Greetings, Sierrans!
We hope your 2025 has gotten off to a good start. It's going to be a busy year for the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter:
- The Georgia Legislature's 2025 session is already underway. From data centers to electric vehicles to defending the right to float Georgia's rivers, there is plenty of work to do under the Gold Dome this year.
- The future of energy in our state will be at stake when Georgia Power seeks to update its updated Integrated Resource Plan, which will lay out how we'll meet the unprecedented electricity demand we face.
- The fight to protect the Okefenokee Swamp will continue as we await a decision from state regulators regarding a risky mining proposal.
And that's just scratching the surface! We also have ongoing campaigns to push for a just transition to clean, renewable energy, protect our wild places like Cumberland Island, and improve transportation options across Georgia.
In order to be effective across all this work, we've staffed up! Meet your new Sierra Club Georgia Chapter staff.
From left to right: Development & Operations Associate Shannon Carney, Chapter Organizer Keyanna Jones Moore, Chapter Organizing Manager Tasnim "Taz" Mosabber, Chapter Director Adrien "G" Webber, Chapter Organizer Hannah Baker, and Communications Strategist Ricky Leroux.
Hannah Baker and Keyanna Jones Moore joined the Chapter staff as organizers in late fall 2024, and Shannon Carney was hired just before the 2024 holidays as our new Development & Operations Associate to assist with fundraising. Read more about our new hires and get reacquainted with the rest of our staff at this link.
BioLab Fire
On December 3, 2024, as a part of the Shutdown BioLab Coalition, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter participated in the Bigger Than BioLab Day of Action, which concluded with a community forum. With more than 110 people in attendance, the forum brought together people from Rockdale, Dekalb, Gwinnett, and Newton counties, all of whom have been affected by the recent BioLab chemical fire, as well as others concerned about the BioLab fire's impact.
Public health experts and members of the Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition from East Palestine, Ohio, joined the forum as panelists to provide valuable information to residents about the situation on the ground and how to move forward following the disaster. The forum was covered by many local and state news outlets.
Clean Energy Committee
Beginning in March 2025, there will be opportunities for low-income and moderate-income residents to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Rebate program, as well as new programs, such as the Solar for All and Green Bank financing programs.
These programs are in addition to the existing tax credits. You can assess your eligibility for the rebates and begin to make an electrification plan at Rewiring America's household electrification calculator and its electrification planner.
Energy Burden
Sierra Club Georgia Chapter hosted an Energy Burden Presentation on December 19, 2024 at Park Avenue Baptist Church. With the knowledge that households of color bear a higher energy burden than white households, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter has set a course to educate impacted communities about what that means for the way they live.
The presentation was the first of many as we approach the submission of the Georgia Power Integrated Resource Plan, which determines energy burden for all rate payers. It is our goal to help community members understand the Georgia Power is regulated by a Public Board, the Public Service Commission, which is elected by the people. Read more about the energy burden faced by black households in Georgia in this report from Dr. Marilyn A. Brown of Georgia Institute of Technology in partnership with the Sierra Club in Georgia.
Legislative Committee
The Georgia Legislature's 2025 session is a week old, and we're already seeing a flurry of activity. The biggest news so far is that House Speaker Jon Burns has created a special committee to create a plan to manage our state's water and electricity resources. This comes amid a huge influx of data centers coming to Georgia, in part due to a state tax credit. We'll be monitoring the committee's work and mobilizing our supporters to ensure the committee's findings reflect the needs of our communities.
Here's how you can get involved in our legislative work in 2025:
- First, sign up for updates at this link. We'll be using this page throughout the Legislative session to provide updates, let you know when key bills are coming up for a vote, help you contact your lawmakers, invite you to training & lobbying events, and more.
- Join our Legislative Liaisons team! This volunteer team works to help pass strong environmental legislation by connecting folks with their legislators and training them to be effective citizen lobbyists. Learn more and sign up at this link.
Outings
We've got three outings planned for this Sunday! Join our volunteer outings leaders for an easy walk along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, a hike through Chattahoochee Bend in west Georgia, and a dog walking outing (with our without your own dog) on the Lake Olmstead Trail in Augusta. Learn more and RSVP at the links.
Interested in becoming an outings leader? Learn more and get trained by contacting Chapter Outings Chair Grant Brown.
Okefenokee Swamp
We've had two pieces of great news in our efforts to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. First, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) would be nominated to UNESCO’s World Heritage List! Second, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which manages the Okefenokee NWR, announced that the agency has finalized its plan to expand the NWR’s boundaries by about 22,000 acres.
Transportation Committee
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is updating the State Rail Plan this year in alignment with federal law and has begun hosting workshops to shape the plan's content.
The rail plan will help shape state policy and future spending around improving both freight and passenger services across Georgia.
You can learn more about GDOT's plan from its website linked here.
