Power Generation for Generations to come - YES to Solar + Storage! NO to fossil fuels

TEP is proposing modernizing the Sundt Generating Station by replacing two 1950's era steam units with ten natural gas fired combustion engines. The purpose of the new engines is to ramp up more quickly and to balance the variability associated with solar and wind energy generation. But all that ramping spouts more pollution into the air than the current steam units.

TEP claims that these units are part of a larger goal for 30% renewable energy by 2030, but gas fired engines should not be equated with clean, renewable power from wind and solar. The RICE units are fossil-fuel based generating units that 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.

Over a third of carbon dioxide emissions in the US are from power plants.

TEP needs to stop promoting the idea of "clean gas." Just stop. It reeks of Big Oil rhetoric!  Burning fossil fuel still emits about 60 percent as much heat-trapping carbon dioxide as coal. Fracking for gas releases vast amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide pollution. Gas extraction harms wildlife, disrupts ecosystems, and has been proven to contaminate water and even cause earthquakes throughout the U.S.

Neighborhoods in southeast Tucson have suffered from decades of coal and gas pollution from the Sundt plant. Pollution from the Irvington Campus has had negative health effects for generations. Now TEP is proposing a plant that will emit hazardous air pollutants that are harmful to our health, including benzene, fluorene, naphthalene, and toluene. This proposal will cause a net increase in pollution from particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and sulfur hexafluoride.

And none of this is necessary! Utility-scale battery storage can provide the fast acting support that TEP needs to incorporate intermittent renewables like wind and solar even faster than gas units.

TEP claims that the RICE units are the most cost-effective option to incorporate intermittent renewables, but did they even consider clean alternatives to the RICE units? By pairing batteries with solar resources, utilities can use tax credits to reduce their costs. The prices for solar-plus-storage and windplus-storage systems have been plummeting, leading to record-breaking low prices in energy projects in other states. Colorado recently beat a record that Arizona held for the lowest-cost solar-plus-storage project. The median project in Colorado’s energy solicitation was 20% lower than TEP’s NextEra solarplus-storage project.

Sundt Generating Station represents a prime opportunity to choose renewable resources instead of building brand new fossil-fuel reliant projects. We have a great opportunity here! TEP’s service territory sits in one of the richest renewable resource zones in the country. Renewable energy creates far more jobs than fossil fuels. According to the Department of Energy, Arizona’s clean energy and energy efficiency industries already employ nearly 5 times as many people as the fossil fuel industry, and there is much room to grow. So why isn't TEP doing what's best for Tucson's economy and health?

TEP’s target to serve only 30% of its load with renewable energy by 2030 isn't nearly ambitious enough to protect Arizona’s air and water and to limit the impacts of climate change. It's time for our governing officials to demonstrate some strong leadership and do what's right for the people of Tucson and the future of our city.

The time for action is NOW - while we still have this window of opportunity. We can make a difference. Our city council can make a difference with some bold leadership! This is something concrete we can all do to leave a better life for our children in Tucson. 

Actions to take in March 2018

1.   Contact your Pima County Supervisor.  Ask them to deny TEP’s request for increased air pollution limits for the proposed installation of ten gas-fired Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) at the SundtGenerating Plant in Tucson. Most County officials claim that the County’s hands are tied, and that the decision is up to the EPA. But the County’s Department of Environmental Quality is holding public hearings, and even added one on March 28.  

2.   Contact your City of Tucson Council member and Mayor Rothschild (see Ward maps) and ask them to deny TEP’s request for a special zoning designation (Planned Area Development – “PAD”) because TEP’s request for rezoning contradicts the Tucson General Plan’s call for:

(a)  Increased renewable energy sources;

(b)  Recruiting, retaining and expanding Tucson’s key economic sectors in renewable energy;

(c)  Increasing or promoting environmentally sensitive industry; and

(d)  “. . .[N]o compromise on principles of equity, fairness, justice, prosperity, livability, and environmental integrity.”

TEP should not be rewarded for having previously failed to comply with development standards.

