sierra atlantic · pilgrim pipelines the threat: this proposed twin oil pipeline is designed to...

Sierra AtlanticThe Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club - Serving New York State Volume 44 / Fall 2016

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Over the past four years, the Si-erra Club, along with our part-ners, has been fighting the mass

transportation of crude oil through New York State via railcars, oil barges, tar-sands delivery infrastructure and pipelines. While the fight has largely centered on the Port of Albany, where North Dakota Bakken crude is trans-ferred from railcars to river barges — the impact of this dangerous oil trans-port has been felt in almost every major city in upstate NY and along some of the state’s most important waterways.

Two recent regulatory rulings have challenged long standing claims of preemption by the crude-by-rail industry.What has made this campaign espe-cially difficult is the primacy that the petroleum industry and railroads have enjoyed over state and local laws, stymying public efforts to protect our communities from derailments, spills and catastrophic explosions — like the explosion and firestorm in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, that killed for-ty-seven people and leveled an entire downtown area.

This tragedy should have inspired a wave of meaningful prohibitions and reforms to the crude-by-rail industry, whose cargos have the volatility of gasoline, and whose tankers have a propensity to derail and rupture. But

we’ve seen instead an unrelenting ex-pansion of crude oil transport across the continent despite thousands of lo-cal, individual efforts to stop it.

Two recent regulatory rulings, how-ever, have challenged longstanding claims of preemption by the crude-by-rail industry, giving city governments and state regulators new hope in constraining an industry that threat-ens both public safety and our fragile climate. For years, the citizens of Beni-cia, California, were told they had no authority to stop a new crude-by-rail transloading facility because of the preemptive nature of federal railroad law. On September 28, 2016, the city voted to deny its construction.

But a little-known agency, the Feder-al Surface Transportation Board, ruled on the same day that the transloading facility — in spite of having railroad tracks — was not subject to federal interstate commerce regulations that preempt cities from denying or ap-proving rail-related projects.

Also in September, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in a surprise rul-ing, declared that it would not con-sider reissuing expired Title V air per-mits for Albany’s rail-to-barge crude oil transloading operation at the Global Partners facility until there is an aggressive environmental review detailing the risks to the community and the climate.

When the original permits were issued in 2012 for the Global facility, the DEC observed that its regulatory hands were tied due to the preemp-tive rights of the railroads, and that the scope of what the state could control was extremely limited. With the new ruling from the Surface Transportation Board, it would appear that the DEC and the City of Albany will now have greater leverage to limit the impact of the facility — or close it outright. While the Port of Albany is a central hub of crude oil distribution through NY, there are other parts of crude oil transport that could persist — even if operations are curtailed at Global.

The new DEC permitting require-ments for Global indicate a greater emphasis on cumulative impacts, giving us hope that, for the first time, we’ll get a handle on the collective impact that all these projects present — and limit or stop their advance-ment, understanding them to be one larger entity. n

Fighting the Flow of Crudeture and continuing pressure on Con-gress and the Obama administration to enact meaningful reform.

Pilgrim PipelinesThe threat: This proposed twin oil pipeline is designed to move crude oil from the Port of Albany to refineries in NJ using the NYS Thruway corridor as its primary route. Refined product, like gasoline and diesel, would return to Albany on a parallel pipeline. The route will span nearly 170 miles and bisect dozens of communities. The pipes will also disrupt approximately 9.2 linear miles of wetlands and 257 surface water bodies along the entire route, resulting in extensive impacts to water quality and natural resources.

Modern crude-oil pipelines have demonstrated a risk for catastrophic spills equal to their railroad counter-parts. In spite of the narrative that the pipelines will displace crude-by-rail and barge traffic — filling the pipe-line will require nearly double the number of “bomb” trains currently traveling to Albany.The opportunity: In September 2016, the NYSDEC issued a Positive Declaration of Environmental Sig-nificance, which begins an exhaus-tive scoping process. The public and

New Opportunities in New YorkOil Infrastructure Risks to New York

By Roger DownsConservation Director

GET INVOLVED WITH THE SIERRA CLUB ATLANTIC CHAPTER TODAY!

You may be receiving our newsletters and the Sierra magazine, but to be sure you are getting all forms of our communications and to learn about getting more involved in our work, our website offers a variety of options!

By visiting www.newyork.sierraclub.org, you will 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 and calls to action, Volunteer Connection, sign up for one of our available positions and get more involved with the Atlantic Chapter!

All of these sign-up forms are on the front page of the Atlantic Chapter’s website and can be found on the right column of the homepage.

You can also stay up to date with our happenings by following us on Face-book: https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubAtlanticChapter/

Caitlin Ferrante

Crude by Rail through NYThe threat: Dangerous and poor-ly designed rail tankers — “bomb” trains — transport millions of gallons of fracked crude oil from the Bakken Fields of North Dakota through Buf-falo to Albany and along the Hudson River to NJ refineries, using the CSX line. Bakken crude is also transport-ed in railcars from eastern Canada to Albany, NY, on the Canadian Pacific line, endangering the waters of Lake Champlain and the Upper Hudson River. Dozens of derailments over the past four years have seen catastroph-ic explosions, millions of gallons of crude spilled into America’s water-ways and billions of dollars in clean-up costs.The opportunity: Federal preemp-tion has largely stymied local efforts to stop this dangerous flow of crude. As long as there’s no end point, like a refinery or a transloading facility, communities in the path of this “vir-tual pipeline on rails” have little re-course in the face of long-standing preemption by federal railroad law.

Recent reforms by federal regulators have been anemic and follow an unre-alistically slow implementation time-line. But there are opportunities to rein in the industry by enforcing require-ments for adequate insurance to cover catastrophic accidents, enhanced state inspection of crumbling rail infrastruc-

INSIDE• Successful programs to support renewable energy, page 3.

• Ask Cuomo to sign Geothermal energy tax credit bill, page 3.

• Update on Rockland County water issues, page 5.

• Public hearings on Boreas Ponds land tract, page 5.

• What’s in your glass of water, page 6.

• Hudson River anchorages, page 7.

• Report from the CCL and Annual Meeting, page 9

• Atlantic Chapter ExCom update, page 10.

• ExCom elections pages 11, 12.

2 Fall 2016SIERRA ATLANTIC

For most of us, election season has occupied our attention while the candidates have tried to woo

our votes. For the last few weeks, cam-paign staff have been working over-time while voters were inundated with robocalls, television commercials, canvassers and billboards. This year was especially exciting for New York voters as the Democratic and Republi-can candidates were not known until later than usual in the season, and pri-mary candidates campaigned around the state seeking our votes. In Bing-hamton, I attended two events with primary candidates — the first time for a presidential election.

The civic energy and responsibility that emanates from voters this time of year is indeed quite gratifying, yet the enthusiasm and sense of responsibility seems to die off starting the next day when the winners are announced. I remember reading an article in which the author compares voting to the dai-ly habit of brushing one’s teeth. It’s one of the most basic activities we can do for our health, but we should not and cannot stop there — there’s still much to be done to maintain the long-term health of our democracy.

A Google search reveals that this

analogy is not so unique, but we should keep it in mind when thinking of our civic responsibility after elec-tion day. We must continue to work the other 364 days of the year toward better environmental policy— wheth-er our candidates win or not. When respectable environmental candidates win, they still need our help as they act on bills and initiatives we support, and they need our assistance in put-ting public pressure on other elected officials to pass those bills and move forward on those initiatives.

In the midst of election season, we must definitely act to support our candidates by making campaign con-tributions, phone banking, canvas-ing, writing letters to the editor and much more. For a complete list of Si-erra Club endorsements in New York, visit https://atlantic2.sierraclub.org/content/2016-endorsements. If we want to achieve our environmental goals, we need allies who are will-ing to step up for the environment and public health, but they cannot be elected without grassroots sup-port from organizations like the Si-erra Club. We as members must get out there and show candidates we’re willing to put in the time and work

for them and for ourselves.But in the post-election season, our

work is not complete — we’re just get-ting started. We must continue to build grassroots support for Sierra Club-en-dorsed candidates who won and put pressure on all candidates elected to represent us. There are many opportu-nities to plug into ongoing actions, no matter your passion, interest, or skills. Articles throughout this issue illustrate the tremendous and ongoing work of our staff and volunteers, and the ways you can become involved. In addition, many volunteer opportunities can be found on Volunteer Connection: http://clubvolunteer.org. Just type in your zip code and find opportunities at the local group and state level.

So, once our work in getting out there to support strong environmental candidates is done, we must remem-ber that with the next day after the election we embark on a long jour-ney to defend and protect the envi-ronment, along with the democratic process that ensures that our values and concerns are represented. Yes, vot-ing is quite literally the least you can do, but we cannot settle for the least. We rely on you to continue our work throughout the year. n

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

Fall Issue EditorSusan [email protected] Kate [email protected]

Copy EditorCarl [email protected]

Layout DesignerJeanine [email protected]

Atlantic Chapter StaffConservation DirectorRoger [email protected]

Conservation AssociateCaitlin Pixley [email protected]

Atlantic Chapter OfficersChairErin Riddle / [email protected]

Vice ChairDon Hughes / 315-214-4060 [email protected]

Acting SecretaryCarl Arnold / 718-788-5944 [email protected]

TreasurerSteve Kulick / [email protected]

ConservationCo-ChairsKate Bartholomew / 607-228-7371 [email protected]

Sara Schultz / 716-204-8376 [email protected]

SIERRA ATLANTIC MISSIONThe mission of the Sierra Atlantic is to educate and enlist the people of New York State to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. We will do this by providing information about important environmental issues; sounding an alarm when the environment is threatened; reporting on the activities, outings, and campaigns conducted by the Atlantic Chapter; celebrating nature; and inviting our readers to join us. Submissions: We encourage anyone to contrib-ute a letter, an article, news briefs, comments, photos, graphics or oth-er items of interest. Please contact one of the Editors Susan Lawrence ([email protected]) or Kate Bartholomew ([email protected]) to discuss your ideas and to obtain information about submission format and other de-tails. When querying, please write “Sierra Atlantic” in the subject line.Deadline – Winter Issue: December 1st

DEMOCRACY AND CLEAN WATER

A fter a brief hiatus, the “Democ-racy and the Environment” book club is back in action.

