COVID-19 Update: Read about the most recent Sierra Club guidelines here.
Tennessee News
Weekend electricity outages across Tennessee Valley spark power battle over TVA’s future. "Last week's power outages across the Tennessee Valley are energizing a power battle over the future of America's biggest government utility. Environmentalists claim the Tennessee Valley Authority still relies too much on fossil fuels, citing
the failure of TVA's biggest coal plant and several natural gas-fired combustion turbines during the frigid weather Friday and Saturday when TVA imposed rolling blackouts to its customers for the first time." Read more byDave Flessner - Times Free Press - Dec. 26, 2022.
Why TVA Kingston coal ash workers might not get more than $750,000 for pain and suffering. "Tennessee defines three types of damages for which plaintiffs can receive money in personal injury cases: economic, non-economic and punitive. Not every state has a cap on any of these damages but Tennessee does. A person can receive a maximum of $750,000 for pain and suffering. For punitive damages, they can receive either $500,000 or twice the amount of economic and non-economic damages." Read more by Anila Yoganathan - Knoxville News Sentinel - Dec.14, 2022.
TVA Board confirmation. "On December 21, the Senate confirmed
all six of President Biden's nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors. The Tennessee Chapter of Sierra Club pushed for confirmation for two years writing letters and meeting with Senators who ultimately came through in this surprisingly contested confirmation process. The hope is that the new board will help the nation's largest public utility deliver on the Biden Administration's goal of a carbon-free electric sector by 2035 and halt TVA's current trajectory of a mega 'natural' gas buildout including plants and miles of pipelines." Update from Amy Kelly, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Representative.
TVA study recommends shutting down Cumberland coal plant, adding natural gas generation. "A final environmental assessment recommends the Cumberland Fossil plant be shut down by 2028 because the 54-year-old plant northwest of Nashville is not efficient or clean enough to meet TVA's clean air goals. But TVA is not giving up on fossil fuels altogether. If TVA President Jeff Lyash accepts the recommended path for the Cumberland site as expected next year, the federal utility will begin next summer to build a natural gas combined cycle plant to replace much of the 2,470 megawatts of generating capacity of the two existing coal-fired units at Cumberland."
Read more by Dave Flessner - Times Free Press - Dec. 2, 2022.
TVA Kingston Fossil Plant. Public domain photo.
You're Invited!
Winter Chapter Retreat
January 20-22, 2023
Cedars of Lebanon State Park
Register here to join fellow members of the Tennessee Chapter for the Chapter Winter Retreat at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. We anticipate National Sierra Club Board President Ramón Cruz being in attendance on Saturday evening to give a Sierra Club update and a Q&A! Activities include hiking, election of ExCom officers and committee chairs, planning for the year, live music, and eating, of course. Come out to relax close to nature in the company of good friends, old and new. Be part of the fellowship, hikes, fireside chats, meetings, winter-sky stargazing, birding and disk golf.
To see the full schedule, check out the Chapter website.
About Cedars of Lebanon: The Park, established in 1955, is named for Eastern Red Cedar trees found throughout the area. The park's website
explains that “in the 1940s, botanists noticed unique natural ecosystems found in and around Cedars of Lebanon State Park and Forest. These areas are natural rock gardens called cedar glades. The presence of glades is due to limestone rock coming so close to the surface of the ground that it causes the soil to be thin or absent...Water and surface temperatures vary so much throughout the year that a harsh, desert-like, inhospitable habitat is created with its own unique plant community. Nineteen rare and endangered species of plants grow profusely here and nowhere else in the world.”
Hiking with Randy: Tennessee State Naturalist, Randy Hedgepath, will lead us on Saturday and Sunday hikes. Be sure to prepare for muddy trail conditions (unless it is frozen) and winter weather that is likely in late January. Winter hikes can be great experiences if you are properly attired! It’s a good idea to have a daypack for carrying water, snacks, and extra clothing.
Accommodations: We'll be at the Group Lodge, where there are women’s and men’s dorms (bring your own sleeping bag, linens, and towels). There are also camping spaces and 2-bedroom cabins available to rent at the Park, in addition to hotels in Lebanon, which is about 10 miles north of the Park.
COVID protocol: To keep each other healthy, we will require that attendees take a rapid COVID test on the day of departure to the retreat. If you test positive or have symptoms of COVID or flu, do not attend the retreat. If you do not have a test kit, there will be test kits available at the retreat. However, to avoid an unnecessary trip, please take your test at home. Free test kits are available here. Thanks for caring for the health of your friends!
Registerby January 13 for the Early Bird discount. Pricing will vary depending on how many days you plan to attend, or if it is your first retreat. The Winter Retreat will begin at 4 pm on Friday, January 20, and end at 11 am on Sunday, January 22. Register here!
