COVID-19 Update: Sierra Club has decided to extend the Sierra Club’s current Covid response plans through Feb. 28, 2022.Click here for full statement on Campfire.
2021 Fourth Quarter TN Sierra Club Conservation Program Coordinator Report. Read about legislative and environmental updates by Scott Banbury, Tennessee Chapter Conservation Program Coordinator. Access the report here.
Opinion: Be bold, TVA. Put CEO's bonus and much more toward the sun. "Being America's highest-paid federal employee is nice work if you can get it. Just ask that guy — TVA's CEO Jeff Lyash, who got a 35% raise in pay during the past year to boost his total compensation to a record high of nearly $9.9 million"... "The raise for TVA's CEO is a slap in the face for customers that continue to struggle to pay high electricity bills across the TVA territory," said Maggie Shober, director of utility reform at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Read full article by Pam Sohn - Times Free Press - Nov. 16, 2021.
New technology will turn Neyland Stadium's plastic trash into treasured mementos. "The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Eastman Chemical Company are partnering to turn Neyland Stadium trash into treasure. Plastic cups and bottles get recycled after every home game at Neyland Stadium, but for the next two weeks, Eastman will use a new technology to upcycle discarded trash into durable, reusable water bottles commemorating Neyland's storied history." Keep reading article by Becca Wright - Knoxville News Sentinel - Nov. 18, 2021.
Memphis landfill 'looks like the best choice' for coal ash despite council objection, TVA CEO says. "The head of the Tennessee Valley Authority indicated Wednesday that the 3 million tons of coal ash from the Allen Fossil Plant will almost assuredly be buried in Southeast Memphis.... The City Council has.. passed a resolution asking for the ash to be disposed of outside Memphis and Shelby County." Read full article by Samuel Hardiman - Memphis Commercial Appeal - Nov. 10, 2021. Read Sam's follow up article. Also read Congressman Steve Cohen's Letter.
Fall colors reflecting onto a lake. Photo: 20190925-OC-EDV-0004, USDA, flickr album.
Holidays are approaching fast. Is it better for the environment to buy a real Christmas tree or a fake one? The short answer is - real tree! "Real trees help fight climate change, and even though your Christmas tree is cut down, you’re actually supporting forests." Artificial trees cause more carbon emissions due to shipping; most are not recyclable and end up in landfills. Learn more about why real trees are more sustainable in this article from The Nature Conservancy.
Why a price tag on carbon emissions is critical to climate change policy | Opinion. "An economy-wide price on carbon reaches into every sector — electricity, transportation, industry, commercial/residential real estate, agriculture and land use. It’s also quick to set up, leading to meaningful impact in a matter of months." Read full article by Jeff Lehr, Casey Deakins and Mark Reynolds, Guest Columnists - Memphis Commercial Appeal - Nov. 11, 2021.
Forest Service aims to conserve more than 5,000 acres of North Georgia woodlands. "The public has less than six weeks to comment on a U.S. Forest Service project twice the size of Atlanta dubbed the Foothills Landscape Project , which aims to conserve more than 5,000 acres of old-growth forest, create small canopy gaps and restore woodland habitat for native species of plants and animals." The 45-day comment period ends December 13.Comment and get project updates here. Read full article here by Ben Benton - Times Free Press - Nov. 8, 2021.
Merge charging-station form and function to increase electric vehicle use | Opinion. "Thanks to architects, soon you may be plugging your EV into a park bench, a brick façade or even a piece of public art." Article by Sara Martin, Guest columnist - Knox Sentinel - Nov. 11, 2021.
Vote Now in ExCom Elections!
The November/December Tennes-Sierran contains ballots and candidate bios for this year's Chapter and Group Executive Committee (ExCom) elections. Unfortunately, online voting was not possible for this year, so you'll need to cut out and mail in the ballots, in time to be received by December 15. Alternatively, the ballots are available as PDFs on the Chapter website to print off and mail in. Thank you for your input!
