San Diego Chapter's Legal Eagles Watch Polluters Like a Hawk

By Richard Miller, Development and Membership Coordinator, and Pamela Epstein, Legal Eagles Environmental Law & Policy Clinic Program Manager, Carolyn Chase, 2011 Chapter Chair, San Diego Chapter.

The San Diego Chapter Environmental Law and Policy Clinic –- "Legal Eagles" employs strategic action and regulatory advocacy to ensure the protection of San Diego and Imperial Counties' natural resources, and challenge those who seek to pollute and/or violate our federal, state, and local environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Quality Act. The Legal Eagles work toward honest governmental decision-making and respect for environmental laws.

The Legal Eagles oppose development projects that threaten clean water, wetlands, endangered species, environmental justice, "smart growth" and clean air in San Diego and Imperial counties. The Legal Eagles also build relationships by collaborating with others in the local, state, and national environmental and legal communities, including environmental organizations, community groups, and public officials. In assembling a network of groups who share our values and by engaging our existing grassroots supporters and recruiting new ones, we strive to maximize participation in program events, attend and participate in public hearings and other administrative advocacy.

The Chapter has increased the number of our comment letter responses by 500 percent and the Clinic has provided thousands of hours of technical support to Chapter Issues Chairs and our community partners. We filled a charter bus with concerned citizens to attend an administrative hearing and inspired more than 50 activists to send commentary letters. We have successfully obtained extensions to comment periods and were able to get a public release of previously undisclosed private property intended to be taken for the expansion of a freeway and have filed lawsuits where administrative advocacy was not enough.

This is an ongoing project and through monthly meetings of the legal committee, we are constantly reviewing, revising, and retooling the Clinic so that the Chapter can be most effective.   

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Minnesotans Say 'Thanks!' to EPA

Minnesotans gathered outside of the Environmental Protection Agency office in Duluth today to thank the agency for issuing strong new mercury pollution safeguards. They presented a large thank you card signed by local Duluthians and a banner made by Girl Scout Troop 12965. In December, the EPA finalized strong public health safeguards to limit mercury and other toxic pollution from coal power plants.

“The Sierra Club, and parents like me across Minnesota, applaud the President and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for their courage and resolve in protecting Minnesota families – particularly women and children – from this dangerous toxin and for standing up to polluters’ attempts to weaken this life-saving protection,” said John Doberstein (pictured above), local dad and Sierra Club member.

Mercury is a dangerous brain poison that poses a particular threat to prenatal babies and young children. Exposure in the bloodstreams of pregnant and nursing women can result in birth defects like learning disabilities, lowered IQ, deafness, blindness and cerebral palsy.

“There are many coal plants across Minnesota that release dangerous levels of mercury,” said Kate Mensing (pictured above), University of Minnesota-Duluth student. “We thank President Obama and the EPA for the peace of mind that now these plants will not polluting our water and air with this dangerous poison anymore.”

How Sierra Club Activism Re-Established Itself on the Olympic Peninsula

By Ben Greuel, Public Lands Organizer, and Bob Lynette, North Olympic Group Executive Committee

Historically there had been an active group on the Olympic Peninsula. But it had long fizzled out in the late 80s and early 90s, despite the fact that there had been more than 1,200 Sierra Club members on the Peninsula and more than 800 in the two northern counties (Clallam and Jefferson) alone.

That has all recently changed with the creation of the Washington Chapter's North Olympic Group. Based on campaign strategy, the early tactics the Wild Olympics Campaign utilized were mostly if not exclusively internal and non-public. We began outreach in the forms of member meetings, presentations, and outings, where interpersonal communication between members was both a possibility and a goal.

The result of the outreach was the creation of the North Olympic Group –- the newest Sierra Club group in the state of Washington. Over the course of the effort, more than 250 people participated in these events. It has greatly benefited the Washington Chapter by building volunteer leadership in a geographical location we were absent prior.

This couldn't have happened without volunteer leadership. We were lucky to work with seasoned and savvy volunteer leaders who had been involved in the past. Without the engagement and hard work from those volunteer leaders, creation of the Group would not have taken place.

The key to creating a new group is finding leaders who are interested in not only conservation work, but the nuts and bolts of administrative work that comes with ensuring a group that is viable and organized in the long-term. It was a challenge finding local leaders to take responsibility for managing the group. Another challenge was the large geographical area and sparse population in the area. This was primarily solved by recruitment of ExComm members representing each of the three largest population centers.

One key lesson was that recruitment of key leaders must be done carefully by first investigating and identifying them, and then having one-on-one meetings to gain their interest.

