By the Numbers

• 263,496,496: The number of tons of carbon dioxide the Bureau of Land Management expects the Alaska Willow oil project to indirectly emit over its 30-year lifetime (equivalent to the annual emissions of 2 million gas-powered cars).
   
• 300 percent: This year's amount of the historic average snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada as of early April.
   
• 191: The number of clean energy projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act as of May.
   
• $350 million: The amount that the Department of Transportation is allocating to states, communities, and tribes for wildlife bridges and other measures that will allow animals safe passage over roads.
   
• $5.5 trillion: Funding that the world's 60 largest banks have given to the fossil fuel industry since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, according to the 2023 report Banking on Climate Chaos.

Alerts

Clean Up Your Act, Feds     
In 2007, Congress passed a law mandating that the Department of Energy come up with a plan to reduce the use of fossil-fuel-generated energy in federal buildings. The agency just proposed a rule, but it could still stall in finalizing it. Over 65 organizations, including the Sierra Club, are calling on the DOE to finalize regulations.     
» Take action: sc.org/electrify-feds

Wildlife Conservation Without Rifles     
In many states, conservation funding for wildlife comes mostly from hunting revenue, giving hunters a disproportionate say in wildlife management. The Recovering America's Wildlife Act would provide states, territories, and tribal nations with $1.4 billion in annual funding for wildlife and habitat conservation and recovery efforts. Urge your senators to vote yes.     
» Take action: sc.org/pass-rawa

Where's My Judge?     
Environmental laws require judges who understand conservation and environmental law to uphold them. Under the Biden administration, at least 100 federal judges have been confirmed, but dozens of vacancies remain. Call on your senators to confirm Nancy Abudu, Rachel Bloomekatz, Dale Ho, Bradley Garcia, and other excellent candidates.     
» Take action: sc.org/fair-judges

Victories

Greater Chaco Stays Great     
Following a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and allied groups, a federal judge barred the Bureau of Land Management from issuing more oil and gas permits near Chaco Culture National Historical Park until the rule that allowed them is reconsidered. "It's way past time for this administration to live up to its promise to honor the Greater Chaco landscape and prioritize climate and environmental justice," said Miya King-Flaherty, an organizing representative for the Sierra Club's Rio Grande Chapter.     
» Read more: sc.org/chaco-win

Offshore Win     
The nation's largest offshore wind operation is set to be completed off the coast of Virginia by 2026. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project includes 176 wind turbines that are expected to save up to 5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually and generate more than 2.5 gigawatts of power, enough to keep the lights on in over half a million homes. Meanwhile, Maryland is planning to quadruple its offshore wind capacity to 8.5 gigawatts by 2031.     
» Read more: sc.org/va-wind

Another One Bites the Dust     
Since 2015, high coal costs and lower demand during warmer winters have caused Pennsylvania's largest coal plant to operate below capacity. In July, the Homer City Generating Station will close. "Ninety-nine percent of existing coal in the country is now more expensive to operate than installing new solar or wind," said Tom Schuster, the director of the Sierra Club's Pennsylvania Chapter.     
» Read more: sc.org/rip-homer

Check It Out

The Sierra Club is a democratically run organization, and the results of our 2023 board of directors election are in. The new members are Shruti Bhatnagar, Rita Harris, David Holtz, Patrick Murphy, and Dave Scott. Learn more: sc.org/2023-board.

Chapter Corner

No Dirty Tailpipes in Maryland     
The Maryland Chapter celebrated two campaign victories it had been working toward for years. First, the operators of a proposed toll-lane expansion project scuttled their plans after facing significant delays and renewed opposition. Second, the state legislature passed a bill requiring auto dealers to sell an increasing annual percentage of zero-emission trucks and vans starting in 2027. "I'm glad I live in a state that I can brag about," said Lindsey Mendelson, the Clean Transportation representative with the Maryland Chapter, after the bill passed. "Maryland has one of the most ambitious goals to reduce climate pollution in the country."     
» Read more: sc.org/clean-maryland

Amateur Wildlife Control in Iowa     
Most wildlife conflicts are handled by trained professionals at state wildlife agencies. But the Iowa state legislature may pass a law that would allow citizens to kill animals for being a "nuisance" on private property, without notifying state officials. The Iowa Chapter fears that the proposed law could lead to the unnecessary killing of raccoons, opossums, and skunks and that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources could lose a key tool for assessing their populations. "It is easy, in this day and age, to use a cellphone to call the Department of Natural Resources," says a blog post on the chapter's website. "So, there is little reason to permit the killing of nuisance animals without notifying the DNR."     
» Read more: sc.org/iowa-nuisance

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Campaign Updates

Pedal to the Metal     
In April, EPA administrator Michael Regan released new tailpipe rules for cars and trucks. If finalized as proposed, the new standards could increase electric vehicles' share of new auto sales from around 7 percent today to as much as 67 percent by 2032. This is one of the Biden administration's most significant climate actions to date, since transportation is the largest source of US carbon pollution.     
» Read more from the Clean Transportation for All campaign: sc.org/clean-cars.

Dirty Banks Giveaway     
The fossil fuel industry couldn't continue without banks and insurance companies providing financing. Now a coalition of groups, including the Sierra Club's Fossil-Free Finance campaign, is asking state treasurers and managers of public pension funds to support shareholder proposals to phase out new fossil fuel development, set greenhouse gas emissions targets, and report on their 2030 climate commitments. "When banks and insurance companies continue to finance new fossil fuel projects, they are perpetuating environmental racism as well as worsening climate change," the coalition's letter reads.     
» Read more: sc.org/stop-the-money-pipeline

Win Against Mountain Valley Pipeline     
Thanks to a suit brought by Appalachian Mountain Advocates on behalf of the Sierra Club and other conservation groups, a court has tossed a key water permit that is needed by the Mountain Valley Pipeline to continue construction through streams and other waterways. "After countless violations of environmental safeguards and clean water protections," said Patrick Grenter, the Sierra Club Dirty Fuels campaign director, "we know that Mountain Valley Pipeline can't be trusted to comply with the most basic standards of reasonable conduct."     
» Read more: sc.org/mvp-setback