The last year was big for Bold Nebraska. We flipped the Keystone XL pipeline from a done-deal to a project on life support. We organized Nebraskans who looked the world’s biggest bully, Big Oil, in the eye and made them blink.
From families in the Sandhills buying their own ads to push back on TransCanada to poets using their creativity to move citizens to act, we did this together. We stood should to shoulder standing up for our state. We may have been a small rebel alliance, but we got things done!
In honor of the New Year, our staff compiled a list of the Top 12 Things Bold did in 2011. If you like what we did this year, help propel us into a bold New Year by donating $12.
In the comments section, please tell us your favorite things we did this year or what you hope we work on in 2012. This video was from the first rally we held and interviews with landowners when we were just getting started fighting the pipeline.
- Putting Nebraska on the map as a state that national leaders need to pay attention to. Are we seen as a “swing” state? We don’t know–we sure got a Republican governor, a Republican congressman and a Republican senator to “swing” in our direction (at least for a little while).
- Going from a dozen online donors to over 400 folks investing in Bold’s work.
- Working with groups and citizens to get the most pipeline fighters (over 2,000!) oppossed to the pipeline at the State Department hearings in Nebraska.
- Writing on everything from health care to education to voter id to equality for our kids to ensure Nebraskans have the information they need to keep politicians accountable.
- Airing the only grassroots ad featuring landowner Randy Thompson (we all stand with Randy).
- Keeping politicians accountable–everyone from “Double-Talk Dave” to “Wrong Way Jon“–bringing humor and facts to political discourse.
- Breaking the Cardno-Entrix story before any national news outlet picked up on the conflict of interest.
- Families in Nebraska featured in an Acadamy-Award short listed documentray, “Pipe Dreams.”
- Nebraskans from across the state and from all background risking arrest to show President Obama we stood for change and are looking to him to protect our families.
- Organzing events like Shine a Light on Heineman, Pumpkins Against the Pipeline, and Stand with Randy gatherings to show our collective power and our politicians that citizens can stop the pipeline. You can also see videos of the events.
- Standing up to Big Oil and their buddies in Congress during debates and hearings.
- Pushing and pushing until a Special Session was called and until the first steps of laws were put in place to protect our land, water and landowners’ rights.
