Land application of toxic sludge is making Tennessee waters toxic. "The land application of toxic wastewater treatment plant sludge may result in the contamination of ground and surface waters to the extent that they are no longer useful as drinking water sources. At this time, water treatment plants are not monitoring and treating their water for PFAS (polyfluorinated alkyl substances) contamination which passes through the plants and into the finished drinking water." Read the
full report by Dan Firth, Chair of the TN Chapter of the Sierra Club's Solid Waste and Mining Committee, July 2024.
'Make it worth your while': Loggers cut dozens of trees without contract in TWRA woods. A logger cut down dozens of mature oak trees on a remote part of the protected, state-owned land last fall, during a period when timber sales were on hold. TWRA initially thought it was timber theft, but a TWRA employee has now been disciplined. Many of the trees were over 80 years old, with the oldest being 125. Read more by Ben Hall - News Channel 5 - July 23, 2024.
Harpeth Conservancy launches river advisory system, Tennessee Water Watch. "In a groundbreaking initiative to safeguard river enthusiasts in Middle Tennessee, Harpeth Conservancy proudly unveils the launch of its river advisory system: Tennessee (TN) Water Watch, which functions similarly to a weather forecast but offers users a forecast of water quality. TN Water Watch is pioneering in this area since there isn’t a current system in Tennessee that provides up-to-date, real-time water quality information for recreational users. Recent incidents investigated by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) underscore the urgency of such initiatives."
Read more from Williamson County Source - July 17, 2024. Access the TN Water Watch tool here.
Painting entitled "Now the Flowers Flow" by middle schooler Jessie Watson. The painting earned an Honorable Mention prize in the May 2024 Citizens Climate Lobby of Knoxville's Youth Climate Art Contest. Harvey Broome Group donated $500 in prize money to award young artists.
Environmental Updates
Leading Environmental and Climate Organizations Endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President. "Today, four leading environmental, clean energy and climate organizations — the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, the NRDC Action Fund, the Sierra Club, and Clean Energy for American Action (CE4A Action) — endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. The Biden-Harris administration has done far more to address the climate crisis and environmental injustice than any administration in our nation’s history." Read Sierra Club press release - July 22, 2024.
EM [Office of Environmental Management], regulators reflect on recent success, strategies to maintain momentum. "Leadership from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and cleanup contractor UCOR recently gathered for a meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where continued partnership was one of the key topics of the day. Nearly five years ago, the organizations signed a
regulatory partnership framework designed to avoid delays, resolve technical issues and aid decision-making and approvals needed to conduct cleanup operations in Oak Ridge." Read more by Ben William - Office of Environmental Management, July 23, 2024.
Public comment sought as Foothills Parkway expansion project continues. The Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposal to extend the Foothills Parkway from Wears Valley to the Spur in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been completed and is open for public comment. A virtual public meeting was held on July 30, and public comments on the EA will be open through August 21st.
Read more
by Hannah Moore - WATE-TV, July 22, 2024.
TVA Previews its Upcoming Draft IRP. TVA presented updates on its delayed draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to its advisory Regional Energy Resource Council (RERC) in Knoxville on July 16, with slides, discussion, questions, and public comments from Kent Minault, Sandy Kurtz, Amy Kelly, Brady Watson, and Todd Waterman, and virtual ones from Gaby Sarri-Tobar, Joe Franklin, and Sen. Ed Markey. The IRP is TVA’s projection until 2050 of its customers’ energy needs and its plan for how it will generate enough power. Under its last IRP (2019), Sierra Club gave methane gas-happy TVA an “F” on sustainability. This time, under rising public pressure, TVA promises to listen, and to share the data behind its conclusions, though belatedly.
—Submitted by Todd Waterman.
Indian Boundary Lake Beach with a view of Flats Mountain beyond. Harvey Broome Group is hosting a swim/hike/picnic at this lake on August 24th. Registration here. Photo: "Indian Boundary Lake Beach" by Dylan Wolf, CC BY 2.0, edited.
Health & Justice
Tennessee Valley Authority faces a push to get greener and more transparent. "In 2020, the mayor of rural Cheatham County discovered that the Tennessee Valley Authority bought about 280 acres of rolling farmland 'in the middle of nowhere' in his county, which lies just west of Nashville and is home to about 42,000 people." TVA was initially evasive about their plans, but three years later, they began "proposing
a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, battery storage, pipelines and other associated infrastructure for the site, which came as a shock to Mayor McCarver and many other locals who felt it was wholly inappropriate for the area." McCarver says that dealing with a proposed Tennessee Valley Authority gas plant has been a "horrible experience" that has left him and other locals feeling powerless. Read more by Robert Zullo - States Newsroom - July 17, 2024.
Emotional ads show how climate change is ‘robbing our kids of a safe and beautiful world’. The nonpartisan group Science Moms says its campaign of ads that show the harms that climate change brings to children is nonpartisan and meant to educate the public about climate impacts. “Climate sounds like a big, intractable problem. But actually, protecting our kids is so much more personal and so much more relevant to right now and the choices we make,” said Joellen Russell, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona. Read more by Adam Aton - E&E News - July 21, 2024.
