Current Situation

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

Update On In-Person Gatherings
“Based on feedback from employees and in consultation with our safety staff, we have decided to extend the Sierra Club’s current COVID response plans through March 31, 2022.  Given the current COVID situation, we recognize the need to offer continued flexibility for you to balance and manage your individual needs. We will continue on the path we launched in July--slowly reopening our offices, methodically ramping up events & in-person activities, and being cautious in travel planning.  Doing so patiently allows our mission-critical work in these areas to continue.

It is our hope that the expansion of vaccine access to young children this fall and winter will enable us as an organization to quickly ramp back up our operations--and scale back our response--in the spring. Barring any unforeseen complications, we expect to share an update with you all by February.”

Read more about reopening guidelines here

Virtual meetings and events:
Online (via Zoom) Tennessee Chapter ExCom Business meetings
Online (via Zoom) Harvey Broome Group ExCom meetings
Online (via Zoom) Harvey Broome Group Program Meetings - note online program meeting info below
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December 2021 Virtual Program
What: Annual HBG Holiday Slide Show
When: Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 7:00-8:30 PM
Where: Virtual via Zoom. Please RSVP through the Campfire Event Link below. You will receive information on how to connect to this program and be notified via email if there are any changes.

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HBG and Local Issues & Business

Tax Benefits of Donating to the Sierra Club Directly from Your Retirement Account
 
Many of you have worked hard and saved money for retirement in traditional 401(k)s, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) or other tax-deferred investments. If you are over 72 years old you are required to withdraw at least a minimum amount, called the required minimum distribution or RMD, each year and pay income tax on this amount.
 
You can transfer up to $100,000 of IRA withdrawals to benefit charitable organizations by making qualified charitable distributions (QCD). If QCDs are transferred directly from a tax-deferred investment account to a qualified charitable organization they count toward your RMDs and are not taxable. Your IRA custodian must transfer the funds directly from your account to a 501(c)(3) organization.
 
The Sierra Club, including the Tennessee Chapter, is not a qualified charitable organization. However, the Sierra Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. You can specify that the money be sent to the Sierra Club Foundation and be directed to the Tennessee Chapter or any of its groups (Chickasaw Group, Middle Tennessee Group, Cherokee Group, Harvey Broome Group, Nashville ICO, Knoxville ICO) to be used for charitable purposes. Here is some suggested wording to provide your IRA custodian:
 
“I ask that $________ from my IRA fund be sent directly to The Sierra Club Foundation, a California nonprofit corporation, currently located at 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1300, Oakland, CA 94612, to be used in support of the charitable activities of the _____________ (Tennessee Chapter|Chickasaw Group|Middle Tennessee Group|Cherokee Group|Harvey Broome Group|Nashville ICO|Knoxville ICO) of the Sierra Club.”
 
Thank you for considering this type of gift to our chapter. We recommend speaking to your financial advisor about this to ensure the best outcome.


Time to Vote!

Chapter At-Large candidates (from left, in randomized order): Charlie High, Nancy Bell, Kent Minault, David Riall, Grace Stranch, and Marquita Bradshaw

The November/December Tennes-Sierran contains ballots and candidate bios for this year's Chapter and Group Executive Committee (ExCom) elections. Unfortunately, online voting was not possible for this year, so you'll need to cut out and mail in the ballots, in time to be received by December 15. Alternatively, the ballots are available as PDFs on the Chapter website to print off and mail in. Thank you for your input!
 
