As the PA Department of Environmental Protection rewrites its regulations on water quality, the Sierra Club is arming citizens and community leaders with the tools they need to protect the water in their area.

On September 27, 2008, the PA Sierra Club will sponsor a free workshop at the Boyce Campus, Community College of Allegheny County, designed to provide concerned citizens, community leaders, and municipal officials with the information they need to advocate for regulations that will protect streams and wetlands in their communities.

“Many miles of headwater streams and wetlands in Pennsylvania are at risk of degradation and encroachment,” explained Thomas Au, Conservation Chair and Water Issues Co-Chair of the PA Sierra Club Chapter. Protection of these very valuable waters is a major priority of state and national Sierra Club groups. With informed citizens, community leaders, and municipal officials, the PA Department of Environmental Protection will be forced to address concerns raised by public input as officials rewrite water quality regulations.

The workshop will run from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. Registration is required by September 12, 2008 and lunch will be provided at no charge for those who have registered. Register by calling 717-232-0101.

The workshop will be kicked off by Robin Mann, Vice President, National Sierra Club Board of Directors. The program will include:

• Cindy Tibbott, US Fish and Wildlife Service, who will present the current scientific understanding about the importance of headwater streams and wetlands on water quality downstream.
• Zelda Curtiss, Duquesne Law School and John Hines, Acting Director, Bureau of Watershed Management, DEP. These experts in water quality regulation will outline the basics of the regulations that govern headwaters.
• Myron Arnowitt, Clean Water Action, and other presenters who will show how to gather support for grassroots efforts, expand local interest and concern, and obtain tangible support from those in affected communities.

For any questions, please contact Barbara Benson, 610-282-3611 or barbarabenson at bensonsails dot com.

The Sierra Club’s members and supporters number more than 1.3 million. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America ’s oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

At the end of July the AP reported that because of the economic situation, Sithe Global Power LLC has decided to halt plans for a $900 million waste coal-burning power plant in Shade Township, Somerset County. However, the company’s engineers will continue to prepare permit applications.

This proposed plant is one of the five possible Pennsylvanian plants that will use waste coal as feedstock. In addition to the Somerset County plant, Sithe Global also plans to build a 290 megawatt cogeneration plant in Karthaus Township, Clearfield County.

A third proposal for waste-coal usage in Western Pennsylvania is the Beech Hollow plant in Washington County. In this case the Sierra Club has issued an intent to sue Robinson Power company. As part of its national Coal Campaign the Sierra Club is also legally involved with GASP and others in the Wellington Development plant in Cumberland Township, Greene County.

With the strong support of the environmental community, on August 5 City Council unanimously approved the Action Plan as contained in the 2008 Climate Protection Initiative Report of the Green Government Task Force. Designed to reduce energy costs and to help mitigate the problems of global warming, the Action Plan will be written into the City Code before the end of the year.

Facing vociferous calls from his constituents to reduce the cost of gasoline, Rep. Jason Altmire is among ten Pennsylvania congressmen who have co-sponsored the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act (HR 6709). Introduced by Congressmen Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and John E. Peterson (R-PA), this legislation would open up the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and release 10% (70 million barrels of oil) from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Bill HR 6709 can be seen as a straightforward attempt to appease upset constituents, even though oil companies are not yet using leases already granted for off-shore drilling, even though oil will not be arriving to market for about ten years, even though the supply will last for only a short time, and even though there is no guarantee that the oil will be supplied to the domestic US market.

In line with the inclusion of “Environment” in its title, the bill does provide for a portion of the drilling revenues to go to the development of alternative energy, including $30 million for solar energy research. But this is small potatoes compared to the largest portion of the revenue distribution - $385 million to the coal industry for R & D on carbon sequestration and coal-to-liquid technology. Unfortunately, HR 6709 appears to miss an opportunity to move away from an outdated fossil-fuel based economy.

Before reaching the floor of the House, HR 6709 must await committee action in September. Otherwise this political move will die and the energy crisis and global warming will remain challenges for the new Congress and new President.

Dr. Neil Donahue, Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, CMU, and Clayton Merrell, Art Department at CMU, will talk about the power and beauty of thunderstorms.

7:30 pm, Wednesday, August 13.
Phipps Civic Garden Center.
Shady and Fifth, Pittsburgh

See the whole meeting announcement.

Free and open to the public. Conversation and refreshments after the talks. For more information, contact Don Gibbon at dongibbon at earthlink dot net.

The Outdoor Activity Training Program is bringing its highly successful Outings Leader Training Workshop back to Maryland.

The purpose of this training is to provide leaders with the skills to address leadership and group management issues that may arise on short outings (day-hikes) and longer duration, more remote outings. Leader training is a never-ending process, so whether you’re an old hand or have never led before, you’re invited to attend a weekend of interactive learning, networking with leaders from all outing programs, and of course, lots of fun. This training event is brought to you by the Outdoor Activities Training Program (OATP), managed in the Outings Department of the National office.
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WHERE: At the Elks Camp Barrett in Crownsville, MD (near Annapolis).

WHEN: October 10-12, 2008. (Fri-Sun)
Check-in begins at 5 p.m. & dinner from 6 p.m. Opening program begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. sharp.
Workshop ends after workshop close, raffle and lunch on Sunday around 1 p.m.

COST: $45. This includes all meals, snacks, lodging (bunk style), materials, raffle entry, and an Outings t-shirt.

WORKSHOP DETAILS:
The goals of the workshop are to learn and enhance leadership and group management skills; to bring people and programs together to share and exchange ideas; to welcome new outdoor leaders; to learn what it takes to lead for other outings programs of the Sierra Club; and once again, to have a lot of fun. This workshop is for new and seasoned leaders from Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings (ICO), Local Outings (Group & Chapter), and National Outings (the trips in Sierra magazine).

