Memphis environmentalists sue U.S. Army Corps over Byhalia Pipeline permit Activists say the project endangers Memphis Sand aquifer - Read more by Carrington J. Tatum - MLK50 - April 2, 2021
Al Gore calls proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline 'reckless, racist rip-off' at rally. "Former Vice President Al Gore voiced his opposition to the Byhalia Connection and put Memphis elected officials on notice during a rally against the pipeline Sunday afternoon. A few hundred people were on hand for the event at Alonzo Weaver Park in South Memphis, which featured speeches from Gore, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, community activists and landowners that would be affected by the pipeline’s path." Read more by Max Garland - Memphis Commercial Appeal - March 14, 2021.
Nokian's Dayton, Tennessee, tire factory called one of most eco-friendly worldwide, company says. “Nokian Tyres' factory in Dayton, Tennessee, is now one of the most eco-friendly in the tire industry worldwide after reaching another key environmental mark Tuesday. The Dayton facility's solar-powered administration building has landed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Gold certification... Design innovations include solar power, low-emitting building materials and a high level of natural lighting throughout the facility.” Read more by Mike Pare - Times Free Press - March 9, 2021.
Motorsports park would be like 'candy store' for car lovers. Does it make sense for Oak Ridge? Investors have proposed a $50 million development they envision as "an entertainment complex for car enthusiasts" that would take up about 320 unused acres of industrial land in Oak Ridge's West End. Plans include a kart racing track, garages, off-roading, driver training, conference spaces, walking trails, a hotel, a restaurant, and even a research and development lab for testing autonomous vehicles. The project would require rezoning, and the neighbors worry about negative impacts on noise levels and property values. Read more by Brenna McDermott - Knoxville News Sentinel - March 13, 2021.
Good news from Clarksville! Sierra Club Clarksville-Montgomery County (SC CMC) is excited to announce that the Clarksville City Council passed a resolution on March 4 to create a Sustainability Board. The 12-1 vote was the result of a campaign begun last summer by SC CMC to endorse candidates, engage them in a public forum on sustainability, and work with them to decide on the specific ask for this resolution. Our thanks to all of the Sierra Club members and supporters in Montgomery County who worked on this project and/or contacted council members, and also to other Tennessee Chapter folks who helped us research sustainability initiatives in their own cities across the state. This is a significant first step for Tennessee’s fifth-largest city! By JoAnn McIntosh, Sierra Club Clarksville-Montgomery County.
Congratulations to Rita Harris for receiving the 'Individual Advocate' Environmental Service Award from the Tennessee Conservation Voters!
"Justin J. Pearson, an organizer for Memphis Community Against the Pipeline bumps elbows with former Vice President Al Gore after his speech during a rally organized by MCAP at Alonzo Weaver Park on Sunday afternoon." Photo: Andrea Morales for MLK50. See coverage by MLK50 - March 14, 2021.
This is no time to start backsliding on the Pigeon River. For most of the 20th century, a paper plant freely polluted the Pigeon River, which flows into East Tennessee from North Carolina. Thanks to a class action lawsuit, federal regulators had ordered the plant to clean up its act in the mid 1980s. Since then the river has become a huge "adventure tourism" draw for Cocke County, TN. But recently, the state of North Carolina is considering loosening regulations on waste that can be dumped into the Pigeon River. The NC Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled an April 14 online public hearing to gather input. Read more by Sam Venable - Knoxville News Sentinel - March 9, 2021.
The demise and potential revival of the American Chestnut. "The Appalachian landscape was reshaped twice over: first by the death of the chestnuts, then by a century of anthracite coal mining that stripped and scarred the earth, leaving piles of rubble in its wake." Read more by Kate Morgan - Sierra Magazine - Feb. 25, 2021.
Why Tennessee's push to take over regulation of a shrunken coal industry will cost taxpayers. "Since losing the ability regulate its own coal mining industry in the 1980s, state lawmakers have been working through federal and state red tape to bring it back. Among the promises made was that the effort to get regulations in place, overseen by the state, would cost "not one cent." But that's not the case. Added to this are critics and environmentalists who say paying any amount of money and spending any effort fighting for state control is pointless given the scant amount of coal actually being pulled out of the hills of East Tennessee." Read more by Tyler Whetstone - Knoxville News Sentinel - March 3, 2021. Take one minute to tell your State Senator and Representative to Vote No on SB742/HB90!
Elected officials add voices to debate over Nashville landfill in Black neighborhood. "A public oversight board will meet Wednesday to weigh the future of a landfill in northwest Nashville that takes in 90 percent of all construction waste generated in the city but will reach capacity within the next three years." Read more by Anita Wadhwani - Tennessee Lookout - March 24, 2021.
