Have You Registered for the NY22 Forum?

If you have, then your next step is to invite your NY22 (Dem & WFP) friends and colleagues.  We're excited about the 85+ people who have registered in the past week, but we want to make sure that all registered Democratic and WFP voters in NY22 know about this event and have the opportunity to attend. Invite them!  

Register HERE for the NY22 Congressional Forum 
Thursday, August 17th from 6 8pm 
Mohawk Valley Community College at 1101 Sherman Ave, Utica.

This event is for registered Democrats and WFP members only. It is co-sponsored by Indivisible Mohawk Valley, Citizen Action CNY, NAACP Utica & Oneida County, Oneida County Democratic Committee, Working Families Party, and Oneida County Democratic Women's Club. 

All three Democratic candidates for NY22 have confirmed they will participate in the forum. Hear all of them together on why we need to beat Brandon Williams at the ballot box in 2024 and how they plan to be the candidate to help us flip NY22 and take back the House. 

Our goal is to have at least 200 people in the audience, so please register to join us for this event that is going to channel energy from the NY22 Summit forward. 

Please email indivisiblemohawkvalley@gmail.com with any questions. We look forward to seeing you and your registered Dem/WFP friends on August 17th!
 

Excellent LTE!

We loved this LTE by IMV member Carole Gehrig published last weekend in the Daily Sentinel.  For those who don't subscribe, here it is:
 

Local GOP leaders fail to give credit where credit is due
Being a potential user of broadband in the Forestport area I was excited to hear our county executive announce the expansion of highspeed internet not only in  Forestport but also in five other rural townships. 

As usual his omission of American Rescue Plan Act funding that provided the necessary $2 million funds is not surprising.

The same goes for Brandon Williams when he announced that the Micron project "...is the beginning of the re-industrialization of CNY," but failed to credit the CHIPS and Science Act that made the project possible. 

When running for office he even called the Act's funding "corporate welfare."

Once again our local GOP leaders are hypocrites. Be against everything until it benefits themselves. 

These acts show me that Oneida County Anthony J. Picente Jr. and Congressman Williams only care about grabbing the headline rather than giving credit to those who create the legislation and provide the funds to make both projects possible. 

Beware of those who speak against every program that they now claim as their own.

President Joe Biden created "Chips and Science Act and the American Rescue Plan last year-with not one GOP vote. I appreciate our president for creating all the new jobs, funding infrastructure, reducing costs of my medicines and reducing our national debt. 

Elections have consequences. 

I will always vote for a candidate that makes life better for average Americans.

-Carol Gehrig, Whitesboro

This is an excellent example of a letter that educates voters about the life-impacting Biden/Democratic Congress legislation that is starting to fund huge investments in infrastructure, good jobs, a green economy, affordable broadband, affordable insulin, and so much more.  Way to go, Carole, and let's keep the LTEs going!
 

Three Easy One-Click Emails for the Climate this Week

 1. Prevent False Solutions from NYS’s Cap and Trade program:

IMV is a member of NY Renews which is putting out an email each week to drive public comment on the Governor’s forthcoming “cap-trade-and-invest” program. As NYSERDA and DEC put together draft regulations, it’s an important time to make our perspective heard.

Please sign this week’s one-click email. This week we’re focused on saying no to false energy solutions as the new pollution cap program is developed.

Done right, a cap-and-invest program would make the state’s corporate polluters pay up for their toxic pollution. But done wrong, NY’s cap program could lead to pollution hotspots in Black, brown, and working-class communities. We’re calling for regulators to cut loopholes for corporate polluters, to prevent them from beating the system with false solutions, such as so-called “renewable natural gas” and snagging extra rights to pollute by trading, selling, or saving their permits for later. 

 2. Urge Governor Hochul to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act to stop harmful uses of neonics that are hurting our ecosystems, pollinators, and public health.

Sign the petition telling Governor Hochul to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act now which passed both the NYS Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support this year. IMV has already signed the coalition letter for organizations and businesses.

