Oregon Coal Activists Profiled

Cesia Kearns (left) and Robin Everett of the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club. Photo courtesy of StreetRoots.

Two of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign activists from Oregon got a great profile on the news website StreetRoots this week.

Cesia Kearns and Robin Everett sat down with reporter Mara Grunbaum and were able to share their views on fighting coal and working for clean energy in the Evergreen State.

Some highlights from the article:

EVERETT: A lot of people are surprised to find out that 41 percent of our energy comes from coal in Oregon. We have an opportunity to educate people on that fact, and there’s decision-making happening that can shift that 41 percent to a lower percentage.

...

KEARNS: People may not be motivated because of the environment, but they’re definitely motivated by their pocketbooks, and that’s helped. We’re saying, look, you can save money by using more efficient appliances. You’re going to save money by doing an energy audit on your house. That’s resonating a lot more now. I know someone who works in the solar installation industry. I was asking him, “You know, it’s kind of expensive, have you seen a downturn in these economic times?” He said, “No, it’s doubled.” People are recognizing that they want to save money long-term, and this is one way to do that.

Be sure to go check out the entire article, and congrats to Kearns and Everett for the excellent article!

Report From the 2nd EPA Global Warming Endangerment Hearing

The Seattle rally. Photo by Dan Ritzman

The report is in from the second Environmental Protection Agency public hearing on its global warming endangerment finding. The hearing was held last Thursday in Seattle, where hundreds turned out to testify and close to 2,000 showed up for the mid-day rally held by the Sierra Club and other partner organizations committed to fighting global warming.

Sierra Club staffer Kathleen Ridihalgh leads the rally-goers in a cheer.

You can read an excellent round-up of the hearing over on the Big Picture blog at our Climate Crossroads website. There are also more great photos of the rally like the one above in the Big Picture's photo gallery.

A busload of Sierra Club folks from Oregon getting ready to head up to Seattle for the hearing.

And if you missed the round-up from the first EPA hearing in Virginia, click here to read that.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone on their hard work organizing such great turnout for both hearings - and special thanks to those who took time to testify to the EPA that the agency should be regulating global warming pollution.

Vehicle Deal Nets Sierra Clubber TV & White House Face Time

Ann Mesnikoff in front of the Sierra Club Legislative Office in Washington, DC.

The Sierra Club's own Ann Mesnikoff became a TV star this week as the Obama Administration announced a deal on achieving higher fuel economy standards and a national greenhouse gas standards for new cars and trucks.  Mesnikoff is head of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign and was thrilled with the news (you can also hear her perspective on the deal over on the Sierra Club's Compass blog).

On the evening before the announcement, she hit the TV news networks to discuss the announcement, making it onto CBS, NBC and MSNBC - not to mention on more than 100 NBC affiliates who used the footage in their local newscasts around the U.S. She's been hearing from many friends and family members who've seen her on their screens at home.

Mesnikoff also attended Tuesday's announcement of the vehicle deals from President Obama at the White House

The cameras following Ann Mesnikoff. Just kidding, these are the ones that covered the White House announcement of the vehicle deals. Photo by Ann Mesnikoff.

"Going to the White House was an honor, and exciting," said Mesnikoff. "Many of us gathered at the East Gate and really had no idea where we were heading.  It was a pleasant surprise to find that we would hear this announcement in the famous Rose Garden."

For her, this decision has been a long time coming: "I have worked on fuel economy standards since 1995.  We knew that this Administration was aiming to set a national standard that would provide national reductions at the level of California's clean car standards.  But we expected action on this in August.  If you had asked me on Monday morning if I thought I'd be at the White House on Tuesday to hear President Obama announce that the auto industry had agreed to a 35.5 mpg fleetwide average for new cars in 2016, I would have said 'not possible.'  But it has happened - and it is a culmination of years of pushing and persistance.  We knew all along the industry had the technology to do better- they have finally admitted it.  

A photo Mesnikoff snapped while at the White House ceremony.

Mesnikoff added that the day at the White House was a reminder that elections do matter. 

"We have a President in the White House that understands the need for a clean energy economy, is willing to engage all of the parties - from EPA, DOT, California and other states, and the environmental community - and let the science and the law move the standards in the right direction.  After so many years of inaction, we have a clear path to higher fuel economy standards!"

Mesnikoff also snapped this photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while at the White House ceremony.

Congratulations to Mesnikoff and all the Sierra Club volunteers and staff who've spent so long working on clean cars!

North Dakotans Turn Out to Oppose Permit for Coal Complex Near National Park

The Sierra Club's campaign to stop a proposed coal complex 30 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park heated up at a late April air quality permit public hearing conducted by the North Dakota Health Department at City Hall in Dickinson, N.D. Some 100 people turned out for the hearing, above and below.

