Sierra AtlanticThe Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club — Serving New York State Volume 48 / Spring 2018

The decision provides strong sup-port for the Sierra Club’s legal challenge to the water withdraw-al permit issued to Atlas Partners’ Greenidge power plant in Dresden to take over 139 million gallons a day from Seneca Lake. The Greenidge case was filed by the Sierra Club, the Committee to Preserve the Fin-ger Lakes, Coalition to Protect New York and Seneca Lake Guardian on November 8, 2017, in Yates County Supreme Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for May 22, 2018.

Sierra Club’s work on water withdraw-al permitting is part of its long-stand-ing efforts to work with the New York State Legislature to obtain great-er protection for our precious water resources. The purpose of the 2011 water withdrawal permitting law is to promote water conservation, ecologi-cal health and equity among all users. Thermo-electric generating stations are our state’s largest water users. It’s vital that the impacts of their with-drawals be evaluated under the 2011 law and SEQRA. In 2011, Sierra Club released a report: “Giant Fish Blend-ers: How Power Plants Kill Fish and Damage Our Waterways (And What Can Be Done to Stop Them).” n

compensate NYC for the cost of cli-mate change impacts caused by these emissions. The press conference was held in a Lower East Side building flooded by 20 feet of water during Su-perstorm Sandy in October 2012.

The approximately $5 billion of fos-sil fuel investments in NYC’s $194 billion pension system, the fourth largest in the US, are held in 194 com-panies. Each of NYC’s five pension boards must now vote separately on divestment. These boards are the NYC Employees’ Retirement System (NY-

In a January 10, 2018 landmark de-cision interpreting New York’s 2011 water withdrawal permitting law, the Appellate Division Second Depart-ment in Brooklyn has annulled the first permit issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to a non-public user—the permit was issued in 2013 to TransCanada for its Ravenswood power plant in Queens to take over 1.5 billion gallons per day (GPD) from the East River.

The decision calls into question the validity of the hundreds of water withdrawal permits DEC has issued to existing users under the new law without conducting environmental

reviews of the withdrawal impacts.The court rejected DEC’s contention that it had no discretion under the

2011 NYS law to set terms and con-ditions for water withdrawal permits issued to existing users. Because DEC has discretion in issuing permits to existing users, the court determined that permit applications from exist-ing users are subject to review un-der the State Environmental Quality

LANDMARK DECISION ANNULS FIRST WATER WITHDRAWAL PERMITCourt holds DEC violated SEQRA in issuing permit without evaluating environmental impacts

A t a January 10, 2018, press con-ference, Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller Scott String-

er and several NYC pension trustees, including NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, announced a goal to divest, with-in five years, all fossil fuel investments from NYC’s pension funds. (Until very recently, Comptroller Stringer advocat-ed for shareholder activism and op-posed divestment.)

Mayor de Blasio also described a lawsuit filed by NYC on January 9 in federal court against ExxonMobil, BP, ConocoPhillips, Shell and Chev-ron. The lawsuit states that these five companies are collectively responsi-ble for more than eleven percent of greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution and seeks bil-lions of dollars in civil damages to

CERS), Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York (TRS), NYC Fire Department Pension Fund, NYC Police Pension Fund and the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS). The mayor's appointed representa-tive, currently John Adler, serves on all the pension boards except for BERS and is the chair of the NYCERS and TRS boards, which account for two-thirds of all NYC pension investments. The NYCERS board also includes the comptroller, the public advocate, the five borough presidents (who have one combined vote), District Council 37, AFSCME; the Transport Workers Union, Local 100; and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Following Mayor de Blasio’s an-nouncement, the NYCERS, TRS and BERS pension boards voted for res-olutions that authorized the NYC Comptroller's Office to issue an April

INSIDE• Landmark Decision Annuls First Water Withdrawal Permit, page 1

• NYC Commits to Fossil Fuel Divestment, page 1

• Notes from the Chapter Chair, page 2

• 2018: Critical Year For Action, page 3

• Buffalo Schools Go Solar, page 3

• Stay Tuned for News About the P.A.C., page 4

• Moving Your Community Toward Clean Energy and Climate Protecton, page 5

• Chapter Calls for ExCom Nominations, page 5

• Give a Wolf a Break 2018, page 6

• Vegan Black-Eye Soup, page 6

• Seeking Editor for Sierra Atlantic, Page 6

• Climate Change is Putting the Oceans in Peril, page 7

• Hemp: An Opportunity and a Challenge, page 9

• Reflections on the Deep Roots of Environmentalism in the United States, page 10

• Have Your Town/Village/City Commit to and Work for 100% Clean, Renewable Energy, page 11• Canadian Hydropower - Wrong Direction for the Future, page 11

Review Act (SEQRA). Accordingly, the court annulled the TransCanada permit since no SEQRA review of the TransCanada permit application had been conducted.

Sierra Club and HRFA were represent-ed by attorneys Richard Lippes, Gary Abraham, Jonathan Geballe and Ra-chel Treichler.

By Rachel Treichler and Irene Van Slyke

The court rejected DEC’s contention that it had no discretion under the 2011 NYS law to set terms and conditions for water with-drawal permits issued to existing users. The decision provides

strong support for the Sierra Club’s legal challenge to the water withdrawal permit issued to Atlas Partners’ Greenidge power plant in Dresden.

FIVE YEARS OF ACTIVISM: NYC COMMITS TO FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENTBy Lisa DiCaprio, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club NYC

continued on page 4

The approximately $5

billion of fossil fuel

investments in NYC's

$194 billion pension

system, the fourth

largest in the US, are

held in 194 companies.

2 Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC

Sierra Atlantic (ISSN 0164-825X) is published quarterly for $1 by the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, PO Box 38225, Albany,NY 12203; 518-426-9144 www.newyork.sierraclub.org

Spring Issue EditorSusan Lawrenceshlawr2@aol.com Kate Bartholomewecogreenwolf@gmail.com

Copy EditorCarl Arnoldcarlarnold@mac.com

Layout DesignerJeanine Dunnjeaninedunn@me.com

Atlantic Chapter StaffConservation DirectorRoger Downsroger.downs@sierraclub.org

Chapter CoordinatorCaitlin Pixley Ferrantecaitlin.ferrante@sierraclub.org

Atlantic Chapter Officers ChairKate Bartholomew / 607-228-7371ecogreewolf@gmail.com

Vice ChairRobert Ciesielski / 716-839-0180 rmsiesie@yahoo.com

SecretaryEllen Banks / 716-688-1425 ebanks@daemen.edu

TreasurerSteve Kulick / 315-746-0695kulicksw@lemoyne.edu

Conservation ChairEllen Banks / 716-688-1425ebanks@daemen.edu

Conservation Vice ChairErin Riddle / 607-372-5503 riddleriddle@gmail.com

SIERRA ATLANTIC MISSION The mission of the Sierra Atlantic is to educate and enlist the people of New York State to protect and re-store the quality of the natural and human environment. We do this by providing information about important environmental issues; sounding an alarm when the envi-ronment is threatened; reporting on the activities, outings and cam-paigns conducted by the Atlantic Chapter; celebrating nature; and inviting our readers to join us. Submissions: We encourage anyone to con-tribute a letter, an article, news briefs, comments, photos, graphics, or other items of interest. Please contact the editors, Susan Law-rence (shlawr2@aol.com) and Kate Bartholomew (ecogreenwolf@gmail.com) to discuss your ideas and to obtain information about submission format and other details. When querying, please write “Sierra Atlantic” in the subject line. Deadline – Summer Issue: July 20, 2018

Notes from the Chairby Kate Bartholomew, Atlantic Chapter Officers Chair

AN ODE TO THE SPIRIT OF THREE MUSKETEERS

Greetings. I can’t help but note how ludicrous it is to only now be introducing myself as the

new Atlantic Chapter Chair when it’s almost June and the year’s nearly half over. But perhaps that is indicative of how much greater the tasks we all face in the environmental community, given the state of the planet and our own country’s dysfunctional, deconstruc-tionist, anti-democratic agenda.

First, I want to express my profound gratitude to and for my immediate pre-decessors who held this pivotal role before me: Erin Riddle and Carl Arnold. We all owe the possibilities for change available now for the Chapter to their forethought and preparation.

