Share your input on Strategies and Actions at the Mayor's Climate Action Strategy Workshop

Mayor Regina Romero and City staff invite you to participate in this second and final workshop to share your input on Strategies and Actions at the: 

Tucson Resilient Together - Climate Action Strategy Workshop

Sat, November 12, 2022, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM MST

Tucson Convention Center 200 Level Meeting Rooms 260 South Church Avenue Tucson, AZ 85701

In 2020, Tucson declared a Climate Emergency, committing to achieving carbon neutrality across City operations by 2030. To reach this goal, Mayor Regina Romero and the Tucson City Council directed City staff to develop a climate action and adaptation plan centered on a just and equitable transition, equity-centered community engagement, and best practices with respect to greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and climate adaptation.

The City contracted with Buro Happold in January 2022, a design engineering and integrated consultancy with vast experience in developing climate action and sustainability plans for governments and municipalities around the world, to develop this plan. The consulting team also features Living Streets Alliance, who advocate for complete and safe streets across Tucson and are leading community engagement efforts, Autocase Economic Advisory, a leading economics firm, and faculty from the Drachman Institute at the University of Arizona.

At our last workshop in May, we announced the name of our climate action and adaptation plan: Tucson Resilient Together. At that time, we engaged in a community-wide conversation on what a climate-resilient future looks like for you Tucsonans. That conversation has informed what this plan should prioritize and whose voices must come through the most in its development and implementation.

Since May, we have engaged seven community organizations as partners in the development of this plan, each representing cross-sections of the frontline communities that will be most affected by climate change.

• Arizona Youth Climate Coalition
• International Indian Treaty Council
• Local First Arizona
• NAACP Tucson Branch
• Paisanos Unidos
• San Xavier Co-Op Farm
• Southside Worker Center

In partnership with the Mayor’s Office and Living Streets Alliance, these community organizations have led community dialogues through the summer and have helped host pop-up events across Tucson to engage residents directly on the issues of climate change and community resilience.

We have the privilege of being joined by these groups again for this second and final public workshop on Tucson Resilient Together. Trained facilitators from our community partners will guide conversations on the strategies and actions being evaluated for this plan, These conversations will directly shape the climate action and adaptation roadmap that will be included in Tucson Resilient Together when it is adopted at the end of this year.

Workshop Agenda

• 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Doors Open: Light refreshments, mingling, settling in
• 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. | Opening: Welcome and introduction
• 9:15 - 9:35 a.m. | Context-Setting: Presentation from consultant team
• 9:35 - 11:55 a.m. | Workshop: Review and provide feedback on specific actions
• 11:55 - 12:00 p.m. | Closing: Statements and adjournment

If you have any questions about Tucson Resilient Together or this workshop, please send an e-mail to climateactionplan@tucsonaz.gov.

Accessibility

We recommend accessible parking in Lot B off Granada between Cushing and Congress if you are attending an event in the Ballrooms or Exhibit Halls.

Spanish Interpretation

Full programming will be available in Spanish. Spanish-speaking table hosts will be present to facilitate discussion, and there will be live Spanish interpretation throughout the event.

COVID-19 Measures

Per Tucson Convention Center regulations, facial masks are required upon entry to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Transportation and Parking Options

The Tucson Convention Center is accessible by Sun Tran bus and Sun Link streetcar (nearest stops include SL/Granada/CushingNW on S Granada Ave and Broadway/Granada on E Broadway Blvd).

Parking is available in Parking Lot B accessible via Granada. Note: Lot C has limited parking space due to construction. Please do not park in surrounding neighborhoods.

REGISTER:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tucson-resilient-together-climate-action-strategy-workshop-tickets-444782655897

Complete Climate Action & Adaptation Plan Community Survey

Please, fill out the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Community Survey.

Mayor Regina Romero is inviting the community to complete a survey to kick start the process of developing Tucson’s Climate Action Plan. She would like to find out your opinion on which environmental and climate sustainability actions should be prioritized in the city of Tucson.  This input will help create a roadmap to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and respond to and prepare for the increasing impacts of climate change. The goal is to improve the city’s environmental and sustainability practices while increasing Tucsonan’s quality of life for decades. Help us steer the city towards a healthy, equitable, and resilient future!

