By Matt Johnson
August 5 will be Chrissy Mann’s last day at the Sierra Club. As our Sr. Campaign Representative with the Beyond Coal Campaign in Texas, she has been a crucial part of many memorable moments as the Lone Star State transitions from dirty coal and fossil gas power to clean energy. It’s rare we get the time to appreciate our hard-working staff before they start new adventures, but we were lucky to grab some time with Chrissy to talk about the work, her accomplishments, and what lies ahead. Here’s a conversation we had just after I learned she would be leaving the Sierra Club.
Chrissy, we go back even before we worked at the Sierra Club. You were an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and I was a Clean Energy Advocate at Public Citizen. Our organizations shared office space just west of the Capitol. Then we both ended up at the Sierra Club. What made you want to work for the Sierra Club all those years ago?
Back when I was working for EIP and co-officing with you, Sierra Club was our client. At that point there was no fully fleshed out Beyond Coal Campaign, but Sierra Club was already fighting coal - new coal plants, specifically. So at that time, Sierra Club navigated the organizing needs and EIP handled the legal battle in the state agencies. Sierra Club’s dedication to strategic campaigning stuck with me and so when the opportunity arose years later to work full time on replacing dirty energy with clean I jumped at it.
A lot has changed since you started working here. Staff and volunteers have come and gone, the organization has changed, and the nature of the work as well as the makeup of our state’s energy resources has changed too. What are one or two things that stand out to you the most when you think about when you started here and where we’re at now?
Wow, yeah the organization is definitely growing and evolving in more ways than just getting bigger. The work itself continues to grow in sophistication. During my tenure, I’ve worked through three Presidential administrations, and the federal clean air and public health rules that are so important to our work have been constantly in flux. What stands out to me is the lesson for campaigners: it is really important to build long-lasting campaigns that can pivot when necessary and sustain that kind of variability. And… oh yeah, it’s not just big ole power plants we should be focusing on. Energy efficiency is (or should be) really really important to homes, to businesses, to the grid. Something all of us should realize more than ever after Winter Storm Uri and this current unbreakable heat wave.
What are some memorable moments of the campaigns you’ve been part of? Are there any that you’re particularly proud of?
I’m proud of so much work that has happened! The campaign to clean up and retire Vistra’s super polluting coal plants across Texas is now focused primarily on holding Vistra and the State of Texas accountable for the pollution from the Martin Lake power plant after the retirements of Big Brown, Monticello, and Sandow. Martin Lake’s pollution continues to harm communities near and far and I know our team won’t rest until the plant is cleaned up or retires. The experience working in San Antonio has been amazing. San Antonio has always been a second home for me growing up and the community of Sierra Club and partner activists made it feel like home all over again. Also it's not so bad to see a coal plant finally retired (Deeley) and lots progress on public engagement (hello Rate Advisory Committee, public comments at CPS Energy Board meetings, and a whole Climate Action and Adaptation Plan). Meanwhile, CPS Energy is finally on the cusp of putting together a plan to retire San Antonio’s last coal plant.
In your final work days here, I didn’t pick up on any senioritis. You haven’t seemed to be “checked out” of the work. LOL. What’s your take on what lies ahead for the Sierra Club, and the environmental justice movement in Texas?
Thanks, Matt! I think Sierra Club will continue to learn and evolve into an organization that can lead in lots of ways - especially in finding new ways to support our partners in the environmental justice movement in Texas. Sierra Club’s resources and dedicated volunteer base create all kinds of opportunities for leadership - and it doesn’t always have to be by being out front. If the movement is going to succeed in Texas - it will take everyone stepping up and maybe even scooting over to make room for everyone at the table.
Where are you going next? What excites you about your next job?
I’ll be headed to the law department for the City of Austin. I’m very excited to get the opportunity to work supporting solutions for my hometown of Austin. Especially through my tenure at Sierra Club, I’ve loved getting to know the state even better and being able to connect with the amazing people fighting for justice and a livable future in communities across Texas. Ironically, very little of that work for me was centered here in Central Texas where I grew up and where I still call home. I am looking forward to connecting more with my city.
Finally, though we both call Texas home, you are a Mets fan and I am a Cubs fan. I will magnanimously allow you to get in any parting shots given the great season your team is having and the awful season my team is having.
Ah, that one is too easy, but L*GM!