The Governor is receiving continuous industry pressure to veto the bill since it passed. We need to counter that. The Birds and Bees Protection Act would address worsening neonic contamination by banning the harmful and unnecessary uses accounting for 80-90% of the neonics entering the states’ environment every year. Specifically, it targets neonic coatings on corn and soybean seeds—which the Cornell Report found provide “no overall net income benefit” to farmers—as well as unneeded non-agricultural lawn and garden uses that pose significant risks to pollinators and drinking water sources.While stopping short of the European Union’s complete outdoor neonic ban, the bill represents well-tailored and much-needed action on neonics in New York, especially in light of decades-long federal inaction. It also represents needed legislative action: closing a loophole in the state’s regulation of neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds—the largest and most wasteful neonic use in the state.

Action to rein in hazardous neonic pollution must not wait another year. IMV  strongly supports the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7640/S1856A) in its current form. Please sign the above petition. You are welcome to call the Governor as well at 518-474-8390. 

3. Advocate for real “zero-emissions” policies in NYS. Counter industry attempts to sneak in false solutions. 

Please sign this letter to support real zero emissions CLCPA regulations. (From the Stop Danskammer Coalition)

In some good news, last month, Danskammer Energy paused its plans to construct its fracked gas plant in Newburgh, NY by requesting a one-year stay to freeze further proceedings until details on NY State climate and energy policies have been determined. This is a victory, but Danskammer is not yet defeated as they are waiting on a decision about what qualifies as “zero-emissions” electricity, and how this qualification will be determined. The Public Service Commission has created a docket to specifically examine the implementation of the CLCPA’s mandate of 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040. The state is seeking comments on how that should be defined. Please sign the letter above.

Rally Tomorrow for Queer Rights

Oneida County Pride Association is hosting a Queer Rights Rally to protest SCOTUS Decisions.  Bring a sign and join in! The event will be held at the Intersection of Genesee Street and Memorial Parkway in Utica on Saturday, July 29th, 12:00 pm.  Supporters and safety marshals are needed for a successful rally.  This event is allied with the national protest led by Queer Youth Assemble.
 

Indivisible Powering Progress RCN Messaging Training

The right regularly uses racial fear as a tool to exploit economic anxieties and turn people against one another, even when their economic interests are aligned, and turn them against a government that works for all. The Race Class Narrative messaging architecture fights back at these attacks and racial dog whistles, build cross-racial solidarity, and support for issues, and builds an active and inclusive government.

Join Indivisible to learn how to learn how to use Race Class Narrative Messaging in your work including but not limited to actions supporting the August anniversary celebration of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Whether or not you can sign up for the training sessions below, you may want to read the Pre-Reading Assignment:

https://medium.com/@halo.politics/can-democracy-and-the-democratic-party-survive-racism-as-a-strategy-47257b3b450 

We know that the better we get at effective, winning Race Class Narrative framing, the more we can persuade others to join us and vote for candidates who want to bring us together and make life better for all of us. 

Wednesday, August 2nd, 8:00 pm, Powering Progress Race Class Narrative Message Training: Families, Freedoms, and Futures Part I. Register HERE. 

Wednesday, August 9th, 8:00 pm, Powering Progress RCN Training: Families, Freedoms, and Futures Part 2, Register HERE. 
 

CAFE Fridays

Apologies for the calendar entries last week all showing a truncated password to enter the CAFE Zoom!  The mistake has been corrected. Hopefully, everyone who wants to join CAFE today can do so with no difficulty. This morning at CAFE:  IMV Steering Committee has been working on our own IMV Palm Card that we can use when we are tabling or hosting or attending voter contact events. We'd love to have you take a look using a screen share and get your feedback. See you this morning! 

We hope you continue to enjoy your summer, show up on Saturday to support Queer rights if you can, and register for the NY22 Congressional Forum on Thursday, August 17th.
 

Democracy is not a spectator sport. 

Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.