As a result of pollution by the Blue Ridge Paper Company (known at the time as Champion Paper), a "do not consume" fish advisory was issued by the State of Tennessee in 1989, due to elevated levels of dioxin in multiple fish species. After regulation enforcements and continuous testing, the fish consumption advisory was completely lifted in 2001. Wildlife professionals began rehabilitating species in the river. Here, instructors are photographed at an educational event as they check a kick seine for aquatic insects. Photo: Gary Peeples/US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Health & Justice
Putting the cart before the horse: diversity in the environmental movement. "Ever since I wrote Racism is Killing the Planet , I have been asked to speak a lot. Most people want me to make the same case I did in the piece—to argue, usually for a white audience struggling to understand, how white supremacy and racism are driving the climate crisis.... This is part of my job—I go to meetings and I talk with folks about how to transform our organization on the basis of racial justice and equity. But oftentimes all people want to ask me about is how to “diversify” their own internal team or chapter..."Read more by Hop Hopkins - Sierra - March 11, 2021.
Your state helps determine how long you live. Sociologist and demographer Jennifer Karas Montez describes how state politics have a direct effect on life expectancy. In a state like Tennessee, many conservative politicians support the status quo and regressive policies when it comes to labor, environment, immigration, civil rights, and tobacco policies. These policies "that protect profit over people” can shave off seven years of life, compared to the most progressive states. Tennessee ranks fifth from the bottom in longevity. As a country, US longevity has been on the decline, coming in at 46th globally. Read more by Hana Kiros - Innovation Hub - March 26, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands. Gov. Bill Lee announced that by April 5, all Tennesseans age 16 and over will become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. The TN Dept of Health reminds all Tennesseans that in addition to vaccination, wearing a face mask, maintaining social distance and getting tested when exposed or sick are critical to controlling the pandemic. Read the announcement from March 22, 2021.
Experimental chestnut trees at a nursery in State College, Pennsylvania. Sierra Magazine.
Grassroots Groups Unite against the Pipeline
By Shahin A. Samiei, Chickasaw Group Executive Committee [edited]
On February 18th, the Chickasaw Group led a discussion on the proposed Byhalia Pipeline that would cut through parts of Memphis and North Mississippi, transporting oil from pipelines snaking from Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. The group hosted Justin Pearson and Kathy Robinson from the community organization Memphis Community Against the Pipeline and Jim Kovarik from Protect Our Aquifer. We asked several guiding questions: is any pipeline justified? Does this specific route through our community and our region create the most public benefits, with the least harm? Are there legal or procedural steps which can still be taken to slow down, minimize harm from, or even stop the project?
Approximately 40 attendees were a part of the lively discussion, sharing background, individual stories, and advocacy strategies that have been used and can still be used at the federal, state, and local levels to prevent the pipeline. The community also raised several questions about the use of eminent domain to approve this project. Environmental justice concerns are clear, as the pipeline would bisect predominantly Black neighborhoods in southwest Memphis. Residents throughout the pipeline zone are very concerned of their generations-held properties being taken, their property values decreasing, and environmental concerns that arise due to nearby breaches in the clay-layer which protects the Memphis Sand Aquifer.
This issue affects every community in Memphis and our region as well, as it would pass directly over vulnerable sections of the Memphis Sands aquifer – the source of Memphis’s world-renowned drinking water. The Sierra Club Chickasaw Group will continue working with concerned citizens and citizen groups to protect our natural resources and uphold environmental justice in and for our region. Watch the recording here to see the community discussion from Feb. 18th.
Action Items
Vote Now in Sierra Club Board Elections!
There are eight candidates on the ballot for the five open seats on the Board of Directors for the 2021-2024 term. Vote by April 28th by mail or electronic ballot! Read about the candidates here or watch the 60-minute town hall forum here.
Call for Ex-Com nominations!
The Chapter’s Nomination Committee is seeking candidates to self-nominate and suggestions for nominees! This year, 4 out of the seven At-Large Chapter ExCom members will end their term. The Sierra Club’s democratic process ensures it is held accountable to its membership with viable candidates who best represent our members’ interests. Any Chapter member in good standing is eligible for nomination.
The ExCom sets the Chapter budget and strategic direction, reaches consensus on conservation positions, raises money, appoints officers and committee chairs, plans important events, and approves litigation and electoral endorsements. The Chapter ExCom meets 6 times a year, bi-monthly. At-Large candidates must be willing and able to participate fully.
After receiving your nominations by July 31, 2021, the Chapter Nominations Committee will consider and recommend candidates for the ballot, which is published in the November/December edition of the Tennes-Sierran newspaper as well as online for members receiving Sierra Club emails. Candidates may also get on the ballot by petition by July 31, 2021. All candidates are allowed space on the ballot to advocate for their election. Candidates receiving the top votes will start their 2-year terms in January 2022.