 
THANK YOU, TRAIL MAINTAINERS!  Oh!  You also can be one!
By Jerry Thornton
 

Cherokee National Forest, Turtletown Area. Image credit Natures Paparazzi CC BY-NC 2.0
 
When you are hiking a trail in the Cherokee National Forest (CNF), do you ever wonder how the pathway is so clear of tree blowdowns, bushes, and briars….or not? Some trails are clear and easy, while others are a mess.  For the clear trails, you can usually thank one of several dozen volunteers who work tirelessly to keep the trails open and clear. The US Forest Service (USFS) does have trail technicians, but they are few and far between and cannot possibly maintain all the trails in the CNF on a regular basis. As a result, some trails may go for two or three  years without any maintenance, resulting in a trail choked with blowdowns and overgrown with briars and all kinds of vegetation. This is particularly true in designated Wilderness areas where, by law, power tools cannot be used. In these areas, treefalls must be cut out using crosscut saws instead of chainsaws and other vegetation must be cut using hand tools rather than power brushcutters.
 
On November 9th, the monthly HBG program hosted Dr. Richard Harris for his excellent presentation about the men and women who give of their time and effort to maintain the hundreds of miles of trails in the Tellico & Ocoee Ranger Districts of the Cherokee National Forest, including the 100+ miles of the Benton MacKaye Trail that run through those districts.  Dr. Harris, a retired pediatric oncologist who lives near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, serves as the Maintenance Director for the Benton MacKaye Trail through Tennessee and North Carolina. He also is a member of the Tellico/Ocoee Volunteer Trail Crew, which maintains the hiking and horse trails in the South Zone of the Cherokee National Forest. The Tellico/Ocoee Volunteer Trail Crew is out there every Thursday, maintaining the trails along with the Southern Appalachian Backcountry Horsemen. Maintenance includes cutting out fallen trees, clearing brush from the trail corridor, installing and cleaning out water diversions, repairing the treadway where needed, installing or replacing trail signs, and restoring blazes where they are allowed (blazing is not allowed in Wilderness areas). These hard-working volunteers have been maintaining the hundreds of miles of CNF trails over the last 20 years and have developed a great camaraderie, enjoying each other’s company, and often get together for refreshments or dinner after maintenance trips.
 
If this sounds like something that floats your boat, you too can become a trail volunteer! Check out the Facebook page of the Tellico/Ocoee Volunteer Trail Crew and/or contact Richard Harris at harrisri@aol.com or call him at (423) 253-6358. The Crew, together with the USFS, offers training and certification in how to use chainsaws, crosscut saws, and other tools, as well as First Aid/CPR training. The USFS and the trail crew provide personal protection equipment (PPE) and tools for all volunteers.


Locked Out, Locked Arms: Citizens Respond to TVA’s Closed-Off Board Meeting
By Brady Watson and Isabella Killius, Sunrise Movement Knoxville
 


On November 10th, concerned citizens and advocates with Sunrise Movement and the Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement delivered nearly 4,000 public comments to the Tennessee Valley Authority headquarters in Knoxville—while the TVA board of directors met virtually. Participants locked arms in front of the “TVA Towers” in downtown Knoxville and held a paper chain representing the thousands of comments submitted by community members in the region. The overarching public demands were clean energy, no new fossil gas plants, the reinstatement of virtual public listening sessions during board meetings, and added coal ash worker protections from TVA.
 
“Locked Out, Locked Arms” also occurred during the United Nations’ COP26 convening in Glasgow, Scotland, during which international discussion was held on establishing global carbon emission reductions and addressing impending climate disasters.
 
Unlike legislative bodies and government agencies across the country that have adopted virtual participation and public comment in response to COVID-19, the Tennessee Valley Authority has not held any public listening sessions since it transitioned to virtual Board meetings in February 2020.
 
During their meeting, TVA board members settled on delegating to CEO Jeff Lyash the decision-making authority on the future of the Kingston and Cumberland Fossil Plants, which are slated to close in the coming years. TVA has indicated that these coal plants will be replaced with new fossil gas, a harmful energy source that simply aggravates the climate crisis and halts renewable energy development. Shifting these major decisions from the US Senate-approved Board to solely Lyash comes at a time of continued delays in the Senate confirmation process for Biden’s four new TVA board nominees.
 