On September 29, readers joined Dr. Dale Jamieson to discuss his book Reason in a Dark Time: Why the Strug-gle to Stop Climate Change Failed—and What It Means for Our Future. Jamieson’s book combines the disci-plines of history, science, philosophy, and ethics to examine the failures of climate science policy and what we can learn from them to advocate for stronger action moving forward.

In October, readers joined Dr. Liam Downey to explore his book, Inequal-ity, Democracy and the Environment.Our next selection is Dr. Jill Harrison’s book Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice. Harrison will join us on November 30th at 7 pm, and all members and supporters are invited.

The discussion takes place by con-ference call, but all participants must RSVP first—visit newyork.sierraclub.org to do so. The general format is a short lecture from the author, fol-

THE BOOK CLUB IS BACK!

September, October and November book club selections.

lowed by a Q&A session. For the greatest enjoyment, we recommend participants read the book before the call, but it is not necessary. Any-one who has not read the book can still join us for a wonderful lecture and discussion.

For more information about the book club and hear archived record-ings of previous editions, visit our website at newyork.sierraclub.org. To receive notices of upcoming selec-tions, contact Michael Corbett at [email protected]. n

Message from the Chairby Erin Riddle

www.newyork.sierraclub.org • www.sierrraclub.org SIERRA ATLANTIC 3

In the past few months, New York State has taken some of the stron-gest action in the nation to promote

the growth of renewable energy. On August 1, the Public Service Commis-sion (PSC) issued its Order Adopting a Clean Energy Standard which man-dates that 50% of New York’s electrici-ty be obtained from renewable energy sources by the year 2030. The order provides a mechanism to implement the existing renewable energy goal mentioned in the 2015 NY Energy Plan by setting yearly quotas for utili-ties with penalties if they fail to meet those targets.

The potential for a sustainable, re-newable energy economy in New York looms large, yet the state must still set interim Clean Energy Standard targets for renewable energy for 2017-2020.

Long Island Offshore WindThen in September, NYSERDA pro-posed its “Blueprint for the New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan”, with the end of 2017 as a completion target. The proposed Master Plan mentions that New York State has 39 Gigawatts (GW), of wind-driven energy potential off the Atlantic Coast – enough to pow-er approximately 15 million homes.

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Moreover, the success of the Blue-print for Offshore Wind depends in large part on input from Long Island and NYC residents, businesses and local governments in favor of renew-ables and offshore wind development.

Local action opportunitiesThis is an important time for our grass-roots Atlantic Chapter members to demonstrate the desire of citizens and local governments for renewable ener-gy development. East Hampton, Long Island, is an important example. Sever-al years ago the town passed a resolu-tion that 100% of its electricity should be obtained from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. Last year’s announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio that New York City was committed to powering all of its governmental build-ings and facilities from renewable en-ergy also provided major support for the Clean Energy Standard and Off-shore Wind Plans.

Another important local action sup-porting renewable energy is the City of Ithaca’s actual implementation of its plan to procure renewable energy for its electricity needs for all its gov-ernmental facilities and operations. After the plan’s adoption, Ithaca’s goal was met through installations of re-newable energy units, the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) by the city and the signing of municipal contracts with private utilities to sup-

T here are more than 1,000 New York jobs at risk in the clean energy sector, and a solution

overwhelmingly supported by the State Legislature is at hand. Governor Cuomo’s signature to the geothermal heat pump tax credit bill A9925 can help avert this disaster.

Geothermal heating and cooling has been a growing industry in our state. It offers us a key to beat back climate change. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) cleanly and efficiently heat and cool our homes and offices without fossil fuels, using the con-stant temperature underground as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.

Buildings consume 40% of the total energy used in New York State every day, mostly via natural gas, propane, home heating oil combustion or elec-trical resistance heating. Fossil fuel combustion and electricity produc-

tion (via gas/coal fired power plants or nuclear facilities) have negative en-vironmental consequences through greenhouse gas emissions, generation of toxic waste and air pollution, ex-cessive use of water resources and harmful extraction mining. These im-pacts are significantly minimized by geothermal heating and cooling. Since geothermal technology uses energy stored in the ground, it is not depen-dent on time of day or year, and works in all weather and in every climate.

Economic benefitsIn addition, this technology has a pos-itive economic effect on the state’s utilities because it lowers the need for expensive energy infrastructure that is only needed a few days of the year when temperatures exceed 90 F and use of air conditioning spikes. When geothermal systems are in-stalled in homes and businesses, in-door air quality improves and oper-ational costs for heating and cooling

are lowered - passing the savings on to the consumer.

A.9925/S.6249 creates important tax incentives for the development of geothermal energy systems inno-vative technology that uses thermal energy stored in the Earth and brings that energy into homes and busi-nesses through a series of pumps and heat exchangers.

So why are jobs at risk? Last De-cember, the 30% federal tax credit supporting both solar and geothermal projects was renewed through 2022

Ask Governor Cuomo to Sign Geothermal Energy Tax Credit Bill

for solar, but geothermal was left out. Representative Tom Reed (R-Southern Tier) is sponsoring HR-5167 to correct that error, but despite bipartisan sup-port, including co-sponsorship from New York Congressmen Higgins, Ste-fanik, Rangel, Tonko and Gibson, the success of this bill is in doubt, given Congressional gridlock.

Geothermal heating and cooling sys-tems are New York’s best alternative for achieving net zero energy goals,

SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT RENEWABLE ENERGY

ply the balance of its 100% renewable electricity.

Action by Sierra Club members at a local level to promote initiatives sim-ilar to East Hampton, New York City, and Ithaca for their energy future could be a crucial factor in speeding the rapid deployment of renewable energy in our state. Every local ac-tion demonstrates to our State and lo-cal officials and utilities that citizens and municipalities are committed to renewable energy.

Our Chapter website has informa-tion on the Ready for 100 Sierra Club program. It helps members urge mu-nicipalities to adopt tailor-made goals for renewable energy. The Sierra Club New Hampshire Upper Valley Group is working to educate citizens of Ha-nover, NH, including Dartmouth Col-lege, concerning renewable energy potential. The Group’s goal is for Ha-nover to have 100% of its electricity supplied from renewable sources by 2025, and for all energy sectors to be powered by renewables by 2050.

Programs and contactsThere are also other programs to re-duce greenhouse gas emissions, in-crease efficiency and develop renew-able energy, such as the International Compact of Mayors Agreement signed by the cities of Rochester, Albany and New York City. Significantly, the NYS Department of Environmental Con-

servation has developed a compre-hensive Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, with support from the NYS Energy Research and De-velopment Authority (NYSERDA). Many localities throughout NYS have signed the pledge to become CSCs, including acting to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This August Governor Cuomo announced the launch of the NYSERDA’s $16 million Clean Energy Communities grant program to help local governments reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy.

If you or your local Sierra Club Group is interested in promoting 100% renewable energy in your community, please contact the Atlantic Chapter through the author, Bob Ciesielski at [email protected] or Susan Law-rence at [email protected]. We will work with you to help your munici-pality resolve to implement renewable energy goals. n

Additional information sources:www.sierraclub.org/ready-for-100

www.dec.ny.gov/energy/50845.html (Climate Smart Communities)

www.compactofmayors.org

www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2016-Announce-ments/2016-08-03-Governor-Cuo-mo-Announces-Millions-Avail-able-for-Community-Clean-En-ergy-Projects (Clean Energy Communities)

By Bob CiesielskiAtlantic Chapter Energy Committee Chair

By Bill Nowak

Image courtesy of Green Choices Consulting

Fall 2016SIERRA ATLANTIC4

agency experts are asked to weigh in on how the proposal will impact air quality, water purity, public health and safety, biodiversity and our glob-al climate. Villages and cities in the pipeline path will have veto power over the pipeline’s construction and will play a key role in scoping. Public comment hearing schedules have yet to be announced, but early outreach to the DEC and civic involvement in the process will be essential to expos-ing the dangers of this ill-conceived project. Stay tuned.

Port of Albany Crude Oil Trans-loading FacilityThe threat: Since 2012, two com-panies, Global Partners and Buckeye, have received permits to transload 2.8 billion gallons per year of fracked crude oil from rail to barge at the Port of Albany. This dramatic increase in crude oil shipments has degraded local air quality and endangered envi-ronmental justice communities living within mere feet of the facility. This has made Albany a global epicenter for crude oil transport.The opportunity: The Title V air permit that the NYSDEC granted to Global Partners in 2012 to transload 1.8 billion gallons per year of crude oil has expired. But instead of the usual rubber-stamp permit renew-al, the NYSDEC is requiring Global Partners to submit a new air permit application that will be subject to a full environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Part of the strength of this review is that it will require an analysis of cumulative impacts and re-quire Global to consider the collective damage to the environment caused by the proposed Pilgrim pipeline, tar-sands boiler facility and the Buckeye

Volunteer Connection: Your Chance to Get Involved!

The Atlantic Chapter is now posting volunteer opportunities on our website through “Volunteer Connection” at http://clubvolunteer.org. Current positions posted include Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Team Member, Social Media Content Coordinator, Fundraising Team Member, Sustainable Agriculture Team Member, and Transportation Team Member.

