Current Situation

Due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation, we are sensitive to our constituents during this challenging crisis. . . .

Revised COVID-19 pandemic situation extends moratorium on gatherings to Feb 28, 2021. Sierra Club in-person events have been cancelled or postponed, and the cancellations extend to Feb 28, 2021. (We anticipate that the cancellations may be extended further). Some group and chapter business meetings that have been restructured for remote participation will take place.
Cancelled Events (at least through Feb 28, 2021):
Harvey Broome Group Outings
Face-to-Face Harvey Broome Group Program Meetings
Events not cancelled:
online (via Zoom) Tennessee Chapter ExCom Business meetings
online (via Zoom) Harvey Broome Group ExCom meetings

Note: Consult the HBG website Calendar for updates to our calendar. Questions regarding HBG events should be addressed to HBG Chair Joanne Logan (loganjojolo@gmail.com).

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HBG and Local

Issues & Business

Virtual meeting planned for September.

Please check the facebook page or the website for details as we approach the September 8 date. The tentative plan is to host a a virtual meeting with Beyond Coal Campaign Tennessee leader Bonnie Swinford. Be sure to register using the registration link so we can send you the program information.

Tennessee now has “Vote by Absentee Ballot” for Registered Voters Over 60 and others.
Worried about having to go to a polling place to vote? Check out the new rules for Tennessee voters! The deadline for applying for a so-called “absentee ballot” is October 27.

Sandhill Cranes over Hiwasee Wildlife Refuge

Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club submits public comments on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposed Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds. "In summary, the preferred alternative is in conflict with the plain language of the statute, Congress’s demonstrated understanding of the MBTA’s scope, and the treaty obligations of the United States. The FWS’s adoption of the rule would therefore be arbitrary and capricious.” Read the comments here.

KUB posts intentions with respect to disconnections for non-payment.
They also include their suggestions for “assistance” for those in need, and how those of us in better circumstances can assist those in need via “Project Help."

For utility companies in other counties and municipalities in Tennessee, e.g., Alcoa, LaFollette, Lenoir City, Maryville, Clinton, and more, links to pandemic response policies can be found here.

HBG and environmental allies suggest changes to KUB policies,
though not all recommendations were adopted.

by Kent Minault and Ron Shrieves

Back on July 28th, the Knoxville City Council had an exhausting 6 ½ hour meeting which mostly occupied itself with a resolution and a motion for a City Charter amendment, both of which came from measures designed to strengthen City Council’s relationship with KUB.  The Sierra Club supported these measures by joining in coalition with other environmental groups, One Knox Legacy Coalition, Community Voices, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.  The point of the proposed amendment, originally crafted by SACE, was to prevent unjustified “fixed fees” on our utility bills, to end the KUB Board’s current practice of self-selecting Board members and to shorten the Commissioners’ terms from seven years to four years.  The amendment aimed to democratize the city’s relationship to its utility by moving it closer to the public oversight model in place in many other publicly owned utilities.
The controversy and the consequent exhausting City Council meeting arose mostly from the idea of amending the City’s Charter, which required City Council to put it on the ballot for November.  The Mayor, City Council members and the KUB Board  substituted a resolution to open up the selection process for KUB Board members.  To fill open seats on its Board of Commissioners, KUB currently sends the mayor a slate of five candidates to choose from.  The resolution passed by Council calls for KUB to also pass along all other applications for the seats, so the mayor can consider the full list. The resolution also requires KUB to extend a freeze on residential fixed fees for five years beginning in 2021, and a cost of service study will be needed to justify any increases after 2026.
To see the a more complete summary of the process  and the ultimate resolution that resulted click here.

Related July 29 article in Knoxville News Sentinel.

Federally Funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
This federal program provides federally funded assistance in managing costs associated with: home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs.

Bull Run - a lot of bull... John Todd Waterman

“Disneyland on a pile of poison,” my friend called TVA’s lovely artist’s rendering of the soon-to-be-demolished Bull Run Fossil Plant’s repurposed site. For us Anderson County folks and our officials, the sustainable, cost-effective solar array, park-like features, and economy-boosting data center which TVA dangles in its vision should be a community dream come true. But all that’s bait on a cruel hook: TVA plans to forever abandon in place Bull Run’s millions of tons of toxic coal ash unless we and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) demand it be safely removed to lined, dry, capped storage away from waterways and people. TVA’s own tests show the notoriously-blowing dry fly ash stack beside the Claxton playground and ball fields is already contaminating groundwater. And Bull Run’s remaining wet fly ash pond is literally submerged in groundwater, and extends far into the reservoir from which Anderson County and much of Knox County drinks - and its toxins are already contaminating the Hallsdale-Powell Utility District’s drinking water.
 