In Spanish: 
https://opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10300

In English: 

https://opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10299

Tell the House: Pass the Climate Displaced Persons Act

The petition to the House of Representatives reads: "The climate crisis is exasperating an already severe global humanitarian crisis. The United States is more than equipped to help resettle climate-displaced people. Pass the Climate Displaced Persons Act now." Add your name: By 2050, there could be more than 200 million climate-displaced people worldwide.1,2 Super storms, floods, hurricanes and droughts are already forcing people all over the world to leave their homes in search of a safer place to live. Many are seeking refuge in the United States, but the Trump administration is turning a majority away.By 2050, there could be more than 200 million climate-displaced people worldwide.1,2 Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Nydia Velázquez introduced legislation that would allow climate refugees to safely enter the United States and re-settle here.3 This legislation is the first of its kind, offering a humanitarian solution to a growing global crisis. Speak out now to help us build a groundswell of support for this important bill. Tell the House: Pass the Climate Displaced Persons Act. Click here to sign the petition In the powerful words of Rep. Velázquez, the Climate Displaced Persons Act will "not only reaffirm our nation's long standing role as a home to those fleeing conflict and disasters, but it will also update [that role] to reflect changes to our world brought on by a changing climate."4 It would: Allow 50,000 climate-displaced people to resettle in the United States at the beginning of the next fiscal year. Direct the secretary of state to create a federal position in charge of developing a "global climate resilience strategy." Direct the president to track and maintain data on climate related displacement. As we continue to fight for laws that will ultimately make our communities cleaner and more sustainable, the reality is that we also need laws that address the human cost of climate disasters head on. Women, children, people of color and indigenous communities bear the brunt of climate catastrophes. Showing Congress that there is massive support for the Climate Displaced Persons Act would help build momentum for humanitarian solutions that put the health, safety and well-being of people first. The United States is more than equipped to help resettle climate-displaced people. But Trump and his climate-denying administration are using hate and fear to shut down our borders and attack immigrants and refugees. As climate change continues to threaten the livelihoods of communities around the world, it's more important than ever that we push for laws that address this crisis directly. Will you add your support for The Climate Displaced Persons Act now? Tell the House: Make the United States a leader in fighting climate change and its consequences. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/climate-refugee?t=9&akid=34745%2E3130208%2ENezAoo - Jelani Drew, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Baher Kamal, "Climate Migrants Might Reach One Billion by 2050," Inter Press Service, Aug. 1, 2017. Scott A. Kulp and Benjamin H. Strauss, "New elevation data triple estimates of global vulnerability to sea-level rise and coastal flooding," Nature Communications, Oct. 29, 2019. Jessica Corbett, "'We Have to Get This Right': Historic Bill in US House Would Create Specific Protections for Climate Refugees," Common Dreams, Oct. 24, 2019. Rep. Velázquez, "Velázquez Introduces Historic Bill to Protect Environmental Migrants," Oct. 23, 2019.

Request a hearing on Arizona climate change resolutions

There are two climate change resolutions in the Arizona Legislature sitting in the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. 

House Bill: HCR 2033 and Senate Bill: SCR 1024

The resolutions are identical, and are based on the Utah resolution passed last year with the help of the CCL chapters in that state. 

You can view a copy at https://about.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=733e5f1c4ab5e6eea7d3e2a69&id=7f73b3aec1&e=408b33f2b9.

These resolutions are a small, but important step for Arizona in acknowledging the importance of climate change to the state and the role of science in guiding our government's actions. It calls for "economically viable and broadly supported private and public solutions" to the problem. All of this leads to other climate change proposals!

Unfortunately, these resolutions are stuck in committee without a hearing and therefore will not advance to the full legislature for consideration. We have one slim chance to change this by mounting an all-out campaign to urge the leaders of these committees to recommend them to the legislature.

PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE RESPONSIBLE COMMITTEE CHAIRS TODAY

1. House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee: Gail Griffin

(ggriffin@azleg.gov, 602-926-5895)

Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee: Frank Pratt

(fpratt@azleg.gov, 602-926-5761)

2. Tell them that you support the resolutions. Say also that you would like them to hold a hearing this week and to recommend they advance to the full legislature for consideration.

