Current Situation

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

Sierra Club COVID Operations Update

Sierra Club National’s current COVID safety guidance extends through May 31, 2022. The plan allows for limited in-person gatherings. Groups may hold events such as ExComm meetings and tabling with the approval of the Chapter chair. Certain larger gatherings may occur with approval by Sierra Club safety staff.

Read more about reopening guidelines here. 

Sierra Club COVID Info Hub (requires Campfire login).

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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June 2022 Virtual Program

What: BattleField Farm & Gardens: Fighting Food Insecurity in East Knoxville, by Rev. Chris Battle, Founder

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 7:00-8:30 PM ET

Where: Virtual via Zoom. Please RSVP through this Campfire Event Link. You will receive information on how to connect to this program and be notified via email if there are any changes.

Chris Battle at BattleField Farm in East Knoxville. Photo by Chris Battle., used with permission.

Chris Battle has the heart for doing good work in his community. His goal is to fight food disparity and build a better community through food. In 2019 he founded BattleField Farm & Gardens, located at 1400 Washington Ave NE in Knoxville. It is an Urban Farm and collective of community gardens fighting food insecurity in East Knoxville, TN. What does food insecurity mean? It is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

When Chris Battle saw a void in his community, he began working on a solution. Battlefield Farms & Garden is feeding his East Knoxville community the fresh produce that is not available to them. Simply put, Battlefield Farms & Garden feeds people care, love, and nutrition. Everyone deserves fresh food.

BattleField Farms, City Possum Farm, and the City of Knoxville's Waste & Resources Management office, with support from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, launched the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project in February 2022. Residents and nearby restaurants can now drop off their food scraps to be composted and repurposed into soil. Food scraps are collected for compost at the Old City Recycling Center at 227 Willow Avenue, where they are sent to a small-scale, solar-powered composter built by City Possum Farm and located at Battlefield Farms. Visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/Compost for more information.

Please RSVP at this Campfire Event link and you will receive information on how to link to this virtual presentation.

Note: Consult the HBG website Calendar for updates to our calendar. Questions regarding HBG events should be addressed to HBG Chair Jerry Thornton (gatwilcat@aol.com).

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HBG and Local Issues & Business

Make a Change: Volunteer with HBG’s Political Committee
 
As we head into the next election cycle, HBG’s Political Committee needs your help!
 
In order to make laws protecting our environment, we must elect good lawmakers. To accomplish this, the Political Committee interviews candidates running for public office, endorsing those it believes will be strong environmental leaders. The committee then identifies “priority races” with the help of other members for the purpose of supporting endorsed candidates with funds from Sierra Club donors through Sierra Club volunteer-powered campaigns.
 
Volunteer opportunities include phone banking, canvassing, researching candidates’ platforms and tabling at local events.
 
For more information, contact Kent Minault at kminault@gmail.com.


SEEED teams up with green innovators on the Home of the Future
By Kent Minault


Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, City Council member Seema Singh and SEEED members cut the ribbon on the solar home. Photo by Kent Minault.

Friday, May 6th, was heavily overcast and the radio broadcast was full of tornado warnings. But the leaders at SEEED were determined to finally cut the ribbon on their first “Solar Home of the Future” in Lonsdale. They’d originally planned it for April 22nd, but a hitch in getting the solar panels installed pushed it back a couple of weeks. Rowdy Tennessee weather wouldn’t stop them this time.
 
A hefty contingent of community leaders, young apprentices, energy efficiency experts, solar installers, green building entrepreneurs and elected officials clearly agreed. In fact, when calls came in with tornado warnings, SEEED staff told the callers not to worry: the Solar Home was the safest place in town. We gathered underneath a pavilion set up behind the home as a few raindrops hinted at an approaching downpour. I networked with a couple of young guys from NuDura, a company that makes insulated concrete forms. They told how plans for the solar home were completely revamped after COVID-related price hikes put lumber beyond their low-income budget. But that change dramatically increased the energy efficiency of the final structure, because these blocks made the house super-staunch. Don Horton of Horton Consulting drew and redrew the plans until the use of lumber was minimized. It was used for the rafters and roof, with foam sprayed internally to maintain the heat-retaining integrity. But the external walls were completely constructed from the blocks.  
 
