2020. A brutal year of pandemic and turmoil we are glad to see increasingly behind us. Amidst the difficulty, we also think about the many things to be thankful for and celebrate. Together - staff, volunteers, and community - we have had some phenomenal achievements this year. Although we acknowledge the pain and hardship of the year, we celebrate the new bonds and coalitions formed and many significant achievements.
Fighting Hogan’s Highway Boondoggle
In 2020 we continued our fight against the ill-advised toll lane widening of I-270 and I-495. The administration attempted to jam through an incomplete - but still alarming - Draft Environmental Impact Statement. We worked with pro-bono law firm Jill Grant & Associates and recruited and organized dozens of community members and experts, and our partner organizations to produce a hard hitting 200-page in-depth legal and technical analysis on the project. Our 200 page critique was signed by over 50 groups and covered in the Washington Post, Maryland Matters, Bethesda Beat, and WTOP and will be instrumental in the challenge against the highway plan.
Standing Up for Essential Workers’ Transit Access
We joined with transit riders and transit drivers to stand up for a safe, affordable, accessible transit system. In early September, Governor Hogan issued a proposal to slash a number of services operated by the Maryland Transit Administration permanently! The proposal by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) would have cut 20 percent of bus service in the Baltimore region, reduced the paratransit service area, and discontinued or reduced a significant portion of MARC commuter rail and commuter bus service across the state. Through petitions and several public forums, we showed that these cuts wouldn’t go through without a fight. And days before we were to launch the next stage of our campaign, MDOT announced they were reversing the cuts.
Energized for Zero Waste
The Zero Waste Team, with representatives from around the state, has been energized and on a roll in 2020. Sierra Club members collected evidence of shopper behavior that was used to support a statewide ban on plastic bags, which was passed in the House but not the Senate due to the early close of session. The bill will be brought forward again this upcoming session. Thanks to the hard work last year, in July Maryland’s ban on foam-food containers went into effect, and was featured on CNN.
Montgomery County Stops Rollbacks of Hard-Won Bag Legislation
Early in the pandemic, the Montgomery Group successfully lobbied to prevent suspension of the county’s 5-cent bag fee, pointing to evidence that Covid-19 is not easily spread this way and that most stores were allowing reusable bags as long as shoppers bagged their own groceries. The Team sponsored webinars to educate members and legislators about the plastic pollution crisis and what can be done, with screenings and discussion of The Story of Plastic and Plastic Wars.
Counties Embrace Policies to Reduce Plastic Pollution
Local Sierra Club Groups were also active in fighting plastic pollution in 2020. A ban on plastic straws went into effect in Prince George’s County; Montgomery county approved a ban on plastic straws and on #6 rigid polystyrene food containers, which are not recyclable. In Howard County, a 5-cent fee went into effect on plastic carryout bags and members lobbied for a bill that would provide straws, stirrers, plastic utensils, and condiments only on request.
Local Volunteers Help in National Election
Thousands of volunteers in Maryland and across the country worked hard to accomplish a victory by the Biden-Harris team, ending 4 years of climate change denial and damage to environmental protection.
Election Successes at Home
Voters agreed with all but one of the Maryland Sierra Club’s endorsed candidates. The City of Baltimore elected strong new leadership, including Mayor Brandon Scott and Comptroller Bill Henry. And Baltimore County voters approved creation of a Citizens’ Election Fund System that will provide matching funds for small individual campaign contributions, making it possible for local candidates to run for office without becoming dependent on large campaign contributions from developers.
Moving Closer to a Coal-Free MD
We've had some tremendous news in the past few days regarding moving Maryland off coal, with the announcement late Friday that one of the largest coal plants in the state, the Morgantown plant in Charles County, will cease operations by 2027. This means that five of the state's six coal plants operating at the beginning of this year -- massively polluting our climate, and our air and waters -- have, this year, either retired or set a retirement date.
We are now set to enter the 2021 General Assembly session in a strong position to enact one of our key bills, the "Maryland Coal Community Transition Act of 2021," which would set in law firm closing dates for all of Maryland's coal plants, and establish a just transition fund to support workers and communities impacted by the plant retirements. This bill has been pre-filed in both the Senate and House, and assigned the numbers SB148 and HB66.
Legislative Session Cut Short, But We’re Ready for Round 2
There’s no way to sugar-coat it: the 2020 legislative session was a bust for bills. We did an awesome job mobilizing and were poised for many successes, but for the first time since the Civil War, the legislature closed early. It was before most environmental bills even got a vote. And one that did (an expansion of MARC service into Virginia) was vetoed. The upside is that we had a record number of volunteers involved in our efforts, there is momentum behind the bills that passed the House, and we are redoubling our efforts this year.
Growing Our Team
We gained a staff member this year, Deputy Director Paula Posas! She acclimated naturally despite beginning in the early days of lockdown and learning the ropes almost entirely virtually! That was a big change for all of us, going virtual, but we adjusted and have pressed on with purpose and high productivity. Paula has increased our effectiveness in communications and campaigns and launched a new youth leadership program.
Growing for Change
This year the Maryland Chapter launched a Growing for Change Initiative to deepen our engagement on equity, inclusion, and justice. Shruti Bhatnagar, Teresa Ball, Laura Glass and Lindsey Mendelson serve on the task force to implement this initiative. To date, the Growing for Change task force has held four educational seminars on anti-racism in which Sierra Club leaders examined power and white privilege, implicit bias, John Muir and the Sierra Club’s founding, as well as the Jemez Principles for Democratic Change.
Additionally, the Growing for Change task force has been actively engaged in propelling structural change. Specifically, the task force has recommended that the Jemez Principles, which were adopted by the Sierra Club in 2014, be embraced by the Chapter in our legislative activities and collaborative alliances. We look forward to broadening our horizons in 2021 and beyond!
Social Media Takes A Higher Profile
We beefed up our social media efforts in response to the pandemic and started a daily "Connector," a friendly social interest post, often created from suggestions of volunteers. We have also taken much greater advantage of our blog as a communication tool and way to share more information over social media. We set up a system to track and post events and media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on an almost daily basis. We have had dozens of media articles covering our work this year, which we share promptly on social media. We even appointed a Social Media Coordinator, Ashley Cobaugh, whose support has enhanced quality and been making the social media work flow smoothly.
Keeping Connected with Virtual Events
Virtual events are helping keep us connected, and we’ve held a wide variety of engaging and successful events this year. We have blogged many stand-out events, including the Sierra Club birthday, Community Solar gathering, Unbreathable film discussion, and Morgantown coal event. We also launched a very successful Film Club partnership with DC Environmental Film Festival that includes monthly panel discussions on featured films! And we are still going!
We Are Grateful for YOU!
We want to express our deepest thanks for your incredible support over the years and this year in particular. Thank you for your time, your actions, your teamwork, and your generosity.
Wishing you happiness, health, and brighter days in 2021!