House Bill: HCR 2033 and Senate Bill: SCR 1024

This should take you all of 5 minutes and will send a strong message if enough of us call.

Please help keep this important legislation on track!

Register for the Request to Speak now so you are prepared to support for these bills if they are scheduled to be heard in committee. 

The new green Congress is here – take action now

Ocasio-Cortez calls for a Green New Deal

Yesterday was the new Congress's first day in office — and the first day of our renewed fight for climate progress.

We can't afford to wait any longer for action on climate change and clean energy.

Raise your voice now: Tell Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally: Stand up to President Trump — make climate action your top priority!

Scientific evidence of climate change's impacts is mounting, but with the new vanguard of environmental champions that were sworn in to Congress yesterday, and new pro-environment leadership in the House of Representatives, there's new momentum in our fight.

Make no mistake: Congress must first end the partial government shutdown that is impacting hundreds of thousands of workers and threatening crucial protections for our air and water, public health and safety, and public lands.

But short-term politics can't slow the momentum of our long-term fight for a safe environment. And we refuse to wait until the shutdown is over to mobilize this new Congress on climate action.

We must seize this moment to remind senators and representatives that Americans demanded climate action on Election Day — and we're counting on them to break through the climate change denial and fossil fuel industry influence that plagued the last Congress.

So what would this bold climate agenda look like? Well, it could start with:

• Moving America away from dirty fossil fuels and toward a 100% clean energy future
• Investing in a clean energy economy, more green jobs, and 21st century infrastructure that will withstand the worsening impacts of climate change and bolster clean energy
• Taking urgently needed steps to reduce dangerous carbon pollution and meet our Paris agreement commitments
• Compelling the Trump administration to enforce the Clean Power Plan, Clean Car Standards, the Methane Rule, and other important policies to reduce emissions and lower energy costs for consumers
• Fully funding the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, and other key federal agencies tasked with defending our environment and health
• Protecting our national monuments and public lands and waters from being opened to reckless oil and gas drilling that produces dirty energy we don't need and slows our progress to a clean energy future
• Working with state and local governments to continue making key progress in slashing carbon pollution and promoting clean energy locally

Call on Congress to do all this and more — and avert climate catastrophe.

The tide in Washington is turning. President Trump and his allies in Congress will no longer get away with the scorched earth tactics and big polluter giveaways that have marked the first two years of this administration.

Americans have already been mobilizing in unprecedented numbers to turn back the Trump administration's pro-polluter attacks — and now there is exciting momentum behind a new grassroots call to arms, embodied in part by initiatives like the emerging Green New Deal to address climate change, clean energy, jobs, and economic inequality.

Help us capitalize on this growing movement by urging your members of Congress to lead on climate and clean energy.

Even if your lawmakers are already with us, we need to show them that we have their backs.

And if your legislators supported Trump's attempts to stall or even reverse clean energy progress, now's the time to put them on notice — that if they keep pushing their pro-polluter policies and climate denial, they'll be out of step with our economy, science, and the American people ... left behind on the wrong side of history.

Together on Election Day, we showed Trump and the world that Americans will not tolerate assaults on our environment from the federal government or anyone else.

Now we must hold Congress's feet to the fire to stand strong against Trump's attacks, resist the big polluter stronghold, and do right by their constituents — for our planet and our children's future. Please make your voice heard right away.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC Action Fund

More Information: 

Just Days Into a New Congress, Liberal Freshmen Are Shaking the Capitol - The New York Times

New Congress Members See Climate Solutions and Jobs in a Green New Deal - Inside Climate News

The Green New Deal, explained - VOX

Add your name: Sign the People's Demands for Climate Justice

Last week, the US government tried to bury a major climate change report by releasing it the day after Thanksgiving. But its findings are too important to ignore: it confirms that climate inaction will lead to catastrophic consequences for our society and the global economy.¹

To add insult to injury, Trump responded by attacking his own administration’s research, saying he “can’t believe” that climate change is a clear and present threat.² 

Next week, world leaders will gather in Katowice, Poland for COP 24, the UN’s annual conference on climate change. No matter what Donald Trump believes, the science is clear, and we need governments everywhere to face the facts: fossil fuels must stay in the ground to avoid calamitous warming, and world leaders must deliver solutions that reflect this reality.

