COVID-19 Update: Sierra Club has decided to extend the Sierra Club’s current Covid response plans through May 31, 2022.The plan allows for limited in-person gatherings. Groups may hold events such as ExComm meetings and tabling with the approval of the Chapter chair. Certain larger gatherings may occur with approval by Sierra Club safety staff.Read full statement here on Campfire.
Tennessee News
6th Circuit shoots down immunity for TVA coal ash spill contractor Jacobs Engineering. "A federal appellate court on Wednesday struck down a last-ditch appeal by a Tennessee Valley Authority contractor accused in the mass poisoning by radioactive coal ash waste of the utility’s Kingston disaster workforce...The 6th Circuit ruling affirms an earlier decision by U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan in the workers’ case and puts sickened workers one step closer to trials at which damages could be awarded. Since the spill, more than 50 workers are dead and more than 200 sick, death certificates and court records show." Read more by Jamie Satterfield - Tennessee Lookout - May 18, 2022. Listen to WPLN interview with Jamie Satterfield (audio length12:44 minutes).
Tennessee passes bill that protects oil and gas industry. “Tennessee is poised to let gas and oil companies build new infrastructure without local interference. It comes after activists helped stop a pipeline through Black neighborhoods in Memphis." Read more or listen (3 min audio) by Caroline Eggers - All Things Considered, NPR - May 7, 2022.
Take Action! Sign Petition to Tell TVA: No More Pipelines! From the Clean Up TVA coalition: "We are at a critical juncture for deciding our energy future, and rather than following the science and desires of the public to transition to a fossil fuel-free and just energy future, TVA is actively working to dig us deeper into the fossil fuel hole. The climate emergency is a crisis TVA needs to take seriously, and we are running out of time. TVA has proposed to invest billions of ratepayer dollars into new gas plants, including at its Cumberland site in Stewart County, Tennessee. Soon, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a major pipeline company will be submitting an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build a 32-mile methane gas pipeline that will cut through Stewart, Houston, and Dickson Counties to serve TVA’s proposed Cumberland gas plant. Take a minute to tell TVA no more pipelines!
TVA pledges to help consumers cut $200 million in annual energy bills with targeted efficiency programs. "Despite below-average power rates, households in the Tennessee Valley still pay, on average, a bigger share of their income for electricity due to less energy-efficient homes, more year-round energy use and lower average incomes, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority." Read more by Dave Flessner - Times Free Press - May 11, 2022.
Judge upholds suit against Williamson County Commission. "A judge is allowing a lawsuit against the Williamson County Planning Commission from a conservation group to proceed on the grounds the group has standing to represent the interests of residents in preserving historically significant land from development...Because the lawsuit is moving forward, the planning commission must now respond to Citizen’s efforts to preserve the Hooker property." Read more by Dulce Torres Guzman - Tennessee Lookout - May 11, 2022. See photo below.
"The stone remains of a Civil War era bridge that crossed the Harpeth River contrasts with million-dollar homes." (Photo: John Partipilo / Tennessee Lookout).
Environmental Updates
Take Action! Tell Governor Lee: Stop the Fossil Fuel Preemption Bill. From Protect Our Aquifer: "Thank you all for your action throughout March and April to stop HB2246 / SB2077 that aimed to preempt all local say over oil, gas and other industrial infrastructure. We successfully secured amendments to protect drinking water wellfields and some zoning laws. The Bill is still broad overreach by the state government with ambiguous language. The TN House and Senate passed the fossil fuel preemption bill at the end of April and it was sent to the Governor last week. Join us in asking Gov. Bill Lee, the First Lady of TN, and key leadership to veto the bill! Send a 1-click email and read the bill here.
Pipeline legislation leaves local Tennessee leaders powerless | Opinion. "Often times the pipelines don’t serve Tennessee – or even the U.S. Many pipelines just pass through the South on their way to send oil and gas overseas." Read more by Dean Rivkin, Guest Columnist - Tennessean - April 29, 2022.