Second, as I expressed when I initially announced my intention to seek this role, no one person is able to fulfill any vision or goal the Chapter aspires to - it requires the concentrated and con-certed efforts of volunteers and staff at every level of the organization. That’s why we are a “grassroots” organization - we build movements and accomplish-ments from the base - the roots - up-ward - and involve a multiplicity of peo-ple along the way. So any “win” for the Chapter, is a win because of all of us.

And that “all for of one, one for all” phi-losophy will be especially important this year as we face mid-term elections and a chance to mobilize our new members to shift the balance at all lev-els of government -local, state and fed-eral. To that end, the Atlantic Chapter has re-established a PAC (Political Ac-tion Committee), which you’ll be hear-ing a great deal more about very soon. If ever there was a time to get off the couch and take to the streets, it’s now.

The Chapter has also been designated one of five pilot chapters for the Nation-al’s Clean Energy For All Campaign. This is a huge initiative folding together the Beyond Coal, Electric Vehicle and Ready for 100 Campaigns all together to push for pledges and commitments to 100% renewables in all sectors by 2050 from towns, villages and municipalities across the state. Obviously, this will involve ev-ery group and many, many volunteer hours to even make a dent in this goal.Finally, there are a number of initia-tives I would like to launch this year with what I hope will be sufficient en-ergy and support to see them achieve a self-perpetuating level by next year.

1. Fostering greater intra-Chapter com-munication and networking (and idea exchange) by establishing monthly Group Chair and Group Conservation Chair conference calls with the Chap-ter Chair and Conservation Chair. This will be a salon to discuss new policies; an incubator to share campaign and action ideas; and a forum to air various problems. The calls could even focus on a specific topic each month. The possibilities are vast.

2. Establishing an Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee for the Chap-ter, ideally comprised of at least one member from each group, empow-ered to continue the work begun in the DEI Training some of us engaged in last summer. Ideally, this commit-tee would push to provide access to “Growing Through Change” type pro-

grams for more of our volunteers to disseminate the ‘modality throughout the Chapter.

3. Put together a team to develop an orientation program/webinar series for new Chapter and Group officers. Often we have new leaders elected to positions and the best advice we can give to them is to “look it up on Clubhouse” to figure out what they are supposed to do. Well, I want to change that by establishing Chap-ter-specific orientation materials folks can refer to and perhaps even a men-tor ship program for the first month or two of a new person’s term.

4. Work with National to broaden and deepen our fundraising strategies throughout the Chapter and Groups. We are one of, if not the largest, Chapter in the Sierra Club, with a vast, untapped pool of donors. We need to figure out better ways to reach them. If we could do that, we might be able to add not just one, but two more staff people - then think of all that we could accomplish!

5. Maximizing the new volunteers who’ve joined the Club, inspired by - or appalled by - the new federal ad-ministration. Several people have, with sardonically, cynical smiles re-marked that Trump’s election was a great boon for the environmental movement because of the mobili-zation it inspired. Well, it certainly brought a huge boost to our member-ship - so we need to find ways to get those new members actively engaged before we are pushed back another 20 years pre-EPA by those swamp creatures inside the beltway.

So, those are my thoughts for this year. If any one or all of them particularly strike a chord with you and passion-ately move you to action, please don’t hesitate to contact me: ecogreenwolf@gmail.com; 607-228-7371. Peace. n

DONATE YOUR CAR TO SIERRA CLUB!

If ever there was a

time to get off the

couch and take to the

streets, it’s now.

Give your support by donating your car to the Sierra Club Atlantic Chap-ter and discover just how easy it is to give back to your local community. Our vehicle donation program offers an effortless way to contribute to the local services we provide in a secure and cost-free way. Your gift not only plays an important role in our mis-sion, but it also qualifies for a tax de-duction! Call us at 855-33-SIERRA or visit us at https://www.careasy.org/ (click on The Sierra Club Foundation) to start your donation today. n

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC

The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

2) Work on voter registration and get out the vote campaigns.

3) Educate voters and candidates on critical environmental issues.

4) Work at the local, state and nation-al level to endorse and campaign for pro environment candidates focusing on those most likely to win and do-nating to those candidates.

Key legislation to protect the environ-ment and move us to sustainability is

3

T he Buffalo Public Schools cele-brated the initial phase of their school solarization project at

a February 5, 2018, press conference with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSER-DA) CEO Alicia Barton, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Byron Brown, School Superintendent Kreiner Cash and construction executive Daniel Mon-tante from Montante Solar (which did the installations), among others.

The press conference was held in the solar installation lab at McKinley Vocational High School. It included a high school solar installation stu-dent speaker since an important fea-ture of the project is preparing high school students for careers in solar energy. Solar panels have been in-stalled on 19 schools, with one more nearing completion, for a total of 3 MW of electrical generation. Solar panels for another 20 schools are in the planning stage, which will add up to more than half of the school district buildings. The Sierra Club Niagara Group pro-vided the inspiration and much of the organizing for solar panels on the schools. Niagara Group activist Rick Steinberg started the process eight years ago after a chance con-versation with the school board president at a civic event, and led the campaign for the Niagara Group, convincing us that this was a realistic

goal, identifying key school district officers, and studying the economic, construction and other aspects of school solarization.

Everyone who has experience with large urban school districts knows that change is a slow and uncertain process. The Plant Operations direc-tor was interested but not optimistic

at first. There were many unanswered phone calls and meetings canceled by school officials. This was a period of turmoil for the Buffalo Public Schools, which had six superintendents from 2004 to 2018, frequent changes of school board leadership, hostile fac-tions and much conflict over educa-tional policy, racial inequity, low grad-uation rates, insufficient financing

and allegations of mismanagement. At one point the mayor suspended the school board and took control. Thus, renewable energy took a back seat. Rick persisted.

Eventually, an interim superinten-dent showed interest and by 2013, requests for proposals were issued. The Buffalo School Board, which agreed on almost nothing, permitted

the process to continue. Technical issues were complex as the Buffalo school buildings have an average age of 70 years, with all sorts of roofs. Hir-ing and prevailing wage issues had to be resolved. Eventually construction started, leading to completion of the first phase this year.

The solar panels are estimated to provide at least 20% of the electric-ity for the solarized schools. Along with electric bill savings, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by

2,600 metric tons per year in a city with a high rate of child respiratory illness. Moreover, thousands of chil-dren can view the solar energy me-ters displayed in their schools every day. They will grow up thinking of solar energy as normal, with ripple effects on families and neighbors, as the Niagara Group works with our coalition partners toward new com-munity solar projects. n

2018: CRITICAL YEAR FOR ACTION

T here are many ways as individ-uals, as Sierra Club members and environmentalists, we can

and must take actions to break the log jams impeding critical policies and actions to protect the environment.

I urge us all to: 1) Register to vote and then vote on election days.

Find out to see if you are already reg-istered to vote, and if not, learn how you can register by visiting https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.

Additional information on register-ing can be found at the NYS Board of Elections website (https://www.elec-tions.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html).

Mark your calendar for key election days:

The next statewide election is the 2018 Federal Primary Election on June 26th.

The state primary election date was moved to Thursday, September 13, 2018.

By Susan Lawrence

languishing or blocked in the New York State Senate, Congress and in some of our localities. It is critical this year to elect a New York Senate with a strong Democratic majority and the same for both houses in Congress. The terrible attacks of the Trump Presidency and Congress on essential environmental protections - some dating back 50 years or more - must be stopped and over-turned and then focused to new direc-tions to move us to a sustainable world.

The NYS Legislature elected this year will redraw the districts for the NYS Legislature and the U.S. House elections in 2020. It's time to end gerrymander-ing of these districts and elect legisla-tors and public officials who represent and fight for the top priorities of the people, including those that will pro-tect our environment for today and many tomorrows.

Susan Lawrence a long-time club activist who has served as chair and conservation chair at the chapter and group level. n

BUFFALO SCHOOLS GO SOLARBy Ellen Cardone BanksNiagara Group Climate and Energy Committee Chair and Chapter Conservation Chair and Secretary

Solar panels have

been installed on 19

schools, with

one more nearing

completion for a total

of 3 MW of electrical

generation.

It's time to end gerry-

mandering of these

districts and elect

legislators and public

officials who represent

who represent and

fight for the top

priorites of the people.