Sign the People’s Demands for Climate Justice to urge politicians from around the world who are attending COP 24 to commit to bold climate action.  

Decades of deception from fossil fuel billionaires and the inaction of the policymakers in their pockets have created the climate crisis. Now, we’re running out of time to turn the tide. We need real leadership to keep warming below 1.5°C and urgently transition towards 100% renewable energy for all by keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

The People’s Demands is a bold plan created by people around the world whose communities are impacted by climate change. With our partners, we’ll deliver the demands and signatures to government delegates to urge them to take the necessary strong action to combat the scale of the climate crisis.

If hundreds of thousands of us sign these demands, we’ll create enough noise to force politicians to listen — so every signature makes a difference. Together we can make sure people-powered solutions take center stage at COP 24 — not more big polluter obstruction.

Add your name to the People’s Demands for Climate Justice.

The People’s Demands put forth common-sense, necessary solutions we need from world leaders to curb the climate crisis.

Climate disaster isn’t inevitable. The fossil fuel industry is a wealthy, formidable enemy; but together, we are powerful. We can still choose our future — and we can do so by taking action, today.

- Kristy Drutman, 350.org

---

1. New U.S. Climate Assessment Forecasts Dire Effects On Economy, Health
2. Trump on Own Administration’s Climate Report: ‘I Don’t Believe It’

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Pelosi and Democratic Party Leadership: Democrats have the House. Now we demand a real climate plan.

Target: Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership

We have 12 years to transform our economy and society to stop climate change. Democrats must put forward a plan to protect our planet, our communities, and our economy. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress have the power to create one.

But recent developments show the Democratic Party leadership has no intention of fighting for a real climate plan in the new Congress. With the UN’s recent climate report, the Democratic Party leadership’s position is tantamount to climate denial. The science is undisputed, we have the technology, and the public is overwhelmingly on the side of bold action on climate and jobs -- the only thing standing in the way of a livable future is the failure of political leadership.

Add your voice with Climate Hawks. Tell Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership:

1. Champion a Green New Deal that would create millions of good jobs to transform society over the next decade to stop climate change. This means creating a committee tasked specifically to write policy on creating jobs and moving our country off fossil fuels over the designated 12 years that the IPCC has given us. Let’s protect the lives of all working people -- black, brown, and white -- from the ravages of disaster and pollution.

2. Mandate that any Democrat in leadership must take the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge and reject campaign contributions from fossil fuel executives and lobbyists and prioritize the health of people and planet over industry profits. Oil and gas executives profit off a business model that's incompatible with the future of human civilization. It's time for the Democratic Party to reject their influence wholesale.

A rising generation of young people of all backgrounds just helped flip the House with a record turnout. We will no longer tolerate empty promises and words without action. We’re not expecting miracles -- we understand that the GOP is corrupted by dirty oil money and will stall us at every turn. We know that sweeping change isn’t possible until Trump is gone -- but we need to start laying the groundwork and put forward our vision for America now.

We’re asking Democrats to step up to the fight alongside us.

1. "We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report

2. "Dems damp down hopes for climate change agenda."

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/411766-dems-damp-down-hopes-for-climate-change-agenda

3. "House Democrats’ Agenda: Ethics, Infrastructure and Medical Legislation"

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/politics/house-democrats-nancy-pelosi.html

4. Nofossilfuelmoney.org

Click here to send the following message.

(Please, personalize it a bit so it won't be disregarded as a form letter.)

To: Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Leadership
From: [Your Name]


Dear Congresswoman Pelosi and Democratic Party leaders,

We’re calling on you to commit to using your leadership over the next two years to create a select committee to develop legislation for a total economic mobilization to transition our country toward a 100% renewable energy economy — as the IPCC has tasked every nation to do.

We have 12 years to transform our economy and society to stop climate change. Democrats must put forward a plan to protect our planet, our communities, and our economy. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress have the power to create one. But recent developments show the Democratic Party leadership has no intention of fighting for a real climate plan in the new Congress. With the IPCC’s recent report, the Democratic Party leadership’s position on climate is tantamount to climate denial.

