictatorships. Later Samuel Huntington in “Clash of Civilizations” proposed the conflict would be between Islam and the Judeo-Christians. This interesting article we published proposes that President Trump is trying to win fossil fuel supremacy over post-carbon green energy.
• June: We are looking for an alternative to Facebook, but the hard truth is there is nothing to replace it with right now. Someone suggested “Minds” and “Diaspora,” but it was difficult to sign on and had no political or progressive discussions. Not censoring means nothing if nobody posts anything controversial. As with Ello, we need something that can effectively support the Unified Platform.
• It is good to look at the trend we are on. In June we published, “The Making of a Pariah Nation.”
• In June Gary Swing and Julia Williams commented in our blog on the Green Party.
• In June we published an article about war at home and abroad as well as an insightful article by Naomi Klein.
• In June we published an article that illustrates the difficulty in getting some to examine their beliefs.
• In June we linked to another insightful article by Chris Hedges.
• In July we linked to an article warning against blind support of the democrats.
• In July we linked to an article about fighting the mass media.
• In July The New Progressive Alliance joined 172 other groups to call for a clean 2018 Budget free of ideological irrelevant riders in Public Comment #126.
• In July we linked to an article showing we just breached 410 PPM carbon dioxide. This is not good as a previous goal was 350 PPM.
• In July the New Progressive Alliance welcomes the American Association for the Advancement of Science as an ally. The AAAS seeks to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people."
• In July we linked to an article of two activists fighting in Florida.
• In Nebraska, there is still no permitted route for Keystone. Eighty-five landowners are refusing to give up their land to make way for the pipeline, and thousands more people are rallying to deny TransCanada their Nebraska permit for Keystone XL. They’re asking pipeline fighters from across the United States to support these efforts by submitting comments to Nebraska’s Public Service Commission urging them to include climate in their assessment and oppose the permit. If built, this pipeline would poison our climate, air, water, land and communities, and violate Indigenous rights. As one NASA scientist put it, building Keystone would be “game over for the planet.” In July the New Progressive Alliance made Public Comment 127 to the Nebraska Public Service Commission.
• Instead of being a green leader, Washington State just approved the world’s largest fracked natural gas-to-methanol refinery. The methanol refinery could emit more than a million tons of climate pollution every year. The Kalama methanol refinery would increase Washington’s fracked gas consumption by nearly 40%! This methanol refinery alone would consume more fracked gas than any other sector (residential, industrial, gas-fired power plants) in the state. At a time when clean energy needs our full support, the Kalama methanol refinery weds Washington to the fracked gas industry. The New Progressive Alliance wrote Washington State Governor Inslee Public Comment 128 urging him to reject the methanol refinery because it would cause more pollution, mean higher utility costs for electricity and natural gas, and is a bad business plan. Governor Inslee made headlines recently for committing to uphold the Paris Climate Accords and we hope he will follow through.
• Public Comment 129: In July 2017 the New Progressive Alliance joined with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights - a diverse coalition of more than 200 national organizations committed to protecting civil rights - to oppose the Pence-Kobach data request by President Trump. The reasons are the potential for voter suppression and privacy concerns.   The Public Comment was made to the 50 U.S. Secretaries of State.
• In July we urged people to look at the big picture when looking at politics.
• Public comment 130: In July 2017 the New Progressive Alliance urged Congress to “Stop FERC from Misusing Authority on Pipelines.”
• In July we published a newsletter from one of our allies on the transition away from empire.
• Public Comment 131: In July 2017 the New Progressive Alliance asked Washington State Department of Ecology not to permit the largest coal terminal in North America.
• In August 2017 the New Progressive Alliance welcomed as an ally The Ocean Agency. Connections to all of our allies may be found at http://www.newprogs.org/allies
• In August 2017 we asked people on social media if they wanted to participate with the United Nations. The New Progressive Alliance has been in special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council since 2015 so we can offer volunteers a chance to attend meetings or write papers for the United Nations through the NPA. See So You Want to Volunteer for the United Nations
• The New Progressive Alliance ally "Popular Resistance" recently published and we referred to “Policies for the People" about actions we must take to survive future challenges.
• In August we published an article by 13 federal agencies warning of climate change which will probably be censored.
• In August we published an article showing it is indeed past time to stop coddling the Confederacy. The background both then and now is based deeply in racism and against the United States.
• In August we published an article by an author who wrote a book about a declaration of resistance and a roadmap for radical change from the generation that will be most screwed by climate change.
• In August we published an article on Trump extending the policy of continuous war.
• In August we published an article on the present and worsening effects of climate change.
• In September we published the article "Beware the Trump Administration."
• In September we published an article by Popular Resistance, the New Progressive Alliance's oldest ally. Here is another warning about climate change, the most immediate issue and the one future generations will most judge us by. We also published another 2 articles warning about the dangers of climate change and climate denial. 
• Public Comment 132: The New Progressive Alliance in September agreed with the Seattle Disability Commission which voted unanimously to recommend the city end the sub-minimum wage for disabled people. There is no evidence that lowering the minimum wage increases hiring of handicapped people. In addition, disabled people frequently need more money to survive.
• In September 2017 we published an article from 350 - one of our allies - urging people to contact congress about climate change.
• Public Comment 133: In September the New Progressive Alliance called for a clean 2018 Budget free of ideological irrelevant riders similar to Public Comment 126.
• Public Comment 134: September -  The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has enough information to deny the Penn East Pipeline and the New Progressive Alliance with other organizations encouraged the DRBC to do so.
• Public Comment 135: September - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has a long record through both Democratic and Republican administrations of blindly approving and refusing to regulate energy companies. In Public Comment 135 the New Progressive Alliance joins with other organizations in holding a rally at FERC’s first meeting since January 1017 on September 20, 2017.
• Public Comment 136: September - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has a long record through both Democratic and Republican administrations of blindly approving and refusing to regulate energy companies. In Public Comment 136 the New Progressive Alliance joined with other organizations in a Congressional letter opposing FERC.
• In September we published an article about a 91 year old academic discussing climate change.
• Companies which write papers for students are not only dishonest, they have targeted the New Progressive Alliance. In September we published "Essay writing companies are a threat to higher education."
• In October we published the newsletter of a New Progressive Alliance ally, Popular Resistance.
• In October the New Progressive Alliance welcomes the Public Banking Institute as an ally.