Any Sierra Club member wishing to be considered as a 2022-2023 At-Large candidate should indicate their intent by July 31, 2021. Email Todd Waterman at jtoddw@gmail.com or snail mail to 418 Orchard Knob Road, Clinton, Tennessee 37716.
EPA Seeks Nominations for Local Government Advisory Committee
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has requested nominations to serve on its Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC), which advises the EPA on critical environmental issues impacting local governments. Candidates must be current elected or appointed officials representing local, state, tribal or territorial governments. EPA expressly values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and encourages the nominations of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Nominations should be submitted by April 16th. More info here.
Action alert: Tell your senators to fix our broken democracy and pass the "For the People Act"!
Congress has a duty to restore the promise of the American democracy. It's past time we take action to ensure everyone's voice -- no matter what zip code, race, or background -- is heard in our democracy. Tell your senator to vote YES!
Calling All Hikers!
The Harvey Broome Group (HBG) is planning to produce a new version of a hiking guide that details trails in the Cherokee National Forest (CNF). HBG wrote and produced two previous versions which were published by University of Tennessee Press in 1992 and 2005. In the 15 years since the last version was printed, there have been new wilderness areas designated by Congress, as well as newly designated trails, decommissioned or changed trails, and trailhead changes.
We need volunteers to re-hike in 2021 all of the approximately 192 trails and over 600 miles of trails in the CNF. Will Skelton, Don Barger and Joan Tomlinson are organizing the effort. Some hiking experience is necessary and, since we’ll be verifying the trail mileage (which was originally done by rolling a measuring wheel along all the trails), familiarity with using a GPS or a willingness to learn such will be necessary (using a separate GPS device like a Garmin or a cell phone GPS program like Avenza or Gaia).
If interested, contact Will Skelton at (865)523-2272/ whshome@bellsouth.net or Joan Tomlinson at (865)567-8051/joanptomlinson@gmail.com. Our goal is to assemble a team of hikers over the next two months.
The first comprehensive hiking guide to the Cherokee National Forest (CNF) was published by The University of Tennessee Press in 1992 as “Wilderness Trails of Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest.” A second edition was likewise published by UT Press in 2005 as “Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide.”
Events
Important Note: The Sierra Club's Safety Management Team has extended its prohibition on both travel and in-person meetings through July 4, 2021. Meetings and events continue to be held virtually for now.
Listed in order of occurrence:
Plastics: the last straw for big oil? This webinar sponsored by As You Sow will discuss the risks of over-investment in plastics infrastructure. Hear from subject matter experts on the issues of stranded assets, climate risks, environmental justice, community health, plastic waste, and corporate commitments. Thurs. April 8th at 11 AM CST/ 12 PM ET. Register here for webinar.
Dr. Shalanda Baker discusses her bookRevolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy Transition. Baker calls for "a justice-centered transition away from fossil fuels and offers practical tools to achieve it. She argues that transforming our energy system is the next civil rights domain. Those marginalized by our current system, low-income communities, and communities of color, must be the architects to transform the energy sector’s unequal power dynamics." UTK Baker Center presents via Zoom link, Thurs. April 8th at 5:00 ET.
"Dark Skies" Program with Sierra Club MTG (Middle Tennessee Group). Light pollution may seem harmless, but has harmful, far-reaching consequences. Guest presenters Joseph M. Boyd Jr. and at-large Council Member Burkley Allen will explain how light pollution is affecting insects, birds and wildlife, as well as how 24-hour lighting effects our health and why it is a waste of money and energy. Held virtually on Thurs. April 8th at 7:00 pm CST. Register here.
Virtual program: Ecology and Chemistry to Care for Landscapes and Gardens by Dr. Elizabeth Hamilton, Better Nature LLC. 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. Tues. April 13, 2021 at 7:00-8:30 PM ET.
Earth Day is April 22, 2021! Search your area for local Earth Day events during the month of April. There are virtual celebrations, opportunities to clean up your community, and outdoor events. Find out what's happening in your area and how you can observe the 51st annual Earth Day.
'163 Tennessee & Me' is a year-long campaign to bring awareness to the 163 Threatened and Endangered Species listed in Tennessee and to promote progressive actions for their survival. Follow on FB for updates and meeting information.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha,
We have all heard about the destruction of the rainforest and what happens to the environment, animals, and change of weather patterns. We talk about planting trees in and around Nashville, but we never speak of the total destruction of our ecosystem when developers cut down every single tree daily across many acres, then strip away the soil and blast the rock below it making sure that no living organism could survive. When are we going to pass laws that preserve old trees and force developers to work with the topography? They are changing the flow of water, and floods are a major problem from all the fast runoff. Tennessee is the third most biodiverse state in the contiguous US. You will never catch up to the loss of trees with your planting program until you address the mass destruction of OUR forests.