TVA’s dams and electricity brought us prosperity. But we now know TVA’s historic mission, to provide abundant, affordable power while also protecting our environment, simply cannot be done burning toxic, climate-wrecking coal. And our community’s Kingston coal ash cleanup survivors, dying because they were refused protection, poignantly remind us fly ash is truly evil stuff. Its heavy metals, radioactive elements, and particulates were scrubbed from our air for very good reasons. They don't belong in our water, either.
 
TVA has dragged its feet, and dragged its name in the mud, on protecting its workers and us from coal ash, offering nothing beyond nice words and pretty pictures until forced to. TVA now says it wants our community to decide Bull Run’s future. Lets hold them to their word.
 
We know how powerful we are when we work together: our uniquely informed, united, and indomitable community and officials won a great victory in blocking TVA’s despised plan for a new dry fly ash landfill beside hundreds of homes. Now, consistent with TVA’s recent PR policy of inviting public input the public can’t hear, on Thursday, July 23 at 5 PM, TVA will hold a now-virtual PR “open house” Disneyland tour, conveniently with zero real-time Zoom Q&A or comments - a no-talking vacation time-share hustle with no free dinner. The City of Oak Ridge pulled out as sponsor. The Bull Run Neighbors grassroots team isn’t buying it either, asking we boycott it. Our voices must rise as one to tell TVA and our unsupportive governor and legislators we demand to be heard - and neither we nor any coveted business will accept that site, however lovely, until we know that it, our communities, and our drinking water will not be forever contaminated with coal ash.
 
Sign the Petition to Rename Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.
Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park in Benton County was named after a Confederate General notorious for being the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.
Link to sign

Read about other local events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.

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Newsflash

*** Note to readers about accessing these articles

Old news perhaps, but very relevant to recent big news in the presidential contest: "SAN FRANCISCO / D.A. creates environmental unit / 3-staff team takes on crime mostly affecting the poor.” This news story, originally posted in 2005, then updated in 2012, tells us a lot about Kamala Harris’ concern for environmental crime and it’s relationship with environmental justice.

"Kamala Harris is Biden’s VP pick. What does that mean for the climate?"  Senator Harris has introduced several climate-related legislative bills in her 4 years as a senator from California. In an interview with a reporter she laid bare some of her concerns: "First, there’s the public health crisis caused by the coronavirus that has killed over 148,000 people. It disproportionately affects Black and brown people in part due to the high frequency of pre-existing conditions like asthma and high blood pressure. These can stem from decades of toxic pollution being dumped in communities of color and which place people at higher risk of complications. Meanwhile, there is the continuing crisis of systemic racism in America that people of color have known and experienced for generations. All of these things intersect, and we must center the fight for environmental justice in the broader conversation." Aug 11 article by Zoya Teirstein, Grist (grist.org).

"What’s going on with the post office?" It appears to many that Trump is making unfounded claims about the extent of fraudulent mail-in ballots and that his attack on the post office amounts to "election sabotage.” August 14 USA Today article by Savannah Behrmann.

Protect Mail-in Voting By Defending the Postal Service. Click here to add your name to the SierraRise Campaign.

U.S. House Democrats go public with detailed plan on handling the Climate Crisis, calling for a 45% reduction in carbon dioxide levels from 2010 levels by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 (available online). The plan urges Congress to make environmental justice an important component of climate and environmental policy.

The Importance of Climate Education in Schools. New Jersey is the first state to require climate education in grades K-12. The Climate Reality Project, July 7, 2020.

Solar panel project

TVA joining power alliance to capitalize on cheaper solar generation. “ . . . The Tennessee Valley Authority and other Southern utilities are discussing ways to break down some of their territorial service limits as part of a new power exchange that TVA projects could save at least $10 million a year for TVA ratepayers.” The alliance will be known as “SEEM," for Southeast Energy Exchange Market. July 20 article by Dave Flessner in the Chattanooga Tmes Free Press.

Beyond the Bag Initiative -- it's about time! Major retailers work together to make the single-use plastic shopping bag obsolete. July 21, Star Tribune piece by Nicole Norfleet.

Trump Administration Begins Work on Next National Climate Report. Climate science deniers are hoping to have a hand in the Fifth Assessment of Climate Impacts on the U.S., due out in 2022. Feb 18 piece by Scott Waldman, Scientific Americal E&E News.

