HBG December Program

What: Holiday Party and Slideshow

When: Tuesday,December 10, 2019 @ 7 PM

Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN

Bring some of your favorite edibles to share and 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.  If you have photos to share, bring them on a flash drive or CD, and arrive at least twenty minutes early so they can be loaded onto a laptop before the meeting starts. Please, no more than five minutes per person, including your commentary.  Ron Shrieves, our Outings Chair, will coordinate the presentations, so contact him in advance regarding technical details, etc., at 922-3518 or ronshrieves@gmail.com.  No photos?  No problem!  Come anyway and share the goodies and socializing. All welcome.


Caption: American White Pelicans at the Hiwassee Refuge, Jan 6, 2019

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HBG Outings

Sat 12/7/19 Day Hike. Greenbrier section, GSMNP.    

Sat 12/7/19 Day Hike. Tellico Lake East Lakeshore Trail.


Caption: Injun Creek in fall

check the HBG outings page for future events.

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Oct 22 UTK Climate Action

Town Hall

On October 22nd, various environmental groups from around Knoxville teamed up with UTK’s Office of Sustainability for a day of tabling to raise environmental awareness on the campus of the University of Tennessee. Free, sustainable food was given away and students had the chance to talk to different groups present to learn about their work in Knoxville. In the evening, Sunrise Movement Knoxville, a climate change advocacy group; Students Promoting Environmental Awareness in Knoxville, the longest-running student-led environmental organization on campus; and the Sierra Club partnered with the Office of Sustainability to hold a Town Hall on climate change and what we can do about it. Five speakers, a National Park Services employee, a student studying environmental studies, an environmental sciences professor, a political sciences professor, and a sociology professor, spoke on various components of the necessary elements to fight climate change. They then participated in a panel discussion in which questions were taken from the audience. The goal of this Town Hall was to erase stigma regarding climate action and the Green New Deal, a policy proposal that would completely decarbonize the economy and create millions of good paying jobs. Participants were asked to encourage friends and family to vote and also spread the word about climate action so that more East Tennesseans understand its necessity.

Dr. Mark O’Gorman of Maryville College speaks about the Green New Deal

If you would like to watch some or all of the Town Hall, you can find the recording here.

Want to learn more about Sunrise Movement or SPEAK? Visit www.sunrisemovement.org or www.facebook.com/SPEAKUT/

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Newsflash

Harvey Broome Group Endorsements for Knoxville City Elections
by Kent Minault

The Harvey Broome Group’s Political Committee endorsed 5 candidates in the recent Knoxville City Elections, and of those, 3 won their seats.  The most significant for us was that of Mayor-elect Indya Kincannon, who won over Eddie Mannis with 52.4% of the vote, a margin narrow enough for us to feel well-rewarded for our efforts.  Kincannon has pledged to form a Mayor’s Climate Council with members from various community and environmental groups.  And Amelia Parker was elected to the City Council, narrowly edging out Amy Midis, whom we also endorsed.  Finally, endorsee Charles Thomas won the District 5 City Council seat with a considerable lead over Charles Al-Bawi.  David Hayes was one of our favorites who lost his City Council race to Janet Testerman.  We hope this bright young candidate will run again.  The Political Committee is working up a plan for addressing the coming 2020 elections.

TVA changing focus of solar energy efforts. "MLGW, TVA’s largest power customer, is studying the possibility of leaving the TVA in search of lower-cost and more renewable power. About 100 customers of MLGW use TVA’s rooftop solar buy-back program, said Jim West, chief customer officer for the utility.” But reaction was mixed, and SACE analysis shows TVA has less solar on its system than similar-sized utilities in the Southeast. The article by Naomi Snyder appeared in the Oct 16 Daily Memphian. An earlier article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press by Dave Flessner discusses an incentive plan TVA offers to get their big customers into 20-year contracts. It offers another perspective on the 20-year offer - that the longterm contracts may have the effect of reducing TVA’s incentives to build more renewable energy capacity: "Environmental groups eager for MLGW to buy or generate new wind, solar or other renewable power are urging Memphis to split with TVA and do more than TVA to promote energy conservation and efficiency."

For a more in-depth view of TVA’s 20-year contract proposal, see the Sept 22 opinion piece by Daniel Talt and Joe Smyth of the Energy and Policy Institute. The lead paragraph gives a succinct statement of the potential effect of such long-term contract to constrain renewable energy choices of local power companies': "The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power agency in the country, is attempting to quickly rewrite the power contracts it has with its local power companies in an effort to cement its monopoly control while locking the local utilities into lopsided agreements that would curtail their hopes of generating their own lower-cost renewable energy."

Former Tennessee Gov. Bredesen introduces renewable energy firm. "Clearloop will offer short-term agreements that enable companies to compensate for their carbon emissions impact by paying to fund new solar panels in communities with the dirtiest electric grids.” The Tennessean article by Jonathan Mattise appeared on Oct 21.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Audubon Society, with over 600,000 members, 500 community-level chapters, and offices in twenty-seven U.S. states, has become a player in the fight against Climate Change, recently citing actions by four states to support clean energy. This Oct 10 article, posted on their website, is an example of their advocacy.

