Dear Friends,

Early last summer when folks decided to take on the Keystone Pipeline, we set up tarsandsaction.org so we could have a broad front supported by many groups. Matt, Linda, Rae, Duncan and Josh came on board and got to work—those of you who came to DC to get arrested met them in person, and the rest of you have been in touch with them one way or another all fall.

Now the good news is that we’re going to try to keep them going—in fact, we’re bringing them aboard 350.org as our US Climate Action Team. They’ll still be working hard on tar sands  but expanding their work to take on issues like fracking, and systematic change like ending fossil fuel subsidies and attacking the idea that corporations are people.

Since many of you belong to both tarsandsaction.org and 350.org, we know you’ve been getting duplicate emails, and that seems pointless.

From now on you’ll hear from the 350.org US Action Team (US because 350.org also exists in 188 other countries, where people are also hard at work!), and from the other good folks at 350 when important news breaks related to climate change.

We’re going to go ahead and add everyone here to the 350.org email list, where you’ll get critical updates from this team on ongoing organizing on Keystone XL and other similar issues.

But if you’re not interested in staying on, click here and we’ll remove you (we’ll be sad to see you go): act.350.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/

We have the funding we need to get this moving, but to keep the Action Team in the field long term, we’ll need a bit more on hand. We don’t do a lot of asking for money at 350.org – we’d much rather you were out taking action yourself – but if you can pitch in to keep these folks going at it, I would be very grateful. Here’s where you can donate: act.350.org/donate/2011_1

Of course it’s been a tough year economically for many of us, so if you don’t have funds to spare, don’t even think about giving. There are plenty of ways to help out.

For me this is the very finest of Christmas presents. I’ve enjoyed working with these five actioneers enormously, and I’ve watched them fit in seamlessly with the young people who run 350.org. If we’re going to give the fossil fuel industry a run for their (limitless) money, we’re going to need to be a lean loving fighting machine.

This will help—but only if you’re a part of it.

I’m feeling entirely fired up about 2012. This time last year I had no idea that we’d be fighting Keystone together, or that I’d be spending time in jail, or any of it; I’m pretty sure the year to come will be just as exciting.

As always, I am quite grateful for all of the hard work you’re doing.

Bill