This flexible and inventive collaboration mirrored the whole creative team. The planning and execution was the work of racial and social justice advocates working alongside green energy entrepreneurs and innovators from the Green Building Council.
 
I got a tour through the house, checked out the energy-efficient appliances and the heat-pump HVAC unit. A friend made sure I didn’t fall off the ladder when I climbed up to poke my head into the attic and ogle the spray foam and ducting. I met Councilman Tommy Smith when I climbed back down. Then we all gathered back under the canopy for speeches and the ribbon cutting.


Scott Noethen of Appalachian Renewable Resources (center), with Stan Johnson and JD Jackson of SEEED. Photo by Kent Minault.

Of course, we heard from Stan Johnson and JD Jackson, but their inspiring words were quickly followed by introductions for the folks who did the actual building and planning. In the photo above, Stan and JD flank solar installer Scott Noethen, owner of Appalachian Renewable Resources. We heard from other green building experts, and then the moment arrived. County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and City Councilwoman Seema Singh stepped onto the back porch while Stan and SEEED leader Wando Stacy stretched a blue ribbon across the banisters. Someone produced a giant pair of scissors, and the ribbon was cut. This pioneering project was officially complete. We rushed back to our cars as the downpour finally started.
 
Pioneering is the right word. This is the home of the future, with a host of features most homes currently lack. And it’s specifically designed to help a low-income family build wealth.  Ground is already broken on a second Solar Home in East Knoxville, and we look forward to more in the future. Visit SEEED’s website (https://www.seeedknox.org) for more programs and exciting events. 


Push for Transparency in DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation Toxic Waste Plans
By Virginia Dale, Axel Ringe, and Jimmy Groton
 
Retired ORNL environmental scientist Virginia Dale and environmental lawyer Brian Paddock (left) and retired TDEC groundwater contamination expert Sid Jones (right) were among many experts who spoke out at DOE's 2018 hearing on its proposed EMDF landfill. At a DOE meeting on May 17, 2022, Virginia, Sid, and others raised the same, still-unaddressed objections. In the center, in a photo adapted from Sid Jones and Dale Rector's 2018 cautionary slide show, flooding causes DOE's similar existing EMWMF landfill to leak radionuclides into the environment.

As cleanup of hazardous and radioactive material at the Oak Ridge Reservation continues, the Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing a reckless plan that would contaminate waterways with toxic chemicals and put downstream communities at risk.
 
DOE’s current proposal calls for tearing down contaminated and radioactive buildings, burying most of the waste on-site, and releasing radionuclide pollutants – including chemicals that are known to cause cancer – into Bear Creek. This is a reckless plan that threatens the health of people who live near, use, and recreate in Bear Creek and other downstream waterways.
 
There is a clear need for DOE to tear down contaminated buildings on the Oak Ridge Reservation, but the community currently lacks critical information about the plans – including basic details about what will be put in the landfill, how wastewater will be treated before being discharged, and whether there are alternatives that would allow the waste to be more safely disposed of off-site or out of state. Without these details, it is impossible to know what long-term hazards nearby and downstream communities could be exposed to.
 
See also, under Environmental Newsflash, "Manhattan Project radiation lingers in Oak Ridge."

• DOE fact sheets are available at https://ucor.com/additional-emdf-information/

• AFORR’s information at https://aforr.info/hazardous-waste-landfill-emdf/ 

The State of Knoxville’s Urban Trees

by Axel Ringe

There must be something in the DNA of designers, planners and politicians. They can never just leave something good when they want something better. Cases in point: the plan to destroy at least 5 mature and healthy oaks in Cradle of Country Music Park so the artist can shoehorn a massive abstract metal sculpture in that tiny pocket park; the plan to cut down 5 mature street trees on Gay Street across from the Cradle of Country Music Park so the developer can maximize his residential development; and the plan to cut down at least 70 trees at Lakeshore Park so more sports fields and roads can be built to improve the park.
 