South Fork at Citico Creek. HBG is hosting a free "Swim with the Fishes" event at Citico Creek on Saturday, Sept. 14th. Register here.Photo: "South Fork Citico Creek" by Chris M., CC BY-SA 2.0, edited.
Volunteer Communications Opportunity
The Harvey Broome Group (Knoxville area) has an opening for an editor for the monthly E-Newsletter. If you have some computer skills and a few hours a month you can devote to helping the Harvey Broome Group get out its messages, please call or text Jerry Thornton at 865-719-9742 or email him at gatwildcat@aol.com.
Fundraising Corner with Mac Post
Donate to the Tennessee Sierra Club Political Action Committee (TNSCPAC)
In our current political environment, candidate endorsements from the Sierra Club in local elections stand out. Pro-environment messaging has been proven to motivate women, younger voters, and people of color—three key demographics in tight races.
The Sierra Club in Tennessee is getting itself into fighting trim, and we’re asking you to be part of it. Join local voter registration campaigns, work with Sierra Club coalition partners, help with the transition off fossil fuels, and right now, contribute as generously as you can to our PAC so we can enjoy having environmentally friendly representatives at local and state government positions.
The Sierra Club (including the Tennessee Chapter), under federal law, may not use general funds for electioneering activities at state and local levels. We must maintain a segregated fund of non tax-deductible contributions. We have the Tennessee Political Action Committee (TNSCPAC) to collect and administer these segregated funds. Donations can be made via check or credit card, either a one time or monthly contribution. Donate here!
There are no limits on the amount of contributions that may be made to our Political Action Committee, so don't feel constrained. Foreign nationals may not contribute.
Contributions to the Tennessee Sierra Club Political Action Committee are not tax-deductible. The Sierra Club does not allow chapters to engage in any federal election campaign activities. Only USA citizens can donate to this PAC.
August Events
Statewide environmental events listed chronologically.
Do you have an event you'd like publicized?
Send it to Enews.sierratn@gmail.com.
August 7th, 6:00-8:00 pm CST - Sierra & Suds. The Middle Tennessee Group is reviving Sierra & Suds, a fun social that languished during Covid. It’s a monthly meet-and-greet for people who want to learn more about local Sierra issues and activities, share ideas, or just share a cold beverage with like-minded conservationists. Every pint raised raises $1 for the Middle Tennessee Group. Sierra & Suds is happening the first Wednesday at Fat Bottom Brewery, 800 44th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37209. Questions? Call or email Rebecca Newton at rebeccanewton8@icloud.com or 615-579-1327. See you there!
August 13th, 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET - HBG Program, "A Rational Basis for Hope: Human Behavior Modeling and Climate Change." Join HBG for a presentation by Dr. Louis J. Gross, Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Mathematics, University of Tennessee. It will be held at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN.
August 15-24 - Tennessee State Fair in Wilson County. The Tennessee Chapter of Sierra Club has reserved a booth for the entirety. Make a point to check out this yearly extravaganza! There may be opportunities to help with Sierra Club's outreach there. Keep up on Facebook for details. TN State Fair information here.
August 20-23 - Tennessee Sustainability Conference 2024. This annual conference will be held at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and is a partnership between three organizations: The Tennessee Recycling Coalition, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Tennessee Environmental Conference. Details and registration at Tennessee Sustainability Conference 2024.
SAVE THE DATE! Rescheduled from May: Rally for the Valley! Inclement weather prevented the rally in May, so let's come together to make this one huge. The rally is taking place on Saturday, September 21 from 1-5pm Central Time at Centennial Park in Nashville (specifically the Bandshell). There will be a great line-up of speakers, tabling, and even live music. It’s gonna be amazing! Sign up on Eventbrite.
LOOKING AHEAD: Sierra Club Tennessee Fall Retreat Oct. 18-20 at Fall Creek Falls State Park. Details here.
Species Spotlight
This month's featured species is: Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)
Passion flowers are dramatic and unique, with lavender petals and long, prominent stamens and styles. The leaves can be used to make tea to ease anxiety or insomnia. Photo: Steven Foster, NCCIH.NIH.gov.
Native to the southeastern U.S. and South America, the passion flower is a perennial herbaceous vine.
Passion flower is the Tennessee state wildflower. It was first voted by school children to be the State Flower in 1919, and was later named the state wildflower in 1973.
Passion flower yields fruit, each about the size of an egg. Sometimes called "maypop," the fruit is edible and yellowish and has been used in jelly making.
In 2021, an ancient species of passion flower was discovered that is unique to the fossil record of Tennessee. Named Passifloraappalachiana, the now-extinct species was discovered by East Tennessee State University researchers at the Gray Fossil Site in northeast Tennessee. The new species is most closely related to Passifloraincarnata and "is proof that these flowers have adorned the local landscape for millions of years" ("Paleontologists Discover Extinct Relative of Tennessee Wildflower", Dec. 2021).
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.
Tennes-Sierran Paperless Delivery: Are you a Sierra member who has been receiving our bi-monthly print publication, the Tennes-Sierran? You can opt out of getting a paper copy of the newspaper and instead receive it digitally. To request paperless delivery, open this form to make your request.
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.
Thank you for supporting Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter!