Public Banking can

-Make affordable loans to small businesses, farmers, government entities, and students

-Save taxpayers up to 50% on infrastructure projects, like bridges and trains and schools 

-Eliminate billions in bank fees and money management fees for cities and states

-Support a vibrant community banking sector 

-Enable sustainable prosperity

• In October we published a disturbing look at the future of the American empire.
• In October the New Progressive Alliance welcomed the Health and Environment Alliance as an ally. The Health and Environment Alliance is a leading European not-for-profit organization addressing how the environment affects health in the European Union and demonstrating how policy changes can help protect health and enhance people’s quality of life.
• Public Comment 138: World Bank – Stop Financing Fossil Fuels - In October the New Progressive Alliance urged the World bank – just as we had in April 2015 – to stop the cycle of poverty by financing fossil fuels.
• In October the NPA published an article on the relationship between socialism and trust.
• In October we published an article on how little changes between democrats and republicans.
• In October we published an article on how continuous multi-generational war in many countries is draining the United States.
• In October the New Progressive Alliance welcomed the Delaware Riverkeeper Network as an ally. While national and international environmental efforts have not always been successful, often local efforts such as made by this plucky organization have been more successful in stopping fossil fuel expansion. The goals fit well with the NPA’s Unified Platform stand on saving the environment.
• In October the New Progressive Alliance published a United Nations warning with documentation on climate change.
• In October we published "Moving On from the Green Party."
• For years the New Progressive Alliance with other environmental organizations have formed a “thin green line” in the Pacific Northwest United States against huge fossil fuel expansion projects. Though successful so far, the fossil fuel interests keep telling falsehoods and applying again and again. Our latest two Public Comments are once again against the Millennium Coal exports.