What ever happened to the notion of working with nature rather than scraping everything down to the ground and starting from scratch? Knoxville has a sustainability plan that has as a goal an 80% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That conservative goal will not be met if mature trees, particularly in downtown, which has only a 7% canopy cover, are not protected and maintained. And replacing mature trees with 5 year old saplings is not the answer, at least not in my lifetime. So does Knoxville value its urban forest? Actions speak louder than words.
 
Take Action for Trees:

• Write or call your city council member (or the whole council) and tell them you value urban trees and want especially downtown trees preserved. Email for city council - wjohnson@knoxvilletn.gov; phone - (865) 215-2075.
• Tell Mayor Indya Kincannon (mayor@knoxvilletn.gov; (865) 215-2040) how you feel. She's been quoted as saying, "That ship has sailed." We don't think so. We think the people should decide.

The Smokies ATBI: a 24-year exploration of the biodiversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, by Will Kuhn, DLIA Director of Science & Research

Julie Elfin’s photo of the Wingstem gall midge shared during HBG’s May program meeting.

A highlight of last month’s HBG program meeting was hearing about a new species record for Great Smoky Mountains National Park discovered by Ex Com member and newsletter editor Julie Elfin. The Wingstem gall midge is a tiny insect that lays its eggs in the Wingstem plant, creating the distinctive ball-like growth seen above.
 
The midge is one of over 21,000 species known to the Smokies, over half of which have been observed through Discover Life in America’s (https://dlia.org/) All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory project. You can see a full list of Smokies species here (https://dlia.org/smokies-species-tally/).

If you were not able to make the presentation, you can view the recording here.

Here is information from Will Kuhn on how you can support the work of Discover Life in America.
 
Checks can be sent to:
Discover Life in America
1316 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg,  TN 37738
 
Or you can donate online at this link: https://dlia.org/donate-now
 
There's general information about supporting them on this page: https://dlia.org/support-us/


Knoxville Bans Off Our Bodies Rally

Photos by Todd Waterman

Bans Off Our Bodies marchers on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

Organizer Kim Spoon (center, with megaphone) speaks passionately at the rally.

On Saturday, May 14th, throngs of impassioned East Tennesseans joined the nationwide Bans Off Our Bodies day of action with a Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi rally at Krutch Park, then marched through downtown Knoxville. Planned Parenthood's Knoxville clinic was destroyed by arson on December 31, 2021.

From the Sierra Club’s official statement of support:
 
“On Monday, 5/2, Politico published a leaked draft Supreme Court majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that, if finalized, would overturn Roe v. Wade. It would reverse nearly 50 years of precedent and end federal constitutional protections for abortion. Twenty-six states across the country either have so-called ‘trigger laws’ that would automatically ban abortion or would move quickly to ban abortion if this leaked draft opinion is finalized. The Court will issue its final decision by the end of June. At that point, millions of people might be forced to live without local access to abortion. The people in your community and across the country deserve the right to privacy and the power and freedom to make their own personal reproductive health care decisions.
 
“Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Women's March, MoveOn, and UltraViolet have joined with allies across the progressive movement to ensure that millions of people turn out for mobilizations across the country to demonstrate that support for abortion is widely and deeply felt. Together, we will send a strong message that abortion access must be protected and supported. We invite you to join these efforts during this moment of crisis. It is necessary and critical that we act now, all across the country, to not only  demonstrate that people support abortion access, but to show that we won’t back down.”
 
Read more about the draft opinion here and stay tuned for future actions and ways to get involved. 


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

Let your voice be heard on EV infrastructure planning in TN!

From Southern Alliance for Clean Energy:

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) are currently seeking public feedback to inform the State’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program Plan.

The NEVI program represents a $5 billion investment from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to provide a network of 500,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations along the nation’s travel corridors to help make cross-country electric travel accessible to all Americans. The charging stations will be along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors designated by the Federal Highway Administration.

Tennessee stands to receive $88 million dollars from the program but must develop and submit an EV infrastructure deployment plan by August 1, 2022, to receive funds. That’s where you come in.

Please take this online survey before May 31.
 
 
Tell TVA: No More Pipelines!