The science is undisputed, we have the technology, and the public is overwhelmingly on the side of bold action on climate action — the only thing standing in the way of a livable future is the failure of political leadership.

A rising generation of young people of all backgrounds We will no longer tolerate empty promises and words without action. We’re not expecting miracles; we understand that the GOP is corrupted by dirty oil money and will stall us at every turn. We know that sweeping change isn’t possible until Trump is gone -- but we need to start laying the groundwork and put forward our vision for America now. 

We’re asking our leaders to step up to the fight alongside us and create a climate plan.

Sincerely,

- Climate Hawks

Immediate Action: Stand with the young people urging Congress to adapt a Green New Deal

It’s been 10 days and my home state of California is still being devastated by the most destructive and deadly wildfires in its history. These fires are an urgent reminder that we need bold action to address the climate crisis and we need it now.

That's why we're joining with our allies and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to call for a Green New Deal that would put millions of people to work building a just and equitable 100% renewable energy economy.

Call your member of Congress today and tell them to reject fossil fuel influence and embrace a Green New Deal today.

The idea of a "Green New Deal" is spreading rapidly thanks to the bold action of over 200 youth with the Sunrise Movement. Last week, they did a sit-in at Nancy Pelosi's office in DC that sparked a national conversation. Now more than 10 members of Congress have signed onto the idea and it's being debated on the pages of the Washington Post and the New York Times. 

Specifically, this growing movement is calling on Speaker Pelosi to set up a special select committee that will lay out how a Green New Deal can get us off fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy over the next decade in a way that prioritizes the needs of low-income and communities of color who have been on the frontlines of climate impacts. It's a bold, progressive solution at the scale of the crisis we face.

Tell your Representative to endorse the plan that tackles climate change to the scale of the crisis: A Green New Deal.

Our movement has also made it clear that whoever joins the Green New Deal committee -- whoever wants to be considered a climate leader -- must pledge to say no to all fossil fuel money. We know we won’t see real climate leadership from elected leaders who’re in the pocket of the fossil fuel billionaires. That’s why we need to make sure every new leader in the Democratic party shows they’re serious about climate action by refusing big polluters’ dirty dollars. 

Click here to call your Representatives and ask them to support the Green New Deal and refuse to take a single dollar from the fossil fuel industry.

- Julian Brave Noisecat, 350 Action 

P.S. - If you’re on Twitter, there’s one more way you can push for real climate leadership right now. Today, our friends with the Sunrise Movement are visiting hundreds of Members of Congress to demand more elected leaders support a Green New Deal — and you can support them by tweeting at key Congressional leaders today. Click here to take action on Twitter.

For the Love of Tucson: Sign the Community Letter to the President of TEP

Looking ahead to a bright future for Tucson. 

"We are looking ahead, as is one of the first mandates given us as chiefs, to make sure and to make every decision that we make relate to the welfare and well-being of the seventh generation to come.”
-Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons

Climate change is real and it is progressing faster than scientists first predicted. We aren't talking about some distant dilemma. The devastating impacts are already being felt around the world. In Tucson, we are experiencing record temperatures - every year hotter than the last. There is no more time to waste. We need to get carbon dioxide below 350 ppm immediately.

Sustainable Tucson is greatly concerned about TEP’s unambitious goal of transitioning to 30% clean energy by 2025.  TEP is proposing modernizing the Sundt Generating Station by replacing two 1950's era steam units with ten natural gas-fired combustion engines.  These RICE units would create significant greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, the project expects to cause an increase in emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter (fine particles PM2.5 and coarse particles PM10) and volatile organic compounds.

Renewable energy, supplemented by energy storage systems, is a better option for many reasons. The Arizona Corporation Commission strongly urged TEP to turn in this direction.

Our advocacy team and other community members have been actively fighting the permit process for installation of the RICE units. Duane Ediger took a week off of work to study the TEP's permit to see if it met the Pima County code. With the help of the Sierra Club, Duane uncovered some inconsistencies that he shared with the community so we could submit relevant comments to the Pima Department of Environmental Quality. 

