Take Action to keep TN coal ash workers and nearby communities safe. Take a minute to sign this petition to tell Commissioner David Salyers of Tennessee Dept of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that workers' health and safety must be protected during the removal of coal ash from TVA sites. Sign now.
Local treasure: Rita Harris, a Memphis pioneer of the environmental justice movement. Memphis City Magazine featured an article on former Sierra Club environmental justice organizer and Memphian Rita Harris. Harris retired from the Sierra Club national staff in 2017 after nearly 20 years of service and now serves on the Board of Directors. Harris served on the EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council from 1996-2001. In 2011, she received the Sierra Club’s Virginia Ferguson Award, named after the Sierra Club’s first paid employee and given to a staffer “who has demonstrated consistent and exemplary service to the Sierra Club.” This article from an extensive interview with Harris describes in her own words the history of her involvement as a pioneer in the social justice movement. Full article by Alex Greene - Jan. 11, 2021.
Southwest Memphis landowners mount legal defense against oil pipeline’s use of eminent domain. “We need people picking a side. It's Memphis or the oil company,” said an organizer for resistance to the project. "A lawyer for two Southwest Memphis landowners is challenging eminent domain lawsuits filed by Byhalia Pipeline against his clients, asserting in court filings that the building of an oil pipeline through residential properties does not serve residents and is a threat to the water supply." Read article by Carrington J. Tatum - MLK50 - Jan. 22, 2021.
East Tennessee Foundation and the University of Tennessee Medical Center will provide complimentary medical service to Kingston Coal Ash workers. Thanks largely to the efforts of a retired TVA Vice President and Assistant General Manager John Stewart and his wife Nancy, East Tennessee Foundation and the University of Tennessee Medical Center have joined forces “to provide complimentary evaluation, diagnosis and treatment planning for workers who participated in the cleanup of the historic spill." Read article by Jamie Satterfield - Knoxville News Sentinel - Dec. 22, 2020. Contributions to support the Kingston Workers Project can be made online here through the East Tennessee Foundation.
TN Sierra National Forests Committee Accomplishments. Throughout 2020, our TN National Forest Committee was hard at work protecting Tennessee's national forests. Some accomplishments: Saved the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area from salvage logging based on unsound claims of a supposed "oak decline" resulting from typical late winter frostbite on budding trees. Monitored timber projects in Cherokee National Forest – performed field studies and provided detailed analysis of their findings to help prevent ill-advised logging and burning. Read full report here by Davis Mounger (Chair).
Rita Harris photographed by Saj Crone.
Political Updates
Tracking Biden's environmental actions. "The new president is unwinding Trump's climate change legacy while forging his own." On Day 1, President Biden rejoined the Paris climate accord, and is targeting over 100 actions taken by the Trump administration which weakened or deregulated rules about air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, wildlife, and infrastructure. Read this comprehensive article by Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis, John Muyskens - Washington Post - Jan. 22, 2021.
Warnock, Ossoff win in Georgia, handing Dems Senate control. "Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority — as final votes were counted Wednesday, serving President Donald Trump a stunning defeat in his turbulent final days in office while dramatically improving the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda." Keep reading article by Steve Peoples, Bill Barrow, Russ Bynum- AP News - Jan 6, 2021.
Will Biden's 100% clean energy plan work? Look to TVA. "The Tennessee Valley Authority is likely to stay out of the political spotlight during the Biden administration, but the nation's largest public utility is poised to play an outsize role in pushing the president-elect's clean energy agenda." Read full article quoting Sierra Club Beyond Coal's Jonathan Levenshus and Maggie Shober, director of utility reform at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. By Kristi E. Swartz - E&E News - Nov. 23, 2020.
Buttigieg promises to undo racist freeway policies. The nominee for Secretary of Transportation says, "Black and brown neighborhoods have been disproportionately divided by highway projects or left isolated by the lack of adequate transit." Read full article by Diana Ionescu - Planetizen - Jan. 3, 2021.