From the Clean Up TVA coalition:

We are at a critical juncture for deciding our energy future, and rather than following the science and desires of the public to transition to a fossil fuel-free and just energy future, TVA is actively working to dig us deeper into the fossil fuel hole. The climate emergency is a crisis TVA needs to take seriously, and we are running out of time.

TVA has proposed to invest billions of ratepayer dollars into new gas plants, including at its Cumberland site in Stewart County, Tennessee. Soon, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a major pipeline company will be submitting an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build a 32-mile methane gas pipeline that will cut through Stewart, Houston, and Dickson Counties to serve TVA’s proposed Cumberland gas plant.

(Optional, but highly encouraged) - Add a personal comment to be submitted within the batch of comments that the Clean Up TVA coalition is gathering to be submitted to TVA for consideration during the environmental review of the proposed pipeline and plants.

https://cleanuptva.org/actions/tell-tva-no-more-pipelines/

 
Tell Governor Lee: Stop the Fossil Fuel Preemption Bill

From Protect Our Aquifer:

"Thank you all for your action throughout March and April to stop HB2246 / SB2077 that aimed to preempt all local say over oil, gas and other industrial infrastructure. We successfully secured amendments to protect drinking water wellfields and some zoning laws. The Bill is still broad overreach by the state government with ambiguous language. Last week, the TN House and Senate passed the fossil fuel preemption bill and it is headed to the Governor's desk. Join us in asking Gov. Bill Lee, the First Lady of TN, and key leadership to veto the bill!

Send a 1-click email and read the bill through this link.

Public Comment Opportunity: TVA plans to replace Cumberland coal plant with another fossil fuel
 
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is planning to retire its Cumberland coal plant near Nashville – one of the nation's largest and worst polluting, annually releasing over 8 million tons of pollution into the air — and replace it with a methane gas plant that will expose everyone in the state to toxic and harmful air pollutants.

It's great news that TVA is making plans to stop burning coal at Cumberland, but it doesn't make sense to replace coal with another fossil fuel: methane-leaking, CO2-emitting gas power plants, and miles of pipelines going through century-old farmlands!

TVA needs to know that you want clean, renewable energy - not more price volatility with climate-changing methane gas to replace its largest and dirtiest coal plant.

If TVA builds methane gas plants and pipelines today, they would be obsolete in just 10 years due to TVA's own carbon reduction commitments leaving ratepayers stuck paying the bill for infrastructure that can't be used!

By embracing a clean energy future, TVA can proactively invest in the workers and communities that have relied on the Cumberland plant and will be impacted by this decision, as well as help customers lower their bills by making energy efficiency more accessible.

Submit your comment here by June 13th.


Safe Boating Week Kayaking Classes
May 21-27
Tennessee State Parks
 
Twelve Tennessee State Parks are joining the Tennessee Chapter of the American Canoe Association (ACA) to offer low-cost kayaking instruction on May 21, as part of National Safe Boating Week on May 21-27.

The ACA is the national accrediting body for paddle sports education. The classes are being offered at a discount, costing $15 per person, with the revenue going to Tennessee State Parks. All instructors are Tennessee volunteers who are nationally certified to give paddling and rescue training. A limited number of kayaks, paddles, and life jackets are available at no additional charge at most of the parks if participants reserve the equipment during registration. Each participating park is offering instruction in either introductory flatwater kayaking or introductory river kayaking. Participants choose which curriculum they want and select one of the parks offering that class.

The classes begin at 9 a.m. on May 21. Registration is open at this link. In-person spaces are limited, so an alternative, free online class is available. However, in-person training with a certified instructor is strongly encouraged.  

Participating Tennessee State Parks include:

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
Chickasaw State Park
Harpeth River State Park
Long Hunter State Park
Fall Creek Falls State Park
Seven Islands State Birding Park
Big Ridge State Park
Harrison Bay State Park
Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park
Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park
Cove Lake State Park
Warriors’ Path State Park

ACA Tennessee estimates there are approximately one million people regularly paddling Tennessee waterways who have not had any formal training. ACA instructors look forward to helping the participants in the Kayaking 101 classes to better understand hazards, learn some tips to achieve more boat control, and generally help them to have more fun out on the water.