Sincerely, Su Goodman
Dear Su,
Thank you for your question and I hear your passionate frustration and impatience. I have some good news but in a different form than you probably want. It’s called “forest offsets,” and the capitalists like it. From my research, I believe it’s the tip of the iceberg.
In a capitalist economy it seems pretty clear that beauty must dance with the bottom line. California has started the dance card by requiring the strictest greenhouse gas emissions regulations in the country. It’s more expensive to pollute in the most populous state than it is to not pollute, so corporations, including developers who knock down trees, are making changes.
In the realm of forest economics, corporations can buy and sell offset credits the way BP sells oil and gas. In fact, British Petroleum is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Today they are working with a company called Finite Carbon to preserve forests, including large portions owned by The Lyme Timber Company in Grundy County, Tennessee, to basically get credit by offsetting the amount of carbon they are creating through tree preservation.
In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Ryan Dezember writes ”…by paying landowners not to cut [trees], companies can say they are responsible for having locked up a specific amount of carbon in the standing trees, calculable to the metric ton” (August 24, 2020). The science of forest carbon storage includes a laser hypsometer to gauge the tree’s height and girthing tape to measure diameter. As the trees grow in height and girth, the corporations investing in “voluntary offsets” get credit and keep forests intact.
“Offering an income-producing alternative to logging so that trees could remain standing and absorbing carbon motivated California’s decision to accept forest credits,” wrote Andrea Tuttle, with CA’s Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection. They have paved the way requiring strict third-party verification and audits every six years, employing foresters, like those used by Tennessee’s Lyme Timber to do the measuring. One forester, a Mr. McAbee, said lumber companies never checked the cutting of trees but now for “carbon, we’ve got four different entities checking our work and measurements. Not turning woods into wood has become a carbon offset market. And Pennsylvania’s Finite Carbon will work with landowners who own 40 acres to Tennessee’s Lyme Timber’s 18,369 acres.
How do we protect trees closer to home? By working with our local council members. In Nashville, you’ll be happy to know, Metro Codes, Article X, Tree Protection and Replacement Procedures is stringent. But as we all know it’s staying on our politicians to make sure they are working for the benefit of the environment and not their personal stock portfolio. Nashville’s Tree Conservation Corps is working hard with city government to regulate developers’ tendency to overlook nature’s fragility. Every city/region has similar non-profits doing this work too. The old adage “think globally, act locally” will increase our power to preserve trees, and the earth, if only we have the energy to act. The benefits of the tree canopy can never be underestimated.
Let’s get to it!
Yours, in sun and shade,
Eartha
Dear Eartha is penned by Rita Bullinger. Got an environmental query for Eartha? Submit your question to "Dear Eartha" via Enews.SierraTN@gmail.com
Species Spotlight
This month's featured genus is: Iris (iridaceae)
A Siberian Iris (iris sibirica) is photographed in John Todd Waterman's front lawn in Clinton, Tennessee. Photo credit: J. Todd Waterman.
The Iris is considered the official cultivated flower of the State of Tennessee. It was designated as such by the TN General Assembly in 1973.
In the early 1930s, garden clubs had become popular across the state. Nashville became known for its iris gardens. Iris enthusiasts convinced the legislature to make the iris the state flower in 1933. Except Tennessee already had a state flower - the passionflower - designated in 1919. So Tennessee technically had two state flowers until 1973, when the Legislature designated the passionflower as the state wildflower, and the iris as the cultivated flower.
Willa Mae Waid wrote the song "When It's Iris Time in Tennessee" in 1935 while working on her PhD.
Iris is the Greek word for rainbow, or goddess of the rainbow. The famous "fleur de lys" is a representation of the iris, and it was used as a symbol of French royalty for centuries.
The roots of irises have been used to treat skin infections, syphillis, dropsy, and digestive problems. It has also been used to purge the liver.
Volunteer Opportunities
Defender Fund Volunteer
The Tennessee Chapter lobbyist represents our environmental interests and our lobbying program in the Tennessee State Legislature. His salary needs to be funded. We need someone to take over fundraising for the Sierra Club Defenders of Tennessee. The work is seasonal, light, and can all be done from home. If you have some facility for writing and are interested in the position, please contact Sherry Loller for more information at sherryloller@hotmail.com or 615-889-2968.
Paperless Delivery
Are you a Sierra member who has been receiving our bi-monthly print publication, the Tennes-Sierran? You can now opt out of getting a paper copy of the newspaper and instead receive it digitally as an email attachment. To request paperless delivery, open this form to make your request.
Contact Us
Do you have a program or speaker idea for your Group? An issue you're particularly passionate about? Do you have a story idea for the Tennes-Sierran or the e-newsletter? Let us know! Look through our past programs for inspiration.
We are the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.8 million members and supporters, the Sierra Club has the resources to empower people and to influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