Chapter At-Large candidates (from left, in randomized order): Charlie High, Nancy Bell, Kent Minault, David Riall, Grace Stranch, and Marquita Bradshaw.
Health & Justice
Saddest Story I Ever Wrote: How TVA poisoned a workforce and OSHA let them
By Jamie Satterfield, Award-winning Investigative Journalist
For two months, teams of workers had been toiling around the clock to clean up a colossal spill of toxic coal ash unleashed in East Tennessee when a containment wall buckled, loosing millions of tons of the sludge across the landscape.
They were working unprotected, secure in the knowledge they were safe because the Tennessee Valley Authority repeatedly told them so. But now, an alarm was raised: The coal ash was radioactive, and the workers were in grave danger, warned a complaint filed in February 2009 with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the paid protector of the American workforce.
“Employees are working in hazardous conditions at this (Tennessee Valley Authority) spill ... overexposure to radiation, overexposure to arsenic, workers without respirators,” the February 2009 complaint said.
By rule, the agency should have shut down the TVA work site and launched an investigation. Instead, OSHA passed along the complaint to TVA.
Two months later, TVA told OSHA there was nothing to worry about: all the workers had been masked and protected by federal law, but no longer needed the precautions.
Jamie Satterfield speaks at a community meeting in Claxton, Tenn., at which residents expressed upsetat a new coal ash dump TVA was planning in their community. TVA later backed off the plan.
By Brady Watson & Isabella Killius, Sunrise Movement Knoxville
On November 10th, concerned citizens and advocates with Sunrise Movement and the Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement delivered nearly 4,000 public comments to the Tennessee Valley Authority headquarters in Knoxville—while the TVA board of directors met virtually. Participants locked arms in front of the “TVA tower” in downtown Knoxville and held a paper chain representing the thousands of comments submitted by community members in the region. The overarching public demands were clean energy, no new fossil gas plants, the reinstatement of virtual public listening sessions during board meetings, and added coal ash worker protections from TVA. “Locked Out, Locked Arms” also occurred during the United Nations’ COP26 convening in Glasgow, Scotland, during which international discussion was held on establishing global carbon emission reductions and addressing impending climate disasters. Unlike legislative bodies and government agencies across the country that have adopted virtual participation and public comment in response to COVID-19, the Tennessee Valley Authority has not held any public listening sessions since it transitioned to virtual Board meetings in February 2020. During their meeting, TVA board members settled on delegating decision-making authority to CEO Jeff Lyash on the future of the Kingston and Cumberland Fossil Plants, which are slated to close in the coming years. TVA has indicated that these coal plants will be replaced with new fossil gas, a harmful energy source that simply aggravates the climate crisis and halts renewable energy development. Shifting these major decisions from the US Senate-approved Board to solely Lyash comes at a time of continued delays in the Senate confirmation process for Biden’s four new TVA board nominees. While it is clear that TVA continues to exclude the public from crucial governance and decisions (despite the utility’s repeated self-designation as a “public” power provider), organizers and citizens will not give up the fight for a clean, safe, and democratic future for communities across the Tennessee Valley.
Co-author Brady Watson of Sunrise addresses rallygoers in front of 4000 comments in stacked boxes about to be delivered to the TVA Board meeting. Co-author Isabella Killius stands third from right.
THANK YOU, Trail Maintainers! Oh— You also can be one!
By Jerry Thornton and Rick Harris [edited]
When you are hiking a trail in the Cherokee National Forest, do you ever wonder how the pathway is so clear of tree blowdowns, bushes, and briars….or not? Some trails are clear and easy, while others are a mess. The US Forest Service doesn’t have enough trail technicians, so some trails go for two or three years without any maintenance, resulting in a trail choked with blowdowns and overgrown vegetation, particularly in designated Wilderness areas where, by law, power tools cannot be used. For the clear trails, you can usually thank one of several dozen volunteers who work tirelessly to keep the trails open and clear.
