Comments from the Chair
Nuclear weapons and waste
On July 7, 2017 the United Nations passed The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The United States was one of nine (nuclear) States refusing to sign this agreement. September 26 was International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. This is happening at the same time that the United States embarks on a $1 trillion “modernization” program of nuclear weapons (begun under Pres. Obama). As the leaders of North Korea and our own United States engage in nuclear brinksmanship, we must remember that nuclear armageddon remains the most immediate environmental threat we face every day.
Congress and DOE also look to expand subsidies to keep nuclear power going despite its being terribly uneconomical, and nuclear waste still having no permanent repository. HR 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, is another industry handout we must stop (Call your Rep at 202.224.3121). We continue to actively oppose “Interim Storage”, knowing it will be de facto permanent, without adequate standards of permanence.
Deadly environmentalism
For those of you who may doubt connections between the environment and social justice issues, check out the hundreds who have lost their lives this year trying to improve their environment.
Alamo Group advances climate plan
Hurricanes have been much in the news, and some media have dared to suggest a possible connection to Climate Change. Our own Austin member clarifies the obvious; climate change impacts are happening now and are already severe. Read Hurricane Harvey, 25,000-Year Storm: Enhanced or Caused by Climate Change?
The Alamo SC is working hard this year to move SA toward a more resilient future with climate change much in mind. COSA, CPS and UTSA, with NGO and community engagement are beginning an 18 month process to develop a local Climate Action and Adaption Plan (CAAP). Both mitigation and adaptation strategies will be addressed. Green House Gas Inventories will include our utilities and their involvement will be critical to solutions. Equity and smart cities concepts will also be critical. Please get involved in this important effort.
Gov. Abbott singles out Bexar County on air pollution
EPA was unable to revert legally to older ozone standards and so with the new 70ppb standard SA officially enters “non-attainment” status this month. Unfortunately, the Governor recommended only Bexar County for this dubious distinction, so that addressing our regional problem may be avoided by all our neighboring counties sharing our bad air. Unless this is changed so regional action can occur to improve our air, SA is likely to see development sucked just beyond our County lines, and all the costs and problems of “non-attainment” regulations borne only by us. Thank you Gov. Abbott!
Exciting times in the Alamo Group
It is time for all of you to think about greater involvement in our local Sierra Club. We have lots of exciting things happening here in San Antonio, and our new Mayor and Council provide us a great opportunity to have a positive impact on how San Antonio grows into the future. Advocates are needed from every part of our community--for environmental health and justice, clean air and water, equity and inclusion, smarter growth and transportation. Check out our website for meetings and events. Come and get involved in our Conservation Committee (second Tuesday of the month, 6pm EcoCentro, 1802 N. Main Ave; contact Meredith McGuire.)
Sierra Club is a member based volunteer organization with elected leadership. Annual elections for our local Executive Committee will occur later this year. Now is the time for you to consider serving on this vital committee (monthly meetings the second Thursday 6pm at EcoCentro) that manages overall local Alamo SC activities. Your help is needed. (Contact Wendell Fuqua to submit your name!)
Our Political Committee is already beginning to work toward spring 2018 primary and fall general elections. As 2016 showed, elections matter. Voting is important. Finding and supporting good candidates can make a huge difference, and we see the positive effect of that here in our local elections this May and June. Get involved in this fascinating endeavor by contacting Darby Riley.
We have active youth and general outing programs, and more help is always needed and welcome. We need a new Outings Committee Chairman (contact Jerry Morrisey). Check out our outings on our Outings Meetup page.
We have monthly general interest meetings, third Tuesday 6:30pm at EcoCentro and fourth Thursday 6:30pm at Lions Fields, where speakers discuss varied topics of local interest, environmental films are shown etc. Our Program Director Barbara McMillan has done a tremendous job for us for many years, and has announced her retirement from this position at the end of the year. We need someone NOW to get involved and become our next Program Director.
We need a volunteer to help expand our membership outreach (contact me). We do not do enough to welcome new members, assist members in finding ways to get involved, follow up with member issues and renewals etc. This is a great opportunity for a volunteer to help us do a better job in reaching out to and representing our entire community.
We need fundraising leadership (contact me). Our activities, especially involving various campaigns, often cost money and fundraising needs are on going. Mail in and online donations are always appreciated (please indicate for Alamo SC use). We are searching for new fundraising leadership to help with new activities such as auction/holiday party etc. Please consider volunteering to help.
by Terry Burns, M.D., Alamo Group Chair
Planning S.A. Climate Action: How Community Involvement Matters Now
After the September meeting’s lively discussions about climate actions that could also address issues of equity, the October General Meeting will focus on how Climate Action planning will proceed and how voices from all parts of our city can be part of that process.
Tuesday, October 17th
6:30 p.m.