In addition, you can simply register with Volunteer Connection and indicate your skills or areas of interest. Then, we can follow up with you as opportunities emerge.

The Sierra Club is one of the oldest and most effective grassroots environmental organizations because of you—our members! Visit newyork.sierraclub.org to connect with chapter leaders and ongoing activities related to the topics that interest you most.

Fighting the Flow of Crudecontinued from page 5 transloading facility.

Recent DEC air-monitoring pro-grams, EPA investigations and our own analysis have demonstrated that the current flow of crude through the port violates air quality standards with elevated levels of carcinogenic benzene. Multiple public engage-ment opportunities and hearings for this permit are on the horizon, representing the best opportunity in years to shut down crude-by-rail coming from the north and oil barge traffic on the Hudson River with a definitive denial from the DEC.

Tar Sands Boiler Facility at Port of AlbanyThe threat: In 2013, Global Partners LLC applied to the NYSDEC for a Ti-tle V air permit to build a seven-unit boiler system at the Port of Albany to heat and reduce the viscosity of heavy crude brought by railcars. Be-cause the relatively light crude com-ing from North Dakota has already been able to pass through Albany in winter, it’s assumed that this applica-tion is meant to facilitate heavy tar-sands oil (bitumen) that originates in Alberta, Canada, and requires heat treatment or dilution to transfer from railcar to barge.

Tar-sands oil, when spilled into wa-ter, is virtually impossible to clean up because it sinks and slowly oozes as a hazardous plume into the water, rath-er than floating on the surface like other hydrocarbons. The boilers and off-gassing shipments of tar-sands oil would only further exacerbate the poor air quality already present in the high-density neighborhoods sur-rounding the port.The opportunity: The Sierra Club and partners sued the DEC for issu-ing a negative declaration of environ-mental significance for the project —

which shielded it from environmental review— and played a significant role in the DEC’s reversal of that decision. The fate of this facility remains in the courts, but with a new focus from the DEC on environmental justice, cli-mate change and air-quality impacts, the facility has an uphill battle to get permitted. Continued public pressure will be key to ensuring that the trans-port of the dirtiest fuel on earth is not facilitated by the Port of Albany or the DEC permitting system.

Expansion of Oil Barge Anchorage in the Hudson RiverThe threat: While the Hudson River has for centuries been used to trans-port goods by barge, including petro-leum products, there has never been such a concentrated effort to use the river for crude oil throughput from its North Dakota source to global re-fineries. The lifting of the Crude Oil Export Ban has only increased the significant traffic of crude oil barges on the Hudson.

A proposal currently before the Coast Guard would allow 43 new anchorages for massive ships and barges — from Kingston to Yonkers — for crude oil to be stored on the Hudson while vessels wait for space at refineries and transloading facil-ities. This expanded congestion of anchorages will endanger the river with an increase in spills, despoil the scenic beauty of the river and threat-en the survival of critical species, like the Atlantic sturgeon.The opportunity: Significant pub-lic opposition to the anchorage pro-posal is mounting in riverside com-munities up and down the Hudson. There is an open public comment period before the US Coast Guard that ends December 6. To submit comments, you must use this USGS online open docket: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=US-CG-2016-0132-0001 n

but in order to promote and facilitate the technology’s growth, it deserves the same financial encouragement as other desirable energy sources like wind and solar.

How you can helpIn June, the New York State Legisla-ture stepped into this void and passed a 25% tax credit, capped at $5,000, for residential GHP installations. The combined vote on the bill in both houses was 201 to 1. In recent years, Republican Governors in Iowa and South Carolina have signed similar legislation.

Governor Cuomo has taken signif-icant steps to create and protect en-ergy jobs in New York. $750 million is funding the Solar City plant, with the promise of 5,000 jobs across the State. That is a crucial investment, as we need more solar and wind energy to replace fossil fuels in our electricity mix. NY-GEO estimates the geother-mal heat pump tax credit will protect 1,000 current jobs held by New York-ers at a yearly cost of $3 million. Be-sides protecting jobs, the cost of the credit will be offset by payroll taxes and the spinoff taxes generated by geo installations as excavators are hired, parts are bought and projects are completed.

NY-GEO urges all who care about the climate to contact Governor Cuo-mo at (518) 474-1041 or via email at https://www.governor.ny.gov/con-tent/governor-contact-form and ask him to sign bill A9925, the geothermal tax credit. If you’d like postcards for your friends, neighbors, coworkers and others to sign, please send a re-quest to [email protected]. Or you can send a message from this link on the Chapter website: https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/At-lantic?actionId=AR0053999&id=7013100000117xTAAQ&data.

ASK GOVERNOR CUOMO TO SIGN GEOTHERMAL ENERGY TAX CREDIT BILLcontinued from page 3


would have jeopardized irreplaceable

Hudson River habitat.

The next installment finds us at an-

other critical fork in the road. The PSC

is poised to make a decision on Suez’s

plans for the next five years. Suez also

proposes to charge Rockland County

Sometimes it feels like a surpris-

ingly suspenseful novel in in-

stallments. Our story is about an

eight-year struggle in Rockland County

to defeat an energy-intensive desalina-

tion proposal and replace it with a sus-

tainable water policy. As we write the

next chapter, Rockland County is once

again facing a key decision from the

NYS Public Service Commission (PSC).

We’re asking the public to submit writ-

ten comments by December 9. The PSC

must know that Rockland County is

watching its next decision very closely.

In the last chapter, in December 2015,

the PSC ordered Suez, a multinational

water company, to abandon plans for a

desalination project on the Hudson Riv-

er for Rockland County’s drinking wa-

ter. It was to be just downstream from

the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

For the past eight years, activists in the

Rockland Water Coalition, including the

Sierra Club, have worked toward the

goal of a plan that would conserve both

water and energy. Instead, Suez pro-

posed the desalination project, which

ratepayers $54.1 million for its failed

desalination project. If these charges

are approved, ratepayers could pay as

much as a breathtaking $82 million, in-

cluding interest, for a project that never

even started construction.

Public participation was crucial in

stopping this ill-conceived desalination

plan. Now we need the public again to

submit written comment — as soon as

possible — to tell the PSC that Rock-

land County says NO to the outrageous

corporate bailout and YES to strong wa-

ter conservation plans.

Unfortunately, Suez proposes to do

the minimum conservation and leak re-

pairs ordered by the PSC, despite expert

comment that Rockland County could

more than double water saving through

conservation and repair of leaks, at rela-

tively low cost.

Your voice is needed at this critical

juncture. Will Rockland County move

ahead with a cutting-edge conservation

plan that maximizes the smartest con-

servation methods and puts consumers

and the environment first? Or will the

PSC instead approve Suez’s inadequate

conservation and repair plans that

could ultimately force us to foot the

bill yet again for a far more expensive

new supply source in just a few years?

If we succeed, we’ll be helping to

forge new ground for water policy in

the state. Rockland County’s water is-

sues could become a testing ground

and model for a more forward-think-

ing water policy for our state and for

the northeast. n

HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW Please send your brief written comment to the NYS PSC by December 9. Find more information online at www.sustainablerockland.org or email [email protected]. This could be our last chance before a PSC decision to get Rockland’s water on the right path to a financially sound and environmentally sustainable plan.

Peggy Kurtz and Gale Pisha are Co-Chairs of the Sierra Club Lower Hud-son Group’s Desalination Committee.

ROCKLAND COUNTY WATER ISSUES

Earlier in the spring, Sierra Club members took action, calling upon Governor Cuomo to clas-

sify the newly acquired Boreas Ponds tract in the Adirondack State Park as “Wilderness.” Thousands sent in let-ters urging him to keep these lands pristine and motorless, and also called for public hearings throughout the state.

They listened! The state has sched-uled seven public hearings through-out November and December for the public to express its input on the classification of this magnificent wild area.

Opportunity for commentThe state purchased the 65,000 acres of former Finch, Pruyn Pulp & Paper Company lands in early 2016. One of the natural gems of the Adirondack Park, located on the southern edge of the High Peaks Wilderness, the Boreas Ponds Tract offers breathtaking views of the High Peaks, including Mount Marcy, the state’s tallest summit, and unmatched natural wilderness habitat.

The collective voice of New York-ers gives us the power to create a wil-derness legacy for the Boreas Ponds tract. We have the opportunity to en-

By Caitlin P. FerranteSierra Club Atlantic Chapter

View of Boreas Ponds track land

By Peggy Kurtz and Gale Pisha

sure these pristine lands remain intact and as breathtaking as possible — but only if you make your voice heard!

The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, along with our partners, will be work-ing to coordinate attendance at sev-eral public hearings around the state to advocate for “Wilderness” classi-fication of this magnificent tract. We will be offering bus transportation from Ray Brook (from Albany), and to Rochester (from Buffalo and Syr-acuse), well as talking points, snacks and pro-Wilderness swag/goodies!

Join us at one of the public hear-ings to voice your support for• Wilderness classification of the Boreas Ponds Tract• Call on A.P.A to reject current clas-

sification alternatives and provide a pure wilderness option.• Keep the Boreas Ponds Tract mo-tor-free

Public hearings around the stateThere are eight hearings throughout November–December. .• November 9, 2016, 7 pm: Adirondack Park Agency, 1133 NYS Route 86, Ray Brook• November 14, 2016, 6 pm: Northville Central School, 131 S. Third Street, Northville• November 16, 2016, 7 pm: Newcomb Central School, 5535 NYS Route 28N, Newcomb• November 21, 2016, 7 pm: Schroon Lake Central School, 1125 Route 9, Schroon Lake

• November 28, 2016, 7 pm: Rochester Institute of Technology, Golisano Institute for Sustainabili-ty in Sustainability Hall, Rochester, parking in lot “T”• November 29, 2016, 6 pm: St. Lawrence County, Human Service Center, 80 State Highway 310, Canton• December 6, 2016, 7 pm: Bear Mountain Inn, 3020 Seven Lakes Drive, Tomkins Cove • December 7, 2016, 2 pm: NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany

While we are encouraging everyone to attend the hearing closest to them, we are also highlighting attendance at four hearings: Ray Brook, Rochester, NYC and Albany (see hearing info above in bold).

