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. The work goes on! Most group and chapter business meetings have been restructured for remote participation.
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 but note virtual program meeting info below
online (via Zoom) Harvey Broome Group ExCom meetings

****************************************************
“Virtual” November 2020 Program: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, 7:00-8:30 PM
What: Tales from the Wonderland Trail, Mt. Ranier by "Blue Jay"
You don’t want to miss this talk on her adventure by HBG member Joan Tomlinson (trail name “Blue Jay”).
Where: VIRTUAL/ON-LINE - Please Register using this Campfire Link and you will be sent the connection information the week before the presentation.



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).

Return to Contents

Harvey Broome Group and Tennessee Chapter Political Committee information can be seen by visiting the “Political” tab on our website, and selecting “Political Program.”

https://www.sierraclub.org/tennessee/harvey-broome/political

If you live in Knox County and are Voting by Mail, have you filled out and returned your ballot?
Only a few days left - Make certain your ballot will arrive no later than the close of polls on Election Day,  November 3, 2020. IMPORTANT: ELECTION OFFICIALS CANNOT ACCEPT A HAND-DELIVERED BALLOT. If there is any doubt about the time required for your ballot to reach the election commission, mail your ballot at the Weisgarber Road Post Office:

Weisgarber Road Post Office
1237 E. Weisgarber Road
Knoxville, TN 37919

Note: you may check the status your ballot application, or the receipt of the completed ballot, at the “voter lookup” site.
https://tnmap.tn.gov/voterlookup/

For additional info for Knox County voters, go to the League of Women Voters handbook.
If you live outside Knox County, and have questions, google “'county name' election commission” to find  a website with information about voting in your county.

Return to Contents

HBG and Local

Issues & Business

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, LaFollete, Lenoir City, Maryville, Clinton, and more, read their pandemic response policies.

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.

There’s Still Time for YOU to:
 Sign the Petition to Rename Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.
(Help us get to 5,000 signatures!)

Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park in Benton County was named after a Confederate General notorious for being the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.
Sign the petition at this link.

Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club posts list of leaders on website

Who to call, text, or write - contact info for Chapter Admin plus Conservation and Issues Committees can be found under the “About Us” tab on the chapter website.
https://www.sierraclub.org/tennessee/our-leadership

K-25 Cleanup is declared finished.

This Oak Ridge cleanup project is said to be the largest in Department of Energy history. But Oak Ridge still faces issues of toxic materials that must be cleaned up. October 13, by Dave Flessner in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Harvey Broome Group You Tube page now has Tennessee on the Rise Parts I and II

Here’s the link to our HBG Youtube page:

It’s off to a decent start, but with more traffic, it’ll become more useful.  One way to do that is to go there and watch stuff.  If you haven’t seen Tennessee on the Rise!, do so ASAP.  Staff and activists have given it rave reviews, but to have an impact on our endorsed candidates, it needs to be spread around.

So if you would, watch the two parts and give them a thumbs up.  Also copy the link and send it to friends with your recommendation.  Wow have a little more than two weeks till Election Day, as you well know.  Each passing day, the value of this work diminishes a little.  So your support will be more helpful the sooner it happens.

We can use the Youtube page for a lot of things,  For example, we can record zoom meetings and keep them there for a while.  If we want to link them to our web page, we could.  Visitors to the website could click a picture and immediately watch a video.  Check the conversation with Sam McKenzie and David Hayes.  We can put up more such conversations on various political issues.

Know any interesting people?  Have a zoom conversation and record it.  We could just throw it up there.

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

Return to Contents

State and National Newsflash

*** Note to readers about accessing these articles

Pipeline builders tout claims that property taxes will make this Memphis area Byhalia Connection Pipeline Project beneficial. Sierra Club representative Scott Banbury isn’t sold on the package economic benefits claimed. Sept. 16, by Corey Davis of the Memphis Business Journal.

"Henderson Co. locals express concern for Tyson Foods project at community meeting. County and Lexington City citizens expressed their concerns at this mid-September community meeting: cost of providing utility services, traffic considerations, the smell, and environmental impacts were among concerns expressed. Sept. 15 article by Ali Mason of WBBJTV.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Environmental  Legacy. ". . . Ginsburg was also thought of as a reliable vote for environmental interests that argued before the high court."  The court vacancy at this time raises a strong possibility of entrenching a very large conservative majority. September 19 piece by Pamela King of E&E News, published online by Scientific American.

Trump EPA Administrator Wheeler speech at the American Enterprise Institute brings up rebuttal. For example, Wheeler highlighted the “Safe Vehicle Rule,” which reduces automobile fuel economy goals relative to Obama era rules. The Trump era rule  is expected to increase carbon emmissions by 867 metric tons through 2029. Here is a quote-worthy response from a former Bush era EPA Adminstrator, Christine Todd Whitman: "All I can say is if he would just substitute 'delete, destroy' for the word 'improve' he'd be right on," said Christine Todd-Whitman, a former New Jersey governor who also served as EPA administrator under the George W. Bush administration. Sept 21 article by Rachel Frazin, The Hill.

Royal Botanic Gardens weighs in on plant extinction threats resulting from climate-related issues. Climate change per se, deforestation, new pathogens, and illegal trade are named culprits. Among the conclusions, "Among those that we know are under threat are medicinal plants, with demand for naturally derived medicines threatening their survival. Some 5,411 medicinal plants were assessed in the study, and 723 are threatened." September 30, Jack Guy, CNN WORLD.