William R. Sinkin Eco Centro, 1802 North Main Avenue
Map
Our speakers will be:
- Douglas Melnick, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of San Antonio
- Dr. Hazem Rashed-Ali, U.T.S.A. College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning, and
- Judit Vega, Metropolitan Health District
It’s very early in the process, so the details can’t be specified yet. Our speakers will give just an outline of the likely planning process and its objectives. Mostly, we hope to hear about how they envision our environmental and social justice groups’ active involvement can help in the planning process, as well as its implementation.
We expect to devote at least half the meeting time to give audience members the opportunity to ask questions or to communicate (briefly) their own visions of how to maximize genuine community participation in the planning process, as well as the resulting actions we could accomplish together.
Free and open to the public.
City Council Gets Major Petition to Act on Climate Change
Last night, I walked into the San Antonio Council Chambers to present the body with nearly 700 petition signatures (see Petition: San Antonians for Climate Justice) urging them to press forward with their pledged commitment to develop a climate action plan for the city. While there is much to celebrate in the forward movement of our new council, many questions remain about the project's scope of work, as well as its transparency and community inclusion. Most outstanding, from my personal perspective, is the failure of our council to set a solid, definitive carbon-reduction target to guide the plan development.
We have our share of brags in San Antonio when it comes to the transition to renewable energy sources--13 percent renewable energy is nothing to sneeze at. But we must remember, we are in no ways in the vanguard among U.S. cities. This fact is evidenced by net-zero commitments already made by more than 30 U.S. cities with aspirational dates beginning in the 2030 and 2035 range. This is not even to mention the handful of smaller communities, such as Georgetown, Texas, just up the road, that are already 100% renewables powered.
While we desperately need a path to net-zero carbon emissions, CPS Energy has failed to update their decade-old renewable target of 20 percent by 2020. So far, that debate is yet to be had. Below is a copy of the letter submitted on behalf of the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, and Moms Clean Air Force. Deeper in the letter you will see the list of nearly 40 local organizations who supported our June, 2017, demand for solidarity with the Paris climate agreement, the development of an inclusive, grassroots-led climate action plan, and a pathway to 100 percent renewable energy.
Change is inevitable. But the depth of suffering we may avert by rapidly decarbonizing our economy, strengthening our municipal resilience, and building stronger communities of common concern across the city is up to us. I urge all local members to engage more deeply with the Sierra Club Alamo Group to make sure we can make this just transition as soon as possible, while remaining cognizant and allied with our many partners fighting for justice in all it forms.
by Greg Harman, Clean Energy Organizer for the Lone Star Chapter (and proud District 5 resident)
Local Youth Experience Bracken Bat Cave
Sierra Club Youth Outdoors took 20 youth from the Sutton Oaks community on the East Side for their first up-close-and-personal view of bats roosting in the Bracken Bat Cave on September 22nd.
about the habits and habitat of the Mexican Freetail Bat.
SCYO makes this trip every year because it's a perfect place to teach kids about the importance of fighting to protect our wild and beautiful places.
getting their first close encounter with female bats taking off for their nightly feeding frenzy.
In 2014 a developer wanted to build 3500 single-family houses right next door to the cave. The Sierra Club and many other conservation activists worked with Bat Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, then-Councilman Ron Nirenberg and many other riled-up individuals and groups to purchase the land to provide a buffer to protect these amazing creatures.
The Bracken Bat Cave, just north of San Antonio, houses the largest colony of bat mothers and their babies in the world! The bats are mother nature's pesticide, eating 3/4 of their weight in bugs every night.
by Anne Pearson, Youth Outdoors Program Leader
Kevin Hartley's Travel Photograpy
San Antonio Claiming No Information on Vista Ridge
It appears that our city government is in the dark regarding the Vista Ridge water pipeline. CoSA seemingly has no documents or reports on the status of this multi-billion dollar project by our city-owned utility.
In a September 7th letter to me, the city's Public Information Officer, Moraima Montenegro, stated that the city has none of the following information in its possession:
- Documents related to the Vista Ridge pipeline project generated during April, 2017 through July, 2017.
- Reports of progress or status of the Vista Ridge pipeline project, including but not limited to, reports concerning acquisition of easements and reports concerning construction.
- Documents related to reports of the total money spent on the Vista Ridge pipeline project through July 2017.
- Contracts or proposals to purchase Vista Ridge water once the pipeline is completed.
- Documents reflecting terms of issuance of public securities by SAWS.
- Documents reflecting the projected costs of the Vista Ridge Integration Project.
- Documents describing the new infrastructure needed for the Vista Ridge Integration Project.
- Documents showing the additional revenue needed from SAWS customers to cover the cost of the Vista Ridge Pipeline project, or
- Documents reflecting SAWS plans for storage or disposition of excess water to be received from the Vista Ridge Project.
by Darby Riley, Executive Committee member
Outings: The Call of the Wild
Visit the Alamo Sierra Club Outings page on Meetup for detailed information about all of our upcoming Sierra Club Outings.
The Alamo Sierran Newsletter
Richard Alles, Editor
Published by The Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, P.O. Box 6443, San Antonio, TX 78209, AlamoSierraClub.org.
The Alamo Group is one of 13 regional groups within the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.
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