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Do you know about the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign?
Below is an excerpt from an email dated Dec 18, by Mark Kresowik, Eastern Region Deputy Director, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign:
“It's a big day for climate protection, and the Sierra Club was a key part of making it happen.Today the residents and representatives of our nation's capital, the District of Columbia, came together to raise the bar on clean energy and celebrate the final unanimous Council passage of the most ambitious climate protection bill in the United States. The District will reach 100% clean, renewable energy by 2032, nearly a decade before any state has yet targeted such progress. We are committing to 100% electric vehicles for our transit systems, large private fleets, and ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft by 2045. We are enacting the first performance standard for energy use in existing large commercial buildings in the country. We are massively increasing funding for efficiency and electrification.” Read the entire announcement at: https://bit.ly/2AFBP2U
See a list of 206 mayors across the US who have already signed on: https://bit.ly/2HLS3xc
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Solar power in Tennessee? Up and Running!
"Solar Power Is Proving to Be Very Effective at Tennessee’s Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport”
Read about it at: https://bit.ly/2zQhcAO
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Ever ask yourself what climate change is doing to our oceans?
Well, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has provided some insight into the question.
See this Ocean Conservancy blog for a summary: https://bit.ly/2D4Qruv
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Green New Deal hits a trouble spot
Here is a criticism of Democratic House leadership for giving the House’s Select Committee on the Climate Crisis a weak mandate. See: https://bit.ly/2M3kvte
Here is the Sierra Club position's on the Green New Deal. See: https://bit.ly/2Ccecz4
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Big news for a little fish - the Trispot Darter
These days we get some good news for a small critter. But it’s an example of a small but inspiring example of a good thing happening: "We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for the trispot darter (Etheostoma trisella) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. In total, approximately 181 river miles (291 kilometers) and 16,735 acres (6,772 hectares) in the Coosa River system in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation.” See https://bit.ly/2RK0I7t
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Recent Climate Change Reports: We must act to Decarbonize the US Economy
On January 9th, the Sierra Club hosted Dr. Melanie Mayes who summarized the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report. This report provides a current state-of-the-science assessment of the carbon cycle in North America and its connection to climate and society. Although we are aware of the dire consequences for humans of the status quo, the report describes the dramatic changes in our environment for inaction and how much carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced for future generations to have a livable planet. See:
https://www.globalchange.gov/content/about-soccr-2
Her presentation brought to mind other important studies that were released last Fall which clearly point to the urgency of acting to decarbonized the US economy. These reports include the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. For summary findings see: https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/
The most compelling report on actions we must take was prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It describes specific actions that could limit the increase in global temperatures as described in the section entitled, “Emission Pathways and System Transitions Consistent with 1.5°C Global Warming.” See:
https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/summary-for-policy-makers/c/
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Opportunity to Comment on Shutting Down Coal-Fired Power Plants
by Jeanette Berry, Harvey Broome Group
Tennessee Valley Authority is considering action to improve the economics and flexibility of electricity supply, which would also reduce the release of carbon dioxide that causes climate change. TVA drafted an Environmental Assessment, which includes a review of generating assets. As part of this assessment, TVA evaluated shutting down the aging Bull Run Coal Plant as early as 2023. Shutting down Bull Run (Clinton, TN) and Paradise (KY) coal plants is supported by the Sierra Club and its Beyond Coal campaign. However, both Anderson County and the City of Oak Ridge support keeping the Bull Run plant open because of the loss of jobs even though TVA finds that it is not economical to continue operating the plant.
Sierra Club members comments can make a difference.TVA’s stewardship of the Bull Run plant has improved over the past decade with installation of limestone scrubbers to remove oxides of sulfur from the plant emissions.This installation was part of a settlement agreement arising from a lawsuit, brought in part by the Sierra Club, because of TVA's violation of EPA's new source review regulations. However, the scrubber does not reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The period for written comments on the first of three reports, a draft Environmental Assessment, closed on December 19th. But there is another opportunity to provide comments. The week of February 4th, TVA will announce their agenda for the Board Meeting on February 14th in Chattanooga (see: https://www.tva.gov/About-TVA/Our-Leadership/Board-of-Directors/ ). This announcement is expected to include a February 13th public meeting to solicit public comments. In response to comments from environmental groups, TVA modified their approach to soliciting public comments. Previously comments were made immediately before the Board meeting; now the public meeting is held the day before the Board meeting, so that the Board will have time to appropriately consider verbal comments.
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Opposition Belatedly Building Against Proposed Oak Ridge Hazardous Waste Landfill
by Todd Waterman, Harvey Broome Group
“Pulling contaminated buildings down and burying the material without adequate waste characterization and separation and without proper assessment of future risks is how you make a Superfund site, not how you clean one up.”
- retired TDEC groundwater contamination expert Sid Jones
Like TVA’s plan to close Bull Run, DOE’s innocuously-named Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) proposal to bury “forever” radioactive and mercury-contaminated Y-12 demolition debris flew in under the radar when we concerned citizens were rightfully preoccupied with national elections. Tellingly, DOE chose the day after the election for its only public EMDF hearing, part of a P.R. campaign for the cheap, quick-and-dirty solution I publicly called a “green-painted jalopy” that those best qualified to understand it weren't buying.
That distinguished group of environmental scientists and public servants believed much more or all of the waste should be shipped to existing DOE landfills in arid western deserts where it could be safely buried far from the long-term leakage threats Oak Ridge faced before “forever”: heavy rainfall, karst, earthquakes, a high water table, and a large population, all of which would have blocked approval for even a normal municipal landfill absent the environmental exemptions EMDF’s questionable Superfund umbrella provided. And DOE refused to specify prior to approval exactly what would go in the landfill.