(brief talking points) (extensive talking points) 

Additional Resource: Sierra Club talking point for recent City of Tucson zoning hearing

3.   Join local neighbors, sustainable organizations, and the Sierra Club for a Rally and March on Wednesday, March 28.
4:15 p.m. Rally at TEP headquarters, 88 E Broadway.
March to the Pima County Public Works office, 201 N. Stone Ave, for…

4.   Pima County Department of Environmental Quality community meeting March 28, 2018, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at the Pima County Public Works Building, 201 N Stone basement Conference Room C, on TEP’s permit application. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/988829857935438/

Those unable to attend may submit written comments. Those who leave comments are qualified to appeal, but the comments must pertain to on how the permit meets the criteria for issuance prescribed in the Arizona Revised Statutes, Section § 49-481 of the Pima County Code.    

More information here:

http://renewnow.us/sundt/action.htm

The deadline to make public comments is THURSDAY. A well thought out public comment could stop the 10 gas-fired engines from being installed. But to be counted the comments MUST focus on how the permit doesn't meet the criteria for issuance prescribed in the Arizona Revised Statutes Section § 49-481 and Title 17 of the Pima County Code.

We need someone with the time and ability to comb through those government regulations to find inconsistencies in the revised statues or someone who has some knowledge in atmospheric science who can discuss how TEP's permit doesn't meet the Pima County Code air quality standards (like Ozone emissions). This will require an analytical mind and some time to do some research. Please, pass this onto any scientists or legal experts you know. This is our chance to save generations of Tucsonans from more toxic pollution.

Note: the codes do not include anything about greenhouse emissions, so the impact of climate change is not that is not a helpful argument for the public comments - but air quality is.

5. Share this blog:

  https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/this-is-our-fight-its-time-to-take.html

Ask Gov. Ducey to veto HB2005 an anti-clean energy, unconstitutional bill promoted by APS!

Updated: Arizona Gov. Ducey signs bill to undermine RPS ballot proposal

This was the last week for hearing bills in most committees. What that often means, and certainly was true this week, is that it was strike-everything amendment madness, a tried and true way to resurrect bad ideas or introduce bad bills with little or no time for public scrutiny.

The APS drafted strike-everything amendment on HB2005 advanced through both houses, again along party lines, and is on the Governor's desk. The bill is pretty clearly unconstitutional due to its infringement on the constitutional authority of the Arizona Corporation Commission and per the Senate Rules Attorney. Still, they ignored her and passed it along. HB2005 public service corporations; penalties seeks to undermine and effectively preempt enforcement of the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona initiative (50% renewable energy by 2030).

Please contact Governor Ducey today and ask him to veto HB2005.

Click this link to ask Governor Ducey to veto anti-clean energy, unconstitutional bill promoted by APS!

You can also contact him here: 

https://azgovernor.gov/engage/form/contact-governor-ducey

Tweet him at:

https://twitter.com/dougducey?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

@dougducey

- Sandy Bahr, The Sierra Club

Read azcentral article: Bill to defang clean-energy ballot initiative is headed to Ducey's desk

Speak up for the Water Protectors standing up to the Kinder Morgan tar sands pipeline RIGHT NOW

There is a historic stand against the fossil fuel industry taking shape right now in Canada. Thousands of people have risen up against the massive Kinder Morgan tar sands pipeline in British Columbia – but they need our help.

Over 10,000 people marched on the streets in Vancouver this month, and (so far) over 100 people have been arrested for direct action. This pipeline is not only a danger to our climate but it runs roughshod over the rights of Indigenous communities.

For the fifth time in 5 days, land and water protectors head out to take bold action against Kinder Morgan pipeline, including two federal Members of Parliament, a former federal Liberal candidate, and an actor. See today's actions.
https://www.facebook.com/standearth/videos/10155754810994221/notif_id=1521825941813671&notif_t=live_video

Wanna help?

Here’s the plan: we will send thousands of messages directly to your closest Canadian embassy telling them that the Kinder Morgan pipeline would destroy our climate, violate Indigenous rights and harm Canada's reputation on the global stage. We know that embassies pass on information directly to national governments, so we can be sure that our messages will filter back to the Canadian government in Ottawa.

The Canadian tar sands are one of the largest and dirtiest pools of carbon on the planet. New pipelines like Kinder Morgan would allow for massive expansion of tar sands -- and bring us dangerously close to blowing past the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement. We know we must transition rapidly away from fossil fuels and toward a just transition to 100% renewable energy.

It's time for Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to choose people and the planet over Big Oil profits and stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Send a message to the Canadian Embassy now.