The Group received formal approval from the National Sierra Club in 2010, and it now represents the largest grassroots organization that is part of the Wild Olympics Coalition of environmental organizations. Four members participate in strategic meetings with the tribes and other stakeholders associated with the campaign. Since its formation, the North Olympic Group has rapidly become the most respected voice on the Peninsula for a range of environmental issues.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Volunteers Clean Up Park for MLK Day

Sierra Club and a coalition of groups are reporting that Monday's 6th Annual MLK Day Clean-Up of Pope Branch Park in the Ward 7 neighborhood of Washington, DC, was a great success.

Irv Sheffey, Sierra Club Environmental Justice Associate Field Organizer in DC, (pictured below in the center) says more than 80 volunteers turned out to remove trash and debris from the park and surrounding neighborhood - and they removed more than 6,000 pounds of trash. He's pleased with how popular and effective the clean-up has become.

"Each year we see more and more improvement in the cleanliness of the park and I attribute it to the quality of care demonstrated at (the MLK Day event) and one we hold in the spring," Irv says. "The community and the river are the direct beneficiaries of that effort." The Pope Branch Creek near the park is a tributary of the Anacostia River.

Irv says he's also happy at how many more volunteers turn out at every clean-up event, despite cold weather or distance for them to the neighborhood.

"These were 82 volunteers from all around the neighborhood, city, and region. I'm always amazed at the volunteers who come out to help in polishing this little gem of a park in southeast (DC). These are people, some coming from afar, who could have chosen to be home, spending time with their families, watching TV, and generally keeping warm. They chose to be out in our community making a difference in the spirit of Dr. King, proving his legacy lives on."

Photos by Dolly Davis

Club Sponsors Clean Energy Match-Ups at Indiana and Kentucky

The Sierra Club has gotten into the action in big-time college basketball by sponsoring major conference games at the University of Indiana and the University of Kentucky.

The first Clean Energy Match-Up, on January 12, featured Big Ten rivals Indiana and Minnesota. The second is January 17 in Lexington, KY, pitting Kentucky against its Southeastern Conference rival Arkansas.

That's Club Conservation Director Sarah Hodgdon, at center above with basketball, at Indiana's Jan. 12 home game against Minnesota. (Note the Sierra Club logo in the background at courtside.) Below, Hoosier fans show their support for clean energy.

Both Indiana and Kentucky have coal-burning power plants right on campus. The Clean Energy Match-Ups connect the wildly popular basketball programs at both universities to the idea that dirty on-campus coal-fired power plants need to be replaced by clean, affordable energy for the health of players, students, and community members.

"Aging coal plants on campus release pollutants like mercury, arsenic, lead, and sulfut dioxide into the air and water," says Quentin James, national director of the Sierra Student Coalition. "Instead of polluting their own campuses and endangering the health of their students, schools like Indiana and Kentucky should be the nation's leaders—investing in innovative clean energy technologies for the 21st century."

The first Clean Energy Match-Up featured heavily-favored Indiana, ranked #8 in the nation at the time, and Minnesota, losers of four straight games. But in a hotly-contested game that wasn't decided until the final minute, Minnesota's Golden Gophers pulled an upset, squeaking past Indiana 77-74 on the Hoosiers' home court in Bloomington.

Below, a contingent of Hoosier partisans are all smiles. (Given the result, chances are the photo was snapped before the game.)

Big New Jersey Rally Demands Fracking Ban in Delaware River Basin

An estimated 1,000 people rallied outside the Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey, to demand a ban on fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, in the Delaware River watershed. Public pressure prompted the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to postpone a vote on whether to allow the practice.

The New Jersey Sierra Club and Delaware Riverkeeper were the primary organizers of the rally. Above, New Jersey Sierra Club organizers Kate Millsaps and Nicole Dallara flank actor/director Mark Ruffalo, founder of WaterDefense.org, at the demonstration.

The Sierra Club has been working since 2008 to stop fracking, which injects water and chemicals into bedrock under enormous pressure and poses threats to groundwater, drinking water, and air quality, among other risks. Residents who live near fracking sites have experienced health problems, foul-smelling air, and there are several documented cases of residential tap water catching fire.

Click here or on the photo above to hear Ruffalo's speech at the Trenton rally; click here or on the photo below to see residential tap water igniting.

The Trenton rally was planned to coincide with a DRBC meeting at the Statehouse to vote on fracking. But the commission—comprised of the governors of the four states that drain into the Delaware River and an Army Corps of Engineers representative—pulled back from its drilling plans and postponed the meeting. The rally went on as planned, with a decidedly jubilant tone.

"Today's rally is a kick-off of a campaign to ban fracking in the Delaware River Basin," New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel, below, told the crowd. "This is a rally for the future of our river and to protect the water supply for 15 million people. We cannot trust the politicians or the DRBC to protect that water from fracking; we must get them to ban fracking."

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill last summer that would have imposed a statewide ban on fracking, instead recommending a one-year moratorium. The New Jersey Legislature officially accepted the one-year ban on January 10.

