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Is there anything "minor" about Cliffside?
 Coal is the leading cause of global warming; the soot/smog pollution from coal burning causes upwards of 25,000 premature deaths annually in the United States. Sierra Club's fight against coal is attracting attention nationwide (San Francisco Chronicle, NYTimes) and abroad (Financial Times).
As you know, NC Sierra Club has an ongoing fight against expansion of Duke Energy's Cliffside power facility. Duke Energy has recently contended that Cliffside, its proposed new coal-fired power plant in western north carolina, will be a "minor" source of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants. If the Perdue adminsistration agrees, Cliffside would be off the hook for complying with Clean Air Act regulations requiring the maximum available technologies for toxin control.
Let's agree, an 800-megawatt coal unit is not a "minor" source of emissions or electricity. (Find more in-depth analysis of this new development at the Charlotte Observer or the Asheville Citizen Times.)
There will be two public hearings on this "minor source" issue - one in Forest City, one in Statesville. An initial hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 in Forest City, near the plant, at Chase High School, 1603 Chase High School Road..6 p.m. Jan. 22 at Statesville Senior High School, 474 N. Center St. in Statesville. Attend one or both hearings
Building Solutions for Climate Change
 January 24th is just around the bend, and so is your chance to join us in Winston-Salem for our "Building Solutions Workshop." A more detailed agenda is forthcoming, but for now, here's a sneak peak at some of our presenters:
Greg Savage, regional chair of the USGBC, will discuss the LEED certification process and benefits for your town. Tobin Freid, City of Durham and County of Durham Sustainability Director, will outline Durham's path to requiring all new construction be LEED certified. And architect Alicia Ravetto will discuss working with cities in adapting already constructed buildings to LEED certification.
For a more general idea of what's waiting for you in Winston-Salem, check our our NC Cool Cities Best Practices page. And register now.
Chapter Update - Communications
 Wondering about the print version of our online newsletter? Well, don't fret - our latest issue will arrive in January, near the end of the month. You can look forward to: our first ever Chapter "Report to Members", the 2009 legislative preview, ExCom ballots, a review of Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat, and Crowded", and a whole lot more.
Remember, in order to more frequently and efficiently update all NC Sierrans, we've decreased the number of print newsletters from 4 to 2, while we've increased our online communications. So:
- Tell A Friend or Family Member about our online newsletter.
- Take our Blog Poll and let us know what kind of info you want.
- Join us on Facebook.
- Check out our website, where you'll find a whole range of info.
How clean is your community's air?
Not clean enough, the federal government may soon be telling your town.
Heftier - and healthier - federal standards for ozone or smog currently being fazed in may mean the metropolitan areas of Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad, Fayetteville, Hickory, Asheville, Rocky Mount and Greenville are likely to be dubbed as "non-attainment", or failing to meet national health based standards.
To find out more, read this NC Dept of Air Quality Press Release or attend one of many public meetings across the state: Triangle, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount metropolitan areas -- January 12, Monday, 2 p.m., N.C. Division of Air Quality, Air Quality Training Room (AQ526), 2728 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh. Triad and Hickory metropolitan areas -- January 13, Tuesday, 2 p.m., Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department, Main Conference Room, 537 North Spruce St., Winston-Salem. Asheville and Western North Carolina -- January 13, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Colonial Theatre, Colonial Annex, 53 Park St., Canton. Greenville metropolitan area and Eastern North Carolina - January 20, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Pitt Community College, Leslie Building, Room 143, 1986 Pitt Tech Road, Winterville.Outings
 Sat, Jan 24 Grassy Gap/Basin Creek Hike (Piedmont Plateau)
Meander along a beautiful mountain stream into a historic cove in Doughton Park.
Fri, Mar 6 - Sun, 8 2nd Annual Mt. Rogers Winter Basecamp Trip (North Carolina Chapter)
Come join the NC/VA/WV Chapters of the Sierra Club on a Winter Basecamp Trip to the Highest Place in Virginia
Sat, Mar 14 - Sat, 21 Snowbird Trails Project (Capital Group)
Help us trail blaze, document, and hike the trails in the Snowbirds of western NC!
In the News
New waste lagoons now banned Charlotte Observer Jan 01, 2009
"Over time, it should mean if there are new large-scale swine operations, that they will have to use new waste-disposal technologies," said Molly Diggins of the N.C. Sierra Club. "It's obviously not where we thought we'd be a decade ago. The hope then was operations would be switched over to new waste technologies."
Cary dubbed Cool City Cary News Dec 16, 2008
The Town of Cary joined the likes of 49 other cities and counties in North Carolina last week when the town was dubbed a “Cool City” by the North Carolina Sierra Club.
Can't wait for our next issue? Our latest blog post talks about the importance of switching our fuel efficiency thinking from MPG to GPM.
For upcoming club events and meetings, take a look at our Chapter Calendar.
And be sure to join us on  Facebook.
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