Newsflash
** Note to readers about accessing these articles
Editor’s note: Since the April newsletter did go out due to the last minute decision by the national Sierra Club to temporarily forestall email communications, and since the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the news since then, we are including herein the news summary for the April e-newsletter, following the news items for the current period.
TVA proposal to dump coal ash from Memphis in South Carolina meets stiff opposition from their legislature. Mar 12 article by Bo Present and Seanna Cox in the Post and Courier.
Rather than blame exotic species for starting the Caronavirus pandemic, we should be focussing on habitat destruction. Feb 18 piece by Sonia Shah in The Nation.
Want to know how your TN congressional legislators voted on national environmental issues? See the latest League of Conservation Voters LCV Scorecard.
“Glider Truck” legislation helps open a hole that allows polluters to drive their trucks right through emission standards. Mar 17, Overton County News.
Ouch - it’s Closed!
Most of the Great Smoky Mountains NP and all Tennessee state parks close due to pandemic. Check the TN State Park and the National Parks websites for updates.
TDEC orders TVA to take a second look at its plans for a 60-acre dump for coal ash produced at its Bull Run coal-fired power plant. Mar 23 article by Jamie Satterfield in Knox News. Also see Energy Central News, Mar 24.
"EPA suspends enforcement of environmental laws amid coronavirus.” "In a 10-page letter to EPA earlier this week, the American Petroleum Institute (API) asked for a suspension of rules that require repairing leaky equipment as well as monitoring to make sure pollution doesn't seep into nearby water.” (Ed. note: Why am I not surprised?) Mar 26 piece by Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill.
“Connectivity” during this period of “social distancing” is much more difficult for hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans who are “out in the dark” without broadband access. Mar 28 piece by Travis Dorman, Knoxville News Sentinel (also available through the Mar 29 Tennessean).
Back and forth on the Trump administration’s “SAFE” Vehicles Rule. The administration argues that it puts “safety first,” but not surprisingly, the rule’s opponents have an impressive rebuttal. See the EPA Mar 31 news release and the Aug 2019 Consumer Reports response to the rule.
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Newsflash, part 2: The news that had been scheduled for the April edition follows.
TVA "gives" on some terms of long-term contracts." For the first time in its 87-year history, the Tennessee Valley Authority may soon grant the local power companies that distribute its power the ability to generate or buy power on their own . . . TVA will allow its distributors the right to buy or generate up to 5% of their power (or 1 megawatt for small distributors) from sources other than TVA.” The significance, at least in part, is that local power companies can influence the balance between fossil and “clean” energy sources. Feb 13 article by Dave Flessner in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
"Trump May Approve Strip Mining on Tennessee’s Protected Cumberland Plateau." The plan would strip the "unsuitable for mining" prohibition that was solicited by the state of Tennessee, and received from the Obama administration in 2016. Feb 13 piece by by James Bruggers (Inside Climate News) and Tracey Whetstone (Knoxville News Sentinel) in Inside Climate News.
TVA and Anderson County spar over coal ash dumping. Seems that the two entities have somewhat different views of a state law requiring local government appoval of new coal ash dumps. Feb 17 article by Jamie Satterfield of KnoxNews.com.
Concept map of Memphis Regional Megasite (by TNECD)
Governor Lee advocates "being more thoughtful" on funding of Memphis Regional Megasite. A wastewater pipeline issue was cited as a factor by Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development. Feb 17 article by Adam Friedman, Jackson Sun.
Read about other local events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.
*** A democracy with informed citizens requires the professionalism that we have historically expected of credible news sources. Most “local" newspapers today are asking folks who access their online news stories to purchase a subscription to their paper. This is understandable generally, and reminds us that we should do our part to pay for the resources that result in publication of local news. Those of us who use summaries of published print news, as we do, are no exception, and we ask the same of our readers. However, we also believe that a person who only wants to see an occasional article published in a newspaper should not be required to subscribe. So if you believe that you are in the latter category - only an occasional reader, you may be able to read an article without a subscription if you "browse anonymously" or clear your browser cache before activating a link to an article. This may help you avoid many "pay walls" at these news sources (some sources restrict access even with anonymous settings). Another approach is to search for alternate source on the particular news item. But we recommend that our readers who find themselves accessing an online news source on a regular basis subscribe to an online version of the paper, which is generally much cheaper than a print version.
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