If you’re interested in attending one of these four hearings, please RSVP via our website (newyork.sierraclub.org), letting us know which hearing you plan to attend.

To learn more about attending the public hearings, visit the Chapter website (newyork.sierraclub.org) or email Caitlin at [email protected].

Your voice matters! The more peo-ple who turn out to express their sup-port of “Wilderness,” the more likely we are to protect this unmatched natural wildlife habitat — the Boreas Ponds land tract!

More Information about the hearingsContact Caitlin at [email protected]. Or direct your attention to the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) web-site. All public written comments must be received by December 30, 2016. n

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: TELL A.P.A TO REJECT PSEUDO-WILDERNESS PROPOSALS FOR BOREAS PONDS


Just how certain are you about the quality of the drinking water emerging from the faucet in your

sink every day? Or the water in which you bathe, wash your clothes or steam your vegetables regularly? Do you real-ly know what’s in the water you drink?

Probably these aren’t among the top 500 issues that hover near the apex of your stack of priority concerns — until a crisis breaks and it becomes glaringly apparent that these are ques-tions we all should be asking. Like the residents of Flint, Michigan, whose drinking water was contaminated with lead and other chemicals when, as a cost-saving measure, their water supply was switched to the Flint River and certain treatment measures were eliminated. Or like the residents of Hoosick Falls, New York, who in 2015 discovered their town’s water supply was contaminated with Perfluoroocta-noic acid (PFOA), a water and oil re-pellant used in the production of non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags and stain-resistant carpeting now being phased out.

New presences of Cr-6 in drinking waterAnd now, thanks to the release of an analysis of federal data compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, it seems well over two-thirds of Americans — 218 million individuals — in all 50 states, may be living with unsafe levels of dangerous, cancer-causing hexavalent chromium in their drinking water.

Unfortunately, hexavalent chromium is also one of the very, very many chem-icals utilized in industry that are either untested or under-tested for health im-pacts and safety. Industries benefit enor-mously from having this testing status remain in limbo. To learn more about this newly revealed threat to our water, go to http://www.ewg.org/research/chromium-six-found-in-us-tap-water.

All this begs the question: How do we really know what’s in the water we drink? If your water is sourced from a municipal water supply, you can con-tact your municipality or county water board to obtain details about how your water is treated, what it’s tested for and how often. Usually these are tests and treatments mandated by state and fed-eral regulations. This information will also reveal any parameters for which tests aren’t being run. Please realize that the EPA recognizes only 88 reg-ulated drinking water contaminants, and this list includes microorganisms, inorganic and organic chemicals, dis-

infectants, disinfectant byproducts and radionuclides. Not all of these sub-stances are acknowledged to cause the range of damage they’re capable of inflicting. Chromium, without being considered separately according to its three forms — chromium, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium — is noted as causing allergic derma-titis. Nor are all the sources of these substances recognized or identified.

What is your water tested forIf your water supply is a well, spring or other surface water source and a mort-gage was involved, the property had to pass a water quality test indicating the presence of potable water before you purchased your dwelling. That sounds reassuring, but what constitutes “po-table?” When I purchased my home in 1988, the well passed with flying colors. When I moved in, all that emerged from the faucet was liquid black sludge. I called the Watershed Inspector to com-plain, and his response was: “Well, yes, it has the consistency of swamp water, but it’s free of fecal coliform bacteria, which is what we test for.” Wonderful! I had a huge overgrowth of iron bacteria. After digging up one massive boulder/well cover followed by a heavy chlorine shock treatment, I finally, I hope, had po-table drinking water.

Ultimately, you’re never going to tru-ly know EVERYTHING that’s in your water because for some substances chemical tests aren’t readily available or costs are too prohibitive or it’s not a substance raising any concern yet. However, the best way to learn about your water is to contact a certified lab and pay to have it tested. There are fil-ters that can remove many harmful contaminants. Hexavalent chromium is removed by quality reverse-osmosis fil-ters, as are many other chemicals. If you visit Environmental Working Group’s website, there’s a whole page devoted to water filtration system recommen-dations. The real issue is cost. Any suite of reliable and extensive water tests is going to be cost prohibitive — $500 or more — while home filtration units are equally expensive. Even faucet models can run into hundreds of dollars.

Consider that the 1.3% of freshwater on the planet that is surface water is the water used by humanity and every other species to maintain life. It’s be-coming ever more polluted, approach-ing the point of being beyond recov-ery. Add to this the continued growth in human population and its insistence on embracing water-intensive diets and it’s impossible to ignore the loom-ing water catastrophe on the horizon. According to the World Health Organi-zation, by 2025 half the world’s popu-lation will be living in water-stressed areas. By 2050, that number will be two-thirds of the population.

Potable drinking water will be more valuable than gold if it can be protect-ed and maintained. But to accomplish this, knowledge is key: knowing what’s in the water now and how to prevent further contamination in the future. n

Conservation Actionby Kate Bartholomew, Conservation Co-Chair

WHAT’S IN YOUR GLASS OF WATER?

Flint Michigan tap water after switching to Flint River as drinking water source

Ultimately, you’re never going to truly know

EVERYTHING that’s in your water because for

some substances chemical tests aren’t readily

available or costs are too prohibitive or it’s not

a substance raising any concern yet.

Comparing tap water from Flint Michigan and Detroit Michigan

Entering Hoosick Falls New York, site of recent PFOA drinking water contamination

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

When would the anchorages be made available?Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy stated in an email on 9/26/16:

“The Coast Guard is in the Advance Notice to Public Rule Making (AN-PRM), a preliminary phase of any rule

changing. Once the comment phase closes for this ANPRM, all the com-ments generated from regulations.gov will be analyzed. If the Coast Guard de-cides to move forward with any of the proposed anchorages, a Proposed An-chorage Rule will be developed, with a 120-day notice of proposed rulemak-ing advertisement in the Federal Regis-ter, extensive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluation, and pub-lic meetings, with the final Anchorage Ruling Expected in Early 2018.”

Who is opposed to the anchorages?The plan is opposed by environmen-tal groups like Scenic Hudson, the Si-erra Club, and Riverkeeper, a long list of state and local officials (including NY Senators Schumer and Gillibrand) and many concerned citizens. The re-sponse to the Coast Guard’s request for public comment has been so vigor-ous that the deadline has been moved back from Sept. 7 to Dec. 6, 2016.

What are the objections from en-vironmental watchdog groups? Any threat to re-industrialize the re-covering Hudson puts watchdog

7

Before the 20th century, the Hud-son River was its region’s prin-ciple highway of commerce.

Sleek sloops, schooners and steam-towed barges picked up and dropped off factory goods, textiles, vegetables, ice, lumber, bricks, oysters, seeds - ev-erything to stop the general stores of villages and growing cities.

Today, tugboats shove cargo barg-es up and downriver, most carry-ing refined heating oil, gasoline, or crushed stone. They’ve been joined lately by more (and larger) oil tank-ers and barges. They carry crude oil from North Dakota via the Port of Al-bany, then south to East Coast ports and refineries.

The sailing ships of yesteryear were a crucial link in local trade, but today’s crude oil barges bring very little besides a few jobs, and nothing to enrich the lives of Hud-son Valley residents.

Now, shipping industry represen-tatives have asked the Coast Guard to establish new anchorage fields for tugs, tankers and barges in the Hud-son, from Yonkers to Kingston. The outcry against the proposed anchor-ages from environmental watchdog groups, elected officials, and citizens has been fierce.

Here are the basic questions and answers behind the headlines.

Who requested the proposed new anchorages?The Maritime Association of the Port of New York /New Jersey Tug & Barge Committee, an industry association that represents tugboat companies that move crude oil barges.

The American Waterways Operators, a national tugboat and barge associa-tion, supports the proposed anchorag-es. They are also being sought by the Hudson River Pilots Association.

When?On January 21, 2016, in a letter to the District Coast Guard Commander.

Where will the proposed an-chorage fields be located?Ten anchorage fields have been pro-posed, with a total of 43 “parking spaces”, covering about 2000 square feet. They would be located at Kings-ton Flats South, Port Ewen, Big Rock Port, Milton, Roseton, Marlboro, New-burgh, Tompkins Cove, Montrose Point, and Yonkers. There is currently only one federally-designated anchor-age – off Hyde Park – between Yon-kers and Albany.

SUSTAINABLE SATURDAY ANSWERS YOUR HUDSON ANCHORAGE QUESTIONSBy Susan HellauerSierra Club Atlantic Chapter

Tug and barge north bound between Hyde Park and Kingston.

The 8 -million

gallon tanker Afrodite

brings North Dakota

crude down the

Hudson to Canada’s

largest oil refi nery in

New Brunswick

Why do shipping industry groups say they need the new anchorages?Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) al-lows otherwise in accessible oil fields to productive. The technique began to revive the sagging U.S. oil industry in 2008, creating a surplus of crude oil, much of it from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Since 2011, transport of this highly combustible liquid has caused numerous spills, 11 fiery freight rail explosions, and 47 deaths. Bakken crude travels in mile-long “bomb trains” over CSX rail lines through NY State and the heart of Rockland County. Some of it is off-loaded to tanker ships and barges at the Port of Albany.

