March/April 2014 Newsletter

March 16, 2014

Connect!

If you're on Facebook, "like" us to be reminded of upcoming meetings and events!

Those of you on Twitter can also follow us.

Orange-Chatham Group (and Selected Other) Events

NC Botanical Garden Hike

Wednesday, March 19, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Enjoy a 3-mile, fast-paced hike on footpaths through meadows and hilly woodlands right in the heart of Chapel Hill. Group size is limited to 12 participants. Advance registration required. Sorry, no pets. For more information, visit http://nc2.sierraclub.org/outing/nc-botanical-garden-chapel-hill.

Orange-Chatham Group Meeting: NC Solar Revolution (rescheduled)

Wednesday, March 19, 7-8:30 p.m.
Chapel Hill Public Library (100 Library Dr., Chapel Hill; map, directions, and transit information)

Solar power generation in North Carolina is expanding very fast. Thanks to technological improvements, attractive financing programs, and state and federal tax breaks many people are putting solar panels on their roofs, significantly reducing the need for more polluting power plants, cutting down on their green-house gas emissions and enjoying lower utility bills.

Not everyone is happy about this new world of distributed energy generation. The biggest power company in the nation, Duke Energy, is putting its considerable lobbying efforts into changing the "net metering" law which allows homeowners who generate more electricity than they use to sell it back to the utility at a guaranteed price.

Another way of financing rooftop solar installation for households and businesses, without financial layout, is known as "third-party" solar. A company installs solar panels on your roof without charge and you pay them for your electricity use. At the end of the contract (normally 15-20 years), you own the installation and are free of utility bills.

Learn about new funding, regulatory and legal developments in NC solar power expansion and the threats to distributed energy generation, and take part in discussing this exciting topic.

Speakers:

  • Michael Youth, NC Sustainable Energy Association Counsel and Policy Director
  • Connie Leeper, Outreach coordinator for NC WARN

Capital Group Meeting: Solar Power Initiatives and Issues

Thursday, March 20, 7 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh (3313 Wade Ave.; directions)

The Sierra Club's Capital Group will present Jim Kennerly and Tommy Cleveland from the NC Solar Center. Jim will talk about net metering and solar issues in Raleigh, and Tommy will talk about the NC Solar Ordinance. Doors open 6:30 p.m., meeting at 7:00.

The NC Solar Ordinance is a template to be used by municipalities to address some of the most common considerations that arise in the permitting of solar energy facilities. It is intended to offer a path that could facilitate solar project development for companies and landowners while simultaneously creating a framework for local governments to ensure the safeguarding of local values and interests. By persuading more local governments to adopt the ordinance, the state can persuade more solar companies to work in North Carolina.

The press has been buzzing on Duke's proposal to change net metering in the state to make it less favorable for people with roof-top solar. But just what is net metering, and why is it so important? Jim will give us the basics, and discuss other issues and efforts on solar locally and statewide.

Cassie Gavin, the State Director of Government Relations, will also be in attendance to answer any questions that may come up about solar in the state legislature and what you can do to help.

Orange County Commissioner Candidate Forum

Wednesday, March 26, 7-9 p.m.
Board Chambers, Carrboro Town Hall (301 W. Main St.; directions)

Candidates for Orange County Commissioner will respond to questions posed by the Orange-Chatham Group. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

Solarize Carrboro Kick-off

Wednesday, April 2, 7-9 p.m.
Carrboro Town Hall (301 W. Main St.; directions)

(This is an invitation for a non-Sierra Club event that we are happy to forward.)

Solarize Carrboro is making it easy and affordable to go solar. Our panel of experts will show you how easy it is to make the switch to clean energy and how to maximize your savings. They will explain the Solarize Carrboro program, group discounts, tax incentives, financing, and community solar projects in our Town. Plus Carrboro homeowners that already have solar will be available to answer your questions and share their experiences. More info at solarizeCarrboro.org.

