Reflections from the Chapter Chair: Fall 2018

 

Last year at its June 24, 2017, Executive Committee meeting, the Atlantic Chapter passed a resolution that was at once aspirational and at the same time expressed the Chapter’s intrinsic belief in the drive for a renewable energy future to avert the most devastating impacts of climate chaos. This position is fully consistent with the national Club policy on energy (https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/Energy-Resources-policy_0.pdf).

 

The text of the July 24, 2017, resolution:

 

The Atlantic Chapter Executive Committee approves a resolution that calls for the immediate and permanent ban on the permitting and construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure, i.e., pipelines, compressor stations, export/import facilities, gas-[drilling-]waste landfills, construction of new natural gas power plants as well as the expansion and/or upgrade of existing structures for the purpose of extending the functional life of fossil fuel energy dependence and use in New York State.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the Chapter is ridiculously naive and believes that the fights over these infrastructures will somehow cease just because of a resolution. What it does indicate  is that the Chapter can let the governor and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (in the case of the Constitution Pipeline) know that the Chapter will back them up when they make decisions that favor the environment over fossil-fuel infrastructure. 

The resolution demonstrates that this is one of the Atlantic Chapter’s core values upon which it stands firm. The Chapter recognizes that, almost always, the real threats in these fossil fuel infrastructure battles arise at the federal level (except for the rare occasion when FERC decides to wear a white hat), so finding ways to work in tandem with state agencies to block new fossil fuel infrastructure can be far more beneficial than being in constant opposition.

Thus, the Chapter will continue to stand firm against pipelines, landfill expansions for drill cuttings, repowering coal plants with natural gas, and large water withdrawals to frack in other states, as well as any other fossil-fuel–related expansion in New York. The Chapter is a potential ally of any other person, organization or entity similarly committed to ending New York State’s reliance on fossil fuels.