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Protest signs that say People Over Pipelines and Standing with Standing Rock

Activist Tools

U.S. Congress

How to contact your U.S. House Representatives and U.S. Senators:

If you know who your representative is but you are unable to contact them using their contact form, the Clerk of the House maintains addresses and phone numbers of all House members and Committees, or you may call the U.S. Capitol switchboard operator to connect you directly with House and Senate offices: (202) 224-3121

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the U.S. agency that permits and regulates fracked gas pipelines and export terminals.

(For oil and tarsands pipelines, permitting and regulation are managed by state-based agencies (often times the “Public Utilities Commission”) and other federal agencies, including the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Dept. of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) within the Dept. of Transportation.)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

State Party Platforms

At the local, state, and national level, political parties regularly update their party platforms, the document that sets forth their guiding principles — often during election years. Each platform begins at the grassroots, with any registered party member capable of submitting a policy belief they would like the party to support. While the process can vary slightly from state to state, and between parties, the general procedure is the same. The policy beliefs are first collected at the county level, and approved at the county convention. From there, it can move up the ladder all the way to a party’s national platform. Party platforms are an opportunity to shift the stances on important issues at every level of government.

If you are interested in participating in the platform process, several sample submissions can be found below:

Resolution:We oppose eminent domain abuse.
Rationale: Private corporations should not be encouraged to undermine the 5th Amendment. Landowners should have the right to say “Yes, please” or “No, thank you.” without the threat of eminent domain manipulating their decision making. For-profit ventures with no legitimate public benefit should not be considered a public use.

Resolution: We oppose eminent domain for private gain.
Rationale: Our land, water, and property rights must come before the profit-driven desires of private corporations. The heavy-hand of government should not be used to force people to take on unwanted risks while corporations make off with the reward.

Resolution: We oppose the investment, development and construction of pipelines involved in the carbon capture and sequestration process.
Rationale: Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is currently an unsound, unproven technology. CCS is a false solution to the climate crisis involving a continued reliance
on fossil fuels. Additionally, carbon dioxide is a corrosive substance that degrades the structural integrity of a pipeline creating a massive risk to nearby communities, including injury and death. Further, eminent domain should not be used solely for the profit of private corporations. The rights and well-being of the people must come before the private profits of massive corporations.

Resolution: We oppose the exploitation of eminent domain and the misuse of tax dollars for carbon capture and storage projects.
Rationale: CCS is proven to be a scheme from the oil & gas industry that relies on billions in federal tax subsidies, while leaving landowners and communities burdened with risks.

Resolution: We believe that the unrestricted and inappropriate use of eminent domain threatens private property rights. We oppose the use of eminent domain by private companies in place of good faith easement or purchase negotiations.
Rationale: Concerns have been expressed by landowners that pipeline companies may use the threat of eminent domain to lower offerings in negotiations for voluntary easement purchases. This pressures landowners, rather than allowing fair negotiations.

Resolution: We oppose amalgamation/integration of pore space.
Rationale: Corporations are attempting to seize subsurface property without paying just compensation as required by the United States Constitution in order to inject carbon dioxide waste underground.

Public Testimony: Videos

  • 350.org: U.S. State Dept. hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Grand Island, Nebraska (April 18, 2013)
  • Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska testifies at U.S. State Dept. hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Grand Island, Nebraska (April 18, 2013).
  • Faith Spotted Eagle of Ihanktonwan Dakota U.S. State Dept. hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Grand Island, Nebraska (April 18, 2013)
  • Ben Gotschall testifies U.S. State Dept. hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Grand Island, Nebraska (April 18, 2013)

  • Public hearing on proposed fracking wastewater injection well before Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission in Sioux County, NE (2015)
  • Nebraska rancher Randy Thompson testifies at a hearing on Keystone XL in Washington, D.C. (2011)
  • Jeanne Crumly (landowner on Keystone XL pipeline route) testifies on proposed changes to National Environmental Policy Act at U.S. EPA hearing (2020)