Following the elections, Beyond Coal Tennessee looks forward. If you haven't had a chance yet, check out Jonathan Levenshus's summary of what's been happening in the electric sector and what lies ahead. Read full article on TN Chapter Blogby Jonathan Levenshus, Director of Federal Campaigns, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign.
Newly-elected senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock bump elbows at a campaign event in Georgia. Photo: Jessica McGowan/ Getty Images.
Environmental Justice and Nature
WATCH: Amanda Gorman reads inauguration poem, ‘The Hill We Climb.’ At 22 years old, Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in US history. Her powerful poem was described as "strong and poignant" by Michelle Obama, and "stunning" by Hillary Clinton. Watch here (5:50 min) - PBS NewsHour - Jan. 20, 2021.
Ocean Justice. Here is what I know. In this excerpt from the anthology Black Futures, marine biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson considers how ocean conservation "is about people—more specifically, it’s about marginalized people." Keep reading - Sierra -Dec. 12, 2020.
The Privilege of Nature. "Being in green surroundings can ease the stress and isolation triggered by lockdowns. Unfortunately, access to nearby nature is a privilege that’s unequally distributed in the US. But new studies have found that even just viewing nature can ease the psychological distress triggered by isolation. Something as simple as a flora-filled window view can boost self-esteem and happiness while reducing anxiety and loneliness." Read more by Molly Glick - Sierra - Dec. 24, 2020.
Photo by Alberto Clemares Exposito/ISTOCK.
Events
Important Note: The Sierra Club's Safety Management Team has extended its prohibition on both travel and in-person meetings through July 4, 2021. The Chapter ExCom will meet virtually Jan. 30, 2021.
Listed in order of occurrence:
Energy Justice at Work: The Geographies of Clean Energy Jobs in Atlanta. One of the fastest-growing industries in Georgia is renewable energy. Dr. Nikki Luke, an urban geographer who studies energy and labor politics, will discuss how the growth in renewable energy influences efforts toward energy justice. Thurs. Jan. 28 1:00-2:30 ET.Zoom link here.
Memphis Transit Equity Day. Scheduled on Rosa Parks' birthday, this event will discuss how urban transit systems in most American cities have become a genuine civil rights issue because the layout of rapid-transit systems determines the accessibility of jobs. Thurs. Feb. 4th 12:00-2:00 PM CT.Register here.
Compass Conference 2021: The New Green Economy. This weeklong virtual conference features different topics daily, with opening keynote speaker Colette Pichon-Battle kicking things off on Sat. Feb. 6th 9:00-11:00 AM CT. Workshops throughout the week will discuss economic development that fosters both sustainability and equitable employment, looking at emerging national, regional and local strategies. Sierra Club is one of the over 15 organizations co-sponsoring this exciting event running Feb. 6-12th!Register here.
Community Science: How You Can Save the Environment Using Your Phone. Learn about what 'community science' is, and about the projects that collect data used for management of threatened and endangered species, environmental impact assessment, and more. Presented by Mac Post, TN Chapter Chair, Tues. Feb. 9th 7:00 ET. Register at this Campfire link.
'163 Tennessee & Me' is a year-long campaign to bring awareness to the 163 Threatened and Endangered Species listed in Tennessee and to promote progressive actions for their survival. Follow on FB for updates and meeting information.
Mini-documentary on TN's First Superfund Site. Watch Bard Cole's "Hollywood: Legacy of a Memphis Dump." The documentary is followed by panel discussion featuring Protect Our Aquifer's Jim Kovarik, University of Memphis’ Brian Waldron, Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, and Sierra Club’s Scott Banbury. Watch for free on Youtube (27 min watch).