TVA wants gas. Enbridge and Kinder Morgan want pipelines. Tennesseans want protection. "In addition to dodging public comments, pipeline developers have been skipping environmental assessments through this process." Read more by Caroline Eggers - WPLN - May 24, 2022.
Manhattan Project radiation lingers in Oak Ridge. Critics wants more info on a new landfill. "Since 2012, the Department of Energy has been batting around proposals to build a landfill for scraps of demolished buildings from Y-12, the site that contains low-level radiation from Manhattan Project work that took place there...Axel Ringe, conservation chair of the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club said the Department of Energy has failed to provide data about the way groundwater moves through the proposed landfill site, the kind and volume of waste that will be disposed of, and whether the landfill could hurt Bear Creek." Read more by Vincent Gabrielle - Knoxville News Sentinel - May 15, 2022.
Leaders run toward the challenges of a changing environment. "KUB’s Round It Up program grew out of a community effort to identify the best way to address low-income utility bill affordability while also improving the environment. This voluntary program funds weatherization and energy efficiency improvements for low-income customers in partnership with our customers who donate through their bills." Read more by Gabriel Bolas, KUB President and CEO - Knoxville News Sentinel - May 19, 2022.
EPB's new solar farms to help lower power costs for Chattanooga utility. "Chattanooga's municipal utility, which has relied upon the Tennessee Valley Authority for nearly all of its power since its creation in 1939, plans to begin buying some of its power from another wholesale supplier next year to help save more than $1 million on its annual power bill. EPB directors approved Friday an agreement with EDF Renewables North America to get 15 megawatts of solar power generation from a pair of solar farms planned in north Hamilton County." Read more by Dave Flessner - Times Free Press - May 20, 2022.
Tennessee’s 10 Biggest Climate Polluters. Seven of the ten were TVA plants. The three worst polluters were all TVA coal plants: Cumberland was worst of all with 9,208,457 tons of CO2e a year, followed by Gallatin and Kingston. Eastman Chemical Company ranked fourth, followed by three new TVA gas plants, and then Bull Run coal plant. Nearly as bad was Valero Refining, with Signal Mountain Cement closing out the list. Read more by Caroline Eggers - WPLN News - Aug. 16, 2021.
Health & Justice
Public records show TVA planned coal ash storage months before informing Memphians. "In July 2021, the Tennessee Valley Authority shocked Memphis residents and officials after informing them that south Memphis would soon house potentially toxic coal ash from the now defunct Allen Fossil Plant. TVA officials informed Memphians that the decision to use the South Shelby Landfill in south Memphis—a primarily Black and low-income community– 'cannot be avoided, ' but a public records request from environmental groups turned up news that TVA had made their decision in January, several months before informing the community." Read more by Dulce Torres Guzman - Tennessee Lookout - May 12, 2022.
MLK50 reporter wins national award for pipeline coverage. "MLK50: Justice through Journalism reporter Carrington J. Tatum is the winner of a first place National Headliner Award for his coverage of Southwest Memphis residents’ fight against the Byhalia Connection Pipeline... He wrote just shy of 40 stories that followed the community’s efforts to fight Plains All American Pipeline’s and Valero Energy Corporation’s plans to build the Byhalia Connection Pipeline through majority Black Southwest Memphis against the wishes of residents. Tatum was the first to report on the Plains’ use of eminent domain in Memphis to force access to land that owners would sell to them." Read more by Adrienne Johnson Martin - MLK50 - April 28, 2022.
To curb risks of Memphis youths choosing violence, strip the lead from where they live. Memphis "continues to produce the most lead-poisoned children in the state. Children here have a lead poisoning rate of 2 percent, while the state and national average is below 1 percent, Hyde said. And while it’s known that lead can poison children’s chances of excelling in school, what’s rarely discussed, or for that matter, acknowledged, is how lead can poison children’s chances of avoiding violent behavior that can land them in prison, or in a grave, later." Lead exposure in youth is connected with increased aggressive behavior, loss of impulse control, lower IQ, learning disabilities, and violent behavior. These factors increase likelihood of dropping out of school and coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Read more by Tonyaa Weathersbee - Memphis Commercial Appeal - May 10, 2022.