While awaiting a response, Duane worked with Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter and Sustainable Tucson to draft a public letter to David G. Hutchens, President of Tucson Electric Power Company.

The letter explains that:

We need electricity generation that will leave a legacy of environmental recovery and take us off the path of harm. We implore you, together with all utility managers, to reduce and eliminate fossil fuel-burning plants from your energy mix as quickly as possible. We call on you to use the best and most recent data as you reconsider your current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and its reliance on natural gas. Your next IRP should focus on clean renewable energy and energy efficiency rather than fossil fuels in order to ensure that the next seven generations of Pima County residents and the surrounding communities have a chance to enjoy, treasure, and protect the beauty of our Sonoran Desert free of the pollution that fossil fuels cause to our water and air. We urge you to start immediately in the heart of Tucson by installing solar plus storage at and near the IGS (Irvington Generating Station.) 

Please join Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, Sustainable Tucson, Arizona Interfaith Power and Light and many individuals and organizations in calling on TEP to act for the well-being of present and future generations.

Please consider sharing this with people and communities who might also like to sign.

http://renewnow.us/

Tell broadcast television networks: Don't ignore the climate crisis

The petition to ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and PBS reads: "Increase real coverage of climate change, including its link with extreme weather and the policies needed to slow the climate crisis." Add your name:

In 2017, 79 percent of climate change coverage on broadcast television networks was about one topic: Donald Trump.1 Not the latest climate science. Not the extreme weather events already happening all around the world. The vast majority of coverage focused only on Trump's climate change denial and his steps to drag us backwards into the coal age. Thanks to this terrible coverage, almost 90 percent of Americans don’t know that there is a scientific consensus on global warming.2 When news programs don't inform Americans about the climate, we all lose. Until the media starts doing its job, we won't be able to build the political will to win the fight against climate change. Politicians at every level will be free to continue ignoring the issue and continue with the destructive policies that created this crisis. Tell broadcast television networks: No more climate silence. Click here to sign the petition. The meda accountability group Media Matters for America recently published a study looking at climate coverage in 2017 on broadcast television networks ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox. Not only was 79 percent of the total climate coverage about Trump, but Trump dominated virtually all of the coverage on Sunday news shows – 94 of 95 minutes.3 News programs regularly mention that Trump rejects the reality of climate change without discussing the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is not only real, but that it is an urgent problem driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Programs also ignore the links between climate change and extreme weather events, public health and national security.4 The climate crisis is getting worse, and it's happening frighteningly fast. Sixteen of the 17 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001.5 Last year was the third year in a row that scientists recorded a record winter low in Arctic sea ice, and scientists also found record low sea ice in the Antarctic. 6 Carbon dioxide emissions are increasing again after being flat for three years.7 The news media has a responsibility to report accurately on the biggest environmental threat facing the planet. Having a climate change denier in the White House is no excuse to ignore the issue. In fact, Trump's dangerous policies make accurate climate coverage more critical than ever. Tell broadcast television networks: No more climate silence. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/broadcast-climate?t=7&akid=27947%2E3130208%2E31HVzM - Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Kevin Kalhoefer, "How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2017," Media Matters for America, Feb. 12, 2018. Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, "Almost 90% of Americans don’t know there’s scientific consensus on global warming," Vox, July 6, 2017. Kalhoefer, "How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2017." Ibid. NASA, "Climate change: How do we know?" accessed March 30, 2018. Chelsea Harvey, "The top seven climate findings of 2017," Scientific American, Dec. 29, 2017. Ibid.

Speaking Up Against TEP's Proposed Gas-fired Generators

As I mentioned in a previous blog, TEP is proposing modernizing the Sundt Generating Station by replacing two 1950's era steam units with ten natural gas fired combustion engines. The RICE units are fossil-fuel based generating units that would create significant greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Pima Department of Environmental Quality, the project expects to cause an increase in emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.

Last night 30 people from the Irvington neighborhood and our Tucson community attended the march to protest the gas-fired engines being installed in their neck of the woods. 50 people showed up to show support at PDEQ's public hearing. 30 of those, myself included, spoke up.