On November 9th, the monthly HBG program hosted Dr. Richard Harris for his excellent presentation about the workers who have been giving their time and effort over the past 20 years to maintain hundreds of miles of trails in the Tellico & Ocoee Ranger Districts of the Cherokee National Forest. The Volunteer Trail Crew is out there every Thursday. Maintenance includes cutting out fallen trees, clearing brush, installing and cleaning out water diversions, repairing treadways, installing or replacing trail signs, and restoring blazes where they are allowed. These hard-working volunteers have developed a great camaraderie over the past 20 years, enjoying each other’s company, and often get together for refreshments or dinner after maintenance trips.
If this sounds like something that floats your boat, you too can become a trail volunteer! Tools, protective equipment, and training is provided with certification in how to use chainsaws, crosscut saws, and other tools, as well as First Aid/CPR training. Check out the Facebook page of the Tellico/Ocoee Volunteer Trail Crew or contact Richard Harris at harrisri@aol.com or (423) 253-6358 to join the fun!
Trail Crew workers use a cross-cut saw to cut the blow-down on the Benton Mackaye Trail in the Cherokee National Forest. Photo: ChattOconeeNF is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
COPOUT26
By Todd Waterman, Harvey Broome Group
"HOW MANY COPS TO ARREST CLIMATE CHAOS?,” asked a Glasgow protest banner.
At COP26, world leaders agreed warming over the UN’s 1.5°C goal would be catastrophic, but once again agreed to disagree on whether avoiding it was worth the trouble and expense.
In a special report for COP26, the International Energy Agency (IEA) had called for scrapping all new fossil energy investments immediately to meet the 1.5°C target. Congress is negotiating toward unprecedented climate legislation, now with a single coal magnate senator standing in the way of radically transformational policy. The Biden Administration set a 2035 goal for U.S. energy sector decarbonization.
TVA, pretending we’re on another, fantasy planet, aims for net zero by 2050. Its 2019 IRP would add up to 17 Gigawatts of new fossil gas generation, the second-highest buildout of any U.S. utility. But as the Gatlinburg wildfire, the Manchester flooding, and projections of far worse environmental and economic calamities on the way make starkly clear, natural gas is a bridge not to renewable energy but to irreversible climate hell.
Greta Thunberg is right: climate words and climate commitments are just “blah, blah, blah” until they are followed at last with the radical reductions in CO2 they require. And, “we can still turn this around.”
Who is Mark Ferguson?
By Mac Post, Chair of TN Chapter
You may have seen an Sierra Club email from Mark Ferguson. He gave the Sierra Club $10,000 to match new monthly donor commitments to Sierra Club Chapters – including Tennessee. His email outlines his promise – “I’m offering a good reason to become a monthly donor to your home chapter: If you sign up today, I'll match all new gifts for the first two months- up to $10,000."
"Trust me: Sierra Club chapters are efficient and effective investments. Led in an innovative model combining passionate local volunteers and experienced professional staff, chapters make incredible things happen. The work every chapter does impacts us all.”
So now is a great time to become a monthly donor to the Tennessee Chapter. Your steady gift allows us to make real and lasting impacts on the environment through our state-based lobbying, strengthening crucial environmental laws, promoting development of clean energy and use of electric vehicles, and getting hundreds of people outdoors.
I’d be thrilled if you signed up to support the Tennessee Chapter today and DOUBLED your impact through Mark’s offer.
TREEDC Annual Conference. The Tennessee Renewable Energy & Economic Development Council (TREEDC) will hold its annual conference at Tennessee Tech University from December 9-10. This year’s conference will include panel presentations and discussions on post-pandemic economic recovery resources, COVID-19 assistance programs, and lessons learned from Tennessee mayors during the pandemic. Click here to learn more about the event.