Paddling leaders from the following organizations are making the event possible: Bluff City Canoe Club in Memphis, West Tennessee Canoe and Kayak Club in Jackson, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association in Nashville, Tennessee Valley Canoe Club in Chattanooga, Chota Canoe Club in Knoxville, East Tennessee Whitewater Club in Oak Ridge, Tennessee RiverLine in Knoxville, Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts in Johnson City, Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute in Erwin, as well as independent ACA instructors statewide.

In a related event, sponsored by Tennessee State Parks, TWRA, and ACA Tennessee, ACA instructors will help launch the new national ACA paddlesports angler curriculum in a class designed specifically for Kayak Anglers. The event is led by Robin Pope, president of the ACA Board of Directors, and Geoff Luckett, founder of Tennessee Kayak Anglers. “Hooked on Safety: Kayak and Safety Skills for Kayak Anglers” on May 27-29 will be the inaugural class nationally for this ACA program. The class will be held at TWRA’s Buffalo Ridge Refuge facility in Waverly, TN. A limited number of kayaks are available for participants, if needed. Registration is open for this event at this link,


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Environmental Newsflash

*** Note to readers about accessing these articles

Manhattan Project radiation lingers in Oak Ridge. Critics want more info on a new landfill. Vincent Gabrielle, Knoxville News Sentinel, May 15.

Sierra Club and others have long opposed the DOE’s plans for the EMDF toxic and radioactive waste landfill in the Oak Ridge Reservation. “Pulling contaminated buildings down and burying the material without adequate waste characterization and separation and without proper assessment of future risks is how you make a Superfund site, not how you clean one up,” said renowned retired TDEC groundwater contamination expert Sid Jones in 2019.

" 'They are stonewalling us,' said Axel Ringe, conservation chair of the [correction: Harvey Broome Group] of the Sierra Club. 'We have been asking consistently for more information that is needed to make knowledgeable comments and they simply don't do that.'

" 'A record of decision is usually a short document that says, "We all bought into this," [retired TDEC employee Dale] Rector said about the agencies involved in designing and regulating projects. 'Nobody’s agreed to anything and they’re giving us a record of decision.' ”

" 'I don’t feel like I’m an activist,' [retired ORNL environmental scientist Virginia] Dale said. 'I’m a grandmother. … I want Oak Ridge to [be] touted as a name for doing it right.' ”  


A Reuters Special Report: Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs: The nation’s transmission network, plagued by outages and increasingly severe weather, needs a trillion-dollar overhaul to handle the Biden administration’s promised clean-energy revolution. No one is taking charge of that problem. Tim McLaughlin, Reuters, May 12.


Electrical transmission lines, Clockum Road, Kittitas County, Washington. Photo by brewbooks CC-BY-SA 2.0.

“After decades of struggle, the U.S. clean-energy business is booming, with soaring electric-car sales and fast growth in wind and solar power. That’s raising hopes for the fight against climate change.

“All this progress, however, could be derailed without a massive overhaul of America’s antiquated electric infrastructure – a task some industry experts say requires more than $2 trillion.

"This is a massive to-do list. And it belongs to no one in particular."


Biden Administration Cancels Drilling Sales in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico: Republicans link the move to rising gas prices while the administration said it was a result of conflicting legal opinions and a lack of interest among bidders. Lisa Friedman, New York Times, May 12.

“The Biden administration is canceling oil drilling lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet, triggering furious responses from Republicans, who are blaming President Biden’s energy policies for high gas prices.

“A spokeswoman for the Interior Department, Melissa Schwartz, said in a statement that the Cook Inlet lease sale would not proceed because of a ‘lack of industry interest.’ She said the planned sale of two leases in the Gulf of Mexico was being scrapped because of ‘conflicting court rulings,’ which she said affected the agency’s ability to work on the leases.

“The leasing program presents a dilemma for Mr. Biden. He has promised progressive Democrats and environmental groups that he would propel the country away from its dependence on the fossil fuels that are driving climate change. At the same time, he has taken steps to increase oil supplies to try to bring down gas prices, including calling on the oil industry to pump more crude.”