The South Heart Power Project is a $1.4 billion proposal for a coal-to-gas conversion and coal mine at the same site. The Sierra Club has been working closely with Neighbors United, a local landowners group, to halt the issuance of an air quality permit for the complex, which Australia-based GTL Energy has already started to build. More than half of the citizens at the hearing arrived sporting bright yellow "Neighbors United" T-shirts.

Neighbors United activist Mary Hodell, below left, whose children attend South Heart School, near the proposed complex, testified that she would have serious concerns about her children's health if it came online. That's Dacotah Chapter member Frank Hurt, below right, holding his granddaughter at the hearing.

The hearing, which garnered coverage in The Dickinson Press, resulted from an outpouring of citizen requests for the Health Department to hold a formal hearing during the written comment period for the air permit. "The Health Department initially wanted to only have an informal informational meeting," says North Dakota Sierra Club organizer Wayde Schafer, "but we negotiated both an informal meeting and a formal, on-the-record public hearing."

At a pre-hearing training for volunteer activists it was decided that their message would be reinforced if they wore the T-shirts, produced by Neighbors United and the Club's Dacotah Chapter, as a show of solidarity. More than half of the citizens turned out for the hearing wearing the shirts, including all but two of the 20 people who testified.

The Dacotah Chapter did mailings, phone-banks, an online action alert, and rented a shuttle van to boost turnout at the April 28 hearing. The written comment period was then extended until May 8th, and another postcard and online action alert were sent out in order to generate additional comments to the Health Department.

Read more about the Sierra Club's work to move beyond coal.

All photos by Mary Hodell except Mary Hodell photo courtesy of Dickinson Press.

Report from the 1st EPA Global Warming Endangerment Hearing

 
The crowd at our mid-day EPA hearing press conference.

(This post also viewable over on our Sierra Club Compass Blog)

I had the pleasure of attending much of yesterday's first public hearing from the Environmental Protection Agency on its global warming endangerment finding. This hearing was held at the EPA office in Arlington, VA, and featured a great crowd of people who want the EPA to do the right thing and regulate global warming pollution.

While I only saw the speakers from the hearing's start at 9am until noon, it featured a good variety of people from all types of backgrounds. There were many activists and staffers from the Sierra Club, as well as from many other environmental organizations. There were state environmental employees, faith leaders, business leaders, professors, scientists, doctors, and more - almost all of which were on our side.

The testimony from the day's speakers ranged from scientific findings to personal stories, and to inspirational calls to action.

Big Coal Dust Victory in Virginia

Photo by John Harbison

The Club won a critical victory on April 24 when the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted unanimously to support recommendations made by the Sierra Club and the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards to deal with health-threatening coal dust pollution in Roda, Va.

One member of the board characterized as "shocking" a scientific report prepared and presented by North Carolina State University Professor Viney Aneja on dust exposure levels in Roda. Wise County residents Kathy Selvage and Pete Ramey, who have long suffered the ill effects of mountaintop removal mining and coal dust pollution first-hand, also testified at the hearing.

Selvage and Ramey are pictured in front row, below, at the state capitol in Richmond, where they testified. Center row: Virginia Sierra Club Director Glen Besa, Dr. Viney Aneja, and Megan Gore; back row: Gary Selvage (Kathy's husband) and Adam Wells of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards.

The Air Board's 6-0 vote directs the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to take immediate steps to deal with coal dust in Roda, which is surrounded on three sides by nine mountaintop removal coal mines. The road running through Roda, pictured at top of post, provides access to all nine mines, and hundreds of coal truck have been known to travel the road in a single day. The trucks release coal dust from their bodies and beds, and track mud onto the road which dries and is kicked up by other trucks.

Sierra Club Answers Casting Call

The Sierra Club joined the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, other outdoor and conservation groups, and government decision makers for two days of fishing events aimed to help convey the importance of collaborative fisheries conservation.

“Maintaining healthy fisheries is increasingly challenging, especially in the face of climate change” said Tim Guilfoile, Sierra Sportsmen representative. “We all want to pass on opportunities to enjoy the outdoors to future generations, and we can better achieve that goal when people work together.”

While lots of good work happened on Monday, as decision makers delved into the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, the main event was on Sunday when more than 800 kids came out and got “hooked.”         

           

Children from as far away as Colorado and Pennsylvania joined those from D.C. as they lined up on the banks of the C&O Canal (which runs parallel to the Potomac) to experience the thrill of fishing first hand.

“Just about everybody caught a fish,” said Guilfoile, who volunteered at the event. “It was very cool to hear the huge cheer that went up every time a kid reeled one in.” 

Japanese fish painting, exhibits on streams and tons of other fun activities helped fill fishing down time.

