IN THIS ISSUE
- Upcoming events
- “Things Sierra Club Loves” report
- Who we are
- Our news
- Legislative report
- Editorial
- Chapter Leaders
Mon 3/2/15 |
OK Sierra Club Chapter |
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Tue 3/3/15 |
Earth Matters Film Series (Tulsa) |
All Souls Green Team non-Sierra Club |
Wed 3/4/15 |
OK Sierra Club Chapter |
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Sat 3/7/15 |
Sierra Club Cimarron Group |
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Sat 3/7/15 |
non-Sierra Club |
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Sat 3/14/15 |
Sierra Club Cimarron Group |
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Sat 3/26/15 |
Sierra Club Green Country Group |
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Sat 3/26/15 |
Sierra Club Green Country Group |
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Sat 4/11/15 |
Sierra Club Cimarron Group |
The “Things Sierra Club Loves” was a great success at the Capitol on February 11. Members handed out Sierra Club calendars and candy kisses to legislators and their assistants in tune with a Valentine’s Day theme. The intention was to let legislators know that Sierra Club members are citizens who care deeply about Oklahoma. Also, we wanted to call attention to the important environmental issues we support which will be the focus of many bills this session.
Johnson Bridgwater, the Oklahoma Chapter director was Master of Ceremonies at the media conference which followed. The theme was a love for actions that make Oklahoma a healthier, cleaner and more economically viable state. A number of experts and advocates spoke at the press conference, including former Attorney General Drew Edmondson who addressed the issue of clean water and the need to protect Oklahoma’s water resources. Urban beekeeper Stephanie Jordan spoke about sustainable agriculture and the importance of bees to the production of food. Jeff Bezdek, MAPS 3 Transit Subcommittee and Education Director for The Modern Transit Project / OKC Streetcar Project spoke about the opportunities created for communities by a modern public transit system. Steve Wilke from Delta Engineering spoke about expanding renewable energy and its economic, environmental, and social benefits. All are important issues for the Oklahoma Sierra Club.
Sponsors for the event were the Oklahoma Sierra Club’s Legislative and Conservation Committees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW6wky2psPI&feature=youtu.be
Our first Member Focus is Jim Long, Chair for the Red Earth Group. Jim was born and raised in Oklahoma. He left the state after college to join the army but returned here for an appealing job offer. His most satisfying accomplishment is his contribution to raising his children to become good people and citizens.
He became interested in Oklahoma Sierra Club around 1980. The Norman Group (as it was then called) had a display of tents at the public library. Since he camped quite a lot he went to see the display and met some of the members, Charles Wesner in particular. They decided it was a good group and joined. He has been on the Red Earth (and Norman) Group ExCom (Executive Committee) and served many terms as treasurer, newsletter editor, and chair. He has also been on the Chapter ExCom and served as treasurer and newsletter editor. He identifies many memorable experiences with Oklahoma Sierra Club such as outings, meeting and hearing David Brower, the first Executive Director of National Sierra Club, at a Chapter banquet and the overall experience of working with good people trying to protect the environment.
He thinks the most important environmental issue Oklahoma Sierra Club should be focusing on is global climate change. He believes it is the most pressing issue facing us today. He agrees there are also many other issues that need to be worked on, such as oil and gas exploration, mass transit, urban sprawl, but these are all related to replacing fossil fuels that combat climate change.
His favorite hobbies are photography, both taking and printing pictures. He also enjoys riding and tinkering with his motorcycle.
OUR NEWS
by Donna Clifford-Jones
Clean water – one of our most precious assets
Over the last eight months, there has been discussion and activity in both Oklahoma City and Norman concerning the issue of clean water as it relates to hydraulic fracturing or fracking. Here is a summary of the main events in both cities.
Oklahoma City
Hundreds of people attended a town hall meeting on January 22, hosted by Ward 2 Council Member Dr. Ed Shadid. A number of speakers discussed the issue of water in Oklahoma City. Topics ranged from the history of water procurement to potential threats to the city’s water supply. The purpose of the meeting was to provide information so that residents would continue to participate in the public decision making process concerning their water. Dr. Shadid also proposed a resolution for a moratorium on oil and gas industry permits to prohibit drilling near the city’s water reservoirs. A number of local environmental groups, including the Central Oklahoma Clean Water Coalition, tabled at the event prior to the meeting.
The January meeting was a follow up to widespread opposition to a proposal to drill on Lake Hefner by a local company, Pedestal Oil Co Inc. Concerned residents attended a meeting in December at the Will Rogers Conservatory after the company announced its plans to drill multiple wells, which included directional drilling and fracking. A second meeting was held on the same evening to accommodate those people who could not fit into the Conservatory’s limited space. The drilling proposal was withdrawn by the company late in December in response to community opposition.
Norman
Approximately 70 people attended a public rally on December 18, hosted by The Central Oklahoma Clean Water Coalition. The Coalition is a broad-based group whose members share a common interest in protecting the land, air and public water sources around Norman watershed areas. The rally took place in the hour before the City Council Oversight Committee meeting which has been studying proposed amendments to the ordinance that regulates local oil and gas operations.