"Caribou on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued oil and gas leases covering nearly 1,770 square kilometres in the wildlife refuge." Photo: Florian Schulz. Read Dear Eartha's column below about the current state of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha,
I've heard that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is now sold to major petroleum and oil companies so they can drill for oil on pristine land in Alaska’s most northern region. But I also heard the sale was a joke! What’s happening now that Trump’s out and Biden’s in? Is the refuge still protected? —Tennessee Caribou Protector
Dear Caribou Protector,
You are so right – things are definitely in flux as the Executive and Legislative branches of the US government have changed. Here’s what I know:
The area that was offered for sale to oil companies consists of nine parcels or tracts called “the coastal plain.” Out of the 400,000 acres of the entire Refuge, this plain makes up 30%. It’s homeland to native peoples, and many of the Gwich’in and Inupiaq people have for decades fought the sale and invasion of their tundra by outsiders. Why? Not only is it the peoples’ homeland, it is also the calving grounds for Porcupine caribou, and home to polar bears, birds, and other wildlife. With the process of oil drilling comes large trucks across their frozen tundra, noisy machinery, businesses, pollution, and, inevitably, oil spills.
Native tribes and others, including the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, well-known climate and wilderness advocates Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the usual climate protectors – Sierra Club and National Resources Defense Council – to name a few, have been campaigning to protect the 1,000 square kilometers to keep the Refuge the “largest untapped land-based oil reserves in North America” (Canadian Broadcasting Company, January 6, 2021). Emphasis on “untapped”!
The joke is that only three companies bid on all that oil and the largest bidder was Alaska’s Bureau of Land Management. National Public Radio (NPR) reports that the Biden administration opposes the sale, which was rushed on the last full day of the Trump administration. But reversing the course of the leases means buying them back or suspension of “any work on the land. Several court cases…to cancel leases are ongoing.”
This is a fight long held and widely supported by a multi-national core of environmentalists who know that the ANWR is a pristine place, one of few remaining on planet Earth, and have been working fervently to protect it. Court cases continue.
Finally, translating from the mother tongue of her people, the name for the Arctic coastal plain means “the sacred place where life begins.” As always, power never concedes its hold without a fight. At least now the Biden administration seeks to preserve this refuge and not exploit it.
Stay tuned and stay safe,
Eartha
Dear Eartha is penned by Rita Bullinger. Got an environmental query for Eartha? Submit your question to "Dear Eartha" via Enews.SierraTN@gmail.com
Species Spotlight
This month's featured species is: Winter Jasmine (jasminum nudiflorum)
While jasmine is commonly appreciated for its fragrance, not all strains have scent. The winter jasmine is an unscented variety, with a profusion of yellow flowers that bloom in late winter / early spring.
This viney shrub makes good bank cover or can be trained onto a trellis. It grows about 4 feet if unsupported, or 15 feet if supported by a wall or trellis. You may have seen winter jasmine cascading over a fence or wall.
The shrub is deciduous with glossy green leaves of three leaflets. Originally from China, it is also named Yingchun (迎春) in Chinese, which means "the flower that welcomes Spring."
Winter jasmine can spread and become invasive if unsupported. If you train the plant as a vine using a support structure, spreading will be less of an issue.
Volunteer Opportunities
Defender Fund Volunteer
The Tennessee Chapter lobbyist represents our environmental interests and our lobbying program in the Tennessee State Legislature. His salary needs to be funded. We need someone to take over fundraising for the Sierra Club Defenders of Tennessee. The work is seasonal, light, and can all be done from home. If you have some facility for writing and are interested in the position, please contact Sherry Loller for more information at sherryloller@hotmail.com or 615-889-2968.
Paperless Delivery
Are you a Sierra member who has been receiving our bi-monthly print publication, the Tennes-Sierran? You can now opt out of getting a paper copy of the newspaper and instead receive it digitally as an email attachment. To request paperless delivery, open this form to make your request.
Contact Us
Do you have a program or speaker idea for your Group? An issue you're particularly passionate about? Do you have a story idea for the Tennes-Sierran or the e-newsletter? Let us know! Look through our past programs for inspiration.
We are the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.8 million members and supporters, the Sierra Club has the resources to empower people and to influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