Booth at UNC Science Expo

Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cameron Ave., UNC-Chapel Hill

Orange-Chatham Sierra Club will be one of nearly 100 groups with a table at the 2014 UNC Science Expo. The Town of Chapel Hill will be sponsoring the Solar Stage and will be bringing several sustainability-related activities and programs to the Expo. The event will be held rain or shine.

See http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/2014_event/unc-science-expo/ or http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=515 for more details about the event.

Executive Committee Meetings

Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m.
Carolina Meadows

All members are welcome to join the Executive Committee in the discussion of issues and projects. Contact Judith Ferster (see below) for further information.

Outings Updates

OCG leaders are working hard to offer more outings. Brian Boehlecke, who led an outing at the NC Botanical Garden on February 23, described the good time they had:

Of the 11 participants, two were intimately familiar with the botanical gardens from working or volunteering there; they were a nice resource. Several had never been there before, so it was a nice mix. Two who had never been before drove all the way from Rockingham County to learn about the gardens. I gave a little overview of the gardens' history and we discussed some effects of development on natural areas and then looked for examples on the hike. We also found some crane-fly orchids whose leaves are bright purple underneath (I had been told to look for them by a curator at the gardens I queried about interesting flora the week before while attending the Darwin day lecture there) and got serenaded by some loud frogs in a pond near the Totten center.

Go to the group's newly improved outings page to find out more about the outings we're offering and what to expect when you go on an outing.

Great News for Public Transit Supporters: Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project Gets Federal Go Ahead For Project Development

Read more at http://ourtransitfuture.com/triangle-transit-gets-federal-approval-to-plan-durham-orange-light-rail/.

Activists' Corner

Help Save Orange County's Curbside Recycling Program

Submitted by Olga Grlic, Orange-Chatham Group Co-Chair

Call for action: Because of recent court cases restricting the ability of the County to assess recycling fees, Orange County needs a new way to fund our outstanding curbside recycling program. Please support the creation of a Solid Waste Tax District to finance rural recycling program. The tax district would be formed from the higher density, unincorporated areas of Orange County. This individual-homeowner solid waste tax would be, on average, equal to the current recycling fee. Service would use roll carts picked up every other week. Citizens unable to bring carts to the road would be provided assistance.

Only a new tax district can ensure that Orange County continues to be a leader in recycling and solid waste reduction. Please show your support by attending the public hearing on this issue on March 18 at 6 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center (Chapel Hill) or April 1 at 6 p.m. at the Orange County Department of Social Services (Hillsborough). It is especially important that citizens living outside the limits of the towns let the County Commissioners know that they support the solid waste tax district.

Anyone who can't attend one of the hearings can also submit comments through email: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/Email/MsgForm.asp?email=ocbocc&domain=co.orange.nc.us&name=County+Commissioners.

Applicants Needed for Orange Unified Transportation Board

(Based on a press release from Orange County.)

One major way citizens can have a positive impact on the future of Orange County is to volunteer to serve on the various County advisory boards and commissions. There are currently openings on the Orange Unified Transportation Board.

The Orange Unified Transportation Board provides information and comments on major transportation issues. The Board also provides recommendations regarding the overall planning and programming of transportation improvements in Orange County, including identifying and prioritizing the county's roadway and transit needs along with associated costs and specific sources of funding. The Board assists in development and review of the transportation component of the Comprehensive Plan. There are currently openings for representation from the Cheeks Township and a Pedestrian Access Advocate.

If interested in serving, apply at www.orangecountync.gov/boards.

Volunteers appointed by the Board of County Commissioners have an opportunity to influence the way of life in Orange County.

Danger Of Liquid Gas Exports: Stop Fast Track Of TPP

A couple of OCG ExCom members joined the leaders of several other environmental and social justice groups on March 3 in a meeting with Representative David Price to discuss the dangers of fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement, an issue that media conglomerates have kept silent about and which remains below the radar of most concerned citizens. The Sierra Club is leading environmental groups' opposition to fast-tracking this trade agreement.

Here are some resources that explain the environmental impacts of this trade pact.

