A roundup of important news and updates from Sierra Club campaigns and chapters across the country.

By the Numbers

70: The percentage of Americans who agree that expanding renewables will bring down energy costs.

126,967: The total acres conservation groups say are threatened by the federal government's plans to log old-growth and mature forests across the country.

23: The number of targets agreed to at the UN Biodiversity Conference for halting and reversing wildlife extinctions.

6th: The ranking of 2022 in terms of hottest years on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists with the agency expect the warming trend to continue as the burning of fossil fuels pushes temperatures ever higher.

Alerts

Protect Black Bears 
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy has gone back on his promise to ban black bear hunting in the Garden State. Rather than requiring nonlethal measures for dealing with problem bears, the governor ushered in an open season. The Sierra Club's New Jersey Chapter says that the governor should stop the hunt and address the root problem: failure to enforce proper trash disposal. 
» Take action: sc.org/nj-bears

Be Prepared to Conserve Mature Forest 
The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital owns a portion of Maryland's Marlton Forest, which it hopes to sell to developers. The Sierra Club Maryland Chapter would like the scouts to sell to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission instead. 
» Take action: sc.org/marlton

Don't Insure Arctic Drilling 
Since 2020, major US banks have refused to fund oil and gas projects in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now a coalition of conservation groups that includes the Sierra Club is asking Travelers insurance company not to insure drilling projects in this protected area. 
» Take action: sc.org/travelers-insurance

Shut Down Line 5 
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state's Department of Natural Resources withdrew Enbridge's right to operate its set of dangerous oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac and ordered Line 5 to be shut down. Enbridge continues to operate illegally. Tell President Biden to pull the plug on the pipelines. 
» Take action: sc.org/no-line-5

Victories

Major Funding for Environmental Justice 
The Biden administration announced $100 million in grants to help communities that are disproportionately affected by polluted air, water, and land. The funds are available through the Inflation Reduction Act, including $30 million for community-based nonprofits—$5 million of which is for groups with five or fewer full-time employees. The remaining $70 million is available to states and territories, Native American tribes, and local governments acting in partnership with community-based organizations.

Wilderness Wins 
Years of actions, education, and lobbying by Sierra Club activists paid off when the Biden administration delivered two victories on major priorities for the organization: reinstating the Roadless Rule to much of the 9.3 million acres of the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska and banning hardrock mining in the headwaters of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Tongass is now protected from logging and new roads, and the Boundary Waters from poisonous runoff from a proposed copper and nickel mine.

Forever Chemicals in Your Pants 
An investigation by Sierra exposed the presence of harmful levels of PFAS, "forever chemicals," in menstrual underwear. As a result, customers of Thinx brought and won a class action lawsuit against the company. 
» Read more: sc.org/thinx

Check It Out

As a member-driven organization, the Sierra Club needs you to make your voice heard! Learn about the 2023 Sierra Club Board of Directors election and read statements from the candidates: sierraclub.org/board/election.

Chapter Corner

OPEN SPACE IN NAPA 
Northern California's Redwood Chapter helped defeat a ballot initiative to convert 157 acres of agricultural land into an industrial park. Napa County had denied an earlier petition to turn the land into an industrial area, so the investors who owned the property had the issue put on the ballot. The measure was opposed by the Sierra Club and other conservation groups; it failed by 249 votes, ensuring that the land, which abuts the San Pablo Bay, will remain protected for the wildlife and people who use this area. 
» Read more: sc.org/open-napa

DITCH THE GAS 
Connecticut wants to expand its aging gas-fueled system for heating and cooling more than a dozen buildings in the state capital of Hartford, including government offices, the supreme court, and a historic theater. The Connecticut Chapter is advocating for a transition to clean alternatives, such as using heat pumps, to heat the buildings instead. 
» Read more: sc.org/clean-hartford

WILD FLORIDA 

The Florida Chapter celebrated the passage of two ballot efforts to protect wild spaces in the state. The Polk Forever referendum proposes a property tax dedicated to funding the acquisition and preservation of wildlife habitat in Polk County, while the Wild Spaces–Public Places referendum in Alachua County (an extension of a previous effort) would do the same with a sales tax in effect until 2032.

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Campaign Updates

ALL-ELECTRIC USPS 
After over a year and a half of public pressure, the US Postal Service is going electric. The agency reversed course on its unpopular and shortsighted decision to purchase hundreds of polluting delivery trucks, instead committing to 100 percent electrification of its fleet. Moving the government's largest fleet of vehicles to all-electric is a massive win for the climate and public health. The Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All campaign will work with its labor partners at the United Auto Workers to ensure that the vehicles are union-built. 
» Read more: sc.org/electric-usps

DIGITAL 30x30 
The Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign launched a new digital ad initiative to raise awareness for President Biden's ambitious plan to conserve 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030. In order to reach that goal, the administration is exploring options ranging from private land conservation to sweeping public land designations. The ad campaign targets people who live in states with an increasing number of natural disasters, who identify as moderate to slightly conservative, and who might otherwise not be connected to the Sierra Club's issues. 
» See more: bit.ly/OWA-30x30

NATURE FOR ALL, NO CAR NECESSARY 
Partners in Los Angeles's Nature for All coalition secured congressional funding for a new shuttle bus route that will run from the Pasadena Metro station to the Angeles National Forest, with the aim of increasing access to the outdoors for underserved communities. The funding will help LA residents connect to iconic outdoor destinations like the Mount Wilson Observatory, the West Fork National Scenic Bikeway, and the San Gabriel River. 
» Read more: bit.ly/la-nature-for-all