The Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign's Stephen Stetson

(by Jonathon Meeks, Alabama Chapter Chair) The Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign has recently filled the Senior Campaign Representative position. The campaign representative is responsible for Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. For those of you not familiar, “The Beyond Coal campaign’s main objective is to replace dirty coal with clean energy by mobilizing grassroots activists in local communities to advocate for the retirement of old and outdated coal plants and to prevent new coal plants from being built." As your Chapter Chair I feel privileged and elated to relay the wonderful news that the new campaign representative will now be headquartered in Montgomery, and that Sierra Club has chosen one of Alabama’s native sons, Stephen Stetson.

Stephen grew up in Troy, Alabama. He spent much of his youth as a Boy Scout, camping and appreciating Alabama’s natural wonders. As he came of age, he grew tired of his state “being first in everything bad and last in everything good.” He noticed that many of his smart friends moved away, largely because they felt they had to. “It becomes a self sustaining problem, a cultural issue, when so many of our best and brightest move to cities like New Orleans, Nashville or Atlanta for economic opportunity or for the more progressive folks to find more people like them.” Stephen couldn’t help but notice the ongoing struggles of the state he loves so much.

Stephen left Troy for the University of Texas in Austin where he studied journalism. He didn’t stay away for long, and returned after graduation to work for the Troy Messenger. During his time at the Troy newspaper Stephen grew frustrated that many people wouldn’t call him back or tack his calls, impeding his efforts to do well researched, hard hitting journalism. This frustration led him to law school at The University of Alabama, where he honed his research and writing skills. Stephen never wanted to work for a big law firm; he used his time in law school to study anti-poverty, criminal justice and human rights issues. He also had the opportunity there to gain a lot of public policy experience and work on his debate skills. After law school, Stephen joined the team at Alabama Arise where he remained for the next nine years.

For Stephen, environmental issues have always been in the background.  He read the book “Beyond Beef” by Jeremy Rifkin in 1992. In the book, the cost of a McDonald’s hamburger is measured in acres of South American rainforest. This comparison turned on a light regarding sustainability for Stephen. He describes his intellectual evolution as the moment he realized the intersection of environmental justice with the ecological paradigm, the realization that the most dire ecological effects are realized by communities that are seen as disposable. Stephen’s intellectual revolution let him build his career on the inseparable issues of health and environment. Working on electricity rate issues at Alabama Arise is what really brought clean energy to the forefront of his mind. He realized that fuel choice and the prices that people pay for electricity “are one and the same.” Stephen believes that this epiphany, along with his electricity rate work at Alabama Arise, are what helped his candidacy to become the new Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign representative.

While Stephen has spent most of his working life indoors, he concedes that “in the policy world, you stare at a screen way too often.”  Stephen is also on the board of our partner Alabama Rivers Alliance and enjoys their retreats and meetings which tend to happen in wilderness areas and are often outside. “I love when my phone says ‘no service’” is another phrase that illustrates that his office work is more about protecting Alabama’s beauty than escaping into the air conditioning. “It’s clear to me from traveling to other states that Alabama is one of the most beautiful, and worth protecting,” he said. This attitude is what led Stephen to the discovery of the Montgomery Sierra Club group where he’s recently become a member. “I’ve been excited to go to meetings and learn and see the huge infusion energy into the local club” said Stephen during our conversation. He also pointed out that Montgomery was lucky to have our former Alabama Chapter Chair Dr. Bob Hastings leading the Montgomery group.

I finally asked Stephen what his goals were for the Beyond Coal Campaign in Alabama. “There is a lot of building to do in Alabama, but that means that Alabama has the most room for improvement.” I think he’s aware that this will be no easy task in Alabama, and though we’re behind (again) he seems to gain hope from the progress in our neighboring states. Mississippi has a new Public Service Commission and Georgia Power has a couple of older power plants that they can transition to cleaner energy.  Stephen thinks the southeast is “ripe for investment in solar.” While Stephen did point out how far Alabama is behind in creating a responsible regulatory environment for energy companies, it’s easy to see that he’s hopeful and encouraged that we will make headway on these issues here in Alabama.

The Beyond Coal Campaign Representative position was originally to be based in Atlanta. While he considered moving there, he said “staying in Alabama was so important that it was almost a deal breaker for me. I wanted to be here, where I know we have the most potential, and have made the least progress.”

It’s clear to me that Stephen Stetson will be an asset to Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign and the Alabama Chapter. I received this comment from Cindy Lowry, the Executive Director of Alabama Rivers Alliance which echoes that view point: “Stephen has been a force in progressive public policy advocacy in Alabama for years now and has been an active volunteer in the environmental movement as a board member for the Alabama Rivers Alliance.  We are excited to have him join the movement as a staff member for Sierra Club. Having a presence from National Sierra Club will only strengthen our movement and our ability to protect Alabama's environment.” 

Save the date - Alabama Sierra Convention on the Cahaba River in October

The annual Alabama Sierra Club convention will be held October 13-15 at the Living River Retreat on the Cahaba River just west of Montevallo. All Sierra Club members, family and friends are invited to gather in festivity while we learn about "Amazing Alabama" and appreciate the natural wonders that our incredibly diverse state has to offer. Knowledgeable speakers will illustrate why Alabama is near the top of the list of most biodiverse states. Together, we will reflect on ways that we can protect and preserve the assets we have just as John Muir and his fellows would have long ago.

