November 15, 2021 01:40 PM UTC

What you can do to fight for progress this week (November 15)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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Today, Gov. Jared Polis and other Colorado progressive leaders are in Washington, D.C. for the signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $1.2 trillion bill making important new investments in roads, railways, airports, high-speed internet access in rural areas, wildfire protection, vital water infrastructure, and more. Colorado will receive almost $4 billion to spend on roads alone, along with $910 million for public transit. Sen. John Hickenlooper won a major investment coming to Colorado to support making electric cars more affordable and easier to use than ever.

The bipartisan roads and bridges bill is a big deal, but we’re not done yet. As part of the agreement to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congressional leadership committed to a vote on the larger Build Back Better plan to invest in the “human infrastructure” we know is just as important as roads and bridges. Affordable health and child care is as important to working families as good roads to get to work on. The Build Back Better plan’s investment combating human-caused climate change is an historic first step toward meeting our obligations to the whole world’s future.

It’s not time to celebrate until the Build Back Better plan is signed into law. Let your leaders know you’re still paying attention and won’t settle for less. Call your member of Congress at 1-888-516-5820 and your U.S. Senators at 1-888-516-5820 (thanks to our friends at Communications Workers of America for the connection) and tell them to pass the Build Back Better plan without any further delays.

Thanks for your help getting this historic agenda over the finish line. Here are a few more ways to make a difference for the week of November 15:

Colorado Sierra Club: Monument Community Meeting on Tri-State’s Draft Energy Plan

Did you know that if you pay your electricity bill through Mountain View Electric Association, you have more say over your power than other Coloradans? As a rural electric co-op member-owner, you have an important role to play in deciding how our community sources its electricity. Right now, member-owners have a huge opportunity to push for the clean energy transition we need through Tri-State’s Electric Resource Plan (ERP) process at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Tri-State’s ERP decides how and where we get our electricity for the next 5-10 years.

When: Tuesday, November 16 at 5:15pm

Click here to RSVP.

How to Influence Colorado’s Oil & Gas Permitting Process

Please join us to learn about our state’s oil & gas operating permit process, how it can be improved, and what impact you can make by participating in it! Our goal is to provide members of the public with the information they need to access, analyze, give input, and influence oil and gas permits being considered by state regulators. Our featured speaker, Brad Klafehn, is an expert on oil and gas development plans.

When: Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Denver Press Club: Changing the Way We Cover Homelessness

More than 4,000 people in Denver don’t have proper housing, and the city spends between $42,000 to $104,000 per person each year on homelessness, studies found. It’s an ongoing issue for Colorado and a topic that requires thoughtful reporting from local journalists. Join moderator Cara DeGette, editor of Greater Park Hill News, and panelists Robert Davis, a Contributor to Denver VOICE; Jeremy Jojola , 9News investigative reporter, and Marcus Hill, a staff reporter at the Colorado Springs Independent, as they discuss strategies for reporting and writing on our homeless neighbors.

When: Wednesday, November 17 at 6:30pm
Where: Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm Place, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Immigration and Refugee Resettlement Panel

This quarter, our social justice focus has been learning about and engaging with Immigration and Refugee Resettlement. Might you be interested in learning more about this topic? Our SJ Fall Team has organized an Immigration and Refugee Panel night! Join us on Wednesday, November 17 at 6:30 to hear from various folks in these spaces, learn about their work, the immigration process and more. Join us to learn about how we might engage in coming alongside folks experiencing resettlement. Some of our panel consists of representatives from Lutheran Family Services and the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau. Belong Folks and the wider community are welcome!

When: Wednesday, November 17 at 6:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

League of Women Voters: Winning With Women

When women run for office, they win just as often as men win. So why aren’t there more women in office? Because they don’t run. The purpose of the event is to demystify the process for running for office and we do it in two parts. The first part is a panel discussion of elected women officials who will share how they decided to run for office, what was involved in campaigning, and what it is like to serve. This panel will highlight what it is like to run as a woman of color in Colorado.

When: Thursday, November 18 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

TDoR Eve March & Rally

Join The Center on Colfax and One Colorado as we gather to honor and remember those we’ve lost from the transgender community this year. Please meet at The Center (1301 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80218) on Friday Nov 19th at 4:30pm for speeches by local Trans leaders, performances, and a march to the Capitol. One Colorado will also have a table set up with buttons and signs you can take to show your support for the Trans community. At 5:00 pm we will march down Colfax to the Capitol where we will gather on the west steps! We will hear more from our speakers, and read aloud the names of those who we have lost this year.

When: Friday, November 19 at 4:30pm
Where: The Center, 1301 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Denver Nuggets Pride Night with You Can Play & One Colorado

Join us we celebrate Pride Night with the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena! The first 500 tickets sold through this link will receive a free Denver Nuggets Pride Hat! Proceeds from the event will benefit One Colorado and You Can Play, so please share this widely with your networks!

When: Friday, November 19 at 7:00pm
Where: Ball Arena, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

We are pleased to be able to gather IN PERSON this year to remember and honor the lives of the transgender and gender expansive people we have lost in 2021. As we come together as a community to grieve those we have lost, we will also celebrate the strength and resiliency of our community through musical and poetic performances by local transgender and gender expansive artists. Refreshments will be served.

When: Saturday, November 20 at 1:00pm
Where: Denver Botanic Gardens

Click here to RSVP.

Thanks again! We’ll be back after the Thanksgiving break with more ways to fight for progress.

Sincerely,

Sara Loflin, Executive Director