"Trump finalizes rollback of bedrock environmental law NEPA.”  Trump's opponents argue that his plan will gut the National Environmental Policy Act by limiting the opportunity for public comment on construction and other types of federal projects. July 15 article by Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill.

Plastics and the Pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an increase in "plastic pollution," for example, due to increase in restaurant carry-out orders and use of "disposable" masks and gloves. Article by Henry Haney, Plastic Oceans.

How Tennessee legislators voted on the Great American Outdoors Act. TN congress voted July 22: All eight voted “yes" - Tim Burchett, Chuck  Fleischmann, Scott DesJarlais, Jim Cooper, John Rose, Mark E. Green, David Kustoff, Steve Cohen TN senators voted Jun 17 :  One voting "yes", Lamar Alexander; and the sole Tennessee representative voting "no", Marsha Blackburn. "And read this Aug 14 Nashville Tennessean opinion piece by Kaleb Hemmer on Blackburn’s vote.

Hitting close to home! "EPA rule extends life of toxic coal ash ponds." Trump extends the life of toxic coal ash pits in Tennessee and elsewhere. . . . With those extensions, coal ash ponds that are supposed to stop receiving waste by 2021 can keep receiving sludge for two to seven more years."
July 30 article in The Hill, by Rebeca Beitsch.

Curious about “who gives” and who gets” in the race for Tennessee campaign dollars? See this August 6 summary in TNJ: On the Hill.  

Marquita Bradshaw scores upset win in Tennessee Democratic Senate primary. "Memphis environmentalist, Black activist and single mom Marquita Bradshaw won the Democratic primary for an open U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee on Thursday.” Associated Press, Aug 6.

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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If You Don't Do Anything Else This Year....

in what is arguably the most important election in your lifetime...November 3, 2020

We are approaching one of the most critical election cycles EVER. Climate change is one of the REALLY BIG issues at stake. The officials we elect next will be the ones to carry out our response.  
You can register to vote at: https://ovr.govote.tn.gov.

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HBG Nominations

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE HARVEY BROOME GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
The Nominating Committee for the Harvey Broome Group urges you to nominate potential candidates (including yourself) for serving as Executive Committee members for a two-year term beginning in January 2021. We seek candidates for the election who are:

1) Sierra Club member in good standing;
2) Dedicated to the purposes and goals of the Sierra Club;
3) Willing and able to accept the responsibilities of serving as a Group Executive Committee member.

Group Executive Committee members approve budget and strategic direction, reach consensus on conservation positions, support proposed local and state legislation, appropriate Group funds, and endorse political candidates, in addition to other tasks of the Sierra Club mission statement.  The Group Executive Committee is composed of twelve members and the term of office is two years with six members’ terms expiring each year.

The Nominating Committee will consider all potential candidates and recommend qualified candidates to the Executive Committee based on the above criteria.Any Harvey Broome Group member wishing to be considered as a Nomination Committee candidate should indicate their intent by July 31, 2020 (yes, the deadline has passed, but we can accept late nominations through mid-September). Email Tom Ponder at thomasequality@gmail.com

Sierra Club Mission Statement

• To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
• To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;
• To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Other Events

Please join us for our virtual 2020 Citizens' Climate Southeast / Appalachia Conference on Saturday, August 22nd, from 8:15 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

REGISTER HERE

A whole lot of planning went into this conference and it shows! You’ll enjoy timely and inspiring presentations and have your choice of three educational breakout tracks. Here are some of the highlights:

• The morning Plenary session is a panel discussion "Public Policy Challenges in Acting on Climate Change featuring a bipartisan panel of elected officials who represent Tennesseans (where our host planning committee is located) and includes elected officials at the local, state and federal levels of government.
• Our Acting on Climate Track Keynote: "Diversity: talking honestly about climate, challenges and opportunities" features panelists who will discuss the challenges of climate change and the opportunities of tackling it in communities of color.
• Hear the latest climate projections during our Science and Engineering Track Keynote: What the Science is Telling Us: Projection Models Advancing understanding of climate change and its impacts on human and natural systems.
• Explore climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities. You can choose among three themed breakout tracks all day: 1) Sustainable Cities, 2) Acting on Climate, and 3) Science and Engineering.
• There are way too many excellent breakouts and keynotes to mention all of them here so please check out the Registration page to see them all!
• Want to learn more about taking action on climate change? You CAN! Sign up for and take: Climate Advocate Training It’s fun and free of charge!

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

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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