It’s clear Trudeau’s government is getting nervous. Everyday, as more Indigenous leaders, youth, grandparents, doctors, teachers, and community members are arrested, Trudeau’s global reputation as a climate leader and champion for Indigenous rights cracks a little more. Let’s hammer this home and tell Trudeau that the world is watching.

When politicians like Justin Trudeau fail to make the right decision, it’s on people like us to lead the way instead. This pipeline won't just affect Canada, it's a battle to stop millions more tons of CO2 being pumped into our atmosphere. So let’s stand in solidarity and add our powerful collective voice to the fight.

- Atiya, and the 350 Canada team

#protecttheinlet
#DefendtheWater

To learn more about the resistance to Kinder Morgan and how to support, visit protecttheinlet.ca for photos, videos, blogs and more.

Send a message to your local Canadian embassy now.

Call the Canadian Embassy United States:
1-844-880-6519

What to say:

1) When you call the embassy you may be asked with whom you'd like to speak. Explain that you'd like to speak to someone about the Kinder Morgan pipeline so you can express your disappointment in the Canadian government for supporting a scheme so clearly harmful to our climate.

2) It is likely that you will be told that this isn't possible. Be persistent and ask to speak to someone who can pass on your thoughts directly to the Canadian government.

If you are able to speak to someone you can say the following:

1) The Kinder Morgan pipeline will allow millions more tons of tar sands to be exploited, pumping millions more tons of CO2 into our atmosphere. This is an unacceptable risk to millions of people around the world who are facing or will face climate chaos because of our use of fossil fuels such as tar sands.

2) Canada's reputation is being damaged by the support of Justin Trudeau's government for the Kinder Morgan pipeline. The Canadian government should think about supporting such a dangerous scheme.

Desktop Activist Note: When I called the embassy they gave me this e-mail address: Washington@international.gc.ca

Tell federal regulators: Protect Volcker Rule. Reject any proposals to weaken the regulations or create new loopholes.

Tell the Securities Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: "Banks should stick to serving customers, not risky trading to pad their profits. Protect a strong Volcker Rule and reject any proposals to weaken the regulations or create new loopholes." Add your name:

Donald Trump loves Wall Street. Many of his cabinet officials and economic advisers have backgrounds in the finance industry, and he has carefully picked Wall Street lawyers and big-bank allies to serve in important regulatory positions.1 Now, his strategy is paying off. Trump’s pick to oversee bank regulation at the Federal Reserve recently proposed weakening the Volcker Rule, which stops banks from gambling with taxpayer-insured deposits. Reports indicate that Trump-friendly regulators are taking a look at Wall Street’s “wish list” for undermining the rule.2,3 The Volcker Rule was already a watered-down version of Glass-Steagall, the true separation between financial speculation and traditional banking that America needs, but it’s an important guard against Wall Street gambling. We can’t let Donald Trump and Wall Street regulators make it even weaker. Tell federal regulators: Protect the Volcker Rule. Click here to sign the petition. Randal Quarles, a longtime Wall Street lawyer whom Trump picked to oversee regulation at the Federal Reserve, is teaming up with other regulators to expand loopholes in the Volcker Rule and grant more exemptions to big banks. One Chamber of Commerce lobbyist said that as Trump appointees take up roles as important Wall Street regulators, “You’re going to see momentum start building and start building quickly.”4,5 Unlike members of Congress, regulators aren’t used to receiving massive public pressure. Our campaigns in the past helped push bank overseers to finally implement the Volcker Rule after years of delay. Now we need that kind of outcry once again. Tell federal regulators: Protect the Volcker Rule. Click here to sign the petition. The original Glass-Steagall Act separated general banking – like savings deposits and small business loans – from the kind of high-risk speculative trading done by investment banks that crashed the economy. Ever since banks got it repealed in the 1990s, we’ve seen a resurgence of risky gambles and financial crashes from banks that hold Americans’ savings.6 The Volcker Rule is “Glass-Steagall lite” because instead of separating banks, it says banks cannot use taxpayer-insured deposits in their risky schemes. But even though it’s not as strong as it could be, it is one of the most powerful rules currently in place to protect Main Street businesses and families from risking gambling of Wall Street, and we can’t let regulators tear it down. Tell federal regulators: Protect the Volcker Rule. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/volcker_rule_regulators?t=8&akid=27733%2E3130208%2Eq1V_nB - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Daniel Marans, “How Trump’s Pick To Police Wall Street Endangers The Economy,” HuffPo, July 12, 2017. Lalita Clozel, “Fed Considering ‘Broad Revisions’ to Volcker Rule Compliance,” The Wall Street Journal, March 5, 2018. Pete Schroeder, “Exclusive: U.S. regulators examine Wall Street's Volcker rule wish list - sources,” Reuters, Feb. 28, 2018. Clozel, “Fed Considering ‘Broad Revisions’ to Volcker Rule Compliance.” Schroeder, “Exclusive: U.S. regulators examine Wall Street's Volcker rule wish list - sources.” Kevin Cirilli, “Warren, McCain introduce bill to bring back Glass-Steagall,” The Hill, July 7, 2015.