Before 2016, this crude oil was des-tined for domestic refineries, main-ly in New Jersey. But the oil glut had petro industry heads eagerly eyeing overseas markets for big profits. They lobbied for the overturn of the crude export ban, in place since the oil-em-bargo, long gas-line days of 1973. In December 2015, Congress passed a spending bill that includes a Republi-can-supported repeal of the ban. (The bill also contains renewable energy support measures aimed at garnering Democratic support.) In January, Pres-ident Obama signed the bill into law.

With the export ban lifted, infra-structure for extraction and trans-portation of shale oil is now rapidly being built out. The ETP pipeline now being protested in North Dakota by local Native Americans and their supporters is meant to carry Bakken crude to market.

The groups requesting new anchor-age support their case by citing the anticipated increase in Bakken crude traffic. More river parking spaces would alleviate traffic jams at the Port of Albany’s crude oil terminals, where tankers and barges are loaded for the journey south to foreign export. Who can grant and establish to proposed anchorage fields?The Hudson River is a federal water-way, designated as a United States of America Blue Highway M-87. The US Coast Guard District Command is authorized to establish anchorag-es on Federal waterways within its jurisdiction.

groups on ultra-high alert. Riverkeep-er for one, expresses fear that:

• anchorage areas might become parking lots where crude oil is stored, perhaps waiting for prices to rise; • anchorage fields will be navigation-al obstructions that invite collisions;• anchor chains will rip up river-bot-tom habitats – especially of endan-gered sturgeons; • large anchored tankers and barges will disturb the peace with light and noise pollution; • Parked barges and tankers will be easy and spectacularly explosive ter-ror targets.

In addition to potential prob-lems with the anchorage fields, en-vironmental groups cite the higher likelihood of spills and leaks from the increased crude oil traffic. Bakken crude is light – similar to diesel fuel – making it impossible to retrieve more than a fraction of a spill from a tidal estuary like the Hudson. A February 2015 tugboat collision on the Mississippi River caused a Bakken crude oil spill (by no means the first on the Missis-sippi). As reported by Riverkeep-er, only 95 of the 34,000 gallons spilled could be recovered.

What are the objections from municipal officials?Officials in riverfront towns and vil-lages cite environmental and secu-rity concerns, but have been most vocal about quality-of-life and eco-nomic impacts.

A Bakken crude spill anywhere near Poughkeepsie could force the Hudson River drinking water supply to shut off, affecting 75,000 residents. Neighboring municipalities that draw on the river can access other supplies but there would be no backup source for Poughkeepsie.

In the quiet rural areas between Port Ewen and Rhinecliff, parked oil tank-ers and barges, lit up at night like mini Times Squares (as required by law), their generators roaring, led to enough complaints that the Coast Guard nixed parking there in November 2015. If proposed anchorage in that area are made official, the vessels will need to be brightly lit, by regulation.

The City of Yonkers, working hard to yank itself out of economic mal-aise, has recently made significant investments in riverfront improve-ment. Worries about outdoor-café customers staring at giant oil tankers is not just a quibble over fine-din-ing aesthetics. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and local business leaders fear that a floodlit oil barge parking lot could quickly crush the germinating seed of urban revival.

continued on page 8

Photos by: John Lipscomb/Riverkeeper


If you don’t lie near one of the pro-posed anchorages, why would you care about this?

What You Should Do Register your comment on the pro-posed anchorage sites with the Coast Guard before December 6, 2016.

See the complete “Proposed Rules Document” for other ways to submit comments.

River pilots and crews are skilled mariners, with a high regard for safety, and crude oil tankers are all now dou-ble hulled. Accidents, nevertheless, do happen. The increased crude oil traffic, along with the maneuvers in and out of the multi-ship anchorages, will only up the odds. In 2012, the first oil tanker to leave Albany, the Stena Primorsk, got just 10 miles south with its 12 million gallons of Bakken crude before run-ning aground. Her double hull saved the day in that case, but it was a close enough call to warrant plenty of alarm.

The safety record of tugboats that transport crude oil barges is not stel-lar. According to a 2015 investigative report by New York World and the Al-bany Times Union: “[T] tugboats used

to move oil barges are often decades old, and all of them have been involved in at least one accident in the past several years, including accidents like engine breakdowns, steering failures, and electrical malfunctions, according to a federal vessel database.” Spills on the order of millions of gallons, with only a fraction of that retrievable from the water, would affect the estuary’s health and life for many years, and many miles in either direction.

Oil and water…It’s taken over 40 years of hard work and vigilance by watchdog groups and concerned citizens to get the Hudson to be the cleanest it’s been in living memory. Now, oil profiteers want to use the river as a parking lot and a su-perhighway for dangerous cargo. That threat is bringing ever more voices to the save-the-Hudson choir.

In an editorial this week – “No Park-ing on the Hudson” – the New York Times chimed in:

“The river is beautiful, but it is still sick, a victim of misbegotten power plants and factories, municipal waste, toxic dumping and government ne-glect. A nuclear plant’s cooling system kills fish by the millions. General Elec-tric stained miles of the riverbed with PCBs, and the damage will linger for

decades to come. The river once had a commercial fishery, but the pollution of all kinds took care of that. Now comes the North Dakota oil…

Communities on the river are raising a stink. They should for the most basic reason: oil and water.

Learn more:Federal decision-making docket folder

Sustainable Saturday Answers Your Hudson Anchorage Questionscontinued from page 7

Anchorage locations

on the anchorage grounds petition.• The New York Times article on riv-er town resistance to the planned an-chorage files.• USCG’s Proposed Rule Document contains detailed information about each anchorage ground, and the pro-cedures it will follow in making its determination. • Sustainable Saturday on Swimming in the Hudson.• Hudson River Anchorages.org, a Rhinecliff resident’s, reports, and in-formation related to the new anchor-age proposal.

(This article first appeared in the nyacknewsandviews.com, Sustain-able Saturday, September 24, 2016. We appreciate the editor’s and the author’s permission to print the article in this edition of the Sierra Atlantic. Susan Hellauer is a mem-ber of the Sierra Club’s Hudson Mo-hawk Group.)

(See the Summer Sierra Atlantic 2016 Part 2 article on the barge anchorages (http://atlantic2.sier-raclub.org/content/proposal-mas-sive-new-barge-anchorages-threat-ens-hudson-river) for references to information on the proposal, how to submit comments and recommend-ed comments.) n


Support Chapter’s work in NYS

We need your help to fight fracking infrastructure, maintain theChapter’s other critical conservation efforts and continue 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 legislature andthroughout 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 protectthe 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.❑ q I’d like to make a single payment by credit card.❑ q I’d like to become a sustainer with a $____ monthly or$____ quarterly credit card donation.Bill to: ❑ q Mastercard ❑ q Visa ❑ q DiscoverAcct. no.________________________________ Exp. date____________Signature____________________________________________________Name_______________________________________________________Sierra Club membership no.____________________________________Street_______________________________________________________City__________________________________ State ______ZIP________

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.

How often have you thought, or overheard someone else give voice to your unspoken

opinion, that the National Sierra Club Board of Directors seemed aloof and disconnected from the grassroots vol-unteers and the environmental strug-gles they engage in on a daily basis? I know I have, far more times than I can count over the course of my in-volvement with the Club. But, when I try to see it from the perspective of the Board, I realize it can be extreme-ly difficult to be deeply engaged with 2.4 million members and support-ers, parsed out in 64 local Chapters, further divided out into all the many Groups within each Chapter. If that level of involvement were part of the job description, no one would ever run for the National Board.

Fortunately, the Sierra Club devised a solution in the form of the Coun-cil of Club Leaders, a group com-prised of delegates from each of the 64 Chapters which interacts directly with the National Board of Directors and brings forth resolutions, spon-sored by the grassroots to present to the Board. In the Atlantic Chapter, the Delegate and Alternate are selected by the Chapter Executive Committee from its duly elected At-Large Dele-gates. Both serve a two-year term.

The 2016 CCL and Annual Board of Directors MeetingThis year’s event was held Wednes-day, September 7th, through Saturday, September 10th, in Oakland, Califor-nia, across the bay from San Francis-co, and where the new National Si-erra Club Offices are located. All of the CCL workshops, meetings and presentations occurred in the new of-fice space, which is much newer and sleeker in design than the old space, and carries a considerably slimmer price tag. I think the key feature I

found most uplifting was the vast amount of natural light available to the staff - definitely an improvement.

Over the course of the first few days, the planned presentations dealt with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; State of the Chapter; Developing Leaders Engaged in Movement Build-ing; Chapter Fundraising; and Build-ing Power for Change through Lead-ership Development. We also had a choice to attend smaller breakout sessions devoted to topics including Ready for 100, Supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline Fight; Beyond Dirty Fuels; and Sierra Club Food and Agri-culture Landscape Analysis. It was an incomprehensible amount to absorb in two days. Thankfully we were each sent home with a flash drive, which I will download and share with our office staff so this knowledge can be uploaded to the Chapter website for all to enjoy.

Following the educational portion of the gathering, we turned our at-tention to the true purpose of the meeting: the resolutions sent in by Chapters around the country for CCL consideration to present to the Na-tional Board of Directors. A total of 15 resolutions had been sent to the CCL Resolutions Committee from various Chapters; 11 were being recommend-ed for adoption, 4 were not. All had to be discussed and considered. Yes, Roberts Rules are followed, and there is a Parliamentarian, but the same can be said of the British House of Com-mons. In truth, the CCL behaved far better than the House of Commons - or the House of Lords - members were just extremely vocal. We did get through all 15 resolutions and voted affirmatively on 10 of them, includ-ing one, Resolution #11, the Atlan-tic Chapter had decided to support sponsored by the Montana Chap-ter that urged the National Club to adopt an ultimate goal of no more than a one degree Celsius increase in global temperature.