Citizen Reports

“Citizen Report” on U.S. State Department Environmental Impact Statement for Keystone XL Pipeline
173432403-Submission-by-Bold-Nebraska-and-N-E-A-T-to-State-Dept-on-Keystone-XL

County Board Meetings: Steps for Citizen Leaders
(Bold Nebraska, May 2013)
County Board Meetings: Steps for Citizen Leaders (Bold Nebraska, May 2013)

Pipeline Safety Trust: Local Government Guide to Pipelines (2014)
Pipeline Safety Trust: Local Government Guide to Pipelines (2014)

Sample Letter to Local Leaders: Background on State and County Role and the TransCanada Pipeline
May 2011
background_letter to county leaders

Sample Questions to Ask of Pipeline Companies’ Proposal for New or Expanding Pipeline Project for Your Community
(Stop the Pipelines / Delaware Riverkeeper / Sierra Club / Pipeline Safety Coalition, 2018)
Sample Questions to Ask of Pipeline Companies' Proposal for New or Expanding Pipeline Project for Your Community

How-To: Write a Letter to the Editor

Tips for Writing NoKXL Letters to the Editor

How-To: Activist House Party Toolkit

NoKXL House Party Toolkit

Writing & Publishing Op-Eds

Sample Op-Ed: The Hill: Eminent domain fine and dandy for Keystone-obsessed GOP
By Jane Kleeb, Jan. 14, 2015
Eminent domain fine and dandy for Keystone-obsessed GOP _ TheHill

Newspaper Ads

Sample Newspaper Ad: Keystone XL: The Riskiest Pipeline Ever Built
York News-Times (Nebraska), 2015
Keystone XL: The Riskiest Pipeline Ever Built York News Times 2015

Sample Newspaper Ad: Thank You President Biden for Rejecting Keystone XL, Keep Being Bold
New York Times, 2021
Thank You President Biden for Rejecting Keystone XL, Keep Being Bold New York Times, 2021

How-To: FOIA: File a Freedom of Information Act Request

The Freedom of Information Act is the federal law, enacted in 1966, that makes government information accessible to the people. The law is based on the presumption that individuals have a right to know what their government is up to and that government agencies have a duty to provide full disclosure of all records that are not specifically and reasonably exempt. FOIA applies to all 15 departments (Education, Homeland Security, etc.) and 73 other federal agencies (Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Reserve System) in the executive branch of the U.S. government. It does not apply to the president, Congress or the courts. It does not apply to state governments (though each of the 50 states has its own freedom-of-information laws, as do many cities). The act lays out what kinds of information agencies must publish as a matter of course — both in print and, thanks to a 1996 amendment, the Electronic Freedom of Information Act (EFOIA), electronically on their Web sites. It also grants individuals the right to request copies of records not normally prepared for public distribution, and sets standards for determining which records must be made available.

The process is different for filing a FOIA request to various agencies of the federal government, and in each state to its respective state-based agencies.

FOIA Machine (powered by MuckRock)

  • Online tool that allows anyone to generate a public records request with all the necessary legal boilerplate, all for free.

Bold Nebraska has filed multiple FOIA requests related to our work with landowners and citizens opposing the Keystone XL pipelinewith the Nebraska State Patrol and offices of the Governor of Nebraska — including in 2013, when our request returned some alarming results:

Public Records Request Letter (2013) to Nebraska State Patrol and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning

TransCanada Presentation on Security to Local Law Enforcement (Part 1 of 3)

TransCanada Presentation on Security to Local Law Enforcement (Part 2 of 3)

TransCanada Presentation on Security to Local Law Enforcement (Part 3 of 3)

TransCanada presentation to FBI on pipeline projects

TransCanada Potential Penal Code Charges for Illegal Protest Action Presentation

Nebraska Information Analysis Center meeting on Keystone XL pipeline

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