But DOE needed “state acceptance” and “public acceptance.”
TDEC demanded seven issues be resolved before it would issue a permit. The slideshow of retired TDEC experts Sid Jones and Dale Rector exposed DOE failures at its existing landfill that had taught them not to trust DOE, which Sid listed in a letter to the Oak Ridger. They submitted learned comments along with retired ORNL scientists Ellen Smith and Sierra Club’s Virginia Dale and Jan Berry; Robert Kennedy, Chair of the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board (EQAB); and long-time EMDF opponents retired DOE scientist and Chapter Environmental Chair Axel Ringe - who also organized a public information event - and our and SOCM’s Attorney Brian Paddock. Many of us plain-old concerned citizens commented, too. Virginia, Jan, I, and others wrote letters to local papers, whose thorough coverage also built public awareness. The City of Oak Ridge passed a resolution detailing their concerns. The Anderson County Commission got a last-minute extension of the comment period when they realized they didn’t know enough to vote on County Mayor Terry Frank’s version of the reportedly DOE-contractor-approved resolution the ill-informed Roane County Commission had passed under questionable circumstances.
At the last Anderson County Operations Committee meeting, we heard the new Roane County Commission was considering rescinding their resolution. After discussion, Mayor Frank would withdraw her own. Robert Kennedy flashed me a smile. Outside I asked him and Dale Rector what we could do better. Kennedy said next time he won’t trust DOE, and will get up to speed earlier. I’d know experts can’t build public support unless they speak out early in the media and social media, a lesson I’ll remember also for the Bull Run closing. And for many more next times.
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Pipelines and Parks
by Joan Tomlinson, Harvey Broome Group
About one third of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff who remain on duty during the government shutdown are dedicated to serving the oil and gas industry, according to an [article in Outside] by Wes Siler. The BLM is an agency of the Department of the Interior, which also manages our National Park Service (NPS). Some of our National Parks are seeing vandalism and perhaps irreversible damage during this shutdown when the parks have limited staff. This was described in an [article in CNN ] by Andrew Diaz. So while some of our National Parks are being adversely impacted by vandalism because of limited staff, Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt “is still making sure oil and gas special interests get through this shutdown unscathed,” the Outside article states. This is a reminder to me that our election process is not a spectator sport, and that we have to be actively engaged at all levels. The days when it was enough just to vote are over.
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Volkswagon Goes Electric
Volkswagen goes electric: Automaker to spend $800M, launch new Tennessee facility
See article by Jamie McGee, Nashville Tennessean - Jan. 14, 2019
https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2019/01/14/volkswagen-electric-car-chattanooga-plant/2565780002/
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HBG/Chapter Events
Fri, Jan 25 - Sun, Jan 27: Tennessee Chapter Meeting, Cedars of Lebanon State Park. See Tennes-Sierran for details.
2019 HBG Executive Committee:
Posing on host Will Skelton's back steps are, from left: Robin Hill, retiring Member and continuing Political Chair; Todd Waterman, re-elected Member and continuing Communications Chair; guest Viren Lalka; Axel Ringe, continuing Member, Environmental Chair, and Fundraising Chair; Jerry Thornton, newly-elected Member and new Alternate Chapter Delegate (and retired U.S. Environmental Attorney and former Bluegrass Group Chair; guest Kent Minault, a former Los Angeles actor and Club organizer; guest Alice Thornton; Joanne Logan, continuing Member and ExCom Vice Chair, and new Chapter Delegate; Ron Shrieves, continuing Member, ExCom Chair, and Outings Chair; Jan Berry, newly-appointed Member; Denise Edwards, former Member; Will Skelton, re-elected longtime Member; Stan Johnson, newly-elected Member (and SEEED Knox Director); Joan P Tomlinson, re-elected Member; and Bob Perlack, newly-appointed and continuing Member and Treasurer.
Not present and pictured below are, on left, newly-appointed Member Jim Hackworth, former Tennessee 33rd District Representative and a retired ORNL nuclear waste and environmental program manager, who had a prior commitment, and continuing Member and Outings Chair Mac Post, who was tied up with his duties as Tennessee Chapter Chair.
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Other Events
What: Citizens’ Climate Lobby is hosting community training on actions we can take to meet the challenges of climate change.
• Learn about the exciting Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act being introduced in both houses of Congress and what it means for you.
• Learn how to become an effective climate change advocate in the community.
• Learn how to have productive meetings with legislators (Local and Nat’l).
• Learn what other communities are doing successfully.
• Learn how to build bridges on climate policy across partisan divides.
When: February 9, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: 3131 Morris Ave., Knoxville (Public Works Community Room)
Admission is FREE and so is convenient PARKING. Refreshments will also be provided.
RSVP to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-change-action-forum-knoxville-tn-registration-54310206289
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HELP THE HARVEY BROOME GROUP
PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT
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Can't donate now? Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger donates a portion of what you spend to the Harvey Broome Group as long as you designate HBG as your preferred charity.
Here's how:
1. Go to the Kroger Community Rewards web page
2. Register (or Sign In if you already have an account.)
3. Enroll in Community Rewards (or Edit if you're already enrolled.)
4. Enter HBG's Community Rewards Number 27874.
That's it. Swipe your Kroger Card when you shop and know that you're helping protect your environment.
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Who We Are
Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy.
The Harvey Broome Group (HBG) is one of five Sierra Club Groups within the Tennessee Chapter. HBG is based in Knoxville and serves 18 surrounding counties. HBG's namesake, Harvey Broome, was a Knoxvillian who was a founding member of the Wilderness Society and played a key role in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Visit our website.
Join HBG.
Donate.(click the Donate button on the HBG home page)
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