Mission of the Council of Club Leaders• Build unity within the Club by fa-cilitating open, meaningful and re-sponsive two-way communication between national entities and grass-roots leadership.• Represent chapter and group per-spectives, give voice to chapter and group concerns and assist chapters and groups in their work to achieve• Provide advice and assistance to the Board of Directors and other Club en-tities on matters affecting chapters and groups.• Be knowledgeable about available resources and training programs to assist national Club entities in build-ing the Club’s leadership capacity.

Responsibilities of the Council• Identify the interests of grassroots leaders and facilitate channels for solutions; identify and advocate solu-tions needed to help chapters and groups meet Club goals.• Identify and advocate solutions for the Club to meet chapter and group goals.

•Ensure that chapter concerns about Club policies and procedures are com-municated to the appropriate entity.• Provide an inclusive, ongoing forum for in-depth deliberation on emerging Club issues.• Provide an opportunity for chapters to consider Council resolutions affect-ing chapters prior to CCL voting.• Serve as a source of experienced leaders for national projects.• Represent the Club membership as delegates to an annual meeting for the purpose of discussing the activities and operation of the Club, and mak-ing recommendations to the Board.• Be a conduit for the flow of informa-tion among national entities, chapters and groups, including opportunities for chapter/group training needs.

Responsibilities of Each Delegate• Attend all Council meetings to serve as spokesperson for his/her chapter and groups in Council deliberations.• Serve as key liaison between nation-

THE COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS PROVIDES ACCESS TO NATIONAL SIERRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR GRASSROOTS VOLUNTEERS

By Kate BartholomewSierra Club Atlantic Chapter 2016-’17 CCL Delegate

continued on page 10

Role of the Council of Club Leaders

continued on page 10

From left to right, Sierra Club E.D. Micheal Brune, Atlantic Chapter member Wayne Howard and S. C. BoD President Aaron Mair at the annual awards presentation


The Atlantic Chapter ExCom had

three all-day meetings: January 30

(NYC), April 16 (Albany) and June

25 (Rochester), as well as at least a

half-dozen conference calls. Much of

the business conducted at these meet-

ings is administrative: dealing with

appointments, elections, budgetary

matters, personnel, publications and

outreach, and recommending political

endorsements, among others.

• Elections were held in January.– Erin Riddle was elected Chapter

Chair, and Don Hughes, Vice-Chair.

– Jim Lane was re-elected Secretary, a

position he has held for over 20 years.

(Unfortunately, Jim was suspended

from the Club by the Board of Direc-

tors in July. Carl Arnold is currently fill-

ing that office.)

– Steve Kulick was re-elected Chapter

Treasurer, a position he has held for

over 30 years.

ATLANTIC CHAPTER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE– Kate Bartholomew and Sara Schultz

were elected Conservation Co-chairs.

– Kate was also elected delegate to

the Council of Club Leaders.

• Over a dozen resolutions were passed since the beginning of 2016, and more were discussed and debated. Here are highlights:– In response to National’s threat to

suspend or expel four longtime Atlan-

tic Chapter leaders, Ken Baer, Diane

Buxbaum, Jim Lane and Don Young,

the Chapter urged National to “up-

hold the right of each of the accused

to hold leadership positions and to

continue to be a member in good

standing of the Sierra Club.” (January

17, 2016) After disciplinary actions

were invoked in May, the chapter fol-

lowed up with a second resolution

that urged National to reverse the

disciplinary actions and offered to be-

gin a constructive dialogue with the

Board to reach a mutually satisfacto-

ry resolution. There has been no fol-

low-up from National.

– In January, the ExCom moved to

make Club policies more readily avail-

able to volunteers by assembling a li-

brary of paper and/or online copies

of all Club positions approved by the

Chapter and its Groups. This effort is be-

ing led by Susan Lawrence, chair of the

Records Committee, with support from

the Committee and Caitlin Ferrante.

–The ExCom explored the viabili-

ty of joining Tony Avella in a lawsuit

concerning the alienation of parkland

near Flushing Meadows in New York

City. This was followed by an alloca-

tion of $1,500 to enter an amicus brief

in support of Avella vs. NYC in the Su-

preme Court, Appellate Division.

– In April, the ExCom approved the

Lower Hudson Group’s request for

$5,000 to help the Rockland Water

Coalition pay for expert help in ex-

amining Suez North America’s wa-

ter management plans for Rockland

County to ensure their sustainability

and to avoid the need for future de-

salination. Later we learned from Gale

Pisha that SCAC’s grant of $5,000 in-

spired matching grants from Hudson

Riverkeeper and Scenic Hudson to

jointly hire a water conservation ex-

pert. Rockland County also commit-

ted $30,000.

– The ExCom, in conjunction with

National Sierra Club, put on a Di-

versity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

training workshop in July at the Wa-

tershed Center in Millerton, NY. Both

Atlantic Chapter staff and volunteers

participated in the workshop, which

explored ways that the Club could be

more respectful of underserved and

minority communities and to work

more closely with them.

The next Chapter ExCom meeting

will be held on January 28, in New

York City Contact any officer or the

Albany office for details. n

Other resolutions approved for rec-ommendation to the Board of Di-rectors included three focusing on improving the relationship between National staff and Chapters:

Resolution #2: Legal Strategy (spon-sored by the Iowa Chapter) ~ The CCL requests that the Sierra Club Board of Directors ensure that litigation deci-sions be made in collaboration with affected Chapters.

Resolution #3: Encouraging Na-tional Campaign Staff to Respect Work of Chapters and Groups (spon-sored by the Lone Star Chapter) ~ The Council of Club Leaders requests the Board of Directors to encourage the National campaign staff to become familiar with and respect the work of, and community relationships devel-oped by, chapter and group staff and volunteers, and to reflect that knowl-edge and respect when dealing with the press and the public.

Resolution #4: Encouraging New Employees to Attend a Chapter or Group Event or Activity (sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter) ~ The

al entities and her/his chapter, and perform other duties and responsibil-ities as established by the Council.• Educate his/her chapters and groups on the role of the Council.• Educate his/her chapters and groups on relevant Club policies, pro-grams and training.• Report the work and recommenda-tions of the Council back to his/her chapters in a timely manner..Council Actions• Participate directly with the Board in an annual meeting of the Sierra Club and any other meetings that the Board may authorize.

• Help to mobilize chapters and groups to take action on national priorities.• Educate grassroots leaders about the work of the Club’s national volun-teer and staff entities.• Identify, recruit and nurture future Club leaders through the CCL• Solicit candidates for national lead-ership positions.• Present the Council’s annual work plan to the Board of Directors for ap-proval, and report to the Board and CCL annually on accomplishments, barriers, needs and budget.• Create and sunset CCL sub-entities as needed to execute the charge and work plan, appoint sub-entity chairs and members, allocate sub-entity funds, assign their responsibilities, and evaluate their performance. n

Council of Club Leaders requests the Board of Directors to adopt a policy encouraging those newly hired Sier-ra Club employees whose duties in-clude regularly engaging with volun-teers to attend at least one chapter or group executive committee meeting, conservation meeting, or other com-parable event or activity within the first six months of employment to help staff and volunteer leaders be-come better acquainted with each other’s roles.

Additional resolutions called for bet-ter scientific rigor in fundraising ap-peals (Resolution #1), broadening of the Club’s Clean Energy Vision to encourage bicycling and walking as attractive options (Resolution #5), enhanced and permanent support for local outings programs (Resolution #8), banning injection well activity in seismic-prone localities (Resolution #9) and taking a position supporting regulations aimed at reducing pro-duction and consumption of Sugar Sweetened Beverages (Resolution #15). All these adopted resolutions were presented to the Board of Direc-tors at the joint portion of our Annu-al meetings on Saturday, September 10th. At this point, no action has been taken on any of the resolutions. Infor-

mation about the resolutions can also be found on our Chapter website.

The culmination of the series of workshops, presentations and meet-ings was Saturday night’s Annual Award’s Presentation where individu-als, groups and organizations are rec-ognized for their contributions to the world of conservation and the ideals embodied in the mission and vision of the Sierra Club. Recipient of the Club’s highest honor, the John Muir Award, Indigenous Environmental and Social Justice Activist Tom Goldtooth flew in directly from Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota where he and representatives from many other First Nation tribes and allies join to lend their support to the Standing Rock Sioux as they fight the Dakota Access Pipeline. Tom’s comments when ac-cepting the award were both hum-bling and inspiring, and I would wish

all readers of this newsletter could have heard them spoken as I did that evening. In lieu of that, there is always this uploaded video: https://m.you-tube.com/watch?v=bpWGZzuPiAo.

The Atlantic Chapter had nominat-ed two individuals for two separate awards this year. Given the apparent plethora of nominations, the Chap-ter was fortunate to have one of its nominees selected. Wayne Howard from the Rochester Group along with Dr. A.P. Lino Grima of North York, Ontario, Canada, his co-chair on the Sierra Club’s Binational Great Lakes Committee, received the Raymond J. Sherwin International Award, which honors extraordinary volunteer ser-vice toward international conserva-tion. More information about Wayne’s award and his work on Great Lakes issues will be forthcoming in the Win-ter Sierran. n

Role of Council of Club Leaderscontinued from page 9

From left to right, John Muir award recipient Tom Goldtooth, President Aaron Mair and Executive Director Micheal Brune

Council of Club Leaderscontinued from page 9

By Don Hughes


Following are statements from can-didates running for at-large delegate seats to the Chapter’s Executive Committee. Each candidate’s bio tells how to reach them with questions. More information about each candi-date is available at https://atlantic2.sierraclub.org/content/2016-large-ex-

com-election.