It's is critical this year

to elect a New York

Senate with a strong

Democratic majority

and the same for both

houses in Congress.

Harriet Ross Tubman, Buffalo Public School #31, is just one of the schools that has solar panels installed on it.

Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC4

19 Request for Information (RFI) to obtain the knowledge required for developing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to determine a strategy for the potential divestment and exclusion of fossil fuel investments from the NYC-ERS, TRS, and BERS investment portfo-lios within a five year period.

These recent developments represent the culmination of a five-year grass-roots divestment campaign in NYC comprising rallies, educational events, petitions, meetings with pension trustees and financial experts, and the support of NYC elected officials. This campaign has benefited from the increasingly compelling financial reasons for fossil fuel divestment, the acceleration of climate change and the growth of the global divestment movement. According to DivestInvest, over 852 institutional investors and 59,524 individuals throughout the world have now committed to divest-ing their fossil fuel holdings, from a total of $6 trillion in assets.

The 350NYC Fossil Free NYC Divestment Campaign The 350.org Do the Math Tour in

NYC, which 350NYC helped to orga-nize, launched the 350NYC divest-ment campaign. Over 2,000 people attended this November 16, 2012, event at which Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein explained the “three terrifying numbers”: an upper lim-it of 350 parts per million of car-bon dioxide in the atmosphere and 565 gigatons of carbon that can be burned if we are to stay below two degrees Celsius of global warming since the late nineteenth centu-ry and avoid irreversible climate change tipping points.

Five years of activism: NYC commits to fossil fuel divestmentcontinued from page 1

Soon after the Do the Math Tour, 350NYC, a local volunteer-led group founded by Lyna Hinkel and affiliat-ed with 350.org since 2010, orga-nized the Fossil Free NYC divest-ment campaign, which held its first event at Barnard College on Decem-ber 10, 2012. Fossil Free NYC activ-ists gave their first presentation on divestment in March 2013 to the chief of staff for Scott Stringer, the Manhattan borough president at that time.

In July 2013, 350NYC formed a Di-vestment Working Group to focus on fossil fuel divestment from the NYC and NYS pension funds that involves members of student, faith-based and environmental organizations. For example, I was the Sierra Club NYC Group point person on divestment and served as the coordinator of the Divestment Working Group in 2015.

We called on each of the five pension boards in the NYC pension system to immediately freeze investments in the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies based on the carbon con-tent of their proven coal, oil and gas reserves, as identified by the Carbon Underground 200, and to phase out of all investments in these companies over a five-year period.

The diverse activities of the 350NYC-led pension divest-ment campaign included:

• Submitting petitions to NYC Comp-trollers John Liu and his successor Scott Stringer, and NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

• Educational events, such as the> February 26, 2014, Fossil Free NYC Divestment Open House.

> August 11, 2015, Financial Strate-gies for Keeping Fossil Fuels in the Ground panel discussion.

> October 15, 2016, Climate Justice & Public Pension Fund Investments — Divesting Public Pension Funds from Fossil Fuels forum organized by 350NYC and DC 37, AFSCME, one of the three unions in the NYCERS fund.

• Rallies, including the> June 14, 2014, rally at NYS Comp-troller Thomas DiNapoli’s NYC office, at which over eleven thousand divest-ment petitions were delivered.

> Global Divestment Day NYC: “Which Side Are You On?” rally in the Financial District on February 13, 2015, with speakers from student, NYC pension and faith-based divest-

continued on page 8

.These recent develop-

ments represent the

culmination of a

fi ve-year grassroots

divestment campaign

in NYC comprising

rallies, educational

events, petitions,

meetings with pension

trustees and fi nancial

experts, and the

support of NYC

elected offfi cials.

STAY TUNED FOR IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT THE ATLANTIC CHAPTER’S NEWLY FORMED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEIn years past, the Chapter has had a P.A.C. that relied solely on the prodigious efforts of one lone activist, and was more or less visible depending on the circumstances surrounding any given election.

This year is different in so very many ways, so the P.A.C. is being reestablished in the most formal and by-the-book manner possible. We want to be able to work with candidates effectively and legitimately to change the direction in which we see our elected leaders dragging the nation and the planet.

Consequently, you’ll be hearing much more about the P.A.C. in the summer Sierra Atlantic, by email and on the Chapter’s website. Keep your eyes open!

G E T INV O LV E D WITH TH E SIE R R A CLUB ATL A NTIC CH A P TE R TO D AY!You may be receiving our newsletters and the Sierra magazine, but to be sure you’re getting all of our communications and to learn about getting involved in our work, our website offers a variety of options.

By visiting www.newyork.sierraclub.org, you’ll find email sign-ups for• Atlantic Chapter Updates, including general Chapter updates as well as any take-action emails• Sierra Atlantic Newsletter, the electronic version of the quarterly newsletter• Atlantic Action Newsletter, our biweekly e-newsletter where we discuss our latest conservation news • Volunteer Connection, where you can sign up for one of our available positions and get more involved with the Atlantic ChapterAll these sign-up forms are in the right column on the home page of the Atlantic Chapter website.

You can also stay up to date with what’s happening by following us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubA tlanticChapter/

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC

egies that work. Amherst has completed the first four steps for the New York State Energy Research and Development Au-thority (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Com-munity (CEC) certification and earned a CEC $250,000 grant, which will be used to put solar panels on a community cen-ter and increase electric vehicle charging stations. We continue to work on further steps in this program and the related De-partment of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Climate Smart Community certi-fication. Erie County, the Village of Wil-liamsville and several other local towns are in the CEC process.

Many towns have Conservation Advisory Councils, authorized by NY State munici-

5

CHAPTER CALLS FOR EXCOM NOMINATIONSThe Atlantic Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom) sets Sierra Club conserva-tion policy in New York State and administers the Chapter. The Chapter ExCom meets in person four times a year and meets by conference phone several times a year.

Some ExCom members are chosen by their local Groups. Others, the nine at-large delegates, are elected by the Chapter membership statewide for two-year terms. This fall’s election will fill four at-large seats beginning in January 2019.

Every member of the Chapter is eligible. If you are interested in running for one of these seats, please let the Nominating Committee (NomCom) know by July 22. Send your name, address, and membership number to the Nominating Committee, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, 744 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 or by e-mail to atlantic.chapter@sierraclub.org. Please include a statement about your qualifications and reasons for running to help the NomCom decide wheth-er to nominate you. The NomCom will notify you by August 8 if they are nomi-nating you as a candidate for at-large delegate.

If you are not nominated by the NomCom you can become a candidate by filing a petition signed by at least 50 members of the Chapter. The deadline for filing petitions to be a candidate is September 8. The NomCom has the option until September 8 to nominate more candidates. The deadline for all candidates to submit the final version of their ballot statements is September 8.

Support Chapter’s work in NYS

W e need your help to fight fossil fuel infrastructure, maintain

the Chapter’s other critical conservation efforts and contin-

ue print publication of the Sierra Atlantic. Your membership

dues primarily support the Club’s national priorities. Your additional

support is needed to strengthen the Chapter’s work in the state Legisla-

ture and throughout the state.

Please use the coupon below to send us your donation. Contributions and

dues to the Sierra Club are not tax deductible. Thank you for your generosity.

Yes, I want to help the Atlantic Chapter preserve and protect

the environment of New York state. I am enclosing my gift of:

q $500 q $250 q $100 q $60 q $35 Other $______

q Check made payable to Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter is enclosed.

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$____ quarterly credit card donation.

Bill to: q Mastercard q Visa q Discover

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Mail this completed form with your check or credit card

information to: Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, PO Box 38225,

Albany, NY 12203

A copy of our latest financial report can be obtained by writing to

Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, PO Box 38225, Albany, NY 12203, or the

NYS Attorney General.

T he first goal of the Sierra Club’s mission statement is “To achieve ambitious and just climate solu-

tions.” While we work to implement these solutions statewide and nationally, local work is equally important. We will not reach our climate goals without local action. Sometimes local town and village governments appear to be stodgy and cliquish, and town board meetings can seem bogged down in minor and unin-spiring matters. How do we bring aware-ness of energy efficiency, clean renew-able energy and climate justice to the foreground in our towns?