While it is clear that TVA continues to exclude the public from crucial governance and decisions (despite the utility’s repeated self-designation as a “public” power provider), organizers and citizens will not give up the fight for a clean, safe, and democratic future for communities across the Tennessee Valley.


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, links to pandemic response policies can be found here.

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.


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

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Events and Actions

Kingston Public Comments on Clean Water - Action Alert!

TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant discharges harmful pollutants like mercury, arsenic, and selenium into the Clinch River, but now we have an opportunity to write into its new water pollution permit a deadline for Kingston to stop polluting entirely.


The public hearing on it is over, but TDEC's Kingston water pollution permit comment period continues until Nov. 29. Here's the SC Action URL.


Cleaning Up the Coal Ash at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant. Image credit Appalachian Voices CC BY 2.0

Take Action on Air Pollution generated by TVA Coal-fired plants!

Take action now and tell the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation  that Tennesseans want a strong haze plan that will cut air pollution, protect our communities, and ensure that national parks have clean, healthy air!

Haze pollution is a serious problem for our parks and our climate. Your next visit to a national park, or any other park in the country, may be marked by polluted skies—blocking your views, hurting your lungs, and damaging natural ecosystems. Air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide all contribute to the formation of haze. They also worsen or contribute to asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses.

Fortunately, certain national parks and wilderness areas, labeled “Class I” areas, have the strongest clean air protections in the country, mandated by the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Regional Haze Rule is the CAA’s time-tested, effective program that requires federal and state agencies as well as stakeholders to work together to restore clear skies at Class I areas around the country. In Tennessee, those places include the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cohutta and Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Areas. In order to meet this requirement, Tennessee must submit its plan to eliminate haze pollution to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Unfortunately the state’s draft regional haze plan leaves out some of the biggest sources of haze pollution - TVA’s coal plants! Tell the state to include these large sources of pollution in the final plan!
 
Air pollution in our national parks and wilderness areas can come from hundreds of miles away, but the communities closest to the pollution often experience unhealthy air first and worst. In fact, TVA has already let Tennessee know that it intends to close the Kingston and Cumberland coal plants. Rather than leave these polluters out of its haze plan, the state should write the closures of these old, polluting plants into the plan, locking in reductions in air pollution that will benefit Tennessee’s parks and people.  

Take action now and tell the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation  that Tennesseans want a strong haze plan that will cut air pollution, protect our communities, and ensure that national parks have clean, healthy air!


The difference in pollution levels between 1990 and 2010 at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association.


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Environmental Newsflash

*** Note to readers about accessing these articles

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Eastman Chemical Company are partnering to turn Neyland Stadium trash into treasure. Becca Wright, Knoxville News Sentinel, November 18. Read the article here.

"Plastic cups and bottles get recycled after every home game at Neyland Stadium, but for the next two weeks, Eastman will use a new technology to upcycle discarded trash into durable, reusable water bottles commemorating Neyland's storied history."


Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Investments Will Create Jobs and Opportunity in Historic Coal Mining Regions: Landmark Investment in Clean-up Combined with Passage of the Build Back Better Act Would Mean Unprecedented New Opportunities to Diversify Local Economies. Press Release, Contact: Adam Beitman, Sierra Club website, November 15. Read the article here.

“WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, which includes $11.3 billion in new Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding. These investments will put thousands of people to work repairing land and waterways damaged by mining, treating polluted waters, sealing and filling abandoned mine entries, and developing erosion prevention measures to protect against dangerous land and mudslides.
“‘Abandoned coal mines and the waters and lands they pollute threaten our communities long after the coal industry has come and gone,’ said Bonnie Swinford, Senior Organizing Representative for the Sierra Club in Tennessee. ‘These investments create an unprecedented opportunity to make our communities safer and cleaner while also creating good-paying jobs and new opportunities to build diverse new businesses and economic opportunities.’”


