Three weeks ago, Jessica Ruff flew into Washington, one of thirteen winners of the Organize to be Heard challenge, and one of five from Michigan, who came to lobby congress.

Ruff was the only one of the five that didn’t attend Michigan State University, instead representing the Maze and Blue of Michigan. Green, however, seems to fit Ruff just fine, as this profile in the local Livingston Daily explains:

Just a sophomore at the University of Michigan, Ruff held court with some of the United States’ most highly influential politicians, discussing climate-change legislation, clean energy and other important environmental issues. Ruff was one of five student leaders from the state of Michigan to attend.

“I think we gave a good name to Michigan and showed that we’re working really hard to improve this state,” said Ruff, who would like to see Michigan snag clean-energy jobs that might otherwise go to China. “I think it was a great experience.”

Ruff took part in senate meetings with staffers from Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin’s offices, while also participating in a roundtable discussion in Senator John Kerry’s office.

Her organizing and fight for clean energy legislation started long before she walked the halls of the U.S. Senate:

Ruff helped start the University of Michigan Repower America chapter with her friend and fellow University of Michigan student Denise Foley.

“Our energy system is polluting our neighborhoods, threatening our national security and killing the planet,” Ruff said. “It’s time we invest in a clean-energy economy that creates millions of new jobs in Michigan and protects future generations. That’s why I have been organizing students on campus. It’s our future at stake, and we need to be louder than the dirty-energy lobbyists in Washington.”

It is our future, which is why it is our voices that must be heard on Capitol Hill, just like Jessica’s. Senator Kerry told her, and the rest of us, as much when we met with him.

No generation will be affected by climate change and failed energy policies as much as ours. Which is why our voices must be the loudest.

The day after she blew by student organizers on her way into a $2,500/plate fundraiser with energy lobbyists, Lisa Murkowski suddenly expressed her new found appreciation of protestors.

On a Chamber of Commerce conference call, Senator Murkowski responded to a compliment from coal baron and noted asshole Robert Murray* by boasting about her very “own group of protestors”:

I actually had an event here in Washington last night and I had my own group of protestors show up, and I guess you know you’ve arrived in politics when you generate your own group of protestors against you.

Listen to the audio for the full effect:

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In case you missed it yesterday, here’s the video of Murkowski “meeting” her “fan club” before heading to meet her actual biggest fans, lobbyists representing Big Oil and Dirty Coal:

* In addition to his general disdain for our planet and all that inhabits it, is it possible that Mr. Murray’s current antipathy to the EPA is related to its opposition of his recent proposal to build a new toxic coal slurry impoundment?

As a big thank you for her efforts to roll back 40 years of Clean Air Act protections, energy lobbyists held a fundraiser last night for Senator Lisa Murkowski at the Caucus Room in DC.

In response, our Organize to be Heard student organizers donned “No Dirty Air Act” surgical masks, presenting an apocolyptic vision of a future where big polluters can destroy our environment with impunity.

The protestors staked out the entrance and windows of the fundraiser, ensuring that Murkowski, as well as Senators Gregg, Enzi, and Chambliss, and representatives from Big Oil and Dirty Coal couldn’t miss the striking visuals.

Update:

More details on the Murkowski’s polluter friends

Host Alex Flint lobbies for the Nuclear Energy Institute, whose PAC has given her $5,000 since 2008. Beverly K. Marshall lobbies for Duke Energy, which is basedin North Carolina, and has given the senator $24,050over the course of her career. David Russellrepresents a number of clients for Bryan Cave LLP, including Peabody Energy, a coal company basedin St. Louis,  Mo. Peabody’s PAC has given her $3,000 since 2008.

Youth activists fill Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office, opposing the Dirty Air Act

Tuesday afternoon they came in a wave. The “Michigan Delegation”, as I called them, rolled in to the CEW office, having been awake since 3:30 am, but ready to get after it. We didn’t hold back.

After lunch these winners of the Consequence Organize to be Heard Challenge headed over to Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office. The Senator from Alaska is of course the author of the Dirty Air Act (the sponsor anyway, the bill itself was shown to be written by lobbyists).

The group filled Murkowski’s office, wearing surgical masks symbolizing the dangerous air Murkowski’s “Disapproval Resolution” will create. However, when a staffer said the Senator wasn’t available, then screamed at a participant not to shoot video with a Flip Video Cam, the group was directed to the Energy and Natural Resources committee room, a committee on which Murkowski serves. Other notable members include Maria Cantwell, author of the Cap-and-Dividend bill and former climate change legislation supporter John McCain.

That made it all the more beneficial that McKie Campbell, Republican Staff Director of the ENR committee, agreed to sit down with us to talk clean energy and climate legislation, as well as the Murkowski amendment.

One thing Campbell agreed with is that the Dirty Air Act is in fact slowing down the process, at least for the ENR committee, of achieving the comprehensive legislation we need. He made a special point to note how many businesses emit some level of carbon, creating worry about the effect of EPA regulation on the economy without investment in clean energy.

That is what we are asking for. It is time not only to cap carbon, but also to invest in our clean energy future. Campbell is right in his assessment that most businesses emit carbon, but do so on anywhere near the scale of our energy production, specifically coal-fired power plants.

Rev. Yearwood, Challenge winners and Flava of 93.9 WKYS bring bus tour to Black Eyed Peas concert.

It was a highly technical conversation that we had with Campbell, but a learning experience to talk with one of the integral parts of writing the policy we are working to see passed.

Which led to us heading out to do that work. A couple of hours later we were stationed outside of the Black Eyed Peas concert at the Verizon Center, along with Reverend Lennox Yearwood, of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour, telling people about our big event at the Capitol Reflecting Pool tomorrow at 11:30.

The Challenge winners also got together with Flava of 93.9 WKYS and Rev. Yearwood to push the message outside the show. “We can do this together,” the Reverend said.

Tomorrow, along with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and all of the people with the Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour, our youth activists will stand in the shadow of our nation’s capitol, calling for comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation.

We know what is at stake. It’s our future.