In the Town of Amherst and other Buffalo suburbs, we have developed some strat-

pal laws* that advise on land use, includ-ing development proposals, parks and conservation education. Towns may also have committees on energy, transporta-tion and recycling / waste. Your town’s website may list contact information for committee chairpersons and indications of vacancies; these volunteer opportuni-ties are not always well known so it may be easy to be appointed.

Typically, these committees also include town staff from the planning, building and other relevant departments, and meetings are open to the public. In our town, to get on a committee you attend a meeting or two and then, with the chair-person’s support, submit a statement of interest to a town board member, who will place your appointment on the board’s agenda. In my case, I volun-teered to plant perennials in a newly re-purposed town park, with no intention of anything more. I just wanted to learn some tips from garden experts. In de-cades of living in Amherst, I’d rarely set foot in our town hall.

The garden planner was also the Conser-vation Advisory Council chair. She asked me to join the council. Then several of our Niagara Group members joined the Energy Conservation committee. Togeth-er, with the help of one sympathetic town board member and advice from a staffer working with a regional planning institute on a NYSERDA grant, we formed an ad hoc Clean Energy Community committee. The CEC program appeals

MOVING YOUR COMMUNITY TOWARD CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE PROTECTIONS

Moving Your Communityby Ellen Cardone Banks, Atlantic Chapter Conservation Chair

to elected officials because it starts with small steps that are easily implemented, provides 50 hours of technical support that addresses the excuse of limited staff time, and offers grants up to $250,000, with no matching requirements, for im-plementing further steps.

As in many endeavors, getting to know your town officials helps you and your organization to be heard.

Another way to influence local policy is to get involved in local politics. You can join a local party committee by contact-ing the party organization in your county for a petition and getting 25 signatures from registered party members. As a com-mittee member, you’ll be expected to “carry” petitions for endorsed candidates. You can then bring climate and energy issues to the attention of the committee, have a voice in nominations and endorse-ments, and work within the organization to elect candidates who support energy efficiency and clean energy.

In our town, Sierra Club members worked on the November 2017 election. With many other volunteers, our ground game brought a high turnout in a lo-cal-only election year and elected a slate of a much more environmentally friendly supervisor and town board. If local party participation is not for you, consider start-ing or joining non-partisan voter registra-tion drives.

The first year I was eligible to vote, I was in Tip O’Neill’s congressional district. Tip often said, “All politics is local.” As we move toward a crucial election season, let’s heed his advice.

*http://codes.findlaw.com/ny/gener-al-municipal-law/gmu-sect-239-y.html n

Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC6

The fourth edition of Give a Wolf (and the World) a Break Today: Go Veggie! is now available. A bi-fold produced by the Chapter’s Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Com-mittee makes the connection between protecting our planet and wildlife, and the choice to eat a plant-based diet.

Here are the topics covered:

• National Sierra Club Policy

• Our Taxes Pay to Kill Wildlife

• Invasive Plant Species

• Factory Farms

• New York Lakes Contaminated with Manure

• Hungry Ocean Mammals

• Fish Farm Woes

• Animal Agriculture’s Impact on Climate

• What About Grass-fed and Local?

• John Muir Weighs In

• Making Changes

• So What Should I Eat?

Here are a few excerpts Our Taxes Pay to Kill Wildlife: In the West, much of the land wast-ed for meat production is public land. Grazing rights are sold at ridic-ulously low prices to ranchers (some of which are actually large corpora-tions), thus forcing taxpayers to subsi-dize their industry. Our taxes are also used to kill wild animals through the federal Wildlife Services at the behest of the ranching industry. Prairie dogs, coyotes, mountain lions, wolves and other animals are trapped, poisoned, burned in their dens and shot. Wild horses and burros are rounded up and sometimes sold for slaughter so they don’t compete with cattle and sheep on public land.

Animal Agriculture’s Impact on Cli-mate: Animal agriculture plays a large role in creating the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Methane, much more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, is pro-duced in large quantities by rumi-nant animals (cows, goats, sheep and

bison) during their normal digestion and elimination . . . On June 2, 2010, the United Nations Environment Pro-gram released a report . . . that includes a section on the severe environmen-tal problems caused by animal agri-culture. It advises that the worst im-pact of climate change from animal agriculture can only be averted by a worldwide shift toward a plant-based diet — no animal flesh and no animal products (particularly dairy).

What About Grass-Fed and Local?: Cattle raised solely on grass actually contribute more to greenhouse gas-es than cattle that are “finished” on grain. Buying local food is important to local farmers and reduces CO2 emissions from transporting food long distances. However, eating a plant-based diet (or even just eating less animal flesh and fewer animal products) should be added to this strategy. According to Professor Chris Weber of Carnegie Mellon University, buying local doesn’t have as much impact as reducing beef and dairy. “Only 5% of the emissions related to food comes from transporting food to market. You can have a much big-ger impact by shifting just one day a week from meat and dairy to any-thing else than going local every day of the year.”

So What Should I Eat?: A healthy vegan diet includes grains, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and all the foods that can be made from them (pasta, soups, burgers, desserts, salads, etc.). Vegans are more likely to avoid heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer than people who eat a typical US diet. So consider moving toward a plant-based diet (perhaps starting with one day a week with-out animal flesh or animal products).

You can find recipes and much other information, including a download of Give a Wolf a Break at atlantic2.sier-raclub.org/conservation/biodiversity

You can request one or more (free) hard copies of Give a Wolf a Break by contacting Linda DeStefano at 5031 Onondaga Rd., Syracuse NY 13215-1403, LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com, or 315 488 2140 (8 am–10 pm). Thanks to Sierrans who have already helped distribute Wolf. And don’t miss Betsy Naselli’s vegan columns, also featured on the Biodiversity/Vegetar-ian Outreach page. n

(https://atlantic2.sierraclub.org/con-tent/recipes-and-articles)

This tasty soup is hearty and nourishing.2 cups dried black-eyed peas (soak overnight) 3 cups vegetable broth 1 cup chopped onions 2 cups diced tomatoes (1-15-oz. can) 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3/4 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon rosemary 2 tablespoons vegetarian “baco bits” (made of soy)

In a large pot, soak black-eyes in 6 cups cold water, and let stand overnight.

Rinse and drain the peas.

In a cooking pot sauté the onions in a little water until they are translucent.

Add the black-eyes and all remaining ingredients to the pot, and bring to a boil.

Simmer partly covered for 45-50 minutes until peas are very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

When soup is fully cooked puree 2 cups of soup in a blender and return to the pot. Salt to taste, and serve.

Copyright Kay Bushnell

GIVE A WOLF A BREAK 2018

SAVORY BLACK-EYE SOUPVegan recipe from the Biodiversity / Vegetarian Outreach page on the Atlantic Chaper website

SEEKING EDITOR FOR SIERRA ATLANTICThe Sierra Atlantic Chapter is planning to issue a Request for Services to hire a professional editor(s) for our quarterly Sierra Atlantic, for both the printed and online editions. The Chapter’s volunteer Sierra Atlantic Com-mittee will oversee the content of the Sierra Atlantic and work with the editor to solicit articles and edit article content. The editor’s services may include layout of the Sierra Atlantic or layout may be done by a separate party hired by the Chapter.

If you are interested in providing these paid services or know a party who would be qualified to do so, please contact Sierra Atlantic co-chairs, Susan Lawrence and Kate Bartholomew. We are especially interested in contract-ing for these services from someone who will enable the Chapter to im-prove the presentation and content of the Sierra Atlantic

V egans are more

likely to avoid heart

disease, stroke and

some forms of cancer

than people who eat a

typical US diet.

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC

This affects marine animals; the most severe is impairing shell formation in animals with calcium carbonate shells, such as clams and mussels. This has already occurred: in the Pacific North-west, oyster larvae in hatcheries are unable to make their shells properly. Tiny planktonic snails are showing eroded shells. Acidified water poses an additional stress to corals already suffering from rising temperatures. Another effect is on behavior. Acidi-fied waters were found to impair the sense of smell of fish, causing them to be unable to find their home reef, and to move toward, rather than away from, the odor of a predator. These ef-

fects could result in major problems for populations.

