New Website

The NC Sierra Club's new website is up and running. Check it out at nc2.sierraclub.org to learn more about fracking and offshore wind in NC! You can also find information on our endorsed candidates in the upcoming election and we urge you to support them. On that note, our endorsed candidate here in the Raleigh area, Erv Portman, is conducting canvassing and phone banking this weekend. Canvassing on Saturday at 9:30 am and phone banking is Sunday from 1-5 at his office in apex. Erv can use all the support he can get. Anyone that is interested in volunteering, please contact Travis or me at dpisbrec@gmail.com or travis.hargett@sierraclub.org.

About Erv Portman

For those people who may be unfamiliar with Erv Portman, our endorsed candidate in the district 17 State Senate race, I just wanted to let you know a little about him. He is currently the Wake County Commissioner, and is running for an open Senate seat against Tammara Barringer. He also previously served on the Cary Town Council, was a member of the Wake County Healthy Schools Task Force and is the owner of a small business which makes parts for the aerospace, medical, and wind industries and employs over 30 people in his district. This means he understands the challenges that small businesses face and ways to help them overcome those challenges. He is a strong proponent of sustainable growth to ensure our children can enjoy the same standard of living we do. This is why he fought to do away with mass grading and clear cutting of our trees on the Cary Town Council and has voted to protect our parks and greenways while on the Board of Commissioners. He helped to convince the Board of Commissioners not to delay action on the Falls Lake cleanup project. As the father of 3 public school teachers, Erv understands the importance of quality teachers and principals in creating an educated workforce that can compete in the global marketplace and, if elected, plans to reverse budget cuts that have led to the layoffs of many teachers. Erv is also a strong believer in bipartisan cooperation, and working together to get things done. For this reason, he has support from Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated voters all over Wake County. Erv can win, especially with our support. I will once again mention that we will be canvassing for Erv every Saturday morning leading up to the election. If Erv sounds like the kind of leader you would like to see in the Senate, I strongly urge you to join us help get him elected. Email me at dpisbrec@gmail.com to sign up. Thanks again!

Friends,

Just wanted to let people know that we will be conducting canvassing for Erv Portman again this Saturday and to encourage anyone who can to come out and help. Erv will be a great ally in the NC Senate and we really need to to all we can to help him win. Anybody interested in volunteering can email me for more info (dpisbrec@gmail.com) or call the office at 919-833-8467. We will also be conducting phone banking and volunteering at the polls so there are a few ways to get involved. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Election Goals

Just wanted to let everyone know that we here at the NC Sierra Club in Raleigh have set some goals to attain in the leadup to the November election. Ultimately we would like to raise $7,000 as well as put in 500 volunteer hours to support our endorsed candidates. Most of these hours will consist of canvassing on the weekends in September and October. We would also like to identify 100 percent of our members and will be conducting phone banking on Tuesday evenings. We will also be organizing some outings in the area as well as parties to help us raise money. I will post more information about these events as the details are finalized. In the meantime, anyone who would like to help us attain our goals can email me at dpisbrec@gmail.com or Travis Hargett at travis.hargett@sierraclub.org. Any kind of support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The newly formed North Carolina mining and energy commission has just announced their first meeting. It will be September 6, from 1 to 5 pm in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building, 512 North Salisbury St. in Raleigh. Topics covered will include compliance with open meetings and public records law, state ethics requirements, and the commission’s duties under the 2012 legislation that created the commission. More information about the commission, including its membership, can be found online at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mining-and-energy-commission/home.

Under the “Clean Energy and Economic Security Act”, the State Mining Commission was reconstituted as the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission. The commission will be responsible for developing a regulatory program to oversee oil and gas drilling, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The commission is working to develop a new Energy Program that will oversee permitting, inspection, and regulation enforcement of all oil and gas drilling and production in the state. The Energy Program will consist of 3 staff members, a hydrogeologist, an environmental senior specialist, and a program supervisor. Anyone seriously concerned about oil and gas drilling in North Carolina should consider attending this first meeting.

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.