Sierra Club Statement In Response To Leaked Draft Supreme Court Opinion Attacking Reproductive Freedoms: “The Sierra Club supports every person’s right to self-determination over reproductive health. Abortions are health care and a fundamental constitutional right. If the Court’s final decision adopts the main points of the leaked draft, the Supreme Court will have neglected its responsibility to respect precedent, uphold the Constitution, and protect the rights guaranteed therein for all people who call this country home." Read full statement here - Sierra Club - May 3, 2022.
June 1st Supreme Court Hearing! Jacobs Engineering, the contractor that employed the workers during the clean up, has asked the TN Supreme Court to classify coal ash as silica and mixed dust , and for the workers to prove very specific injuries under the Tennessee Silica Claims Priorities Act that do not reflect the range of injuries that result from coal fly ash exposure. If the court rules in favor of Jacobs on this issue, it would set a harmful precedent for future coal ash injury cases and many of the Kingston workers and their families could receive no compensation for the tremendous losses and years of medical bills they have endured. In the week leading up to the hearing, Sierra Club and partner organizations, are holding solidarity vigils across the state. See the Events section below for details.
Several folks collaborated on this puppet of fossil-fueled TVA CEO Jeff Lyash for Knoxville's Cattywampus Puppet Parade in March 2022. Fittingly, Lyash couldn't see where he was going, and had to be guided by environmentalists with solar panels.
SEEED Teams Up with Green Innovators on the Home of the Future
By Kent Minault [edited]
Friday, May 6th, was heavily overcast and the radio broadcast was full of tornado warnings. But the leaders at SEEED were determined to finally cut the ribbon on their first “Solar Home of the Future” in Lonsdale. They’d originally planned it for April 22nd, but a hitch in getting the solar panels installed pushed it back a couple of weeks. Rowdy Tennessee weather wouldn’t stop them this time.
A hefty contingent of community leaders, young apprentices, energy efficiency experts, solar installers, green building entrepreneurs and elected officials clearly agreed. The [project] planning and execution was the work of racial and social justice advocates working alongside green energy entrepreneurs and innovators from the Green Building Council.
I got a tour through the house, checked out the energy-efficient appliances and the heat-pump HVAC unit. A friend made sure I didn’t fall off the ladder when I climbed up to poke my head into the attic and ogle the spray foam and ducting. I met Councilman Tommy Smith when I climbed back down. Then we all gathered back under the canopy for speeches and the ribbon cutting. This pioneering project was officially complete. We rushed back to our cars as the downpour finally started.
Pioneering is the right word. This is the home of the future, with a host of features most homes currently lack. And it’s specifically designed to help a low-income family build wealth. Ground is already broken on a second Solar Home in East Knoxville, and we look forward to more in the future. Visit SEEED’s website for more programs and exciting events.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, City Council member Seema Singh and SEEED members cut the ribbon on the solar home. Photo by Kent Minault.
Memphis EVs in the House: Report back from Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED)
by Phil Zeni, Sr. and Joe Ozegovich [edited]
Held at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, April 23, 2022, the 'Memphis EVs in the House' event was a big success. The Park is a public park located just east of the city of Memphis. It is one of the twenty largest urban parks in America with 4,500 acres, in comparison covering more than five times the area of Central Park’s 843 acres in New York City.
The Park has a ten-stall, solar powered free EV (electric vehicle) charging station that served as the center space for our DEED event. With the Park’s staff permission, we were able to reserve 20+ parking space immediately adjacent for park-and-ride exclusive use. Locally produced and sourced food was provided as an enticement for ride and drive participants. Further, a food truck owned and operated by a local African American entrepreneur was integrated into the DEED setting.