What can be done? We need rap-id decreases in emissions of green-house gases, especially carbon diox-ide. While governmental actions are vital and it is important to keep up the pressure on elected officials to do more, collectively individuals can make a difference. Examine your “car-bon footprint.” Does your car use a lot of gas? Next time, buy a hybrid or elec-tric, if you can afford to. Do you drive short distances that you could walk or bike, or take public transportation? How high is your electric bill? Could you keep your house a bit warmer in the summer and a bit cooler in the winter to save energy? Have you put solar panels on your roof? Solar tech-nology has improved greatly and the price has gone down. Could you eat less meat and more vegetables? An-imal agriculture, especially beef, cre-ates a huge amount of greenhouse gases. All these actions will make the quality of life better for your children and grandchildren. n

Judith S. Weis is a Professor Emerita at Rutgers University and is a core member of the National Sierra Club Marine Team.

rapidly. As ice melts, the water gets fresher and normal algal blooms di-minish, providing less food at the bot-tom of the food chain on which the rest of the ecosystem depends. Some species that depend on sea ice, like Adelie penguins in Antarctica and po-lar bears in the Arctic, are in trouble. There is also much concern that the melting of glaciers and the Arctic ice-cap are slowing the Gulf Stream cur-rent which transfers heat from the Southern Atlantic north to Europe.

Closer to home, sea level rise (SLR) is one effect that is apparent in coastal regions. SLR results from water ex-

panding when it warms plus addition of new water from melting glaciers. It is happening faster than was predict-ed. Increased flooding from storms is common, and many areas (e.g., South Florida) have flooded streets even on sunny days. Since much of the world’s population lives in coastal areas, threats to human lives and well-being are becoming appar-ent. In Bristol Bay Alaska, the ability of local communities to access sub-sistence resources is more difficult. Changes in the timing of ice freeze and melt are affecting safety, making it difficult to travel to neighboring villages and in some cases causing loss of life. Residents of some small low-lying Pacific islands have already moved elsewhere, and such “climate refugees” will increase in the future, which can cause political and social problems. Despite all this, the Trump

7

CLIMATE CHANGE IS PUTTING THE OCEANS IN PERILBy Judith S. WeisNYC Group

While some politicians claim that climate change is a hoax, and climate scientists

try to refine their models and forecasts of exactly how much warming will take place in the next few decades, marine scientists can see clearly the evidence of what is already happening.

The heating of the Earth continues due to greenhouse gasses released by human activity. Our oceans have been absorbing much of the initial onset of warming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration (NOAA), half of the increase in ocean heat content since 1865 has occurred over the past two decades. Warmer water holds less oxygen, but the respiration rate of animals (ex-cept for marine mammals) increases with temperature, so they need more oxygen at the same time that less is available. A warmer ocean has less turnover (vertical water movements). These movements normally bring nu-trient-rich water up from deep water to the plankton that photosynthesize near the surface. With less nutrients, they photosynthesize less and ani-mals can’t get enough food.

Many species are moving north to find more suitable environments, in-cluding species of commercial im-portance. Lobsters are disappearing from Long Island and southern New England, but increasing in the Gulf of Maine and Canada. Commercial catches are regulated by regional management agencies, but now these animals are fewer where they had been, and are increasing in places where they weren’t important before. The most dramatic responses to warming oceans are in corals. When stressed, corals eject the single-celled symbiotic algae that live in their tis-sues, which normally photosynthesize and provide the coral with most of its nutrition. When they are ejected, the coral is “bleached”- it appears white. While they can still get some nutrition by catching plankton with their tenta-cles, most species get less than half of their nutrition this way, so if the stress persists and zooxanthellae do not re-turn, corals die. About 30% of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia died in 2016-2017. This is devastating not only for the corals, but also for the thousands of other species that depend on the reef, including humans, who depend on it for $6 billion in tourism revenue annually. An excellent documentary about this tragedy, called “Chasing Cor-al,” is available on Netflix.

Major changes are occurring in polar regions where sea ice is diminishing

administration has recently reversed a regulation that required that devel-opment near the coast take sea level rise into consideration, to reduce the risk of future damage.

Natural communities are also at risk. Coastal marshes in the intertidal zone are very important ecosystems - they reduce storm surge and winds, ab-sorb pollutants, and provide habitat for crabs, shrimp, fishes, birds, and mammals. In the face of SLR, marshes must either increase their elevation or move inland. Increased elevation comes from new sediments being de-posited and organic matter accumu-

lating from marsh plants. Many marsh-es in the Northeast are not elevating fast enough to keep up, so moving back is the only option. In developed regions, there tend to be roads, hous-es, etc., immediately inland, so there is no place to go. Subject to “coastal squeeze” many marshes, that protect us from storm surge and winds will disappear. Coastal towns would be wise to buy properties next to marsh-es to allow for migration.

Another component of forecasted climate change is increased rainfall in the northeast. This will intensify flooding, and worsen the nitrogen problem in estuaries, since more rain means more runoff and nitrogen from fertilized lawns, golf courses, and farms going into the water. Warm-er water in the future will also accel-erate algal blooms.

Climate change is doing something else that is equally dangerous. The oceans absorb about a third of the carbon dioxide emitted from burning fossil fuels. In one way that's good, because it slows down the warming, but once in the ocean, CO2 combines with water to form carbonic acid, making the water more acidic, in fact 30% more acidic in recent decades.

Some species that

depend on sea ice, like

A delie penguins in

A ntarctica and polar

bears in the A rctic are

in trouble.

An example of coral bleaching, an increasingly common result of Climate Change.

Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC8

and Economic Justice Committee to call on the TRS to divest from fossil fuels and, with a public school student, spoke in support of divestment at a TRS pension board meeting on January 26, 2017.

• 350NYC also highlighted divest-ment at a 350NYC Global Climate Treaty: Why the U.S. Must Lead event, attended by 900 people on September 20, 2014, the night before the NYC People’s Climate March in NYC, in which 400,000 people participated; and a 350NYC Countdown to Paris: Update on Global Climate Treaty Ne-gotiations event on March 19, 2015.

• The formation of a coalition of NYS organizations to advocate for the New York State Fossil Fuel Divest-ment Act, sponsored by State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Member and Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz. The coalition’s activities included lob-bying for the legislation and partici-pating in two hearings in Albany.

On September 29, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a proposal to divest the NYC pension funds from ther-mal coal (the coal burned in power plants) worth about $33 million, and to develop a “long-term investment strategy that evaluates the funds’ fos-sil fuel investments.” During the fall of 2015, the NYCERS, TRS, NYC Fire Department Pension Fund and NYC Police Pension Fund voted to divest from thermal coal and in support of a resolution to review strategies for mitigating risks from climate change, including the possibility of divesting from fossil fuel companies.

These votes by the pension trustees rep-resented a major turning point in the NYC divestment campaign and demon-strated its success in creating a network of support for divestment among elect-ed officials, pension trustees and recipi-ents, and activist organizations.

Subsequently, the NYC Comptroller’s Office issued Requests for Propos-als that included a carbon footprint

study (the source and amount of carbon emissions produced by each publicly traded company in NYC’s pension system), which is substantial-ly broader in scope than the financial impact study required for divestment from the top 200 fossil fuel compa-nies, the main demand of the global divestment movement. The Requests for Proposals; competitive bidding process; selection in February 2017 of Trucost for the carbon footprint study; selection of Mercer to provide recommendations based on this study; and the Trucost and Mercer presenta-tions on their findings to the pension trustees — all of this occupied a two-year period in 2016 and 2017.

Although the pension trustees could not vote on divestment prior to the Trucost and Mercer presentations at their monthly pension board meet-ings in fall 2017 and January 2018, ac-tivists continued to build public sup-port for fossil fuel divestment.

#DivestNY In fall 2016, 350.org provided re-sources to support the 350NYC cam-paign and #DivestNY was formed as a coalition of organizations supporting divestment from the NYC and NYS pension funds. The coalition compris-es 350NYC, 350Brooklyn, the Sierra Club, DivestInvest, GreenFaith, Food

and Water Watch, the Working Fami-lies Party and 20 other organizations. #DivestNY initiatives include:

• Submitting thousands of signatures to NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer on Valentine’s Day in 2017, which were collected for several years on an on-line divestment petition initiated by the 350NYC divestment campaign.

• A May 16, 2017, Climate, Jobs, and Justice Assembly Forum at which NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James were among the program speakers.