Coalition leaders attended the meeting and presented an alternate draft of the ordinance. The Coalition believes the anti-regulation attitude which exists across the State makes local water sources vulnerable. Local governments and citizens therefore need to work together to improve regulations to prevent risks to public health and the environment. The Coalition proposes mandatory baseline testing of streams and water wells prior to issuing new drilling permits and a strict schedule of monitoring, regulation and enforcement to protect streams and groundwater sources.
Concerns over Norman’s drinking water arose to a large extent by the 2014 permitting of a new segment of a pipeline under Lake Thunderbird to transport crude oil. The pipeline raised concerns over the city’s lack of inspection requirements and enforcement measures in the case of a pipeline rupture.
A City Council Study Session on January 20 was a further opportunity for public input before the new oil and gas ordinance is voted on by the full City Council. The Coalition met in January to draft further changes to the latest proposed amendments which were forwarded to Council members. The full City Council has still not taken a vote to date.
2015 legislative session
The 2015 legislative session has seen the introduction of a series of bills that would eliminate the ability of municipal authorities to regulate, prohibit or ban any oil and gas operations. This would mean that cities like Oklahoma City and Norman would not be able to prevent fracking next to drinking water sources. Two of these bills are awaiting a vote on the floor. The outcome of the other bills as they pass through the committee process during the current session remains to be seen. See Legislative Report.
by Johnson Bridgwater
Being a lobbyist for an environmental organization in a state controlled by oil and gas interests can be challenging—but never dull! On a recent day at the Capitol as I made my way from office to office discussing Sierra Club’s position on various bills, I kept seeing familiar faces. Turns out big oil was just as interested in the same bills I was that day—of course with a different take on their meaning. According to one legislator, I had 29 opponents that day. It was a strong reminder of why Oklahoma Sierra Club is so important. 29 to 1 is challenging, but never dull.
On February 2nd, the Oklahoma Sierra Club Legislative Committee took the 55th Oklahoma Legislature’s 1219 House bills/ 26 joint resolutions and 815 Senate bills/ 32 joint resolutions and cut them down to 179. This 179 contains a set of 69 bills that we are actively tracking. Tracking involves working at the Capitol daily with both people and technology to keep up with our bills of interest as they make their way through the legislative process.
Two very clear areas of interest have emerged: one group of bills we are STRONGLY OPPOSED TO aims to limit local government ability to regulate oil and gas activities within their own jurisdictions. This same legislation has turned up in other states where fracking has become a problem. These bills (HB1395, HB1722, HB1954, HB2124, HB2178; SB0341, SB0468, SB0809) all seek to take local power away from cities regarding the regulation of oil and gas. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS to let them know that you STRONGLY OPPOSE ANY BILL SEEKING TO LIMIT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY. This will also be a point of focus for our 2015 Lobby Day coming up in early April. Anyone interested in Lobby Day, please contact us.
Another group of bills on our radar targets Oklahoma’s wind energy sector. While Oklahoma is now 4th IN THE NATION in produced wind power, we have a group of legislators who seem intent on treating wind energy as a bad thing. Please let your legislators know that Oklahoma needs to CELEBRATE OKLAHOMA WIND ENERGY, not seek to hinder its progress (HB1394, HB1554, HB1549, HB1667, HB1724, HB1968, SB0355, SB0498, SB0568, SB0808, SB0814 all target wind energy in various guises).
Despite the usual “bad bills,” it is also worth noting that there are seeds of hope this session as well—there is the “Pollinator Protection Plan” SB0229 (Justice) which would help shed light on how to aid Oklahoma’s “tiny workers”; HB1077 (Morrissette) which seeks to help foster long-term growth in passenger rail by asking ODOT to do some reporting; and SB0571 which seeks to eliminate sales tax from Farmer’s Market/ Roadside Stand purchases.
Although I have just touched the tip of legislation we are tracking, anyone may send an email request to receive the full list: johnson.bridgwater@sierraclub.org . For members interested in digging in further, please visit the State of Oklahoma legislative website: http://www.oklegislature.gov/ for all bills, meetings and other items, as well as features like the ability to listen or watch Committee meetings and floor sessions.
In closing, we ask that ALL SIERRANS GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND SIGN UP TO RECEIVE LEGISLATIVE ALERTS—YOUR ACTION IS ESSENTIAL TO GROWING OUR INFLUENCE!
Find your Legislature Information using the following online tools:
by Donna Clifford-Jones
A decision
on the Keystone XL pipeline shortly?
Federal agency speaks out against the pipeline
The Environmental Protection agency (EPA) has expressed concerns over approving the Keystone XL pipeline in response to the State Department’s request for comments following its 2014 environmental impact statement. A recent letter to the Department emphasized that low oil prices, along with the uncertainty of future prices, could mean increased tar sands production if the pipeline is approved, leading to “a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.”[1] The EPA’s review follows the Senate’s passing of a bill in January to fast track approval of the pipeline. A final version of the bill has also been passed by the House of Representatives.[2] As predicted, President Obama has vetoed the bill.[3]
What is the Keystone XL pipeline
The Keystone pipeline is already in existence and runs from Alberta, Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma. The Keystone XL pipeline is an expansion to the existing pipeline and is split into two parts. The southern part ties into the original pipeline connecting Oklahoma to the Texas Gulf Coast and has been in operation since 2014. At peak capacity it can transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day. The northern part requires approval from the United States government and would include a new section from Alberta to Nebraska.[4] It is the northern part which has been the most controversial and which is under discussion here.