Gov. Perdue Vetoes Fracking Bill

Image via raleighpublicrelations

This past weekend was a quite successful one for environmentally-aware North Carolinians! Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed SB 820, the "fracking bill," calling for more environmental safeguards. While we're very happy with the Gov's decision to veto the bill, we still have work to do. Now more than ever, we need the help and support of all the anti-fracking folks here in NC.

What you can do: Call your legislators and urge them NOT to vote to override this veto. It's as simple as that. 

Here's to a good decision from the Governor and hopefully we can end this rough session on a good note by keeping fracking illegal in North Carolina! 

Volunteers Needed for Voter Registration.

Hi everyone,

This week we are going to be out registering people to vote in House District 41 so that we can get more people involved in our political process. We're really hoping to engage more members of the community to make their voices heard.

To do that, we need your help! We're looking for some volunteers to help us register voters this week on either Tuesday, July 3rd, or Thursday, July 5th from about 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Location and further details TBA. 

Let us know if you can come by clicking here.

We hope you can make it.

Anti-Fracking Bill Rally Last Night

Many folks gathered last night in front of the Governor's mansion in downtown Raleigh to show their frustration with SB 820--the fracking bill that has passed through the General Assembly and is on Gov. Perdue's desk awaiting her decision. She has until Sunday at midnight to decide whether or not to veto the bill. While Perdue has in the past expressed her support for the idea of hydraulic fracturing, she has also said that necessary precautions must be taken so as to prevent any mishaps or contamination.

So, the question becomes: Is two years enough to research and establish enough safeguards to protect our environment and our citizens (the bill would legalize fracking in NC by 2014). We don't think so! 

Check out a video of the rally and more details on the bill here.

Fracking Veto Countdown

Only 4 days left for the Gov. to veto the fracking bill. Here are four more reasons she should veto the bill (as if she needs anymore.) 

1. Eight of the 15 seats on the Mining and Energy Commission are appointed by the pro-fracking legislature. Only three are conservation related and those seats are also appointed by the Speaker and Senate Pro Tem. Sounds like an industry dominated board if you ask us.

2. The bill fails to require the disclosure of chemicals considered "trade secrets." Considering most of the chemicals are "trade secrets" this provision threatens public health.

3.  A new peer reviewed study published in the journal, Ground Water predicts that fracking fluids can migrate into aquifers within years. This is a serious concern in North Carolina where shale gas reserves are closer to water supplies.

4. More than 40,000 citizens have asked the Governor to not frack North Carolina.

Enough?

The Rio+20 Earth Summit

The Rio+20 Earth Summit recently concluded in Brazil and resulted in a disappointing document which was watered down and lacked any significant vision. 
However, this article written by the presidents of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice explains why we should not lose hope, but rather recognize our own potential for influencing our governments and businesses to change the course of our environmental future.

Someone should show this article to the NC legislature...

An ominous article on CBS's website today explains why sea level rise on the eastern coast of the United States is occurring faster than anywhere else in the world. Maybe the NCGA should rethink their bill which will base sea level rise only on historical data...

Volunteers needed for FRACKING PHONEBANK!

Hi everyone!


We're having a phone bank to get Governor Perdue to VETO the fracking bill. 


It will be this Wednesday, June 20, from 6:15 to 8:00 pm at the NC Sierra Club headquarters (112 S. Blount St. Raleigh, NC). 


We would love to have as many volunteers as possible. 


Please let us know if you can come by clicking here.

Putting things into perspective...

We recently posted the upper picture on our Facebook page, but it really sends a strong message to those who claim wind energy would ruin landscapes and also approve of fracking. So, would you rather have this...

...or this?

image via self-sufficient-blog

45 minutes for democracy?

Today in the House Environment Committee, only 45 minutes were set aside for one of the most important pieces of legislation, SB 820. The meeting was rushed and left no time for public debate and scarcely enough time for committee debate. The trend of rushing this legislation through the General Assembly seems to be continuing...

Senator Rucho's push for fracking

Speaks for itself.