Annual HBG Holiday Slide Show. Join us for lots of fun! We’re asking HBG members and friends to show favorite photos of travel, outings, the environment, or other things of interest to our group. You are welcome to contribute photos and commentary, and please limit your sharing to under 10 minutes per person. To submit content, contact Mac Post (mpost3116@gmail.com, 865-806-0980). Virtual event held Tues. Dec. 14, 2021, 7:00-8:30 PM. RSVP through this Campfire event link.
Tennessee State Parks calendar. Check out this detailed list of events happening at our Tennessee State Parks— everything from nature walks and hikes, to canoeing, pottery, and axe throwing! You can sort by region to narrow down the results. Calendar of events here.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha, I know the UN Climate Change Summit (COP26) was recently held in Scotland. Could you recap what happened and any hopeful outcomes? Who are Tennessee’s local players with the power to fix climate change in the Southeast? —Climate Anxious College Student
Dear Anxious, Be happy to do my best, but my source—the Sierra Club’s Tina Gerhardt—says more needs to happen, and yesterday! Here are the main points:
Coal “phasedown” rather than “phaseout” – it seems the five biggest coal producers in the world (China, India, the US, Australia, and Indonesia) decided at the eleventh hour to change the language of the pact from coal “phaseout” to “phasedown.” Negotiators from the Global South felt obligated to accept the change despite their reservations.
Initially, hopes were raised that the Global Methane Pledge would keep global temps to 1.8 degrees Celsius. But the Washington Post revealed that most countries are miscounting their emissions’ reductions and a rise to 2.4 degrees Celsius is the accurate number.
A ray of hope shines in the fact that “the Glasgow Climate Pact cites the science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), calling for a 45% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030, based on 2010 levels, in order to hold climate change at 1.5 degrees C.” The hope is that by setting this very clear bar, gross emitters such as the United States will be held accountable and not “fudge the numbers” as they have in the past.
The issue of climate justice is now at the forefront of most climate pundits’ reports, across all media, since residents of the Global South and all low-lying areas of the world are already experiencing the detrimental, often deadly, effects of climate change. A pledge was made for developing nations to get more money by 2025 to adapt to rising temperatures and waters, increased droughts, fires, and reduced resources. But it is not clear where the funds will come from, even though countries of the Global North are the world’s highest emitters of nitrogen oxides (from coal, oil, gas production) into the atmosphere.
Finally, under the new agreement, “every country that does not meet its climate targets has to submit a new plan to cut emissions” at next year’s climate summit.
I know it’s discouraging since, as one protestor who’s attended every one of these summits pointed out, this is COP26, but our activism locally must remain strong and resilient. The recent protests at the Tennessee Valley Authority, where more than 40% of energy comes from fossil fuels, is commended. By continuing to take action whenever and however we can, we are letting those in power know we want change and a reduction in the use of coal, gas, oil, and nuclear energy. So, dear Anxious, stay in the know and in the fight. We can make a difference and our anxiety can help fuel that one phone call, one online petition, one sign-carrying teach-in at a time. Never give up and never give in!
Your companion in the struggle, 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 genus is: Fir (Abies)
Two balsam firs stand tall in the winter snow. Photo credit: Jack Savage, ForestSociety.org
Fir trees are evergreen trees in the pine family. There are over 40 species of firs, and there are 10 which are native to North America.
Firs are conifers, meaning they have cones that hold their seeds. The cones stand upright on branches. Firs have needle-like leaves that grow directly from the branch, unlike pines which have needles that grow in bundles.
Fir trees are a popular Christmas tree variety. The three most popular Christmas trees are Balsam fir, Douglas fir and Scotch pine. Douglas fir trees are not actually firs, but rather belong to the genus Pseudotsuga which means “false hemlock.”
Evergreens have been used for thousands of years to celebrate winter festivals and the new year. Pagans decorated their homes with branches during the winter solstice as a reminder of the coming of spring. It wasn't until the 16th century in Germany that the tradition of bringing a full-size tree inside the home began, as well as adding candles to the branches to mimic the twinkling stars in the night sky.
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
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The views expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sierra Club.
Who We Are
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.