Cedars of Lebanon State Park is a 1,139-acre park located in Wilson County just north of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Photo: "Cedars of Lebanon State Park" by mikerhicks licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Environmental Updates
Fake testing left South Memphis’ water vulnerable to toxins. The 50-year-old landmark Clean Water Act aims to protect waterways and the communities that depend on them by requiring testing of water quality. "For three years an environmental consultant made up reports meant to protect the [South Memphis] area from polluted streams, revealing a need for stronger oversight." Read more by Ashli Blow - MLK 50 -
Is America's next great trail system in the South? Towns along the Tennessee River hope so. "The goal: turn the Tennessee River, and the public land connected to it, into North America’s next great trail system. Tennessee RiverLine, an emerging trail system following 652 miles of the Tennessee River, is reframing the natural resource as a tourism hub and reconnecting communities to the water in their backyard."
Read more by Becca Wright - Knoxville News Sentinel - Nov. 29, 2022.
Nearly Every Country Signs On to a Sweeping Deal to Protect Nature. "Roughly 190 nations, aiming to halt a dangerous decline in biodiversity, agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas. The United States is not officially a participant." Read more by Catrin Einhorn - New York Times - Dec. 19. 2022.
What on Earth is a polar vortex? And what's global warming got to do with it? "We know that winters in general are getting warmer in mid-latitude places like the United States. Overall, there’s less snowfall consistently around the country. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have occasional extremes. And I think the Texas event in 2021 is a great example. That was a bitter, intense, cold wave. And it was exacerbated by how the energy grid is managed
there. But it wasn’t unprecedented meteorologically. There have been cold waves on par with that every 30 or 40 years. So it’s important to factor out: What are the kinds of natural variations that can happen?" Read more, Erika Street Hopman interviews Meteorologist Bob Henson - Yale Climate Connection - Dec. 21, 2022.
HBG's 50th Anniversary Celebration. On December 13, the Harvey Broome Group gathered to celebrate 50 years of advocacy and organizing in the Knoxville area (watch the full event recording here). Eighty attendees shared potluck, and heard reminiscences from past and current HBG leaders like Will Skelton, former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, and Axel Ringe. Attendees enjoyed music from Maggie Longmire and RB Morris, who closed the evening with John Prine's 1971 song "Paradise":"Daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County /
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay / Well, I'm sorry my son, but you're too late in asking / Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away." Todd Waterman reflected, "Fifty years later, HBG still fights the Peabodys of this world, whose fossil fuels we now know could forever decimate not just our mountaintops, but our entire planet, all of us, all our children's children, and most every wondrous living thing."
Maggie Longmire sings her song "Leave It in the Ground." Photos by Todd Waterman.
Mac Post presents an award from the Tennessee Chapter to Harvey Broome Group Co-founder Will Skelton. HBG Chair Jerry Thornton, far right, had just presented Will with the plaque from HBG in his other hand.
Health & Justice
Audit cites Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for Eastman Chemical pollution. "For nearly a decade, the Eastman Chemical Company has been emitting unsafe levels of sulfur dioxide into the communities surrounding its Kingsport, Tenn. plants in violation of national air quality standards. A new audit by the Tennessee Comptroller, released last week, found that the state has more work to do to bring the company in line with Clean Air Act standards. It is the only area in Tennessee that has failed to meet those national guidelines, the audit noted." Read more
by Anita Wadhwani - Tennessee Lookout - Dec. 20, 2022.
Paddler groups frustrated by lack of regulation by state wildlife agency. "TWRA has been resistant to legislative changes that would more strictly regulate trotline fishing, frustrating kayak guides, water safety experts and paddler advocacy groups, who told commissioners that the explosion of interest in river recreation since the pandemic has made potentially dangerous encounters between trotlines and outdoor enthusiasts inevitable." A trotline is an unmanned fishing line studded with hooks that stretch across the river. Read more by Anita Wadhwani - Tennessee Lookout - Dec. 2, 2022.
In West Tennessee, a group of Black farmers take on Tyson Foods. "Chicken farms have rapidly expanded across rural west Tennessee in recent years in order to supply product to Tyson Foods, the world’s largest poultry producer. The Fortune 500 company’s footprint has been rapidly expanding in the state." The Southern Environmental Law Center has filed suit on behalf of farmers, alleging USDA is illegally subsidizing Tyson chicken farms. Read more by Anita Wadhwani - Tennessee Lookout - Dec. 19. 2022.
"Tyson chicken barns, like these in West Tennessee, house more than 624,000 chickens each and produce massive quantities of waste." Photo: John Partipilo, Tennessee Lookout [color edited].
Events
Statewide environmental events listed chronologically.
Do you have an event you'd like publicized?
Send it to Enews.sierratn@gmail.com.
Public Hearing on Bull Run Water Pollution Permit on January 12th, 5- 8:00 pm. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is holding a public hearing on January 12 on a water discharge permit for TVA's Bull Run Fossil Plant plant at the request of Bull Run Neighbors, a grassroots community group organized by Sierra Club, SOCM, and Appalachian Voices, who have joined community members and environmental experts in filing comments on this permit. Register and learn more details here.