• Highlighting fossil fuel divestment at the #Sandy 5, October 2017 five-year Superstorm Sandy commemoration rally in Brooklyn and march across the Brooklyn Bridge, which was co-spon-sored by over 150 organizations, includ-ing the Sierra Club and several environ-mental justice organizations.

• Holding a rally prior to, and partici-pating in a November 29, 2017, public hearing titled “Climate Change: How NYC Can Take Action,” organized by Public Advocate Letitia James, at which speakers from several organizations, including the Sierra Club, discussed how climate change impacts are im-periling NYC’s future. Several solu-tions were proposed, such as green building efficiencies, renewable en-ergy and battery storage innovations, and fossil fuel divestment. The hearing was held at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, which was flood-ed during Superstorm Sandy.

• A January 30, 2018, rally outside the 2018 Investor Summit on Climate Risk co-hosted by Ceres and the UN Founda-tion to call on NYS Comptroller Thom-as DiNapoli to divest fossil fuels from the NYS Common Retirement Fund.

The Fossil-Fuel Divestment ActThe achievements of the NYC pension divestment campaign and Governor

continued on page 12

Five years of activism: NYC commits to fossil fuel divestmentcontinued from page 4

A lthough the pension

trustees could not

vote on divestment

prior to the Trucost and

Mercer presentation

at their monthly

pension board meetings

in fall 2017 and

January 2018, activists

continued to build

public support for

fossil fuel divestment.

ment campaigns; Stuart Braman from Fossil Free Indexes US, Council Mem-ber Helen Rosenthal, and Jarret Hova, deputy counsel for policy and legis-lation representing Public Advocate Letitia James, advocating for divesting from fossil fuels.

> October 31, 2015, Beware of the Carbon Bubble rally at 1 Centre Street that emphasized the financial risks of the carbon bubble — the inflated value of fossil fuel investments — and called on Comptroller Scott Stringer to divest fossil fuels from the NYC pension system.

• Writing articles on divestment and participating in radio and television interviews.

• Meeting with the pension trustees and their representatives on the NYC pension boards, and with financial experts in Comptroller Stringer and Mayor de Blasio’s offices.

• Presentations on divestment to a variety of organizations in NYC, such as faith-based organizations, NYC Democratic clubs, and community and environmental organizations.

• Meeting with NYC City Coun-cil members and advocating for a non-binding City Council resolution on divestment. Council Members Helen Rosenthal, who represents me in the City Council, and Costa Constantinides wrote a September 21, 2015, letter to all the NYC pension trustees in which they described the increasing risk from fossil fuel investments and asked the trustees “to open a discussion about the financial performance — and asso-ciated risks — of the fossil fuel invest-ments in our City’s pension funds.”

• Retired schoolteachers in the Teach-ers Retirement System (TRS) partici-pated in the since-dissolved UFT Social

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC 9

W hat do you think when you hear the word “hemp”? I know what you think! But

different kinds of hemp exist – the mar-ijuana type and the industrial variety. Industrial hemp is not the same plant as the hemp that produces marijuana! It’s in the same family of plants, but has much less tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, so cannot induce the high that marijuana can. But because the leaves look the same, the cultivation of hemp has been outlawed in the US since 1970.

Industrial hemp, however, has many uses. It is biodegradable and has other amazing environmental benefits.

Here are a few:

• Its cultivation is protective of the soil,

• It is adaptive to growing in many en-vironments and climates,

• It is less water intensive than many other plants,

• It is naturally resistant to most pests so wouldn’t need much in the way of pesticides to grow,

• Because it grows very tightly spaced, it allows few weeds to grow, so doesn’t need herbicides either,

• Its cultivation nurtures the soil by extracting toxins and returning nitro-gen and other nutrients.Wow!

Hemp used to be a major crop in the US, including in New York State, but all hemp products you may have seen re-cently – such as edible and nutritious hemp seeds, hemp milk, hemp-based clothing, etc. have been imported from other countries that have con-tinued to grow it, like China, Canada, and the EU. Well, finally we are taking steps to again allow for the growing and manufacturing of hemp in the US.

The 2014 U.S. Farm Bill legalized state departments of agriculture and research institutes of higher educa-tion to proceed with the undertaking of hemp research pilot programs to study growth, cultivation and market-ing of industrial hemp. New York State launched its Industrial Hemp Agricul-tural Pilot Program in December 2015 and Cornell and SUNY Morrisville began initial research. Then in July of 2017, Governor Cuomo signed legis-lation that committed up to $10 mil-lion in grants for researchers, farmers, and processors and is now partnering with a limited number of farmers to grow test plots around the state.

Although this hasn’t gotten a lot of press (when does agriculture get much press in the US?), this is a very significant development. Industrial hemp could bring back jobs as we create new manufacturing opportu-nities from this plant. Industrial hemp could mean new income for farmers and for workers in factories involved in hemp processing and manufacture of innumerable products. Hemp could be used as a substitute for many more environmentally unsustainable prod-ucts. Look at its many uses:

From Forbes Magazine, May 29, 2013

Think of the possibilities! Hemp for clothing substituting for cotton, the cul-tivation of which uses more than 25% of the world’s insecticides and over 10% of the world’s pesticides. Hemp used to make plastic-like products, cur-rently made from fossil fuels, but these would be biodegradable. Trees that wouldn’t need to be cut down because we could make our paper out of hemp. And hemp used as insulation in build-ing construction compared to oil-based alternatives like polyurethane, which are currently used.

It is great that New York State is on the band wagon with research and pilot programs, as are 25 other states thus far, and, the New York State Depart-ment of Agriculture and Markets says there is a great deal of interest among

farmers and possible processors/man-ufacturers. Grant money for processing has been allocated and applications for this money will be available soon. For New York State, Susie Cody, a long-time advocate for hemp in New York State and president of the New York Hemp Industries Association (a voluntary position) foresees we will be moving toward processing the seed and not the fiber and stalk here in New York, because the seeds are easier to harvest. More research is needed in this area, if we are to make the best use of the whole plant.

But it doesn’t appear like there is much planning or coordination happening on the national level (surprise, sur-prise). Instead, those interested states are going forward and we may miss an opportunity to have the availability of this “new” plant help us transition into some hugely needed changes in our agricultural system altogether. For in-stance, we should be encouraging big cotton-growing states to be transition-ing to growing hemp for fabric, but some of the biggest have yet to begin research (such as Texas, Georgia and Mississippi.) Could we possibly con-vince Texas and Louisiana, major oil refining states, to grow hemp and start some of the manufacturing of plastic products made of hemp and not fossil fuels?. Neither is onboard to begin re-searching hemp. Perhaps we will need some encouragement from the Feder-al Government to start-ups of some of these transitional industries.

We are in desperate need of reforms of our entire agricultural system as we face challenges of climate change, soil depletion, and water degradation and scarcity and hopefully begin thinking about moving toward a more sustain-able diet. Hemp could be a major part of that reform and we should seize the moment, but it needs to be analyzed, planned and coordinated very carefully.

It could be destructive if each state is just thinking about its own opportuni-ty for building its economy and jobs. We could end up with hemp growing on fields that currently supply organ-ic vegetables, thus lessening the avail-ability of those desirable food sources, causing the price of organic food to rise, which, in turn could discourage the public from supporting those farms that damage the environment the least. We could instead be encour-aging hemp to be used instead as a har-vestable cover crop to be planted after the harvesting of the vegetables. This could be done instead of letting the soil lie exposed to erosion and nutrient loss. This is one of the techniques that is be-ing researched right now in New York State. Hopefully, it will prove to be an effective use and will be encouraged by the Department of Agriculture & Mar-kets and then shared with other states. And another possible helpful technique

continued on page 10

HEMP - AN OPPORTUNITYAND A CHALLENGEBy Katherine SchwarzLower Hudson Group

Harvesting an industrial hemp crop.

Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC

air and water developed, an idea that was still being discussed as a proposed New York State constitutional amend-ment in 2017.

Class differences in land preservation priorities became evident around 1900 as the preservation of wild plac-es for subsistence hunters and fisher-men was challenged by the movement to establish preserves for sport hunt-ing by the wealthy without regard for local land use traditions. This led indus-trial workers initially to oppose park formation and some fish and game

laws, but they eventually grew to sup-port conservation rules and regula-tions as the popularity of recreational fishing and hunting grew. Especially during the New Deal Era, when young men in governmental relief programs repaired natural areas and made them accessible to a new generation of car owners, appreciation of nature in-creased among working people.

