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NEWS FROM THE LAST WEEK

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE- Campfire has an official COVID-19 page with regularly updated information about the Sierra Club’s response for staff and volunteers. There is also an external-facing Sierra Club COVID-19 response page.

 BLACK LIVES MATTER- The Sierra Club released a statement in response to the murder of Rayshard Brooks, 27, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Atlanta on June 12. We also mobilized members and staff to take part in Juneteenth rallies across the country (see below), and the Board of Directors officially signed on to support the Movement for Black Lives’s demands: Defund the police, invest in Black communities, and get Donald Trump out of office. Read Sierra Club president Ramón Cruz's powerful blog post on their decision.

Juneteenth Protest in Washington, D.C., photo by Miranda Ehrlich

TAKE THIS HAMMER- Big legal victory today in the fight against Donald Trump's border wall! The 9th Circuit Court issued a decisive opinion in Sierra Club & Southern Border Communities Coalition v. Trump finding that Trump's transferring of funds from the military for wall construction is unconstitutional and illegal. The court also forcefully rejected the administration’s argument that no one can go to court to block the president’s blatant abuse of power. 

JUST A DREAM- After the Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration was “arbitrary and capricious” in its attempt to rescind DACA, the Sierra Club amplified a statement from the Home is Here Coalition. Also, see this blog post from executive director Michael Brune about how the victory for some 700,000 current DACA recipients and their families is part of the greater struggle to achieve “justice, inclusion, and a brighter future for all our young people.”

RISING SUN SHINE ON- The Sierra Club is part of a diverse coalition of 42 local groups and elected officials that sent a letter to Michigan’s congressional delegation asking them to support Michigan’s hundreds of thousands of clean energy and clean transportation workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

STOVE PIPE STOMP- Last Friday, the Sierra Club filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against the Permian Highway Pipeline.The motion urges the US District Court for the Western District of Texas to stop construction of the pipeline across its 129 water crossings unless and until the Corps conducts an environmental review, provides opportunities for public comment, and considers alternative routes, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. 

MY BIG MONEY- In a 73-25 vote, the US Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act on June 17. It now awaits consideration by the House. The bipartisan bill would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in national parks and other public lands.

I FEEL SO GOOD- The Sierra Club applauded the Supreme Court’s “momentous and long-overdue” decision last week to affirm protections for every worker regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Executive director Michael Brune went on to say: “We at the Sierra Club rise with the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities in demanding that Congress immediately pass full federal and state non-discrimination protetions for LGBTQ+ people.”

IT'S A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME- Also last week, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that limited the US Forest Service’s authority to issue a permit to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Although a setback, the decision addresses only one of the many problems faced by the ACP. According to Kelly Martin, director of the Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign and ace nautical analogy maker, SCOTUS is “plugging just one hole on a sinking ship.” 

Seal pup responds to SCOTUS ACP decision. Photo by Dr. Brandon Southall, NMFS/OPR

MY STOVE'S IN GOOD CONDITION- The Ready For 100 campaign’s website  has some significant updates, including a new interactive map that now "auto-magically" connects to both AddUp and Salesforce. Not only does it look great, it also enables local teams to create their own campaigns, actions, and events. 

BACKWATER BLUES- Louie Miller, director of the Mississippi Chapter, was quoted in this E&E News story about the Trump administration’s attempts to resurrect the Yazoo Pumps. The project was killed by the EPA in 2008 because it would destroy between 67,000 and 200,000 acres of floodplain wetlands critical to migratory birds. Spoiler: He thinks it’s a bad idea.

GOODBYE BLUES- Melanie McCrea, senior proposal writer/editor in the Advancement department, will be leaving the Sierra Club on July 10. 

P.S. Happy birthday, Big Bill Broonzy.