Revealed: the ‘carbon bombs’ set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown. Exclusive: Oil and gas majors are planning scores of vast projects that threaten to shatter the 1.5C climate goal. If governments do not act, these firms will continue to cash in as the world burns. Damian Carrington and Matthew Taylor, The Guardian, May 11.

“The world’s biggest fossil fuel firms are quietly planning scores of ‘carbon bomb’ oil and gas projects that would drive the climate past internationally agreed temperature limits with catastrophic global impacts, a Guardian investigation shows.

“The exclusive data shows these firms are in effect placing multibillion-dollar bets against humanity halting global heating. Their huge investments in new fossil fuel production could pay off only if countries fail to rapidly slash carbon emissions, which scientists say is vital.

“The lure of colossal payouts in the years to come appears to be irresistible to the oil companies, despite the world’s climate scientists stating in February that further delay in cutting fossil fuel use would mean missing our last chance ‘to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.’ As the UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned world leaders in April: ‘Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing us.’ ”


20 Million Acres of U.S. Cropland May Be Contaminated by PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’. Christen Hemingway Janes, EcoWatch, May 9.


Fertilizing fields. Photo by sjrankin CC-BY NC 2.0.  

“Toxic per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals,’ are a family of more than 9,000 synthetic, human-made chemicals that barely break down in the natural environment, according to CHEM Trust. … Very low amounts of these forever chemicals in drinking water have been linked to a higher risk of cancer, immunosuppression, interference with the reproductive system and other health problems, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

“Almost all Americans have PFAS in their blood, reported EWG. Since the chemicals don’t break down naturally, they often end up in the sewer system. Now, a new EWG report estimates that around 20 million acres of U.S. cropland could be contaminated by sewage sludge tainted by these forever chemicals.

“ ‘We don’t know the full scope of the contamination problem created by PFAS in sludge, and we may never know, because EPA has not made it a priority for states and local governments to track, test and report on,’ said legislative policy director at EWG Scott Faber, as The Guardian reported.”


Tennessee passes bill that protects oil and gas industry. Caroline Eggers, All Things Considered, NPR website, May 7. (3-minute listen)

Caroline Eggers of WPLN interviews or airs clips from Al Gore, Memphis Community Against the Pipeline co-founder Justin Pearson, bill sponsor Rep. Kevin Vaughan, SELC attorney George Nolan, and Protect Our Aquifer Director Sarah Houston.

“Tennessee is poised to let gas and oil companies build new infrastructure without local interference. It comes after activists helped stop a pipeline through Black neighborhoods in Memphis.

“MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

"As cities around the country pursue their climate change goals, some states are passing legislation to protect the oil and gas industry. Tennessee's legislature just approved a bill that preempts local governments from banning fossil fuel projects or even regulating pipeline safety. Caroline Eggers of member station WPLN has this report. …

“KEVIN VAUGHAN: It provides certainty to the regulated community, local governments as well as the general public to ensure that necessary critical infrastructure can be developed. …

“EGGERS: But Vaughn skipped over some important details, like the impact of fossil fuels on the climate, environment and people.”


Plastics Recycling ‘Does Not Work,’ Environmentalists Stress as U.S. Recycling Rates Drop to 5%. Paige Bennett, EcoWatch, May 4.

“A new report shows that U.S. plastic recycling rates have declined from about 8.7% to between 5% and 6%, revealing the challenges and shortcomings of the country’s waste management infrastructure and policies.

“Environmental organizations Last Beach Clean Up and Beyond Plastics issued the report, which found a decline in recycling rates since 2018, the last time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the rates. According to the report, per capita plastic waste generation has increased 263% since 1980, totaling 218 pounds of plastic waste per person as of 2018.”

“ ‘There is no circular economy of plastics,” said Jan Dell, founder of The Last Beach Cleanup. ‘Plastics and products companies co-opted the success of other material recycling and America’s desire to recycle to create the myth that plastic is recyclable.’ ”

Full Report here.


Biden's old-growth forest executive order has giant hole. Bethany Cotton, The Register-Guard, May 1.

Old growth forest, Oswald State Park West, Oregon. Photo by USFWS Pacific CC-BY NC 2.0.