During the 1950s and 1960s, orga-nized labor led the fight against pollu-tion and health hazards in the work-place and community, sometimes in coalition with environmental groups. During the Shell Oil strike in 1973, Si-

10

would be to use hemp as a rotation crop, to discourage the damaging technique of monocropping.

Also, at this point hemp seeds for planting may be difficult to obtain be-cause hemp is still regulated under the Controlled Substances Act. So the fed-eral government will need to change that regulation. With President Trump wanting to create jobs and eliminate regulations, this part, one would hope, would be the easiest to accomplish – yet Attorney General Sessions is taking steps to undo legislation that allowed states to legalize the use of marijua-na for medical purposes. He hasn’t taken steps to tie industrial hemp to this possible change in marijuana leg-islation, but he certainly could, so he

might be a huge stumbling block. And, who knows what the current Con-gress could do with the next Farm Bill, which is already being worked on –

could they even reverse the progress that had already been made?

Although it could be great for the econ-omy of New York State to make indus-trial hemp a major crop, and we know that hemp could grow here quite eas-ily, there should be some discussion nationwide so we can make the most and best use of this newly-available re-source. Perhaps, if New York State and New York City are exploring divest-ing from fossil fuels, they could think about investing that money into hemp production and manufacturing.

We also have an opportunity to make our voices heard on the national lev-el, as our Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, sits on the Senate Agriculture Com-mittee. We should express our hopes and concerns to her so she can influ-ence the debate over the next Farm

Bill. Additionally, New York State has 2 representatives who sit on the House Agriculture Committee: John Faso (R – District 19) and Sean Patrick Malo-ney (D – District 18). Perhaps such a coordination of efforts can be put into place to make the most of this new opportunity to cultivate and manu-facture this environmentally friendly plant which has so many potential uses. Also, an attempt to exempt hemp plants from the controlled substance designation has been introduced in the House, The Industrial Hemp Farm-ing Act (HR-3530). So you could con-tact your Representative in any district and ask them to support this piece of legislation. And, we can also send any support and any concerns to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Mar-kets as they go ahead overseeing the cultivation and then the processing of hemp in New York State. n

Hemp an opportunity and a challengecontinued from page 9

A s the impacts of climate change become more evident, the Sierra Club and its envi-

ronmental allies have been joining co-alitions with other groups, including labor and social justice organizations, to achieve their common goals more completely and quickly. Witness the diversity of people and groups who participated in the People’s Climate March last April, 2017, in Washington, DC, and around the country.

Such alliances are fitting, as some of these movements have been critical in shaping the environment since long before Sierra Club formed in 1892. Chad Montrie’s excellent book, A People’s History of Environmen-talism in the United States (Contin-uum, 2011), examines the deep roots of environmental activism. Montrie documents that widespread concern for the planet predated Rachel Car-son’s Silent Spring in the 1950s, the sight of Earth from space soon there-after, and the first Earth Day in 1970.

As far back as the early 1800s, mill and factory workers developed a new appreciation of nature, which led them to call for the preservation of natural areas for recreation and to fight pollution in their communities. After growing up on farms, these newly urbanized workers grievous-ly felt the loss of exposure to clean

air, water and sunlight from laboring long hours inside buildings with poor lighting, unhealthy air quality and lit-tle space to move around. Workers began to think of natural places as refuges to get away to for a time, and to indulge in hunting and fishing for both sustenance and recreation.

Factory owners and managers from this early time commonly ordered the dumping of industrial and hu-man wastes into the nearby rivers, and built mill dams that flooded up-stream land and blocked migratory fish. Courts, which initially decided in favor of traditional water flow, in-creasingly sided with manufacturing interests. Families of workers living in towns around industrial sites were most often affected by unhealthy air and water, and by the 1870s, citizens were fighting back with lawsuits and efforts at pollution-control legislation. The idea of a natural right to clean

erra Club joined the nationwide boy-cott over health and safety issues. Also during this period, the environmental justice movement became more pow-erful as it attempted to stop strip min-ing in Appalachia and prevent farm workers from being doused with pes-ticides in California. Yet relationships among labor, local environmental justice and national environmental groups were at times rocky, as each pursued different priorities or dis-agreed on strategy.

Industrial leaders began using the “jobs vs. environment” argument at least as far back as 1909. Especially during the 1970s — characterized by high unemployment and inflation — and the 1980s, notable for cuts to gov-ernment spending and resurgence in the popularity of free enterprise , employers claimed that they and their workers had a mutual interest in fighting regulation and threatened massive layoffs even in the face of ev-idence that protections did not sub-stantially affect company profits.

Most layoffs that did occur at this time were due to the larger context of auto-mation, declining industry caused by rapid depletion of resources, and oth-er factors rather than from regulations that were adopted to promote conser-vation and fight pollution. This same scenario is playing out again when the Trump administration blames environ-mental regulations and the Clean Pow-er Plan for depressing coal production in the US when the reality is that the market for coal is drying up.

Today, workers and residents of com-munities that have borne the worst impacts of pollution and climate change are once again joining forc-es with environmentalists to stop abuses, conserve resources, prevent pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To quote the first Climate March, “To change everything, we need everyone.” n

Industrial hemp

could bring back jobs

as we create new

manufacturing

opportunities from

this plant

REFLECTIONS ON THE DEEP ROOTS OF ENVIRONMENTALISM IN THE UNITED STATESBy Gale PishaLegislative Committee Co-Chair of Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter

A s far back as the

early 1800's mill and

factory workers

developed a new

appreciation of nature,

which led them to call

for the preservation

of natural areas for

recreation and to

fi ght pollution in their

communities.

Chad Montrie's book.

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC

other organizations with similar sus-tainable energy goals, helps build support in approaching a municipal

leader to obtain a commitment. Our Chapter and Beyond Coal staff have put together a number of suggestions and tools for the campaign. One of these tools includes film Reinventing Power which includes a number of local sustainable energy success sto-ries. Your Group may want to screen this film for members and partners.

After securing a pledge, renewable energy goals can be set for any num-ber of targets including, for example, 100% of government buildings and fa-cilities being powered by renewable electricity. Some NYS examples are:

11

continued on page 12

T his year the Atlantic Chapter and the Beyond Coal Cam-paign will be working to en-

courage local municipalities to pledge to 100% clean, renewable energy, and aid these municipalities in reaching their goals. In its 2016 Clean Ener-gy Standard (CES), the State of New York pledged to reach a goal of 50% of its electricity being produced from renewable sources by 2030. Each commitment we obtain from munic-ipalities to commit to work for 100% clean, renewable energy strength-ens New York’s ability to require in-creased production and distribution of renewable electricity.

Municipalities differ in size, dynamics, etc. In most cases, however, obtain-ing an early pledge from Mayor or Supervisor to work for 100% clean, renewable energy will be sought. Experience has shown that adding additional Sierra Club members into a program, along with members of

If environmentalists favor renewable energy, then what’s wrong with a proposal to bring Canadian hydro-

power to New York City? A close look reveals serious problems with this massive project.

The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), estimated at $2.2 billion, pro-poses an electric transmission corridor to bring 1,000 megawatts of high volt-age electricity generated from Canadian megadams to Queens, NY. Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter opposes this project because, as currently planned, it would be a private roadway for Hydro-Que-bec, a private corporation heavily subsi-dized by the Canadian government. Its electricity would undercut New York State renewable energy development and transmission, and be destructive to the environment. The construction of such major infrastructure would shape our energy future for decades to come, so it’s important that we get it right.

CHPE would run through Lake Cham-plain and the Hudson River to reach

• The City of Ithaca, which currently obtains 100% of its government facili-ty electricity from renewables;

• The town of East Hampton which has pledged its entire electricity sec-tor to be 100% renewable by 2020 and heating and transportation by 2030;

• The Erie County government re-cently pledged that all its government facilities will be powered by renew-able electricity by 2025;

• In Westchester County, the City of White Plains and at least 15 other towns and villages now obtain 100% of the electricity from renewable en-ergy sources under the Community Choice Aggregation program.