You can also directly interact with their digital comment mapping tool at this link.
If you want to get more involved with the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter's transportation work, email Transportation Committee Chair Jason Lathbury.
Here's a few environmental news stories you may have missed this month:
- The Current - Feds abandon expansion of speed rule meant to protect right whales
- GPB - Report: Georgia leads nation in clean energy job growth
- Floodlight - Coal was on its way out. But surging electricity demand is keeping it alive — costing customers and the planet
Centennial Group
On Thursday, February 6, the Centennial Group's monthly meeting will focus on the Georgia Legislature. Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Legislative Chair Mark Woodall and Neill Herring, the Chapter's contract lobbyist, will discuss key issues and bills in this year's 40-day Georgia legislative session.
This hybrid meeting has in-person and virtual options. If planning to join in person, the group will be meeting at Life University in the Graduate Studies Building, Room 118 (1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta).
RSVP at this link and let the group know whether you'll be attending in person or online via Zoom. After you RSVP, you'll receive an email with the Zoom link.
Greater Gwinnett Group
In November, several Greater Gwinnett Group members attended a solar panel system ribbon-cutting ceremony at Baggett Elementary School in Gwinnett County. A local company called Better Tomorrow Solar installed the solar system as a community project under the Solarize Gwinnett campaign that our Greater Gwinnett Group helped lead. The solar panels will be an educational feature for the students and supply some power to the school.
Middle Chattahoochee Group
From outgoing Group Chair Cathy Knight: Sam and Laura Breyfogle hosted the Middle Chattahoochee Group's end of year party at their lovely home. It was great!
Savannah River Group
Many of our members have experienced damage to their homes and properties from Hurricane Helene. As we slowly emerge from this devastation, we will continue with our monthly meetings and outings. Join us on January 21 at 6:30pm on zoom for a legislative update from Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Legislative Chair Mark Woodall.
You can find all of our upcoming events on the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter's online calendar. Click the links for each event to RSVP and learn more.
- January 19, 9 AM: Easy Walk in Roswell
- What: Join us for an easy walk in Roswell along the Chattahoochee River. This walk is flat and approximately 6 miles total (out and back). Please feel free to bring children and dogs.
- Where: Riverside Park (575 Riverside Road, Roswell, GA 30075)
- January 19, 10:30 AM: Chattahoochee Bend Hike
- What: Hike through Chattahoochee Bend State Park in west Georgia, which will feature a former pine plantation, a beaver pond, and bottomland hardwoods across about 6.8 miles.
- Where: Chattahoochee Bend State Park (425 Bobwhite Way, Newnan, GA 30263)
- January 19, 1:30 PM: Dog walking outing (with our without your own dog) on Augusta Canal
- What: Join us for an easy three-mile hike on a paved path along the Augusta Canal. Many folks will be bringing their dogs, but you don't need a four-legged friend to come along!
- Where: Lake Olmstead Trailhead, Augusta Canal Historic Trail, Augusta, GA 30904
- January 21, 6:30 PM: Savannah River Group monthly meeting
- What: Learn about Georgia's 2025 legislative issues of concern to environmentalists and the rollback and roll-forward bills from Georgia Chapter's Legislative Chair, Mark Woodall, and Sierra Club Lobbyist Neill Herring. This hybrid meeting has both in-person and online options.
- Where: Unitarian Universalist Church (3501 Walton Way Extension, Augusta, GA 30909) or online via Zoom.
- January 21, 7 PM: Middle Chattahoochee Group monthly meeting
- What: The MCG's monthly meeting in January will feature Dr. Michael Newbrey of Columbus State University, who will discuss the health of fish in the Chattahoochee River. This hybrid meeting has both in-person and online options.
- Where: St. Mark's Episcopal Church (207 North Greenwood, LaGrange, GA 30240) or online via Zoom.
- February 6, 4 PM: Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Lobby Training
- What: Get everything you need to be a citizen lobbyist this year! This virtual training will help you feel fully prepared for meetings with legislators, participating in periodic calls, email threads, and actions with chapter staff and volunteer leaders throughout the legislative session.
- Where: Online via Zoom.
- February 6, 7 PM: Under the Gold Dome: An update on the Georgia Legislature's 2025 session
- What: Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Legislative Chair Mark Woodall and Neill Herring, the Chapter's contract lobbyist, will visit the Centennial Group to discuss key issues and bills in this year's 40-day Georgia legislative session. We will also be discussing ways for you can get involved and make a difference.
- Where: Life University Graduate Studies Building, Room 118 (1269 Barclay Cir, Marietta, GA 30060) and online via Zoom.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation to the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter in 2024! Your support truly makes all the difference to protect wildlife and wild places, ensure clean air and water for all, and fight the impacts of climate change here in Georgia.
There’s so much at stake this year, but if we come together to power our movement, we will win. Please consider making a 2025 donation today!