Controversial permit awarded to Cliffside Plant
 Last Friday, the Perdue administration agreed to declare the massive 800-megawatt Cliffside Coal Boiler Unit 6 a “minor” source of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants. The decision helps Duke Energy avoid stringent federal controls on toxic air emissions for the facility under construction 55 miles west of Charlotte. For context, the emitting capacity exceeds that of a smaller boiler in Virginia by a factor of 20. (Sierra Club Press Release)
In contrast to our state's decision to give Cliffside the go-ahead, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford recently announced his opposition to a coal plant planned for the Pee Dee River area in Florence County. Back in February, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm put a virtual moratorium on new coal plants in her state through an executive order. And Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin announced that a power plant operated by the University of Wisconsin would begin burning biomass instead of coal.
With the Obama EPA likely to begin the process of regulating CO2 as early as April, the decision is more than unfortunate; it's also a terrible waste of taxpayer/ratepayer money. Read an op-ed by Glen Hooks, Regional Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, on why the permit reflects poorly on NC, as well as an op-ed by Duke CEO Jim Rogers, both published in Monday’s Charlotte Observer. Feel free to comment.
Look for an action alert to the EPA later this week.
March Appeal
 Once a year - in March - the North Carolina Chapter asks our entire membership to support our direct advocacy work in the legislature.
With a new President and a new Governor, NC Sierra Club can and will move to secure the fruits of promises made during the campaign season. But we have a short window of opportunity. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, most recently borrowed by President Obama in running for office, “we are faced with the fierce urgency of now.”
We can’t let that window of opportunity slip away. Nor can we rely on elected officials to do the job alone. NC Sierra Club will need to be everywhere on the ground, shaping the changes underway, supporting our champions and keeping our traditional opponents from trying to co-opt our push for positive change. With your help, NC Sierra Club can continue to push for sound, science-based environmental policy in our fair state.
Adieu to State Outings Leader
 The North Carolina Chapter bids Outings Chair Chris Plummer a fond farewell. He's off to Utah, so he'll still have plenty of trails and mountains to climb, hike, and bike.
Chris has been state Outings Chair for a couple of years now, and was the leader of the incredibly successful Beginner's Backpacking Class, several inter-state outings with the VA and SC Chapters, and a great many outings and trainings.
He remains an accomplished communicator for the Sierra Club's outings program.
Bon Voyage, Chris.
We'll see you on the trails.
Charlotte Clean & Green
 Last year's first ever Charlotte Clean and Green was a great success, attracting nearly 3,000 attendees from across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. This year's green educational festival takes place April 17 & 18, 2009 on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College, located in the heart of Charlotte!
The Central Piedmont Group will be a key player in this year's event. To volunteer, send an email to Vanessa Gorr at charlottecleanandgreen@gmail.com.
Charlotte Clean & Green is one of several April events Sierra local groups will have a hand in that coincide with Earth Day. Look for more in our next issue of Footnotes Online.
Outings
 Sat, Apr 11 Urban hike: Watts Hospital, West Durham, & beyond (North Carolina Chapter)
Was Duke Chapel really going to be built in Walltown? Why is Ninth Street called Ninth Street? Where did Madonna take early dance lessons? What Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist went to EK Powe school? What song writer for Norah Jones (and Lou Rawls) was "born on a kitchen table" near Magnolia Grill?
Come along and find out...
Sat, Apr 11 South Mountains State Park Hike (Piedmont Plateau)
Forget the egg hunts; join us on a quest to find and capture photographs of spring wildflowers. What a treat it will be if we see trillium, crested dwarf iris, gay wings, bloodroot, Robin’s plantain, etc.
Fri, Apr 17 - Sun, 19 Palmetto Trail & Francis Marion NF Hikes/Car Camp (Piedmont Plateau)
Saturday we will hike a section of the Palmetto trail known for its woodpecker colony, visit wilderness areas and/or a wildlife center/refuge and enjoy local seafood at a favorite restaurant.
In the News
NC regulators deem Cliffside a 'minor' polluter Forbes (via AP) Mar 13, 2009
"We're extremely disappointed. That was not exactly what we expected from her administration," said Elyse Jung with the North Carolina Sierra Club. "She had campaigned on a pledge to reduce CO2 emissions and pollution in North Carolina. I don't think that this permit fulfills that pledge."
Duke Energy's Cliffside unit gets favorable rating News & Observer Mar 13, 2009
"Today's permitting decision ... puts the health of North Carolina citizens at risk and puts North Carolina out of step with the national trend away from coal," said Elyse Jung, of the N.C. Sierra Club.
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