The downside of approving the pipeline
The pipeline would have a number of negative impacts on the environment, in addition to increasing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. These include the possibility of oil spills, especially for the effect this would have on groundwater resources crossed by the pipeline.[5] The risks of contamination from an oil spill are enormous in the region of the Ogallala aquifer, one of the most important water sources in the Midwest. This would endanger the safety of the drinking water as well as having a detrimental effect on the economic wellbeing and health of local communities. Tar sands oil spills in Mayflower, Arkansas and the Kalamazoo River in Michigan have provided previous evidence of this.[6] The pipeline would also traverse the homelands of a number of indigenous tribes and violate several treaty obligations and water rights, in addition to destroying certain sacred and cultural resources.[7]
The pipeline is also not expected to create a significant number of jobs as previously claimed. Most of the few thousand American jobs would only last for the two year construction phase with a predicted fifty permanent positions made available once the pipeline is in operation.[8]
How the pipeline could affect Oklahoma
Construction of the pipeline could make gas prices in the Midwest higher. The reason being that less tar sands oil that is purchased here would end up going to the Midwest. Instead it would be transported to the Gulf Coast for export to overseas markets where it would fetch more money. It has been the inability to get oil to overseas buyers that has kept the prices relatively low here to date. Also, opening up tar sands oil to overseas markets would most likely increase its price for local refiners as Midwest prices are more vulnerable to global then domestic markets.[9] The claim that the pipeline would improve energy independence in the United States and keep regional gas prices low therefore seems flawed.
Where to from here
President Obama is expected to make a decision about whether to approve the pipeline following the State Department’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement which is currently reviewing feedback from agencies.[10] The EPA’s recent comments linking increased tar sands production with increased greenhouse gas emissions will most likely influence that decision. The President has previously indicated that the pipeline’s significant exacerbation of carbon pollution will be an important factor in his decision, in line with his commitment to climate change issues.[11]
[1]
Davenport, C. (2015) “E.P.A. Says Pipeline Could Spur Emissions”, The New York Times, 3 February [accessed
5 February 2015].
[2]
Walsh, D (2015) “Keystone pipeline bill heads to Obama, veto expected”, CNN, 11 February [accessed on 12
February 2015].
[3]
Korte, Gregory (2015). “Obama: Keystone pipeline bill has “earned my veto”, USA Today, 24 February [accessed on 24
February 2015].
[4]
StateImpact (2014) “What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?”, StateImpact, [accessed on 13 February 2015].
[5]
Koronowski, R. (2015) “ The EPA Just
Gave President Obama Cover To Reject The Keystone XL Pipeline ”, climateprogress, 3 February [accessed 5
February 2015].
[6]
TSS Tar Sands Solutions Network (2015) “Spills
and Leaks”, [accessed on 7 February 2015].
[7]
Sheppard, K. (2015) “Tribes In Three States Ask Obama Administration To Reject
Keystone XL”, Huff Post Politics, 1
January [accessed on 7 February 2015].
[8]
Gertz, E. (2015) “Watch Elizabeth Warren School the Senate on the Keystone XL
Pipeline: ‘It’s About Money and Power’”, takepart,
9 January [accessed 31 January 2015].
[9]
Bump, P. (2014) “The Keystone XL
pipeline isn’t about lowering your gas prices”, The Washington Post, 17 November [accessed 2 February 2015].
[10]
Walsh, D (2015) “Keystone pipeline bill heads to Obama, veto expected”, CNN, 11 February [accessed on 12
February 2015].
[11]
Koronowski, R. (2015) “The EPA Just
Gave President Obama Cover To Reject The Keystone XL Pipeline ”, climateprogress, 3 February [accessed 5
February 2015].
Sierra Club Oklahoma Chapter Leaders
Barbara VanHanken | Chapter Chair | Jody Harlan | Conservation & Political Chair |
Bill McClelland | Secretary | David Brown | Vice Chair & Treasurer |
Gayla Garrett | Communications Chair | Casey Holcomb | Database Management |
Doug Hill | Outings Chair | Susie Derichsweiler | Legislative Chair |
Rebecca Jim | Youth Leader | Charles Wesner | Compliance |
Donna Clifford-Jones | Newsletter Editor | Mark Derichsweiler | Staff Supervisor |
Charles Wesner | Advisory Board Chair | ||
Executive Committee Leaders | |||
Ann Bornholdt | Jody Harlan | ||
David Brown | Casey Holcomb | ||
Donna Clifford-Jones | Bill McClelland | ||
Lynn Cooper | Joel Olson | ||
Gayla Garrett | Barbara Van Hanken |