Some people explained how carbon dioxide from the engines would accelerate climate change and how that would devastate our city. But I'm afraid those comments about green house emissions won't have any impact. We were limited to commenting on how TEP's permit meets the criteria for issuance prescribed in the Arizona Revised Statutes, Section § 49-481 of the Pima County Code.  All of those important comments about climate change were disregarded because CO₂ isn't included in Pima's code. (I know! I couldn't believe it either!)

A few of us from Sustainable Tucson's advocacy group and the Sierra Club have been combing through Pima's code - trying to find some inconsistencies or ANYTHING we can use stop the PDEQ from issuing a permit for the RICE engines.  The deadline for comments to the PDEQ was Thursday, March 29th.  Here are some angles that our team member uncovered. 

But what I found to be really powerful was how the people from the neighborhood spoke their truth to power. They bravely told stories about how TEP's environmental racism had impacted the health of their loved ones. I think that might just be the angle we need for our comments to the PDEQ. On their letter announcing this hearing,  they wrote:

Pima County has completed an extensive review of the permit application, examined the air quality impact analysis of the project and considered environmental justice to protect the health and environment of minority, low-income, tribal and indigenous populations.

After hearing the heartfelt comments from people in the neighborhood, something occurred to me.  I believe that PDEQ did not take into account the special circumstances of how the pollutants from the new gas-fired engines would impact the vulnerable population that is already suffering from cancer, lupus, asthma, heart valve defects, birth defects, arthritis, and central nervous system disorders from decades of dioxane in  their water and the pollution from Sundt's coal-fired plants. 

A 2010 study by the Clean Air Task Force showed the burning of coal at Sundt causes approximately 68 asthma attacks, 6 heart attacks and 4 deaths every year. Built in 1967, the Sundt plant ranked 13th worst in the NAACP’s environmental justice performance ranking.

https://www.sierraclub.org/planet/2015/09/h-wilson-sundt-generating-station-stops-burning-coal

If you're a member of one of the families who suffered from any of these diseases, you might want to use this angle and share your story for the record.  I encourage you to back it up with data (included on this blog and the links provided). (The deadline  has expired. It was Thursday, March 29th.)  Here are the directions. 

TEP’s environmental justice argument leaves things to argue with:

TEP’s Environmental Justice Analysis duly notes the goal of Executive Order 12898, that “each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.”

TEP notes the stark socioeconomic divide between the population in its 38 square-mile Impact Area – a full 18% of our City’s population – and the 82% of Tucsonans who live outside the plant’s shadow. “Minority” (i.e. global majority) 85% (Tucson 56%); Low income 63% (Tucson 51%); Linguistically isolated: 15% (Tucson 6%); % w/o HS diploma 32% (Tucson 17%). Although asthma rates are not broken down to a small scale, TEP noted that between 2012 and 2014, CDC recorded a nationwide increase from 7.0% to 8.4% while Arizona’s statewide number climbed from 8.9% to 9.6%.

For inconsistencies in TEP's Environmental Justice Analysis, scroll down to:

TEP’s environmental justice argument leaves things to argue with with on this page:

I will leave you with Oscar Medina's speech for inspiration:

"My name is Oscar Medina. I am a father, an educator, member of Sierra Club, and a community organizer with Tierra y Libertad Organization. I am here today to express my concern and opposition to TEP’s proposal for 10 new Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) natural gas units at the Sundt Plant location.

I live less than 2 miles away from the TEP’s Sundt Plant location. I have three children: One who attends the Tucson Gymnastics center located near the intersection of Irvington and Alvernon Way. We drive by the plant at least three times a week and the facility does not appear to look the healthiest. My daughter’s school is located just one mile from the intersections of Drexel and Alvernon Way. This is only a few hundred feet from location of the proposed RICE units.

I attended the neighborhood meetings that were hosted by TEP and gave my testimony in opposition to their application at the Arizona Corporation Commission hearing. TEP is framing this project as a campus modernization project. This is deceiving to our community. This expansion project is not about people or the environment, this is about cutting cost and putting profit into the pockets of the TEP investors. At the open house meeting Feb. 15th, I learned from the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality that in the past, TEP has not always complied with the air quality regulations, and that air monitoring reports demonstrated excessive carbon monoxide emission. This demonstrates that TEP is not afraid the break the rules again and pollute our neighborhoods.