The workshop agenda includes interactive modules on trip planning, group management, interpersonal leadership skills, emergency response and much more. Topics will be facilitated in both large group and small breakout group formats. Sessions will also include teamwork and scenario-based role plays.

The workshop is facilitated by OATP trainers (volunteer and staff) who speak from a wealth of personal trip leading experience.

As an added benefit, this workshop will fulfill both the Outings Leader Training 101 and Outings Leader Training 201 requirements.

REGISTRATION - To learn more about the workshop and register online, visit the upcoming events on the training website at http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/training/

3 other ways to register
Be sure to include your name(s), address, telephone #, email address, membership #, and workshop # - 08994a

MAIL check or money order for $45
Sierra Club Outings
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

CALL - credit card only:
415-977-5522
Monday-Friday, 8:30-5, PST

FAX - credit card only:
415-977-5795
Include Card Number, Expiration Date and Signature

Limited to 50 people - first come, first served. Questions? Contact the Sierra Club Outdoor Activities Training Manager at outings dot training at sierraclub dot org or at (415) 977-5711.

In Celebration of Wild Places:
Connecting People to Nature

A show of the stunning nature photography of Dudley Edmondson

On Wednesday, October 8th at 7pm at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland, the Sierra Club, Allegheny Group and six other groups (see below) will be sponsoring a slide lecture by African-American nature photographer Dudley Edmondson, who has spoken on this theme across the country at the invitation of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The slide program will be followed by a panel discussion of the challenges and benefits to the minority community of expanding participation in outdoor activities.

Panelists include:

• Bill Strickland, president and founder of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
• Mamie Parker, former asst. secretary, US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Mario Browne, Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh
• Sarah Jamella Martin, Wilderness Educator, Pittsburgh Public Schools
• and Dudley Edmondson.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $5 for those under 18. Tickets are available to purchase by credit card below, and you can also mail a check made out to Sierra Club Allegheny Group to 205 Elysian Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. All advance tickets will be held at the door.

	Cost	Quantity
Adult tickets	$15
Under 18 Tickets	$5

When you are finished adding tickets, you can check out here:

photo by dudley edmondson

Program co-sponsored by:

• Sierra Club, Allegheny Group
• Venture Outdoors
• Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
• Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh
• Three Rivers Birding Club
• Recreational Equipment, Inc
• National Aviary

Contact Donald L. Gibbon (dongibbon at earthlink dot net) with questions or offers of help with the program!

OK. Lawns are perhaps not the earth-friendliest way to go, but if the size of your yard means you need a lawn to cover part of it, have you thought of using a push reel lawnmower? The advantages of a reel lawnmower are low capital outlay, no maintenance costs, safe and quiet, no noxious fumes on ozone-alert days, and no fuel consumption (other than a good breakfast). It is best if your lawn is free of twigs and leaves when you start to mow, and you should not let you grass grow too tall between cuts.

As we embark on the path towards a green energy economy and the price of energy increases in the U.S., carbon intensive industry will again be tempted to relocate to countries with less stringent climate protection measures.

A new Sierra Club report titled “TRADE AND GLOBAL WARMING: What Are the Connections?” describes how our current trade rules allow companies to move operations to wherever labor and environmental standards are the weakest, instead of helping the nations of the world curb global warming.

Among the solutions put forth by the Sierra Club as a member of a diverse coalition are:

1. Adopt a New Model for Trade. All trade agreements signed by the US must include meaningful and binding labor and environmental provisions. The WTO’s practice of disregarding environmental considerations must come to an end.
2. Create Jobs and Increase Efficiency. Slowing climate change presents a unique opportunity to create good jobs.
3. Address Deforestation and Illegal Logging. By preventing illegally harvested timber and timber products from entering our markets, we stand to dramatically reduce deforestation.
4. The World Bank should promote and incorporate clean energy technology in any project development project they finance, as well as keep track of the GHG emissions or the ‘carbon footprint’ of all the development projects it supports.

by Jim Kleissler

In May, 1994 in the Farnsworth Branch area of the Allegheny National Forest I came across my first oil & gas nightmare on my very first camping trip in the forest. While fishermen worked their craft just downstream, we observed what a local oil & gas exploration outfit must have labeled as pollution control. Their solution for a major oil leak at their storage tank facility was a bucket - a bucket with a hole in the bottom. That tank facility stood less than 20 feet upslope of the Farnsworth Branch.

In 1994, the oil & gas companies were drilling only about 100 wells per year in the Allegheny National Forest. Today they are drilling 20 times that, or several new oil & gas wells per day. Thousands of crude oil & gas wells and over 2,000 miles of oil & gas roads litter the forest, all too often with the blessing of the US Forest Service, whose slogan is supposed to be “caring for the land and serving the people”.

The US Forest Service has taken the stance for twenty years now that they cannot apply federal environmental comment and analysis laws to private oil & gas drilling. In an early 1980s Oil & Gas manual, they acknowledged that the National Environmental Policy Act applies. But they have not applied that federal law since. However, the same federal law is applied to similar oil & gas drilling operations in other national forests. In fact, newly-appointed Allegheny National Forest Supervisor Leanne Marten applied this very law to oil & gas operations in the Huron-Manistee National Forest when she served as supervisor there.

Take a look at some pictures of the industrialization’s effects.

The Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club is looking to take the lead to help ensure greater conservation of the Allegheny National Forest in the face of unprecedented oil & gas prices. To help with this work, please contact us at jim at blysonhill dot net.