If you would like to voice your concern over the lack of transparency of the negotiations or the substance of the agreement, please contact Congressman Price: https://price.house.gov/contact

The Dan River Coal Ash Spill

Submitted by Olga Grlic, Orange-Chatham Group Co-Chair

PLEASE SUPPORT STRONG LEGISLATION REQUIRING REMOVAL OF COAL ASH FROM LEAKING PITS TO SAFE, DRY AND LINED STORAGE AWAY FROM OUR WATERWAYS

Duke Energy's retired Dan River Power Station near Eden, North Carolina is the site of the 3rd largest coal ash spill in US history.

  1. In February 2014, 39,000 tons of coal ash and 24 million gallons of wastewater (based on Duke Energy estimates) laden with toxic heavy metals were discharged into the Dan River from a broken stormwater pipe beneath an unlined coal ash pit.
  2. Meanwhile, an unknown amount of untreated coal ash wastewater containing high levels of arsenic discharged from a second ruptured pipe into the Dan River, along with multiple ongoing seeps from the same facility.
  3. Coal ash now coats the bottom of the Dan River 70 miles downstream and is inches thick in some locations. The impact of the spill on local communities is devastating, as the Dan River provides drinking water and water for irrigation and livestock to downstream communities. The Dan River is also home to a number of endangered and threatened species. Following the spill, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued health advisories warning people to avoid contact with the Dan River and to avoid eating any fish from the river. Local businesses that depend on the Dan River, such as fishing guides and river rafting companies, report they are already suffering as tourists and residents avoid the river.

Legislative Action is Necessary to Force Duke Energy to Take Responsibility for their Coal Ash Pollution

Coal ash pits at all 14 of Duke Energy's North Carolina power plants, including those at the Dan River facility, have illegally polluted groundwater for years. To date, however, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has failed to require Duke to cease its ongoing groundwater violations.

The Dan River disaster was not caused by a natural disaster or extenuating circumstances, but rather a failure of Duke Energy's management and maintenance practices. Despite groundwater contamination at each of Duke Energy's North Carolina coal ash facilities, the utility has made no commitments to cease or clean up its pollution of public water sources. Legislative action is needed.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION CAN PREVENT THE NEXT COAL ASH DISASTER -- PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO:

  1. Direct DENR to require a cleanup plan from Duke Energy for the Dan River spill.
  2. Require all coal ash pits in the state to be closed and the ash moved to safe, dry and lined storage away from water sources. Simply capping coal ash pits is not a viable option for closure and will not stop ongoing, illegal pollution or protect against dam failure. Complete removal to modern landfills is the only way to prevent another coal ash disaster and ongoing pollution.
  3. Fund DENR at a level that allows the agency to adequately monitor coal ash sites.
  4. Direct Duke Energy to pay for the cost of cleanup both at Dan River and its other coal ash pits across the state, and do not allow these costs to be passed on to ratepayers.

The North Carolina General Assembly has a "Who Represents Me?" page where you can find out who represents you and how to contact them.

Chatham County Rivers and Streams: Three Questions

by Judith Ferster, Orange-Chatham Group Conservation Chair

The January membership meeting heard three experts addressing three crucial questions about Chatham County rivers and streams:

I. How Healthy are they now?

Brena Jones, Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the NC Wildlife Commission, detailed and located the county's aquatic resources. Some goals of the Commission are to learn what is in the water, educate the public, and improve regulations.

In four NC watersheds, Jones surveys 350 species including fish, mussels, snails, and crayfish. Some species, such as the Cape Fear Shiner, are endangered, and some, such as the flathead catfish, are invasive. Mussels, some of which live between 70 and 100 years, are valuable in the ecosystem because as filter feeders, they help to clear the water of toxic blue green algae and fecal coliform bacteria. Also because they filter the water, they collect pollutants, indicating the health of the habitat. Ten species of mussels are already extinct and 87% of the remainder is endangered.

ACTION OPPORTUNITY: Among the ways that citizens can help protect biodiversity are to get involved with the counting organizations, NC Herp Atlas (www.carolinaherpatlas.org) and Amphibian Survey Program (www.ncparc.org) to report what they see. Whenever there is an opportunity to contribute some of a tax refund to North Carolina Wildlife, check the box on your tax form (www.ncwildlife.org/give).