The estimated number of attendees was 100-125, the tally of the number of rides was relatively small, as was the drives per vehicle. However, notably, the Mayor of Shelby County, Lee Harris, did attend and was given a ride in City Captain Joe Ozegovich’s Telsa model S. Watch the Youtube video (total length 4:43 min) for his comments! Other participating vehicles included a Rivian R1T pickup truck and over twenty other EVs ranging from the Tesla Models 3, Y, S, and, X, a Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Ioniq5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 2, and a late-arriving BMW I8.
The City of Memphis has an approximate population of one million and is the center of a three state (western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, and northern Mississippi) metropolitan region of approximately 2.4 million. The racial makeup is 66% African American in Memphis and nearly 50% in the metro area. A 2021 study by the City of Memphis revealed 30% of Memphis residents live below the poverty line yielding a rank of #2 in America behind only Detroit, Michigan.
Therefore, all outreach efforts had a deliberate multi-racial impact at all socio-economic levels, genders, both urban and rural. Our advertising outreach approach was multi-media. A high impact, live television interview at the site two days in advance was conducted, along with social media and online outreach, targeted direct mail campaign, and Spanish language radio ads.
The Park's prominence as a free public recreation site helped expose many people to EVs and the story of the twin impacts on energy production and the reduction of environmental degradation.
Events
Statewide environmental events listed in order of occurrence:
Memorial Day is May 30th. Memorial Day was first widely celebrated on May 30, 1868 after proclamation by Union General John A. Logan as a way to commemorate fallen Civil War soldiers. It was originally called Decoration Day, in accordance with the custom of decorating graves with wreaths, flowers, and flags.
JUNE 1st Supreme Court Hearing. #RememberKingston events across the state. Please join the Sierra Club and many other organizations in solidarity events to remember the Kingston Coal Ash Workers who lost their lives and their health due to unsafe working conditions while cleaning up the 2008 coal ash spill in Kingston, TN. Appalachian Voices and Just Transition Northwest Indiana will be co-hosting a virtual event Thursday May 26, 11 am CT, featuring testimony by the wife of a cleanup worker. More info here.Knoxville will be holding a vigil on May 31st at 6:00 pm ET at Krutch Park. More info here.
Kids 4 Clean Water Camp at Audubon Acres in Chattanooga, Tenn. This weeklong camp for kids age 7-11 is all about immersive learning and outdoor fun. Campers will explore their natural world while in a fun environment with crafts, hiking, water games, and science-based activities! Tickets start at $200 and camp is June 6-10, 9:00 am- 3:00pm. More info here.
Knoxville Regenerative Co-Op & Earth Talk Meetup. Held regularly at the Southside Garage at 1014 Sevier Avenue on the 2nd Wednesday of every month (6:00 - 9:00 pm), Earth Talk is "a chance for folks to go even deeper: deeper conversations about what sustainability might look like here in the Tennessee Valley and in the broader world. Anybody with a keen interest in sustainable living and environmental-related topics is welcome." June's meetup is June 8th. More info here.
9th Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference. The goal of the conference "is to provide resources in the form of presentations and content, as well as to foster dialogue about the range of agricultural, food, and environmental law issues for the Mid-South agricultural community." Conference is both in-person and virtual on June 9-10 at Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis. More info here.
HBG Program- BattleField Farm & Gardens: Fighting Food Insecurity in East Knoxville, by Rev. Chris Battle, Founder. In 2019 Chris Battle founded BattleField Farm & Gardens in East Knoxville. It is an urban farm and collective of community gardens fighting food insecurity. BattleField Farm, along with partner organizations and the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, launched the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project in February 2022. Residents and nearby restaurants can now drop off food scraps to be composted and repurposed into soil. Come learn more on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 7:00-8:30 PM ET. Event is virtual via Zoom.Please RSVP through this Campfire Event Link.
Juneteenth is June 19th. Sometimes called Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is a commemoration day in honor of the 250,000 enslaved people in Texas who were notified of their freedom two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. On June 17, 2021, Pres. Joe Biden signed an act recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. There are a variety of events and celebrations across the state to celebrate Juneteenth!
