In thinking through President Obama’s sixth and penultimate State of the Union address, I’ll admit to having wildly mixed thoughts and emotions. Generally, I thought this was one of his best State of the Union addresses, and reflected on why the president was elected in 2008. The values-laden speech spoke to many of the core principles that Friends of the Earth and I hold dear: equity, creating a healthy environment for our children, fairness…
On April 23, 2014, President of Friends of the Earth Erich Pica gave remarks at a press conference hosted by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) on the environmental benefits of the Government By the People Act, recently introduced by Sarbanes. The bill would provide tax incentives for small donors and match small donations made to candidates with federal funds, lessening the grip big polluters have on American politics. A companion bill, the Fair Elections Now Act,…
"Let's make this a year of action." #obama should stop the #KXL pipeline and rethink #nofasttrack@foe_us#nokxl
As president of Friends of the Earth U.S., I am proud to support, on behalf of our more than 250,000 members and activists and in solidarity with our friends from numerous activist organizations, a Robin Hood Tax. Friends, if it isn't all ready clear, we are in this together. The global economic crisis, largely created by the various entities we want to tax, has forced austerity measures in both the European governments and the United…
There are just some public officials who won't go away.
Exhibit A: President Obama's former director of the National Economic Council and the former secretary of treasury under President Clinton, Lawrence H. Summers.
This time around, President Obama is considering whether to appoint Larry Summers to head the Federal Reserve, perhaps the country's most preeminent appointment on economic matters. Summers would have a global pedestal to push his brand of failed market fundamentalism. His argument…
This article, by Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica, was originally posted here on The Hill's Congress Blog.
During Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, the State Department’s review of whether to permit construction of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline -- which would carry the world’s dirtiest oil from northern Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries -- was tainted by flagrant conflicts of interest and insider influence. Hopes were high that…
Today feels like Groundhog Day with the Department of State. More than a year ago, Friends of the Earth, along with members of Congress including Sen. Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Cohen from Tennessee, charged the State Department with gross negligence for failing to properly vet the consulting firm Cardio Entrix for improper conflicts of interest. Now, more than a year later, we are at a similar juncture with the State Department apparently actively trying…
Today, the United States Senate and the American people lost a tremendous champion for a healthy and just world with the passing of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. From fighting for greater access to public transportation and Amtrak to working to reform U.S. chemical policy, Sen. Lautenberg was an environmental leader and will be missed. Our thoughts go out to the Lautenberg family.
-Erich Pica,
President, Friends of the Earth
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
This week is always a special week for Friends of the Earth U.S. Around this time every year, the Goldman Environmental Prize announces the recipients of its prestigious award. Modeled after the Nobel Peace Prize, the Goldman Environmental Prize honors grassroots activists from six regions of the world for their extraordinary efforts to protect their community from environmental exploitation.
This year’s recipients are truly inspiring, collectively, this collection of six individuals with backgrounds as diverse…
This morning, I joined Representatives Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) as well as the leaders of Health Gap, National Nurses United, National Peoples Action, Demos and Vocal to announce the introduction of the Inclusive Prosperity Act of 2013 (H.R. 1579). The concept behind the Inclusive Prosperity Act is simple. When the banks and Wall Street were on the verge of collapse, taxpayers were forced to step…