Enjoy outdoor camaraderie as we take in the natural beauty first hand, listen to live music while conversing with fellow outdoorsmen and conservationists, and take home valuable knowledge of our Amazing state of Alabama. Sierra Club Alabama Chapter's conventions are open to all regardless of membership to the club. Please forward this to anyone who might be interested. Student Scholarships will be available.

For more information about the Living River Retreat and Cahaba Environmental Center, go to www.cahabaec.org/about-our-property.html

Exploring Alabama's Beautiful Places

Alabama is full of beautiful places to explore. (pictured above, Guntersville Lake in Winter) Check out al.com's list of the 31 most beautiful spots. Some great ideas for getting outside this summer! http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2017/06/alabamas_most_beautiful_places.html

Trump wants all your voter information. Do you trust him?

(from National Sierra Club) As we celebrate the anniversary of our country's independence, one of the core democratic principles our country was founded on -- the idea of one person, one vote -- is increasingly under attack. Donald Trump recently established a commission to "investigate" his thoroughly debunked claims that 2-3 million people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

But why? What does Donald Trump want to do with the voter rolls from every state in the country? Ever since the election, Trump has been spreading dangerous lies of widespread voter fraud, and the current assault on voting rights is just the beginning of what we can expect. Trump has stacked this sham commission with some of the biggest vote suppressors in the country.

Last week, Kris Kobach, the head of Trump's sham voting commission, sent letters to election officials in every state demanding personal information on every registered voter in the country. Demand that your state say no to Kobach and Trump's request and refuse to share your voter information.

As Secretary of State of Kansas, Kris Kobach has a long history of making it harder, and in many cases impossible for some Kansans to vote. He used some of the same information he is now requesting from all states to implement some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. -- the kind that Trump wants us to believe -- is a myth. Study after study has shown this. The real danger comes from policies that suppress the vote. We know that when more people exercise the right to vote, our democracy is healthier, and we're better able to fight polluters and defend vulnerable communities. We can't let the Trump administration's scare tactics stop us.
Tell your state election officials you demand they refuse Kobach's request.

The good news is that over 30 states have either refused to provide the requested information or have only agreed to share information that is already accessible to the public. Some of the states refusing include Kentucky, Mississippi, California, Minnesota, and even Kobach's own state of Kansas. This is just a snippet of what officials from these states have said: "The electoral process is sacred and New York law has strong safeguards in place to prevent sharing of sensitive voter data and harassment against those who exercise their right to vote. New York refuses to perpetuate the myth voter fraud played a role in our election." -- Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York

"I will not hand over Minnesota voters' sensitive personal information to the commission...I have serious doubts about the commission's credibility and trustworthiness. I fear that the commission risks becoming a partisan tool to shut out millions of eligible American voters." -- Steve Simon, Secretary of State, Minnesota

Add your name now and demand that your state protect your privacy by saying no to Kobach and Trump.
Thank you!

Courtney Hight, Director, Democracy Program, Sierra Club

The EPA is trying to delay pollution protections.Tell them NO!

(from National Sierra Club) After Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, his EPA is now trying to take us backward by delaying key climate and pollution protections put in place by the Obama administration.

That’s right: the agency tasked with protecting our environment is actually trying to put a two-year delay on new methane pollution standards that protect our communities from dangerous pollution and climate disruption. The only people benefitting from a freeze on EPA methane standards are corporate polluters and their allies. The head of the EPA is supposed to represent the best interests of the American people – not the worst actors in the oil and gas industry.

This is unacceptable. Tell the EPA that they’re supposed to protect our communities not help the oil and gas industry pollute them.

Stop Water Pollution from Coal Plants

Trump and his EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt want to take us back to water pollution standards set in 1982, undoing the major progress we made to limit the amount of toxic sludge filled with arsenic, mercury, and other heavy metals coal plants can dump into our water. This would mean 1.4 billion pounds more of toxic metals, nutrients, and other harmful pollutants being dumped into our water resources every year.

With only a short window until they close public comments on this issue, the time is now to let EPA know that you oppose any increase in water pollution from coal plants. Take 30 seconds and submit your official comment in to EPA now!

Power plants have been treating our water bodies like an open sewer. Every year, these plants dump 2.2 billion pounds of pollution directly into our rivers, lakes and bays - that's over 250,000 pounds an hour. No other industry comes even close to polluting our nation's waters like the coal power plant industry. It is by far the largest toxic water polluter in the country, responsible for 30% of all toxic pollutants discharged into surface waters by all industrial water polluters regulated under the Clean Water Act.

It is unsafe to drink or eat fish from at least 94 water bodies across the country. 45% of waterways that receive coal plant wastewater are contaminated with high levels of heavy metals or other harmful pollutants. 4,000 miles of rivers and streams are so contaminated by these discharges that they cannot be used for drinking water, and 6,000 miles are unsafe for children to fish in.  A third of all coal plants discharge toxic pollution within 5 miles of a downstream community's drinking water intake and 81% of all coal plants discharge within 5 miles of a public drinking water well.

Exposure to these toxic chemicals through swimming in or drinking contaminated water or through eating contaminated fish can cause skin lesions, birth defects, cancer, and other health problems. It also harms recreational fishing and tourism, which are huge job creators in most states. Take Action Now!

Planned Giving. Consider Making Alabama Sierra Club a Part of Your Will