II. Can re-organized DENR protect them in the future?

Cassie Gavin, NC Sierra Club Director of Government Affairs, outlined changes to the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that are changing the kind of work that it can do. The fact that Republicans now control the governorship and both houses of the General Assembly (for the first time in over 100 years, and conservative Republicans to boot) means that DENR's budget has been cut and it has lost positions so that it has fewer resources with which to do its jobs. But its leadership and therefore its jobs have changed. Its mission now includes providing customer service for developers, which will cut into its being an environmental watchdog. Its new secretary is a climate denier and believes that coal is a renewable resource. Federal money has been returned and there was no review of the possible impacts of a proposed reservoir that will destroy some forest.

So, no, DENR may not protect Chatham waterways in the future. The Clean Water Act requires it and the EPA, to do a review of water rules every 3 years - called the Triennial Review. They did one this year, but did not propose any changes to their standards, which need updating. Many Sierrans spoke at the Triennial Review public hearing, the EPA attended and then the EPA responded with recommendations. DENR should act on these recommendations but it's unlikely that they will jump to do so without additional pressure by the EPA and from citizens.

ACTION OPPORTUNITY: In view of the state's delay of the implementation of the new rules for Jordan Lake and trial of the agitators to stop algae blooms while doing nothing to reduce the flow of nutrients into the lake, Gavin suggested that we ask the EPA to enforce the established standard of the total maximum daily load (TMDL)—the goal of nutrient inflow that the new rules intend to achieve.

Two people to contact for Region 4 (our region of the EPA) on TMDL:

In Washington, D.C., Benita Best-Wong, Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (responsible for TMDLs)

If you email any of these people, please cc or bcc me: jferster@ncsu.edu

III. How Will Chatham Park affect them?

Elaine Chiosso, Haw Riverkeeper and Executive Director of the Haw River Assembly, told us that the investors in Chatham Park started buying land in the Extended Territorial Jurisdiction of Pittsboro in 2004. When they proposed Chatham Park in May of 2013, it encompassed over 7,120 acres and would include housing for 55,000 people, which would be like planting a town the size of Chapel Hill right next to Pittsboro. Even accounting for park and commercial space, it would result in a population density as great as that of Los Angeles and a percentage of land covered by impervious surfaces as great as that of New York City.

The master plan of Chatham Park does not sufficiently buffer streams or protect forest. Nor does it have adequate plans for storm water or wastewater. It hopes for a vague fix, "technological advances and tremendous changes," in the future. As Chiosso said, "This is not a plan."

ACTION OPPORTUNITY: The citizen group taking the lead in trying to make the plan for Chatham Park less damaging to water quality and the environment is Pittsboro Matters. See their website for more information and actions to take: pittsboromatters.org

Member Survey

Would you like to see a Tree Commission serving your community?
Yes No

Orange-Chatham Group Leaders

Executive Committee Members

Note: Each member's term ends in December of the year in parentheses.

  • May Becker (2015) Group Co-chair tomatocutter "at" yahoo.com 969-7439
  • Olga Grlic (2014) Group Co-chair and Calendar Sales Representative olgagrl "at" duke.edu 968-4318
  • Dave Keesee (2014) Treasurer dskeesee "at" bellsouth.net 933-4879
  • Melissa McCullough (2015) Secretary melissamccnc "at" gmail.com
  • Judith Ferster (2014) Conservation Chair judith_ferster "at" ncsu.edu 929-6648
  • Max Felsher (2015) Newsletter/Web/Listserv max.felsher "at" gmail.com 617-599-0669
  • Jason Baker (2014) jason "at" jasonbaker.us 442-8278

Other Group Leaders

  • Jae Furman Outings SeeingTrees "at" gmail.com
  • Loren Hintz Transportation Chair ldhintz "at" bellsouth.net 933-8987

Note: All phone numbers are in the 919 area code unless specifically indicated.