"Last month, in honor of Earth Day, President Biden signed an executive order on Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies. While the EO represents progress in its acknowledgement that old-growth and mature forests are essential bulwarks against the worst impacts of climate change, its stated commitment to science-based management, and its inclusion of indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge as key to sustainable forest management, it does not — yet — actually safeguard the last of these forests here at home.  

“Amongst the substantive provision of the EO is a directive for the secretaries of agriculture and interior to ‘define, identify and complete an inventory of old-growth and mature forests on federal lands,’ and to make it public within one year. Following the inventory, the agencies are directed to ‘develop policies with robust opportunity for public comment to institutionalize climate-smart management and conservation strategies that address threats to mature and old-growth forests on federal lands.’

“Our remaining mature and old-growth forests are essential habitat for imperiled wildlife, provide clean drinking water for communities, are beloved destinations for people seeking recreation and solace and are our region’s most significant climate defense. Allowing ongoing logging while mapping the last old-growth is yet another example of an adaptation gap: saying the right words, but failing to take the necessary action to meet stated goals.”


Biden Restores Climate to Landmark Environmental Law, Reversing Trump. A new rule requires agencies to analyze the climate impacts of proposed highways, pipelines and other projects, and gives local communities more input. Lisa Friedman, New York Times, April 19.

“The final rule announced Tuesday would require federal agencies to conduct an analysis of the greenhouse gases that could be emitted over the lifetime of a proposed project, as well as how climate change might affect new highways, bridges and other infrastructure, according to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The rule, which takes effect in 30 days, would also ensure agencies give communities directly affected by projects a greater role in the approval process.”

“Brenda Mallory, chairwoman of the council, described the regulation as restoring ‘basic community safeguards’ that the Trump administration had eliminated.

“ ‘Patching these holes in the environmental review process will help projects get built faster, be more resilient, and provide greater benefits to people who live nearby,’ she said in a statement.”


Kingston coal ash workers' case swings on two upcoming court rulings. Anila Yoganathan, Knoxville News Sentinel, April 14.

Doves are released at a memorial for Kingston coal ash workers in 2021. Photo by Todd Waterman.

“The future of the lawsuit by workers who say they were sickened by cleaning up the Kingston coal ash spill now hinges on decisions to be made soon by two different courts.

“The first and most consequential ruling will be whether Jacobs Engineering, the Tennessee Valley Authority contractor that led the cleanup from the 2008 spill, is immune from lawsuits. A federal appeals court will make that decision.”

A Knoxville vigil is tentatively planned near TVA Towers for around 5 PM Tuesday, May 31 by Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Sunrise Knoxville, Knoxville Democratic Socialists of America, Knoxville-Oak Ridge Area Central Labor Council, and Jobs with Justice. Stay tuned for HBG emails and social media posts.


Watch a Decade of [PBS] Documentaries on Climate Change & Other Environmental Threats. Patrice Taddonio, PBS Frontline, April 12.

“In The Power of Big Oil, a new three-part documentary series, FRONTLINE examines the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change, tracing decades of missed opportunities and ongoing attempts to hold Big Oil to account.

“The documentary series comes on the heels of a new report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying that rapid action is needed in order to reduce planet-warming emissions of greenhouse gases and limit climate disaster, and outlining possible ways in which the world can take action to cut such emissions in half by 2030.

“ ‘We are at a crossroads,’ IPCC chair Hoesung Lee said in an announcement about the report. ‘The decisions we make now can secure a livable future. We have the tools and know-how required to limit warming.’ ”

The Power of Big Oil documentary series trailer.


Tennessee’s 10 Biggest Climate Polluters. Caroline Eggers, WPLN News website, August 16, 2021.

Seven of the ten were TVA plants. The three worst polluters were all TVA coal plants. Worst of all, topping the list, was Cumberland with 9,208,457 tons of CO2e a year, followed by Gallatin and Kingston. Eastman Chemical Company ranked fourth, followed by three new TVA gas plants, and then Bull Run coal plant. Nearly as bad was Valero Refining, with Signal Mountain Cement closing out the list.


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.

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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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