Hello all,

My name is Daniel Isbrecht and I am beginning an internship with the NC Sierra Club. Updating this blog is going to be one of my new duties and I just wanted to introduce myself. I am currently a senior at NC State in the Environmental Science program. I am really excited about working with the Sierra Club to get involved in issues affecting the state and hopefully make a positive change in the policies put forth by state government.

In addition to the blog, I expect to be involved mainly in politics leading up to the election in November. I will also be working to inform people of upcoming events and encourage them to get involved. We are currently planning an outing to raise awareness about the push to frack in Chatham County, and will post the details as soon as I know them. A few of us are also going to be tabling on campus at NC State on Saturday.

If anyone has any suggestions, questions, or comments, or would like to get involved, please email me at dpisbrec@gmail.com.  I look forward to meeting more people interested in environmental issues and getting involved to make a change in this great state!

The Face Behind Shale Gas

image via forbes

Aubrey McClendon is the CEO of the second-largest natural gas producer (after Exxon) in the US, Chesapeake Energy Corp, based in Oklahoma City. Last fall, he was on the cover of Forbes magazine and given the title "America's Most Reckless Billionaire." This is the face of the shale gas industry, a man who:

-Charters private flights to Amsterdam and Paris with his wife and two sons, takes two weeks off for vacation, but charges the $108,000 price of the flights to the company, billed as "business"

-Makes sure on-site Botox treatments for employees at the company headquarters

-Has a contract that allows him to take unlimited chartered business AND personal flights for free (sometimes racking up bills around $370,000)

However, back in April the shares in Chesapeake Energy Corp fell about 10%. Unbeknownst to Chesapeake shareholders until after an initial 5% drop, McClendon had taken out $1.1 billion in loans. A further drop by 10% in the price of the company's shares caused many to begin to question the professionalism of the CEO--as well as the future of the company. And combined with the fact that more and more scientists and media outlets condemning the viability and reliability of shale gas exploration, it doesn't seem like McClendon is going to be able to keep up his decadent lifestyle. Somehow we don't feel too bad about that.

The Tour de F.R.A.C.K.

I know many of us have been engrossed in the Tour de France over these past fews weeks, but how about the Tour de F.R.A.C.K. (Freedom Ride for Awareness and Community Knowledge)?

Residents of Butler County in Pennsylvania are biking all the way from their hometown to Washington, DC for the Stop the Frack Attack rally and march on July 28th, and spreading awareness about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing along the way. And, there's a chance you could meet these inspiring activists if you attend the event in Washington yourself!

Sign up here for Sierra Club-provided transportation to the event!

Stop the Frack Attack Rally

Saturday, July 28th is an important day for anti-fracking folks across the country! The NC Sierra Club and dozens of other environmental organizations will be teaming up for the Stop the Frack Attack rally and march on the west lawn of the Capitol in Washington, DC. This should be a huge event and truly important moment for anti-frackers in North Carolina to express their frustration with our General Assembly's passage of SB 820. The Sierra Club will be organizing transportation to and from the event with a van leaving from the Triangle the morning of the 28th.

Don't miss this opportunity to show our legislature and the rest of the country that fracking is a bad idea for North Carolina!

Interested in coming? Sign up here.

A Note on Rep. Hamilton's Priorities

image via lumina news

As many of you know, last night was an infinitely distressing one in the North Carolina General Assembly. In an apparently accidental vote, SB 820, the fracking bill, was passed by overriding Governor Bev Perdue's veto. Now, obviously, Rep. Carney's vote for the override is what everyone is talking about, but let's take a moment here to discuss Susi Hamilton's pro-fracking vote--something that came as a surprise to most of us.

Hamilton, who had even signed the letter to Gov. Perdue asking her to veto SB 820, voted to legalize the bill in the override. Unfortunately, it seems Hamilton, who only weeks ago was recognized as a friend to the environment by the NC League of Conservation Voters with their "Rising Star" award, has her priorities in the wrong place. Evidently, she sold her vote in exchange for tax incentives for the Wilmington film industry. Today, the NC LCV rescinded her award.

What you can do: Call Rep. Hamilton's office in Raleigh, and tell her how deeply disappointed we are with her actions. She needs to know.