We have some fantastic news to share about one of our most important campaigns!
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and conservationists worldwide are celebrating the news that The Conservation Fund has purchased Twin Pines Minerals’ mining site on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. With this purchase, The Conservation Fund has put an end to Twin Pines’ proposed mine and ended an existential threat to one of the most unique and ecologically diverse natural places in Georgia.
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is incredibly proud to have worked with our allies and supporters to fight this mining proposal for the last six years. The Okefenokee Swamp has significant historic, cultural, ecological, and economic importance to south Georgia and the state at large, and it is our responsibility to protect it.
While we celebrate this victory, we must acknowledge that the fight continues. Twin Pines wasn’t the first company to try to mine Trail Ridge — the natural dam that forms the eastern barrier of the Swamp — and it’s likely that they won’t be the last. The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter will continue to put pressure on officials at all levels of government to take action to ensure the Okefenokee’s permanent protection.
In response to this news, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Organizing Manager Tasnim Mosabber (she/her) released the following statement:
"We’re incredibly grateful to our coalition partners and the hundreds of thousands of people who stepped up to help protect the Okefenokee over the years. Every public comment, every letter to lawmakers, every word spoken at legislative hearings and public meetings — all of these individual actions made this victory possible. The path was not easy, and the work to ensure the Okefenokee is protected for future generations will go on, but for now, we’re joining Georgians of all stripes in celebration."
Stay tuned for more opportunities to engage in our efforts to ensure the Okefenokee is protected for future generations! And thanks again to everyone who took action over these last six years to help protect the swamp!
We'd love to see you at one of our upcoming events. Our calendar is full of educational meetings, outings and hikes, and opportunities for fellowship. Check our online calendar at any time to see what's coming up!
Beyond Coal Campaign
Keyanna has been working with partner organizations to educate community members and build momentum for collective action since the introduction of the current IRP. Efforts have included presentations about energy burden, tabling at community events, and participating in Environmental Justice panel discussions. Keyanna also recently held a virtual public comment training event to help community members submit comments to the PSC via its online portal.
The work of community education about the effects of the IRP and the proposed Rate Case Settlement continues into July, as the PSC is expected to make a decision on both no later than July 15. Read more about these recent hearings and how the Sierra Club is fighting back at this link.
For more information about how to send a message to the PSC about Georgia Power's energy plan, click this link.
The next Energy Burden Presentation will take place at the Athens Library on July 17 from 6 to 8 PM.
Clean Energy
Despite the uncertainty in Washington, DC, there are incentive programs still in effect to help households with low and moderate incomes. For example, this program provides incentives for households with low and moderate incomes to make energy efficiency upgrades and electrify appliances.
GEFA continues to train contractors to help families through the process. You must use an approved program contractor to participate in the program. We encourage you to take a look at how programs like this can help you substantially lower your energy bills.
We need your voice and your actions to make progress on our clean energy transition! Time to step up for maintaining the livability of our world. Join us! Contact Clean Energy Committee Chair Scott Presson to volunteer or to learn more about our Chapter's clean energy work!
Environmental Justice
"The Movement and the Madman" chronicles the nationwide movement protesting the Vietnam War, and "Ghosts of a Lost Cause" is a short film featuring the fight to remove a Confederate war monument in Murray, Kentucky, in 2020. Intermission between the two films will include a collaborative discussion with advocates and filmmakers.
This event is free and open to the public as part of SRWA's 25th Anniversary Advocacy Film Series. Register for free and learn more at this link.
Transportation
The crowd discussed various issues related to clean, safe, and just mobility throughout the metro area. The event was also attended by a number of City of Atlanta council candidates by open invitation, all of whom were offered time to speak to their personal transportation priorities and visions.
Future events are in planning, and will be listed on the chapter's events calendar.
- AJC - Data Center Alley has lessons to teach. Is metro Atlanta listening?
- WABE - Georgia farms pair solar with agriculture
- The Current - Litter booms trap trash in Savannah waterways
Centennial Group
The Centennial Group, representing the Northwest Atlanta suburbs, meets the first Thursday of each month. Meetings can be attended in person at Life University in Marietta or virtually via Zoom. The Centennial Group is taking a break during the summer and won't have meetings in July or August.
Our June Picnic at East Cobb (see photo above) park featured speakers from Sierra Club Georgia Chapter staff members Adrien Webber and Shannon Carney on Georgia Chapter issues, including data centers and Okefenokee protection. Food was provided by Gathering Industries, a non-profit which trains low-income, unhoused, and out-of-work individuals to prepare them for jobs.
Additionally, we've been informing our members about the Georgia Public Service Commission elections and tabled at the Marietta Juneteenth Celebration. We lead hikes at Red Top Mountain in Cartersville, Joyce Kilmer Forest, and on the Cherohala Skyway in North Carolina.
Greater Gwinnett Group
The Greater Gwinnett Group meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:30 for social times and 7:00 for the meeting. Our new meeting location is the Wynne Russell House, located at 4684 Wynne Russell Dr NW, Lilburn. We conduct hybrid meetings.
Our speaker for our June meeting was Lexy Doherty, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Organizing Strategist, who gave an update on the 2025 GA Power Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) at the Public Service Commission (PSC). The Sierra Club is once again an Intervenor in the proceedings, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Sierra Club lawyers lined up technical expert testimony to make recommendations for improvements to the IRP, as well as critique the actions GA Power is proposing.
Our next Greater Gwinnett Group monthly meeting will be July 10. Gwinnett members continue to attend meetings of environmental interest groups or organizations, such as the Gwinnett County Sustainability Commission. Michael Hallen and others continue to conduct monthly stream monitoring at the Martin’s Farm landing on Martin Farm Road on the Suwanee Greenway (3rd Sunday of every month).
Metro Atlanta Group
This month, the Atlanta City Council passed a long-awaited update to the city's tree ordinance. Check out this article from Capital B Atlanta for info on the update and what's next. Thank you to all who contacted the Atlanta City Council in support of improvements to the tree ordinance!
As a heat dome descends upon our area this week, our collective efforts to restore local tree canopy and forests for the benefit of all continue to be quite relevant and needed. We're also working to shape the energy system to become more sustainable and just (such as pushing the Georgia Public Service Commission to hold Georgia Power accountable during its long-term energy plan hearings).
Savannah River Group
Originally SREL monitored wildlife to see if any nuclear contamination was carried off site by wildlife. However, studies show that in the last 25 years, no wildlife has shown levels of contamination. The facility makes an excellent environment to study amphibians, alligators, turtles, etc. Sean Poppy from SREL brought different wildlife (see photo above!) to show us and talked about the studies the lab is conducting on the Savannah River Site.
Your support is needed now more than ever. Please make a donation to the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter today — 100% of your gift stays local and will be applied where it is most urgently needed.