Nebraska Teen Speaks Out Against Tar Sands Pipeline

Last September a 14-year high school freshman stood up in a packed arena in the shadow of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln and testified at a U.S. State Department hearing on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry crude tar sands oil through Nebraska en route from Canada to refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast.

"My name is Helen Winston, I'm 14 years old, and I'm from Omaha, Nebraska," the young woman began. "I do not stand before you as some brainwashed hippie child. I stand before you as a free-thinking young adult. I stand before you as a representative of the hundreds of outraged young people who could not make it here today.

"I'm here representing not just the youth of Nebraska, but the future of America," she continued, her words nearly drowned out by applause. "We don't see a future with the pipeline. We don't see a future of an America still reliant upon filthy oil. We don't see a future where farmers are bullied for their lands while the government just stands and watches. We don't see an America that is still dependent on oil in our future."

Click here, or on the image above, to hear Helen's testimony.

Sierra Club Co-Sponsors 'Water is Life' Forum with Tribal Partners

The Sierra Club and the Navajo grassroots group Black Mesa United co-sponsored a "Water is Life" forum in Flagstaff, Arizona, in mid-December. More than 30 residents of Black Mesa attended the forum, which focused on pollution from Peabody Energy's Kayenta and Black Mesa coal mines to the water supply for the Forest Lake Navajo.

"Forest Lake is the closest Navajo Chapter to the Kayenta and Black Mesa mines," says Sierra Club organizer Andy Bessler, below left, who helped put together the forum. "Over 80 families live within Peabody's leasehold, where regular blasting pollutes the air, toxic water pollutes springs and washes, and groundwater pumping depletes the local aquifer."

Black Mesa residents had requested an update on what the Sierra Club and other groups are doing in response to Peabody's request for a mine permit renewal on Black Mesa, as well as expected EPA action to clean up the Navajo Generating Station, below right, near Page, Arizona.

Thanks to the work of the Sierra Club, allied groups, and tribal partners, the Black Mesa Mine is currently idle. But the Kayenta Mine, below, continues to send millions of tons of coal to the Navajo Generating Station via an extensive train and conveyer belt system.

Photo courtesy of Doc Searls

Fern Bernally, a board member of Black Mesa United, welcomed everyone to the forum, and Black Mesa resident Maria Gladue translated from English to Navajo throughout the day for the many elders present who spoke only Navajo. That's Gladue, below, talking about the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign's recent public service ad highlighting the adverse impacts of coal power on public health.

Longtime Nevada Conservationist and Renewable Energy Advocate Honored

Photo by Dave Hombeck

"Joe Johnson was the Pied Piper of the renewable power movement before it was fashionable," says Jean Stoess, chair of the Sierra Club's Toiyabe Chapter.

Johnson, a former geologist, Nevada State Assemblyman, and now state lobbyist for the Sierra Club, was recently honored with the Golden Pinecone Award, celebrating "the good work of citizens to preserve and enhance the environment of northern Nevada."

That's Johnson at right, above, accepting a plaque from Assemblyman David Bobzien, who emceed the awards ceremony. "Joe has great institutional knowledge of what works and doesn't work in renewable energy in the legislature," Bobzien said in presenting Johnson with the award.

"After retiring from the state legislature Joe went to work for the Sierra Club (among other clients), where he has focused mainly on renewable energy policy," says friend and colleague Paula Carrell, the Club's State Program Director. "Nevada has in many ways been at the forefront of renewable energy policy, and that's largely thanks to Joe.

"He's also a great dancer," Carrell says. "He's very light on his feet."

Juan Martinez Appointed to Sierra Club Foundation's Board of Directors

On December 19, the Sierra Club Foundation announced that Juan Martinez, above, has become the newest member of its Board of Directors. At 27, the native of South-Central Los Angeles becomes the youngest member of the Foundation's board.

"It's an honor to be part of an organization where I've gone from being a participant to now sitting on the board," Martinez says. "The Sierra Club deals with environmental issues, but ultimately these are human issues. The environment affects people's lives, and we can improve people's lives for the better. I hope to represent the heartbeat of the environmental movement on the Foundation's board."

Martinez first became involved with the Sierra Club as a participant in Building Bridges to the Outdoors while in high school in South Central L.A. He worked his way up to the position of youth volunteer coordinator, and went on to join the Sierra Student Coalition's executive committee and helped construct the organization's policy.

"The Sierra Club is a big part of my personal story and a significant part of my life," Martinez says. "So many of my friends and mentors are part of the Club. I feel I can point to almost anyplace in the country and find people who are part of this tribe and the fight to improve the way of life for ourselves and future generations."

That's Martinez at center, below, as part of the Sierra Club contingent at the 2009 Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great Outdoors conference.