Besides obtaining pledges, our local Group and members can work with municipalities to promote any num-ber of State sponsored renewable en-ergy and energy efficiency programs. The “Community Solar” program which permits citizens who are un-able to install rooftop solar units on their homes to purchase solar power.

Another State program is Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), current-ly operating in Westchester County, which provides the opportunity for a municipality to contract directly with its local utility to purchase renewable wind, solar and hydro power for all of its residents. Residents may opt out of the CCA program, but the ever re-duced prices of renewables provide an economic incentive to remain in the program. NYSERDA’s “Clean En-ergy Community” program provides financial incentives to towns which accomplish 4 out of 10 renewable en-ergy and energy efficiency goals. The State also has over 200 communities involved in its “Climate Smart Com-munities” program, to aid in reducing energy consumption and reaching re-newable energy goals.

If you are interested in helping your own town or city to commit to 100% renewable energy, please contact one of your local Sierra Group leaders whose names and contact informa-tion is provided in the Atlantic Chap-ter website at www.atlantic2.sierra-club.org. n

Queens, coming ashore for 126 miles around Albany and again for 7 miles in northeast Rockland County. The build-er, Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI), a Blackstone Group L.P. company, first proposed this scheme in 2010.* Propo-nents portray this project as importing “renewable energy” to replace energy from fracked gas and oil. However, a careful review of the proposal reveals flawed assumptions and various envi-ronmental and economic risks.

CHPE is designed as an extension cord that plugs New York City di-rectly into dammed rivers in Canada, with no access along the route for NYS-generated energy. Communities in both Canada and NYS would bear negative economic and environmen-tal impacts if the project were com-pleted. These include:

• Carbon and mercury footprint from destruction of forests and dam con-

struction: The hydropower would not originate from free-flowing streams but from artificial impoundments constructed after large areas of forest are clear-cut and flooded. As of late 2016, 22 major hydroelectric dams were proposed or under construction close to indigenous communities in Canada. If the land is flooded, meth-ane would be released from rotting,

HAVE YOUR TOWN / VILLAGE / CITY COMMIT TO AND WORK FOR 100% CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGYBy Bob CiesielskiChapter Energy Committee Chair

O ur Chapter and

B eyond Coal staff

have put together a

number of suggestions

and tools for the

campaign.

CANADIAN HYDROPOWER - WRONG DIRECTION FOR THE FUTUREBy Peggy Kurtz, Laura Burkhardt and Gale PishaRockland branch of Lower Hudson Group

The proposed route of the Champlain Hudson Power Express.

Spring 2018SIERRA ATLANTIC

submerged vegetation. The loss of for-ests and the methane emission would exacerbate climate change, which af-fects us all. Furthermore, the flooded land would release significant meth-ylmercury, poisoning the food chain.

• Fewer local jobs: Reliance on Cana-dian power would undercut financial incentives for developing local, dis-tributed renewable energy. Solar and wind installations show great prom-ise to be major local job creators for decades, but if there’s no incentive to develop these installations there will be no creation of the related jobs. CHPE and Hydro-Quebec jobs will be Canadian jobs.

• No guarantee of renewable energy: While CHPE’s builders state that the energy source for this transmission line would be hydropower, there is no legal guarantee that it won’t sub-stitute fossil fuel or nuclear power if they deem it necessary.

• Reduced financial benefit: Local-ly generated power results in local property tax revenue, and income to landowners who rent their property for renewable installations.

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• Risks of a high-voltage transmis-sion line: It would at times pass un-der or along the right of way of the CSX railroad, which carries fossil fuels and chemicals. It would also sometimes go along the rights of way of Routes 9 and 9W, and under at least one natural gas pipeline. If built, the decommissioning plan is to abandon the cables at the end of their life cycle, leaving them under the Hudson River and Lake Cham-plain forever.

• Other local impacts: Local com-munities would bear the impacts of this line, which would pass through parks and other public spaces. The project would be likely to destroy both onshore and river habitat, and could increase PCB contamination stirred up during river construction.

Due to protected sturgeon habi-tat designated under the Obama administration, the developer was required to take an overland route around Haverstraw Bay. The original seven-mile overland route was op-posed by the affected communities in Rockland County. However, in January 2018, five Rockland munic-ipalities signed memoranda of un-derstanding that promise millions of dollars in return for their support of a modified route via state highway

Andrew Cuomo’s support for divest-ment are providing momentum for divesting fossil fuels from the $200 bil-lion NYS Common Retirement Fund. This is the third largest pension fund in the US and includes about $3.68 billion of investments in the top 200 fossil fuel companies.

In a December 19, 2017, press release, Governor Cuomo announced that his January 22, 2018, State of the State ad-dress would call for “ceasing all new investments in entities with significant fossil fuel-related activities” and creating an advisory committee to “develop a de-carbonization roadmap to invest in op-portunities to combat climate change and support the clean tech economy while addressing financial risks and protecting the fund.”

NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the sole trustee of the NYS Common Re-tirement Fund, has opposed divestment and advocated instead for shareholder activism and increasing investment in a low-carbon fund. However, while in-dicating that he does not have any in-tention to divest, Comptroller DiNapoli has expressed a willingness to work with Governor Cuomo to create an ad-visory committee.

The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter will continue to advocate for the New York State Fossil Fuel Divestment Act spon-sored by State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Assistant Speaker Felix W. Or-tiz. The bill requires the NYS Common Retirement Fund to divest from its hold-ings in the top 200 fossil fuel companies based on the carbon content of their proven coal, oil and gas reserves, with coal to be divested within one year, and oil and gas within five years of the enact-ment of the legislation.

For the text of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act, the same version of which was intro-duced in the Senate and the Assembly, see:https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s4596/amendment/a and https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/a3712/amendment/a

To increase the number of sponsors, we can call and write our representatives in the NYS Senate and Assembly, and ask them to co-sponsor S4596A–2017 and A3712A-2017. For a list of NYS leg-islators, see: http://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator and http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem.

Since the 350.org Do the Math Tour in 2012, the divestment movement has ex-panded to include demands that banks should stop financing fossil fuel infrastruc-ture, such as new oil and gas pipelines. We must also advocate for the policies, man-dates and incentives required to transition from fossil fuels to a new, green economy based on renewable forms of energy. n

Five years of activism: NYC commits to fossil fuel divestmentcontinued from page 8

9W. The Town of Stony Point would receive $5.3 million, the Town of Haverstraw, $6.8 million, the Village of West Haverstraw, $2.5 million, the Village of Haverstraw, $3.5 million and the Town of Clarkstown, $3.9 million. These sums are in addition to $9 million that TDI would pro-vide for road improvements along the 9W corridor.

Proponents of CHPE, including Gov-ernor Cuomo, claim the CHPE proj-ect is needed to provide replacement power for the Indian Point nuclear power plant when it closes, but this is not so. Two separate reliability stud-ies — one by the New York Indepen-dent System Operator, which manag-es the grid, and the other from Public Service Commission’s Indian Point Retirement Contingency proceeding (Case 12-E-0503) — clearly demon-strate that reliable replacement pow-er for Indian Point is already in place.

In his January State of the State speech, Governor Cuomo also an-nounced aggressive plans for solar and offshore wind development in NYS, in addition to onshore wind farms. Combined with energy effi-ciency and transmission upgrades, so-lar and wind power are far more de-sirable and effective options to meet the state’s energy needs than import-ing Canadian hydropower, which would undercut the development of local renewable energy.

Sierra Club strongly supports build-ing renewable energy and energy ef-ficiency in ways that grow our local economies, minimize negative envi-ronmental impacts and help shape a truly sustainable energy future.

* See Sierra Atlantic 2015, “Stop CHPE; No need to import Canadian electric-ity from 1,200 miles away” (https://atlantic2.sierraclub.org/content/stop-chpe-no-need-import-canadian-electricity-1200-miles-away).

** See “Ninety-percent of proposed Canadian hydroelectric projects may expose local indigenous communities to methylmercury” (https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2016/11/human-health-risks-from-hydroelec-tric-projects) n

Thanks to Jürgen Wekerle and Don Hughes for their invaluable contri-butions to this article.

Canadian Hydropower - wrong direction for the futurecontinued from page 11

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Proponents of CHPE

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