Thelma Fellows / FlushingI would like to be on the Atlantic Chap-ter ExCom for another term in hopes of making a contribution to its many environmental causes. Most recently, I located a pro bono attorney to write an Amicus Brief in support of a suit re-garding protection of parkland in NYC, and I obtained consent from the At-lantic Chapter for a New Matter Form necessary to receive approval from the Sierra Club to proceed with the legal action. I have served for one two-year term on the Atlantic Chapter ExCom and, I believe, for three two-year terms on the New York City Sierra Club Ex-Com where served one year as Chair. Currently I am an off-board outreach Chair organizing monthly programs in Queens to complement the ongoing programs provided in Manhattan. Addi-tionally, I have been organizing tabling on Governors Island each summer, and in other locations for the past few years. I continue to participate in the NYC Sierra Club Photography Committee, which has separate monthly meetings. I served as chair of this committee for four years before being elected to the NYC Sierra Club ExCom. [email protected].

Robert Ciesielski / BuffaloI am requesting your vote for at-large delegate for the Atlantic Chapter Ex-Com. Over the past 12 years I have served as Secretary and Chair of the Ni-agara Group and most recently as Chair of the Chapter’s Energy Committee.

While Chair of the Energy Commit-tee, the Chapter worked tirelessly for a ban of high volume horizontal fracked gas drilling. We have taken on the tasks of promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency as a substitute for fracked gas, a gas infrastructure, other fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Over the past years, the Chapter and Energy Committee has submitted nu-merous written and oral comments to the State on the NY Energy Plan, the Reforming the Energy Vision Plan, the Clean Energy Standard, and other pro-posals dealing with the NYS energy system. We have consistently promot-ed renewable energy development, efficiency, and the reduction of green-house gas emissions. We also strongly supported the NY Climate and Commu-nity Protection bill. NYS recently adopt-ed goals to produce 50% of the State’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, to increase energy efficiency, and

CANDIDATE STATMENTS FOR AT-LARGE DELEGATES TO EXCON

reduced greenhouse gas emissions.Thank you for your important work

in protecting our State’s environment, citizens and future generations. [email protected].

Mary Finneran / CairoNew York State has always been my home, having been raised in the south-ern Finger Lakes region in the Che-mung River valley, and having lived in central NY, western NY, the Delaware River Valley, and the Hudson River Val-ley/Catskills. I have become enamored by the beauty specific to each region, and have made it a point to know the entire state, including the urban areas and their specific natural characteris-tics. All are worth fighting for.

I have been active with the Gas Task Force for years; was very active in help-ing Rachel Treichler with the Sierra Club et al People vs. Shell and the Vil-lage of Painted Post lawsuit, and have been fighting fracking and all infrastruc-ture, especially waste and water, for 6 years. I am currently involved with the fight against the Pilgrim Pipelines. I am a member of United Against Fossil Fu-els, a coalition against all infrastructure. I am also currently in a battle, including a trespass charge, to help a poisoned woman protect not only her children and property, but also a large nationally protected wetlands. Voters need to be aware that I am not prone to compro-mise! [email protected].

Erin Riddle / Owego Since I joined the Sierra Club in 2000, I have gained extensive experience in executive service and leadership while serving at the group and chap-ter levels, most recently as Chapter Vice Chair and Chair over the last two years. In these most recent roles, I demonstrated leadership while work-ing with other chapter leaders and staff to recruit volunteers for many important positions in the Chapter, including social media coordinator, editor and writers for our electron-ic newsletter, grant writer, and liti-gation coordinator. I also recruited volunteers to serve on and revamp our transportation and open space/sprawl committees. As Chapter Chair, I have fostered innovative programs which will help us grow as an organi-zation and become more effective in achieving our goals.

I am a pragmatic and supportive leader, team player, and mentor who encourages members and supporters to get involved. I bring to the Execu-tive Committee the energy and ideas necessary to achieve our Chapter’s conservation, legislative, and politi-cal goals. Fellow Chapter leaders and colleagues frequently tell me they ap-preciate my leadership and that I’m doing a great job. I seek your vote to continue serving on the Executive

Committee and work for our mem-bers and supporters across the state. [email protected].

Harold Bauer / WaylandI have been a Club member for over 30 years, and gave my first Sierra Club talk on the disastrous effects of nuclear war 35 years ago in Omaha, Nebraska, the Strategic Bomber Command Center, at the time, for nuclear war. In September of 2011, I joined Occupy Wall Street, in Zuccotti Park. That Fall and Win-ter, in Rochester, I supported Occupy Rochester tent camp in its downtown Washington Square Park. This crazy election year, I have supported Bernie Sanders, who was a spokesperson for the 99 % movement. Now in July 2016, I support Hillary Clinton, and men and women everywhere, who want diver-sity, inclusion, equity and justice.

For most of my scientific career, I focused on the evolutionary devel-opment and origins of social and lan-guage processes in common chimpan-zees and human infants by doing field and laboratory studies in Canada, East Africa, Germany and the United States. As our Chapter Wilderness and Wild-life Committee Chairperson, I’ve advo-cated the conservation of our wildlife predators, wildernesses and am par-ticularly concerned about the role of climate change in our sixth mass ex-tinction on our planet. Invasives are a reminder of the new Anthropocene bi-ology. [email protected].

Donald Hughes / SyracuseI have been active in the Atlantic Chap-ter since 2007, initially serving on the Executive Committee as a representa-tive from the Iroquois Group. I have been an At-Large Delegate for two terms. This would be my final term. I currently serve as the Chapter Vice-Chair, and also co-chair the Climate Crisis Committee and chair the Awards Committee, and serve on three other Committees. As an activist, I fought the construction of a trash incinerator in Syracuse, and have worked to pro-mote the cleanup of Onondaga Lake. I am currently working on climate change, and cleanup of a waste site in Westchester County. I have been ac-tive in the fight against hydrofracking and ending our dependence on fossil fuels. We must continue to press for greater energy conservation, efficien-cy, and major investments in solar and wind technology. At the same time, we need to continue to fight gas pipelines, bomb trains, and push for closure of ALL nuclear power plants in New York state. I have a master’s in environ-mental engineering and doctorate in environmental chemistry. As a former downstater (LI/NYC) who now lives upstate, I bring a broad perspective on state issues. I welcome your support. [email protected].

Carl Arnold / BrooklynAs both vice chair and chair of Atlan-tic Chapter, I was part of a team that collaborated on all its work, including efforts to increase our fundraising, grow our membership, fix commit-tees operating at only half speed, and get “siloed” parts of the Chapter to speak with each other. There are now closer ties with the Beyond Coal Cam-paign, SC Foundation and the NYC ICO (Outings).

I first joined SC to work against fracking — gave speeches, lobbied, wrote and edited materials, co-wrote the first legislative bill to ban frack-ing, was interviewed numerous times, helped organize forums and screen-ings, and contributed to the change in National’s position on fracking. I rep-resented the chapter at the first two Chapter Chair Assemblies in California. My understanding of how the National Club works has helped enormously in dealing with Chapter affairs.

At present I’m collaborating with SC’s Northeast Region fundraiser and am Volunteer Coordinator for the Chapter, working to attract new and younger members to contribute fresh ideas and energy to the Club. Their enthusiasm combined with older members’ institutional memory and activism will help revitalize the Chapter. To continue on this path, I’d appreciate your support. It’s essen-tial for every member to vote! [email protected].

Gale Pisha / NanuetSeveral years ago the threat of a de-salination plant being built on the banks of the Hudson River drew me into becoming a nearly full-time envi-ronmental activist. The energy-inten-sive desalination process made the plant a climate change accelerator which would have forced residents to drink water containing trace amounts of radioactive elements from a river whose irreplaceable habitat would have experienced yet another envi-ronmental insult. Readers of Sierra Atlantic know from articles I have co-authored that our grassroots ef-forts were successful in getting the desalination project stopped; we are now advocating for a strong sustain-able water conservation plan.

As Secretary and ExCom member of Lower Hudson Group and Alternate Delegate to the Chapter ExCom, I have been working for Sierra Club’s envi-ronmental goals in many areas, includ-ing reducing fossil fuel infrastructure proliferation, promoting renewable energy, and advancing electric vehicle use. By participating in the national Sierra Club political trainings, serving on the Chapter Legislative Commit-tee, and coordinating Lower Hudson Group’s Rockland political endorse-ments, I have learned how to help elect and interact with good people who support our environmental goals.

I would appreciate your support to continue this work as an At-Large Del-egate. [email protected]. n

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Case study: how ‘zone defense’ can turn the tide in rural organizingby James Britell

A rural Oregon coastal countydecided to file a lawsuit toweaken the endangered species

protection of the western snowyplover, a seabird that nests onbeaches along the Pacific Ocean.

The habitat protection strategy forthis bird involves closing many milesof beaches to motorized vehiclesfrom Canada to Mexico so the nestsand the birds are not disturbed.

In Oregon, virtually the entirecoastline is undeveloped state park,so weakening plover protectionscould open new miles of beaches toATVs. The county sought to persuadeother rural counties, towns, and orga-nizations to join their suit.

By the time environmentalistsrealized that resolutions to join thesuit were appearing on agendas ofpublic bodies in a four-county area,some municipalities had alreadysigned on. The challenge to the cam-paign was to mobilize local citizensin widely separated places to stoptheir local elected officials from join-ing the suit and to persuade organi-zations that had already passed reso-lutions to rescind them.

None of the 20 or so environmen-tal groups with members in the countyhad more than a few hundred localpeople as paid members although,together, the groups had almost1,400 members in the area (about 3percent of the total population).

Fortunately, although Oregon andWest Coast groups in general havestrong individual identities, they havea history of working closely togetheron ancient forest campaigns. In par-ticular, Audubon, Sierra Club, andstatewide umbrella groups have of-ten worked closely together. So theleaders of the groups developed anew strategy to deal with this prob-lem that was beyond the ability ofany one group to solve.