-Public Comment 140: October 2017 – Washington State Ecology – Stop Millennium

-Public Comment 139: October 2017 – Cowlitz County Stop Millennium

• In October we published a link by the Union of Concerned Scientists to a “Disinformation Playbook.” The playbook features several tactics used by a broad range of industries to sideline science in policy making.
• In October the New Progressive Alliance welcomes the Independent Diplomat as an ally. Independent Diplomat is an innovative venture in the world of international relations. Independent Diplomat’s staff comprises experienced former diplomats, international lawyers and other experts in international relations. ID’s advice is impartial and its staff members have no allegiance or affiliation to other governments or institutions. Independent Diplomat holds itself and its clients to strict ethical standards. It requires its clients to be committed to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Independent Diplomat works for the least wealthy countries, which are often the most marginalized. Though there is no formal connection with the New Progressive Alliance, the Independent Diplomat goals fit well with the NPA’s Unified Platform stand on Peace First.
• In October we published an article showing how Canada has surpassed the United States in most important aspects.
• In November we published an article from our ally Popular Resistance on the dangers of climate change and what we are doing world wide to combat it.
• In November we welcomed Unicorn Riot as an ally. Unicorn Riot is a volunteer-operated decentralized media collective made up of multimedia artists and journalists. Unicorn Riot’s purpose is to amplify the voices of people who might otherwise go unheard and broadcast the stories that might otherwise go untold. They are committed to producing media that exposes root causes of social conflict and explores sustainable alternatives in today’s globalized world.
• In November we published an article about UN Climate COP 23 and California Governor Jerry Brown’s role in undermining it.
• In November the New Progressive Alliance published an article about the necessity of and the dangers to civil rights.
• In November the New Progressive Alliance welcomed as an ally World Without War. Wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us. They kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. World Without War commits to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.
• In November the New Progressive Alliance welcomed as an ally Sightline Institute. Sightline Institute’s mission is to make the Northwest a global model of sustainability— strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. They envision in the Pacific Northwest an economy and way of life that are environmentally sound, economically vibrant, and socially just.
• Public Comment 141: In December the New Progressive Alliance and over 30 other organizations asked congress not to strip the SEC of its power to regulate for the public good.
• In December the New Progressive Alliance welcomed as an ally the Economic Opportunity Institute. Their mission is to build an economy that works for everyone by advancing public policies that promote educational opportunity, good jobs, healthy families and workplaces, and a dignified retirement for all.
• Public Comment 142: Congress – Legislative Priorities - In December the New Progressive Alliance with 110 other organizations asked Congressional Senators and Representatives to focus on real legislative priorities such as health care, poverty, and helping Puerto Rico recover from the disastrous hurricane that hit their island. These are certainly more important than tax breaks for the very rich.
• In December the New Progressive Alliance welcomes as an ally the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice which is a center for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for those people vulnerable to the impacts of climate change who are usually forgotten - the poor, the disempowered and the marginalized across the world.
• In December the New Progressive Alliance published an article predicting major instability in the 2020s.
• In December the New Progressive Alliance published a report about a United Nations report on poverty in Alabama. Poverty in the United States is much more widespread and deeper than most people realize.
• The New Progressive Alliance welcomes as an ally Whole Washington. Whole Washington is an ambitious group of citizens and healthcare professionals, determined to bring universal healthcare coverage to Washington State through a ballot initiative. Whole Washington believes healthcare is a human right.
• In December the NPA published an article about poison pills. “Poison Pills” - or inserting irrelevant unwanted riders in bills - is one bad practice the New Progressive Alliance and other organizations are fighting against.
• Public Comment 143: The internet was developed largely with public funds. In December the New Progressive Alliance - with over 150 other organizations, representing a broad swath of public interest, racial justice, artist, and library interests – supported net neutrality with a petition. We want to keep the internet neutral and open to everyone rather than giving it to corporations for profit and undue influence. Other countries correctly regard it as a utility in their infrastructure and have both more access and more speed. This is yet another area where we are falling behind.
• The New Progressive Alliance made three recent Public Comments in the final part of December 2017 and ended the year with 35 Public Comments to agencies – more than any other year in the history of the New Progressive Alliance. We make comments either alone or with others, but it is important to fight for policy specifics.

Public Comment 144: December 2017 – Congress – Challenge Trump on Environment With many other organizations we wrote to all 535 members of congress to challenge Trump on his anti-environmental actions.

Public Comment 145: December 2017 – State Attorney Generals – FERC Abuses - The  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) has rubber stamped fossil fuel projects for too long.

Public Comment 146: December 2017 – Health and Human Services – CDC Forbidden Words  -  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget analysts were informed they are discouraged from using seven words – including ‘“vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based”’ – as they prepare the President’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget.