After a busy spring, we’re seeing a number of our campaigns heating up this summer. Sierra Club John Muir Chapter members and volunteers are showing up and speaking up across the state on clean energy, mining, tar sands, transit and more. So far it’s been two steps forward and one step back for Wisconsin, but the John Muir Chapter is moving full-steam ahead.
A HUGE step forward happened in Milwaukee yesterday. The Sierra Club John Muir Chapter and the Great Waters Group have been working closely with partners, including Citizen Action, 350-Milwaukee, Cream City Conservation, NAACP, Wisconsin Green Muslims, and others, for over a year to call on the city to make a commitment to 100% clean energy while also reducing racial and economic inequity by investing in green jobs for the most impoverished neighborhoods. This week Milwaukee City Council President Ashanti Hamilton introduced a resolution that will be a huge first step in getting the city to 100% clean energy! The resolution passed unanimously in the Steering and Rules Committee and now moves on to the full board.
The resolution charges the Task Force with making recommendations on how to:
- reduce community-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by the year 2030 and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner
- mitigate racial and income inequity through green jobs; and,
- dramatically reduce racial inequality by assuring that greenhouse gas reduction investments and policies will create the maximum number of permanent living wage jobs for people who live in the most impoverished Milwaukee neighborhoods and are currently shut out of economic opportunity.
This task force will come together to solve the two biggest crises facing Milwaukee right now. If you live in Milwaukee, write your Alderperson right away.
This is only the first step in a long process to make sure the task force is created and the recommendations of the task force are implemented.
And one step backward on solar: Hours before the introduction of the resolution, we were at Bounce Milwaukee for a press conference with community leaders and elected officials opposing We Energies’ proposed solar tax.The company recently filed a proposal with the Public Service Commission that would impose a major extra fee on solar panel owners, including both residential homes and businesses. This proposal is a revival of a similar 2014 proposal by We Energies that was ultimately rejected by the courts, partly due to its unfairness and lack of justification. Tell We Energies not to increase the barriers to solar by signing the petition.
Stop the threat of tar sands oil through Wisconsin: that same day, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Enbridge doesn’t need to demonstrate they have insurance to clean up a spill if their
pipeline ruptures. Enbridge is currently putting millions of dollars behind getting approval to build the Line 3 pipeline and to protect their risky Line 5 pipeline. Both of these pipelines jeopardize Wisconsin and some of our most important waterways. If the Supreme Court thinks it’s okay for Enbridge to operate without insurance, we need to work even harder to make sure we stop new pipelines in Wisconsin and decommission Line 5.
Two steps closer to shutting down Line 5: On the same day (it was quite a whirlwind), Michigan Attorney General Nessel filed a lawsuit to force Enbridge to shut down Line 5 where it crosses the Straits of Mackinaw. Additionally, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwa held a community meeting and Chairman Wiggins said they may have to sue to force Enbridge to remove the pipeline.
There is plenty more happening!
Stop the Back 40 Mine: On Tuesday, June 25th Michigan’s Whitmer Administration held a hearing on permits for the Back 40 mine and Sierra Club members were there to testify. We have a lot of work to do to stop this mine, protect the Menomonee River, and ensure protection for ourwater and this cultural important site. We listed actions that you can take in a recent blog that you can find here.
Participating in a Transit Week of Action with our partners. Governor Evers introduced one of the best budgets for the environment in decades, including large increases in transit funding. Unfortunately, the legislature passed a budget last week with a tiny increase. From July 7-14, we’ll be working around the state to show the importance of transit to everyone in Wisconsin. Sign up to participate!
Join us at the Water Quality Hearings. The legislature has finally recognized the serious problems with Wisconsin’s water pollution and has created a Water Quality Task Force to look
at the problems with drinking water throughout the state. They’ve held four hearings and will hold seven more. We’re making sure our members in the area know about the hearings and are able to speak about their concerns. Watch our calendar for dates and locations of hearings.
Want to help us continue the momentum on these campaigns? We have a fun and creative, new way to raise funds to support these efforts...Team Sierra. It’s an easy, online platform where you can build your own fundraiser to support the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter in as little as five minutes. Have a birthday coming up? Build a Team Sierra fundraiser. Running a marathon? Planning a hike? You can create a Team Sierra fundraiser. It’s a great way to engage your friends and family and support the issues you care about.
Not sure a Team Sierra fundraiser is right for you? That’s ok, you can make a one-time donation or set up a monthly gift to the John Muir Chapter here. Your gift will help support our effective, grassroots advocacy. Together we can ensure that Wisconsin continues moving forward on efforts to curb climate disruption and protect our state’s water, land and wildlife.