The open houses that were held before this hearing were not only missing people from the surrounding neighborhoods but they were missing the pictures of children suffering from respiratory illness in parts of south Tucson. The open house was missing pictures of the effects that emissions of carbon monoxide have on people's health. Let's put the bar graphs and data to the side and paint a clear picture. Our children can see right through TEP’s dirty data. This is another clear example of the ongoing environmental racism still occurring in 2018. This fight against pollution that goes years back to the San Juan and Navajo generating stations. Where are the reparations for harming our Dine* brothers and sisters? That is a dark history that TEP does not wish remember. TEP’s plans and their time frame to expand renewable energy resources to 30 percent by 2030 has expired for our neighborhoods. The stakes are too high. TEP’s polluting practices are not welcome in our backyards. Remember that we are the people that breath this dirty air. Let's keep it clean and simple, divest from coal and gas, keep it renewable and let the future be wind and solar energy."

*The word Dine' is from their own language and means "the people." 

The time for action is NOW - while we still have this little window of opportunity. This is something concrete we can do to leave a better life for our children in Tucson. Let's make those brave speeches count!

DON’T LET BIG POLLUTERS DUMP FOR FREE!

Why should profitable corporations be allowed to spout hazardous gasses into the air and leave them for the rest of us to clean up? How is that fair?

Climate change threatens our economic growth and our way of life. As the U.S. pulls out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the threat of climate change remains as real as ever. Big polluters need to start paying for the harm they’re causing our communities.

Last year was the hottest on record, ice the size of Delaware recently broke off from an Antarctic ice shelf, and coastal communities from Florida to New Jersey live in fear of the next Superstorm Sandy. These MAJOR threats are only expected to intensify in the coming decades. We NEED to take action to curb greenhouse gas pollution.

Right now, big polluters can dump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for free. That’s not fair – and it threatens American families.

The good news is that there’s an effective and efficient way to curb the impacts of climate change. By pricing carbon, we can make sure big polluters pay for the costs they impose on society.

WHAT IS CARBON PRICING?

Carbon pricing puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions – making big polluters pay for their damage to the environment, and allowing clean energy alternatives the chance to compete.

Economists and climate scientists agree that an economy-wide carbon price is the best way to achieve significant emissions reductions and protect our environment.

By pricing carbon pollution, we can reinvest that revenue and fund renewables, projects that improve our nation’s infrastructure, and grow our economy.

JOIN THE FIGHT!

We are taking on big polluters and building a carbon pricing movement that politicians can’t ignore. Add your name and join us in taking action!

Read more: When it Comes to Greenhouse Gases, CO2 Isn’t the Only Game in Town

Send comment asking Department of Transportation to address climate change by keeping greenhouse gas measurement and planning requirements in MAP-21 regulations

Transportation is now the largest source of climate-busting greenhouse gas emissions in America. The federal government does have important tools available to reduce these emissions. One such tool — the MAP-21 pollution rule — requires federal transportation planners to measure the climate change impact of transportation projects, and to plan to reduce emissions.

But as part of the Trump administration’s broader attack on climate action and clean energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation is now trying to weaken the rule. 

Help NRDC defend action against climate pollution from transit. Tell the DOT you support MAP-21’s strong requirements to measure — and reduce — climate pollution from transportation. DOT comments are due by midnight on Monday, Nov. 6, so please act fast.

Your comment will be sent to:

U.S. Department of Transportation

Subject line:

I Support Reducing Climate Pollution from Transportation

(Consider adding your own thoughts — personalized messages are especially effective)

Dear Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao:

I support the MAP-21 requirement that transportation projects supported by the federal government account for climate change pollution. I am very concerned about climate change and its devastating impacts on our environment and the health of families and children. MAP-21 is an important tool for addressing climate change because transportation is now the largest source of climate pollution in America. 

I urge you to ensure the Department of Transportation does its part in our country’s effort to address climate change by keeping greenhouse gas measurement and planning requirements in MAP-21 regulations. 

Thank you.

- NRDC