Tennessee Chapter Winter Retreat on Jan. 20-22, 2023 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. Register here.
Hazardous Waste Annual Report Workshop. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Solid Waste Management is hosting a virtual Hazardous Waste Annual Report Workshop on January 25, 8:00 am CDT. Register here.
Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology (CRITA) event will take place on January 28, 2023 at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee. "This annual event provides a day-long showcase for professional archaeologists, students, and the interested public to learn about recent research into Tennessee's archaeological heritage. The annual CRITA event is free and open to the public with registration." Event held January 28, 8 am - 5 pm. Register here.
Tennessee Chapter Fundraising Corner with Mac Post
The Year-End fundraising letter for 2022 was sent to most Chapter members in early December. Please give generously so that the Chapter can continue to direct our energy and resources to meet pressing environmental challenges. Our work is more important than ever. Support the Tennessee Chapter locally via the Chapter's secure donation portal.
Best wishes for the new year and thanks for helping to protect our natural resources, to empower local communities to develop a sustainable green future, and to embrace clean energy, increase land conservation, and reduce waste going into landfills!
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha,
I'm wondering what’s going on with young people and the national and global environmental movement. I was inspired by young activists at the COP27 in Egypt this year but didn’t see as much coverage as I wanted. How are youth involved in the environmental movement? —Third Act Activist
Dear Third Activist,
Young people have stepped up in a more visible way this last decade with Greta Thunberg getting publicity through her individual and then collective actions when a tween. Here’s what I know:
Ayisha Siddiqa, 23, from Pakistan, was among the headline speakers at the Children and Youth Pavilion at COP27, marking the first time young people have had a dedicated space where activists in November held a formal meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres (bbc.com).
Heidi Campbell, Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) spokesperson, also helped develop YOUNGO, the youth constituency for the United Nations’ framework convention for climate change and the co-executive director of the U.S.-based organization Care About Climate. According to Campbell, youth will now have more say in “the design and implementation of climate policies” (cnbc.com). ACE is outlined in article 12 of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Extinction Rebellion (XR)’s youth faction staged a demonstration at YouTube’s London office in 2019 to protest “its disproportionate platforming of climate denial, on a site which is the most watched platform for 16-24-year-olds” (theguardian.com). Jessica Murray reported for The Guardian
that, at the time, youth protesters for XR numbered “at least 80 XR Youth groups internationally, 55 of which are in the UK. All are made up of climate activists born after 1990, with an average member age of 16, although some are as young as 10.” XR’s US motto is: “The climate and ecological crisis is a justice crisis. We fight for a just world and stand in solidarity with Black Lives. Take action for Black Lives and support radical Black leadership. End white supremacy now.”
Just to give you a feel for the numbers of youth activists fighting for policy change globally, check out these organizations: Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change; FACE Intergenerational Justice; Federated States of Micronesia; Yurok Tribes; NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice; Black Eco Bloom; Clarkson University’s The Wild Center; Ecocykle Limited; Evangelical Environmental Network; and many more. Check out the ACE website here.
As a Third Act activist (Third Act is Bill McKibben’s nonprofit of over-60 Americans fighting for climate action), you know that empowering youth to change climate denial policies is crucial going forward. Here are a few environmental activist programs for elders in the US: Senior Environmental Employment Program, Elders Climate Action, The Elders, Retirees in Service to the Environment, Earth Challenge, and many more that are state-focused or worldwide. In Tennessee, check out these organizations along with the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter
: Greater Knoxville Citizens Climate Lobby, Elders Climate Action, Tennessee Environmental Council, Sustainable Environmental Climate Advocate, and other local branches of organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. Should be a momentous year for environmental activism, no matter the age! Together we stand.
Eartha
Submit your questions, comments, or brief opinion of 'What Matters Now' to the Sierra E-News Editor [Enews.sierratn@gmail.com]. Dear Eartha is penned by Rita Bullinger.
Species Spotlight
This month's featured species is: Bald Eagle(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Bald eagle perches on an icy tree at Camas National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. Photo credit: Lance Roberts/USFWS.
January is perhaps the bald eagle's most active month, as they are hunting and nest building. In Tennessee, late February is peak time for egg laying. They build durable nests to use for several years at a time.
Native to North America, the bald eagle is a bird of prey whose Latin name means "white-headed sea eagle."
Bald eagles can have a 7 foot wingspan and reach a horizontal speed of 44 miles per hour. They have been recorded to live to 39 years old in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
Female bald eagles are about 20% larger than males. Bald eagles form pair bonds that often are lifelong. They share parenting responsibilities; both incubate the eggs and feed the babies. Clutch size can be 1-3, but is usually two.
Due to reproductive failure caused by the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was threatened with extinction in the 1950s and 60s. The species was listed as endangered in 1973. As a result of the banning of DDT in 1972, habitat protections from the Endangered Species Act, and reintroduction programs, bald eagle numbers increased enough to be removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007.
Contact Us
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