Biden signs $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, fulfilling campaign promise and notching achievement that eluded Trump: On Nov. 15, President Biden signed the bipartisan measure which aims to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, ports, and Internet access. Seung Min Kim, Felicia Sonmez and Amy B Wang, The Washington Post, November 15. Read the article here.


“President Biden on Monday signed a sweeping $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to upgrade the nation’s roads, bridges, water systems and broadband, touting the measure’s passage as evidence for his insistence that bipartisanship can work even in a bitterly polarized time.”


COP26: What was agreed at the Glasgow climate conference? A new global agreement - the Glasgow Climate Pact - was reached at the COP26 summit. “It aims to reduce the worst impacts of climate change - but some leaders and campaigners say it does not go far enough.” BBC News, Nov. 15, 2021. Read the article here.


Related: [The full text of] The Glasgow climate pact, annotated. Washington Post Staff, November 13.


‘It is not enough’: World leaders react to COP26 climate agreement: Many call on countries to move faster to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help nations suffering the most from climate change, after last-minute moves weakened Glasgow’s final deal. By Steven Mufson and Annabelle Timsit, The Washington Post, Nov. 14, 2021. Read the article here.


Videos are included of COP26 President Alok Sharma, British PM Boris Johnson, and Tuvalu's foreign minister speaking while standing in the ocean.

 
COP26 climate deal includes historic reference to fossil fuels but doesn't meet urgency of the crisis. Angela Dewan, Amy Cassidy, Ingrid Formanek and Ivana Kottasová, CNN, November 13. Read the article here.


"'This outcome is an insult to the millions of people whose lives are being torn apart by the climate crisis,' said [Teresa Anderson, climate policy coordinator for ActionAid International], adding that 'the wealthy countries most responsible for our warming world — particularly the United States — have blocked their ears and hung those most impacted out to dry'"


Over 40 Countries Pledge at U.N. Climate Summit to End Use of Coal Power: The United States did not agree to stop coal development at home but promised to halt overseas funding of oil, gas and coal. Brad Plumer and Lisa Friedman, The New York Times, November 4. Read the article here.

Live video is included of Greta Thunberg and other demonstrators speaking.

“GLASGOW — More than 40 countries pledged to phase out coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, in a deal announced Thursday at the United Nations climate summit that prompted Alok Sharma, the head of the conference, to proclaim “the end of coal is in sight.”
“But several of the biggest coal consumers were notably absent from the accord, including China and India, which together burn roughly two-thirds of the world’s coal, as well as Australia, the world’s 11th-biggest user of coal and a major exporter.
“The United States, which still generates about one-fifth of its electricity from coal, also did not sign the pledge.
“The new pact includes 23 countries that for the first time have promised to stop building and issuing permits for new coal plants at home and to eventually shift away from using the fuel. Among them are five of the world’s top 20 power-generating countries: Poland, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam and Ukraine.
“The decision by the United States to abstain appeared to be driven by American politics.
“President Biden’s domestic agenda is split between two pieces of major legislation that have been pending on Capitol Hill and that hinge on the support of Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia. Mr. Manchin’s state is rich in coal and gas, the senator has financial ties to the coal industry and he is sharply opposed to any policy that would harm fossil fuels.”

COPOUT26 (Opinion)

by Todd Waterman, HBG


COP26 artwork, parodied by Todd Waterman


“HOW MANY COPS TO ARREST CLIMATE CHAOS?,” asked a Glasgow protest banner.

At COP26, world leaders agreed warming over the UN’s 1.5°C goal would be catastrophic, but once again agreed to disagree on whether avoiding it was worth the far smaller trouble and expense. Few arrived having kept their Paris commitments. Even if all keep their COP26 commitments, we’d face 2½ times the devastating warming we’re already experiencing.

In a special report for COP26, the International Energy Agency (IEA) had called for scrapping all new fossil energy investments immediately to meet the 1.5°C target. Congress was negotiating toward unprecedented climate legislation, with a single coal magnate senator standing in the way of radically transformational policy. The Biden Administration had set a 2035 goal for U.S. energy sector decarbonization.