The Sierra Club donated 60 rods and reels for the event, part of the Club’s ongoing work to get kids outside. Working with the Federation of Fly Fishers and other organizations, the Sierra Club donated roughly 2,000 fishing rods, half conventional spinning rods and half fly rods, to youth programs last year. Those rods helped get more than 52,000 kids across America out fishing.

      

Plans are in the works to donate another 2,000 rods to Trout Unlimited, the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association and other sporting and conservation organizations in the coming year.

“We hope that many of these kids will continue to fish over the course of their lives.” Guilfoile added, “We know that getting kids outside is important. We hope that they will be more likely to care about protecting a stream if they’ve experience its value first hand by fishing it.”

Club Marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month—a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. To mark the occasion, Sierra Club President Allison Chin will speak at several public events this month. That's Chin, above, at a town hall meeting at the White House in March.

Chin will address the EPA in San Francisco and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Washington, D.C., relating her own story as an Asian American environmentalist and stressing the importance of the Blue Green Alliance. She will also speak at two events in Southern California.

The Sierra Club has long been partnering with Asian Americans. In New Orleans, Delta Chapter activists helped parishioners at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church form the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation, dedicated to sustainably rebuilding New Orleans' Viet Village neighborhood. Below, a Friendship Dinner held in 2007 in Viet Village by the Sierra Club, the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, and the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association. Another Friendship Dinner is being planned for this fall.

Pittsburgh Group Rides Against Coal

Last Saturday in Pittsburgh a group of citizens and representatives from several environmental organizations used a unique way to draw attention to the environmental issues surrounding the use of coal.

Participants rode their bikes, roller blades and skates along the Allegheny River from the offices of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Washington's Landing to Point State Park. Once there they held a rally and press conference to ask Governor Ed Rendell and DEP Secretary John Hanger to move Pennsylvania beyond the use of dirty coal and toward a future that would better protect state residents.

"Pennsylvania is doing a great job in moving forward toward our new energy economy by investing in truly renewable energy sources such as wind and solar - there is no need to build any new coal facilities here", said Randy Francisco, Sierra Club Pennsylvania campaign organizer.

"Building additional plants in Pennsylvania would be a step backwards, harming families and making global warming worse. The Pittsburgh area suffers from high levels of pollution from surrounding plants.  We don't need any more coal plants around us, and we need to clean up the ones that are already here."

Francisco said the ride and rally gathered more than 25 people together to talk coal and clean energy. He said the Center for Coalfield Justice, Group Against Smog and Pollution, and the Environmental Integrity Project helped organize the event.

"Everyone had a great time and a few of the riders even continued on from there and rode about 20 miles that day," said Francisco.

Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director the Sierra Club Beyond, spoke at the rally as well.

Another issue brought up during the rally was longwall coal mining. Francisco said that coal companies that practice longwall mining in Pennsylvania are devastating local communities. Under current law they are permitted to cause damage to structures, including family homes. They are also allowed to disrupt water supplies. Coal companies are required to fund repairs to homes and to replace water supplies, but frequently residents find themselves embroiled in lengthy legal battles with these companies to have their former living conditions restored.

"On physical, financial, and emotional levels, longwall mining literally undermines people's homes, quality of life, and social and economic security," said Raina Rippel, Director of the Center for Coalfield Justice. "Southwestern Pennsylvania is essentially being treated as an energy sacrifice zone. We provide 'cheap' coal to a nation hungry for energy, while our citizens and communities bear a disproportionate amount of the environmental, health and economic costs."

Francisco is planning a similar event for Philadelphia this summer and hopes the bike ride and rally will become an annual event.

Photos by Randy Francisco

Earth Day 2009: A Snapshot

Sierra Clubbers from coast to coast and beyond rolled up their sleeves and participated in all manner of Earth Day activities and celebrations this year. 

In Flagstaff, Arizona, Club organizer Andy Bessler, his son Noah, and Grand Canyon Chapter staffer Stacey Hamburg tabled at a Flagstaff Earth Day event, above and below, that drew an estimated 2,500 attendees.

Bessler also emceed the event, which featured four bands performing on a solar-powered sound stage. "Walking the talk in hosting this event was key," says Bessler, pictured below in black t-shirt with Noah.

    

Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler challenged residents to support sustainability in the city. Bessler worked with volunteers from the City and the Sierra Club to organize seven service projects around town. "More than 125 people participated," Bessler says. "Each of them got a little seed packet with wildflowers that said, 'Thanks from Sierra Club and Native Plant and Seed.'"

Thousands of revelers, above, turned out in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, for the Fourth Annual Leatherback Turtle Festival. "Turnout was bigger than ever," says Puerto Rico Sierra Club organizer Camilla Feibelman. "We continue to promote the protection of the Northeast Ecological Corridor and appropriate development of Luquillo as a gateway community to the nature reserve."