Should we hold elected local officials accountable for local response to the threat of climate change? During an Oct 18 monthly “listening session" new Nashville mayor John Cooper rebuffed a Sunrise member’s request that Cooper declare Climate Change a Davidson County emergency. The verbal exchange is reported in the Oct 24 Nashville Tennessean.

'We want you to make our homes safe,' Claxton resident tells Tennessee coal ash regulators. In an Oct 24 meeting with TVA and TDEC, Anderson County residents wanted to hear about plans for coal ash in their community. What they got was a proposal for a new coal ash dump in the Claxton community. "TVA wants to relocate 3,500 feet of Worthington Branch Creek to build a new coal ash dump in Claxton, records show. The utility is running out of room at its Bull Run Fossil Plant to store the toxic stew of 26 chemicals, heavy metals and radioactive material, according to its permit application.” The crowd wanted TDEC to weigh in on the issue. Check out the Oct 25 Knoxville News Sentinel article by Jamie Satterfield.

Caption: aerial view of proposed coal ash site, with adjacent residential dwellings (TVA photo)

Related: see Harvey Broome Group/Sierra Club official comments on TVA permit request here.

Bad news relating to rules for disposal of coal ash. "The proposals, which scale back two rules adopted in 2015, affect the disposal of fine powder and sludge known as coal ash, as well as contaminated water that power plants produce while burning coal. Both forms of waste can contain mercury, arsenic and other heavy metals that pose risks to human health and the environment.” The Nov 3 Washington Post article is by Juliet Eilperin and  Brady Dennis.

Oak Ridge leaders join fight against new coal ash dump at TVA's Bull Run plant. Oak ridge city officials file opposition letter with TDEC. The letter, filed by City Manager Mark Watson, states: “It is unclear why TDEC is requiring TVA to dig up millions of tons of coal ash for ... disposal at plants in middle and west Tennessee but considering a permit for onsite disposal at Bull Run so close to an irreplaceable water resource.” Nov 14 article by Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel.

“Tennessee’s Dangerous Waters” reaches the New York Times! Tennessee River distinguished as “one of the most polluted rivers in the world.” This opinion piece by Margaret Renkl was published in the Oct 28 issue.

"Amazon is launching three renewable energy projects in the United States and the United Kingdom that support Amazon’s commitment to using net zero carbon energy by 2040.” See the Oct 28 piece by Dave Kovaleski in Daily Energy Insider.

"Is the United States Really Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement?” Final withdrawal occurs after the 2020 election. (Editorial comment: Does that give you a clue how to vote?). "Any signatory that withdraws from the pact can apply for readmission to the United Nations and can be back in within 30 days.” The article by Keith Johnson appears in the Nov 5 Foreign Policy News.

"Google data center officially up and running in Clarksville." "The Clarksville data center power usage is matched with 100% renewable energy as part of a deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority to power the Clarksville and Jackson County, Alabama, data centers.” Check out the Nov 6 Leaf Chronicle article by Jimmy Settle.

"California fires, rising seas: Millions of climate refugees will dwarf Dust Bowl by 2100." The title of this Nov 4 USA Today opinion piece by Yvette D. Clarke and Michael Shank may be shocking, but perhaps many of us need the shock!

Read about other local and state events in our Chapter e-newsletter.

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Please vote in Tennessee statewide elections!

Tennessee Statewide election dates
March 3, 2020: Presidential Primary
August 6, 2020: Primary
November 3, 2020: General election
 

Chapter and Group Voting

VOTE! Tennessee Chapter and Harvey Broome Group Elections in December

Please vote by December 11th. A copy of the ballots with candidate bios can be found in your copy of the Nov-Dec Tennes-Sierran (online at the Tennessee Chapter website). If you have an email address on file with the Sierra Club, online voting is also possible this year - look for an email with instructions. Please exercise your right to participate in the selection of Tennessee Chapter and Group Executive Committees. Ballots must be received by December 15. Please carefully follow the directions indicated on the ballots. The two ballots (Chapter at Large and Group Ballots) may be included in the same envelope.
https://www.sierraclub.org/tennessee

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Other Events

Knox Climate Actions has the latest information and events related to climate activism.

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Nov 22 Climate Strike at UTK

Climate Strike held on campus October 22, 2019.

The Climate Strike at UTK, put on by Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK) and the Sunrise Movement will take place on November 22. The gathering will start at 12 noon at the HSS Amphitheater, have a short rally, then march to the City/County Building. In addition, there will tabling and an art build on Pedestrain Walkway from 10 am to noon.

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HBG/Chapter Events

January 24th through 26th
Cedars of Lebanon State Park

Winter retreat

Join the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club as we host the Winter Retreat. Meet old friends or make new ones. Sierra members and their friends from around the state will be there. Please come and share the experience. Bring your friends.

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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