TVA, pretending we’re on another, fantasy planet, instead aims for net zero by 2050. TVA’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan would add up to 17 Gigawatts of new fossil gas generation, the second-highest buildout of any U.S. utility. But as the Gatlinburg wildfire, the Manchester flooding, and projections of far worse environmental and economic calamities on the way make starkly clear, natural gas is a “bridge fuel” not to renewable energy but to irreversible climate hell.


Greta Thunberg is right: climate words and climate commitments are just “blah, blah, blah” until they are followed at last with the radical reductions in CO2 they require. And, “We can still turn this around.” 


What ‘transition’? Renewable energy is growing, but overall energy demand is growing faster. Weizhen Tan, CNBC, November 3. Read the article here.

“A 'common ground solution' would be to use traditional fuels as a backup when renewables fail to carry through...
“The world wants to 'transition' away from fossil fuels toward green energy, but the difficult reality is this: Dirty fuels are not going away — or even declining — anytime soon...
“According to [UBS] estimates, supply deficits will emerge for lithium in 2024, cobalt in 2023 and nickel in 2021.”


Ten Reasons for Optimism on Climate Change: These are dark times, but hope is not lost nor foolish, and change has already begun. Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, November 3. Read the article here.


“The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference got underway in Glasgow this week, and it already looks like a slow-motion train wreck. The leaders of three of the biggest polluting nations – Russia, Brazil, and China – aren’t there. The national pledges that have already been made to cut emissions won’t be met – and even if they were, they aren’t enough to avoid catastrophic warming. Rich nations of the world are woefully behind in their commitment to pay $100 billion a year into the Green Climate Fund to help poor nations adapt to climate impacts and transition to clean energy. The conference runs through Nov. 12 and new deals and commitments will emerge. But right now, given the scale of the crisis we face, signs of urgency, ambition, and leadership are hard to find...
“But the climate fight is a big and complex war that’s being carried out on many fronts.  Even for experienced climate warriors, it’s hard to keep the whole picture in your head at once.  The apathy and self-dealing in Glasgow are obvious.  What’s less obvious are signs of real progress.”


Supreme Court to Hear Case on E.P.A.’s Power to Limit Carbon Emissions: The case, brought by Republican-led states and coal companies, could frustrate the Biden administration’s efforts to address climate change. Adam Liptak, The New York Times, October 29. Read the article here.

“'This is the equivalent of an earthquake around the country for those who care deeply about the climate issue,' said Richard J. Lazarus, a law professor at Harvard."

Analysis: The Supreme Court just took a case on the EPA’s authority. Its decision could undo most major federal laws. As Justice Kagan wrote, the arcane doctrine of ‘nondelegation’ would make most of government unconstitutional. Pamela Clouser McCann and Charles R. Shipan, The Washington Post, October 29. Read the article here.
 
US auctions off oil and gas drilling leases in Gulf of Mexico after climate talks: Biden administration launching auction of more than 80m acres for fossil fuel extraction that experts call ‘incredibly reckless’ Oliver Milman, The Guardian, Nov. 17, 2021. Read the article here.

"Biden struck a defiant posture against the fossil fuel industry when campaigning for the White House, stating in a Democratic primary debate last year that there will be 'no more subsidies for fossil fuel industry. No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period, ends, number one.'”


Grand jury urges federal probe of Kingston coal ash spill after no state charges filed by Gregory Raucoules, WATE-TV, Nov. 16, 2021. Read the article here.

"We, the grand jury, consider the evidence better suited for federal authorities to investigate and prosecute."

"[Attorney General Russell] Johnson noted that based on the actions of the grand jury, he believed the jurors appeared reluctant to punish the four mid-level supervisors for actions that their employers may be held culpable for."

*** 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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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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