Related: The full Royal Botanic Gardens  report (pdf file) may be viewed and downloaded here.

Related news: So much for Wheeler’s credibility. Earlier (2019) public claims on CBS News by EPA job candidate Wheeler included the remark that “most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out.” The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit and obtained the records that Wheeler relied on for his claims, and concluded that "Wheeler invented these false claims out of thin air as part of his ongoing work to protect the fossil fuel industry from accountability for driving and exacerbating the climate crisis, . . .” See the press release here.

"Hybrid Cruisers at Work on Tennessee Highways." Nine of the 32 Ford Police Interceptor Hybrids ordered have been put into service. The state will evaluate their cost effectiveness in long-term trials. September 21, TN Department of General Services.

"The TVA’s slower pace toward renewable energy weakens Nashville’s future, report finds."  A consulting firm report commissioned by Nashville business and community leaders concludes that a desire by business to achieve carbon reductions means the TVA's carbon strategies may put Tennessee and Nashville at a disadvantage in attracting new business. Businesses affected include companies of all sizes " . . . not only the largest companies but medium-sized and smaller ones, many of which find themselves having to meet carbon reduction goals as part of the supply chains of larger companies. October 14, by James Bruggers of Inside Climate News.

"California governor orders ban on sale of gas-only cars within 15 years.”
"The transportation sector is responsible for 80% of California’s smog-forming pollution and 95% of the state’s toxic diesel emissions. Transportation is California’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but the targeted goal of the ban would reduce such emissions by 35%", Newsom said. Read the announcement here.

"TVA: 2019 lawsuit dismissed against TVA, Jacobs Engineering in wake of coal ash disaster." "U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan granted TVA's and Jacob Engineering's motions to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling the claims were either barred by the statue of limitations or were insufficiently pleaded. An earlier court ruling in favor of coal ash cleanup workers does hold open the possibility that further litigation may conclude that Jacobs Engineering will have to pay damages to the workers." Read the WBIR article here.

"REI goes carbon neutral and pledges new sustainability goals." Starting this year, REI will achieve a goal it set for itself in 2006 by offsetting carbon output from REI-branded products and company operations with purchased carbon credits. They also pledged to reduce raw emissions by 55 percent by 2030. September 24 article by Andrew Weaver in SNEWS.

Just another egregious maneuver to undermine the EPA mission and U.S. public health and safety - "EPA finalizes rule allowing some major polluters to follow weaker emissions standards." The ruling is one in a series that allows companies that operate below a stated level of toxic emissions to benefit from less stringent emissions standards for dangerous substances such as mercury, lead and arsenic. October 1 opinion piece by Rebecca Beistch and Rachel Frozen of The Hill.

Tennessee Considers ways to reduce costs of natural disasters. Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations has released a report on strategies that can reduce the costs of extreme weather events and earthquakes (1,415 natural disasters per year). Such costs averaged $343.5 million annually from 1996 to 2018, and could increase to $595 million per year by 2055. This report details individual and collaborative efforts by local and state government entities that build resilience to natural disasters, and concludes that the state should ensure the ongoing evolution of resilience efforts. The report details climatic and other events (temperature, precipitation, earthquakes, and hydrologic events) anticipated for the 2035-2055 period (for example, see the graphics below). Read the full report here.





"Seismic blasting efforts halted in Atlantic Ocean." A conference on "seismic litigation" concludes that the oil industry will not employ seismic blasting in its search for offshore oil deposits this year, and may cease such blasting for the next several years. This announcement  represents a victory for dozens of environmental organizations, coastal communities and others who have fought for cessation of the harassment of right whales that resulted from the blasting. October 1 press release by SELC.

"Are the Trump Administration's Environmental Rollbacks Built to Last?"  The bad environmental news coming into the current four-year political cycle is that President Trump made a lot of noise about reducing regulations of business, including environmental regulation, and to be sure, a lot of environmental damage has been done. But the good news is about how often lawsuits have stopped Trump from carrying out his promises: "In the past four years, the government has lost around 84 percent of the time, including cases over oil and gas leases, efforts to remove the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears from the endangered species list, and the very pipelines Trump fast-tracked in his first week." Though lots of cases are still in litigation, the rush to tear up environmental protection has resulted in shoddy legal work, thus dooming many proposals. Fall 2020 issue of Audubon Magazine.

Climate action in China. China’s leader, President Xi Jinping, has committed China to net-zero emissions by 2060. Given that coal fuels 60% of china's electricity, this is big deal. Other eco-implications of the announcement are discussed. October 8, Hao Tan, Elizabeth Thurbon, John Mathews, Sung-Young Kim, EcoWatch.

Long-distance solar projects founded by Phil Bredesen make "carbon displacement" strategies feasible for smaller companies. "What I figured is we needed another way to help smaller or startup businesses and that's how Clearloop got started as a way to most effectively use solar power to address climate change," Bredesen said. "For every Facebook, there are 500 smaller companies that can't play in that purchase power agreement game." October 12, by Dave Flessner, in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Related: read more about Clearloop here:

Read about other 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.

Return to Top of Newsflash

Return to Contents

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.

Return to Contents

Who We Are