Jr. Master Gardener Camp in Goodlettsville, Tenn. In this camp for kids in grades 3-5, campers will experience hands-on fun and creative activities within the theme for the week: Ecology and Environmental Horticulture. "This is an exciting and enriching summer experience under the supervision of trained and experienced leaders who are members of local gardening clubs along with employees of the City of Goodlettsville." The cost is $100 and camp is June 20-24th, 9am- noon. More info here.
Volunteer Opportunity
Grow your digital communications skills! Cherokee Group (Chattanooga area) Sierra Club is looking for a volunteer to help with our monthly newsletter and website! If you are interested in getting more involved and would like more information, please reach out to Alyssa Matas.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha, I recently attended a centering prayer group at a retreat center near Monteagle, TN. After the morning session, we all sat down for lunch and began talking about the planet, climate change, and the state of the world. Most of the gathered flock were older people in their sixties and seventies. Mostly white folk. I spoke about activism, the way you always do, and mentionedExtinction Rebellion, the Sunrise Movement, the Nature Conservancy, the – duh!—Sierra Club! Most hadn’t a clue what I was talking about. I felt completely unnerved. What will it take for people to wake up and take action? Praying, as important as it is, isn’t going to save planet Earth. —Flummoxed by the Passive Flock
Dear Flummoxed, Your frustration is noted. We mustn’t let the passivity of the masses hamper or deaden our resolve. I, too, witnessed a similar incident with a group of older people. If they can’t take physical action, sending money works! Help them to spend their money for a worthy cause – ending the heating of the planet before it’s too late. And, while we’re at it, wouldn't it be great if we encouraged the world's wealthiest to contribute to organizations that are changing policy, the only true action that will stop the meltdown? After all, uber-rich CEOs and their associates have the most means to contribute.
But here’s a bit of written word from a writer/sociologist friend living in British Columbia who took a unique and poetic approach to answering 'What Matters Now'—something for all of us to ponder as our lives pause, stop, charge, and recharge. We can ignite change. Because it’s not finished, not by a long shot.
"Finishing Normal” by R. Reviere
Are you finished? Meals? Sex? Bathroom? Are you done yet? I am going to refinish that dresser. Finishing school. Yikes, just the thought unnerves me. I thought I had finished with work. Retirement felt like summer camp those first few months – Hiking, dancing, having coffee with friends, playing ping pong, walking on the beach. Then, the “normal” finished – not just for me and my tiny world, but for the whole world. We are still determining what else it finished. There was no more normal. The pandemic finished normal. Then my “finished” work became “starting” work – in a new way – my long, quiet days were finished. I thought my daughter had finished with children. At 38, she is surprised by the news. I am not finished shopping for babies. How I agonize about the “finish.” And cry about the “Big Finish.” How can the planet be sustained? Are we truly finished?
Yours in perpetual activism, Eartha
Don't forget: you can still share your opinion of 'What Matters Now.' Send your brief passage of about 100 words to the Sierra E-News Editor [Enews.sierratn@gmail.com], and keep submitting your environmental questions and comments as usual!
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: Fire Pink (Silene virginica)
Fire Pink is pictured in Pisgah National Forest in Avery County, NC. Photo courtesy of Alan Cressler, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Fire pink is an herbaceous perennial wildflower that blooms about 6 weeks sometime between April and August. It's native to eastern North America.
The bright red, tubular flowers attract insects, butterflies, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Flowers have five spreading petals that are notched on the ends. Hummingbirds are likely its main pollinator due to how efficient they are at pollen transfer.
The genus name Silene is sometimes called "catchfly," referring to the sticky hairs on the stems and leaves. This makes it harder for ants or other insects to climb or eat the plant. Leaves get less hairy as they age.
Fire pink is in the Caryophyllaceae family which includes carnations. It prefers partial sun with well-drained soil. Fire pinks have weak stems and taproot and grow 1-2 feet tall.
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. Submit your suggestion here!
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.