Oregon conservation groups, withand without local chapters, joinedforces to collectively identify theirmembers in the area and to treatthem as a single entity for the pur-pose of the campaign. The groupsmerged their mailing lists and sent ajoint alert to all their members in theregion under a masthead, whichlisted all the groups. Each group paidfor its own postage.

This alert informed everyoneabout the issue, kicked off the cam-paign and solicited volunteers. Hav-ing a pre-approved, off-the-shelf alert,with many groups on the masthead,meant any organization had pre-approval to oppose any local resolu-tion with the authority of its ownand all the other major groups in thestate and, later, dozens of majorgroups on the whole West Coast,without pre-clearing it with anyone.As a result of just this initial jointalert, several legislative bodies votedto either not join the lawsuit or re-scind previously adopted resolutions.

The campaign was faced with onebig, final, important public meeting(in the county that instigated thesuit) at which the county was to fi-nally decide to authorize the suit. Inorganizing for that meeting, this cam-paign broke some new ground.

The campaign didn’t know whenthe meeting would be scheduled butit did have the contact informationfor the 1,400 members of those 20organizations. To prepare for themeeting, the campaign used the 15people who came forward in re-sponse to the request for volunteersin the first mailing to phone all the1,400 people and ask them to com-mit to stand by to attend a publicmeeting whenever it might be called.About 200 of the 1,400 membersagreed to do this.

When the meeting was finally an-nounced a week later, it was withonly 48 hours’ notice. The 200people on standby were then called,and 125 of them showed up for themeeting. The meeting went on all daybecause so many wanted to testify.Although the county had only60,000 residents and covered a thou-sand square miles, and the campaignonly had 48 hours to get ready, there

was a large turnout.Turning out five times as many

people as the opposing side changedthe perception that motorized inter-ests controlled and dominated thepublic process, which till then theyhad. The 125 people in that meetingwere drawn from a dozen differentnational and regional environmentalgroups, but collectively they were theactivist base of the county.

Those who attended the meetingwere astounded to find their countyhad so many environmentally activepeople and immediately after thepublic hearing formed a newcountywide organization.

No organizational or turf issuessurfaced during this effort. Eachgroup paid for its own alerts andchipped in for common expenses.Only one grant for $1,000 wasneeded to pay phone bills. The rest ofthe expenses, including a full-page$1,600 ad and all the mailings, wereraised through contributions.

The 20 groups involved in alertsand phoning included the GreenParty and the Democratic centralcommittees of two counties. Ulti-mately, 20 Oregon groups contrib-uted people and 14 other Californiaand Washington state groups contrib-uted other support. Organizations inSan Diego and Seattle furnished twoattorneys for legal advice, as thecounty had an aggressive conserva-tive legal foundation that had agreedto finance the lawsuit.

A note on confidentiality: Eachgroup’s membership list was calledonly by one of its own members; listswere not retained or reproduced andthe originals were returned. No callersaw any names other than the seg-ment for their own organization.

Update for 2015: Despite the greatturnout, the county proceeded 3–0 tofile the lawsuit, but it was not suc-cessful and the county lost. The threecounty commissioners who voted toproceed with the lawsuit left office,two defeated in subsequent elections,in part because this group stayedtogether to work against them in sub-sequent campaigns.

The ocean beaches in this countyand Oregon are as closed to ATVstoday as they were in 2002 and thepopulation of snowy plovers has in-creased from 100 to 300. (The sign-on letter and ad for this campaignand website are discussed and illus-trated in the chapter on sign-on let-ters in my handbook “Organize toWin,” downloadable at Britell.com

Calling through member listsMembers of environmental organi-

zations don’t mind being called andwon’t hang up as long as you initiallyidentify yourself as a member of, andare calling on behalf of, their ownorganization. Only an organization’smembers should call the members ofthat organization.

Members of organizations with aname like Save or Protect or someplainly pro-environmental name arethe most motivated and usually 40-50% or more will agree to do whatyou ask. Organizations with aggres-sive reputations attract more activists.

Audubon members are less moti-

vated than the Sierra Club but even15–25 percent of their members willagree to be active — Sierra Club per-haps 40 percent.

The biggest problem in any con-tact effort is inaccurate phone num-bers and getting through answeringmachines. But you may have betterluck getting people to return mes-sages than you think.

About 5 percent of the people youcall will be exceedingly grateful forthe call and volunteer to not justcome to a meeting but also be tele-phone tree captains or become reallyactive. These people have apparentlydecided already to become active andwere just waiting for someone to ask.

Most people belong to only one ortwo organizations, and there is not alot of overlap between local member-ships of environmental organizations.Most of the members of Audubon arenot members of the Sierra club andvice versa. But even the most ex-tremely conservative counties in theU.S. have lots of potential activists.

Never “cold call” without a script Some people are far better mak-

ing calls than others, so check onsuccess after a dozen or 20 calls.People who don’t get results shouldbe taken off this duty. People who aregood at making cold calls love doingit and vice versa.

If you are using email, ask poten-tial volunteers to add you to theiraddress book so your future emailswon’t be rejected as spam.

Members of environmental groupsdon’t distinguish among and betweenthem and don’t much care who pre-pared an alert. People are interestedin issues, not organizations, and arejust grateful that someone got busy.

When groups work, together it willgenerally increase the membership ofboth groups. When people becomemore active, they increase the num-ber of groups they join. The mostlikely potential Audubon member is acurrently inactive member of theSierra Club (and vice versa).

For non–fundraising matters, a writ-ten appeal to take an action (like writea letter) has a success rate of a halfpercent — or probably less — but aphone call might appeal to 10 to 15percent.

Active people always know otheractive people; so when somebodycommits to take action, right then,always ask them who else in theircommunity might want to get in-volved. Sometimes potentially activepeople belong to no group at all orbelong to civic groups such as theLeague of Women Voters.

For broad-based community cam-paigns, many of your best activistswill always end up being conserva-tive and Republican. Broad-based ecu-menical campaigns function bestwhen they confine discussions tocampaign issues.

Sierran Jim Britell, who lives in Malone,is a retired federal manager and hasbeen an organizer on behalf of wilder-ness in 30 states. He is the author of ahandbook on grassroots organizing,Organize to Win. He maintains a websitefor grassroots organizers at Britell.com.©2008 Jim Britell

How you can turn out five

times as many people as the

opposing side, with just 48

hours’ notice, even if your

side consists of small groups,

in distant places.

BALLOT FOR EXCOM AT-LARGE DELEGATES. Vote for no more then 7 people

. NOTE: Single memberships use one ballot; joint memberships use two ballots

. Mail your ballots so they're received no later then December 25, 2016

o Gale Pisha o Gale Pisha

o Carl Arnold o Carl Arnold

o Don Hughes o Don Hughes

o Hal Bauer o Hal Bauer

o Erin Riddle o Erin Riddle

o Mary Finneran o Mary Finneran

o Bob Ciesielski o Bob Ciesielski

o Thelma Fellows o Thelma Fellows

The Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental group in the world, is proudly democratic and member driven. The at-large people you elect, along with the Group reps direct the work of our chapter. Eight individu-als have been nominated this year to run for seven open seats. There are four full term (two years) slots and three partial terms left by resigning members. Accordingly, the four top vote-getters will fill the full two-year terms, while the fifth, sixth, and seventh vote-getter will serve one year terms.

Eligible to vote: • Members in good standing in the At-lantic Chapter as of October 26, 2016. • Each member may fill out only one ballot.

BALLOT FOR SEVEN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT LARGE DELEGATES

• Joint members use both ballot columns.

Voting procedures• Each member may vote for seven candidates or fewer. Voting for more than seven candidates will void your ballot.• Ballots will be counted in early Jan-uary, 2016. • Members who do not receive a bal-lot, or who damage or lose their bal-lot, may request a replacement from Atlantic Chapter office employees. They will send you a replacement bal-lot bearing your membership number and the signature of a Chapter staff member. Only such replacement bal-lots sent to you from Chapter staff will be counted. No replacement bal-lots will be issued after December 15. • If you have any questions or prob-

lems, contact Chapter staff at 518-426-9144, or email [email protected].

Online Voting: If you prefer to vote online, locate your unique voter ID above your name on the address label to the left on this page. For joint memberships, there is a second voter ID print-ed also. Visit the Chapter's website (https://atlantic2.sierraclub.org/con-tent/2016-large-excom-election) to review the candidates' statements and find further instructions on how to vote online. If any questions, please email Caitlin at [email protected]. If you prefer online voting, your choices cannot be emailed. Ev-eryone voting online must follow the link and use the official online ballot. The online voting deadline is Decem-ber 31, 2016.

Mail-in Voting:Those who prefer a paper ballot and those who aren’t online may still vote, but you must choose one method only. If you vote using both the paper

ballot on this page AND the online ballot, the only one counted will be the online ballot. Ballots should not be cut or separated from the address box on this page—with its identifying Sierra Club number and your name.

The Elections Committee will only count ballots that are attached to your name; others will be discard-ed. So do not cover up your mailing address—this is used to verify that the ballot is being submitted by an Atlantic Chapter member. For your privacy, after your membership is au-thenticated, the election committee separates all ballots from the names, and then separately counts them with no identifying information to ensure secrecy.

Mail your folded ballot with at-tached identifying address and num-ber in its own envelope so as to con-form to U.S. postal regulations. Affix a first-class stamp to your envelope and mail to: Elections Committee, Si-erra Club Atlantic Chapter, P.O. Box 38225, Albany, NY 12203. Mail your ballots so that they are received on or before December 25. n

Cast your vote digitally!Vote online by using your Voter ID found on your address label of this newsletter. Email [email protected] with questions.

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