Stop APS Sneaky Attack on Clean Energy. Contact Your Legislators Today!

Please speak up to protect clean energy! Last week, the Arizona Senate Government Committee passed a sneaky strike-everything amendment drafted by Arizona Public Service (APS) lobbyists to block more clean energy for Arizona. The amendment placed on HB2005 invites Arizona utility companies such as APS to break the law by not complying with requirements for renewable energy.

Why is the legislature trying to pass a clean energy rollback right now?

It is clear that this measure is intended to undermine the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona ballot initiative that requires utilities such as APS and Tucson Electric Power to obtain 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The striker makes a $5,000 fine the maximum exclusive remedy for noncompliance and could mean fines as low as $100 -- that's just a slap on the wrist for these large monopoly utilities. It also leaves out a whole lot of other actions and sanctions that can be considered for bad actors relative to renewable energy noncompliance. Everyone knows that if the cost of noncompliance is cheaper than the cost of compliance, these utilities will serve their shareholders, not consumers, and not comply and pay these small fines.

What is really sad is that instead of investing in our future and taking advantage of the power of Arizona's sun, APS is trying to protect shareholders by stopping clean energy such as solar. This big utility which puts a lot of money into elections doesn’t even want to let voters have a chance to say whether or not we want more clean and renewable energy.

Please help stop the bill by sending an email to your senator and representatives today by clicking this link! Also give them a call, if you can. Please modify the message below to include your own reasons for wanting a healthy, clean energy future. Thank you!

More information:

azcentral. article: Roberts: Why don't elected officials challenge APS? This explains it

Act Now: Oppose Trump's Border Wall Budget - disguised as "flood levees"

Monsoon runoff toppled this section of border fence, sending debris-
filled floodwater down Ephriam canyon and into yards and homes.
Credit: Nogales International 

You can stop Trump from getting his border wall! For more than a year, the Sierra Club along with other environmental groups have kept Donald Trump from building his pet border wall by convincing Democratic leadership in Congress to vote NO on the funding required to build it. Now there is a key government funding bill with a Friday deadline in which $1.6 billion is given to Trump for dozens of miles of new wall, disguised as a 'flood levee' for Texas.

Please call Senators Chuck Schumer at (202) 224-6542 and Dick Durbin at (202) 224-2152 ASAP to say NO to the wall and to refute the bogus claim that border walls would work as levees. Border walls actually make floods worse!

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a rush to avoid another government shutdown, members of Congress have proposed an omnibus deal that fortunately falls short of Trump’s outrageous requests to fully fund his wall, but still includes $1.6 billion for border walls along the U.S.- Mexico border. A significant portion of the funding is designated for 33 miles of new barriers that can be built as levee-walls or existing “bollard fence. Levee-walls and bollard fences have created flooding disasters in border states, blocked wildlife migration and posed harm to communities.

Importantly, a funding limitation specifies that new wall cannot be constructed in the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, but unfortunately, still leaves other natural areas like the National Butterfly Center and communities of people in the area at risk.

In response, Sierra Club Borderlands Campaign Co-Chair Scott Nicol released the following statement:

“This omnibus deal fails to protect Dreamers, while funding a dangerous and divisive border wall that will have detrimental effects on our Southwest communities. While it preserves the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge for the time being, it still risks people and places nearby. The threats are still very real and will be felt by communities."

“This wall is much more than a racist campaign soundbite. It comes with dangerous health and safety waivers. Foregoing these bedrock and bipartisan laws has resulted in flooding in places like Nogales where people lost their lives, the destruction of Native American burial sites and the harm of dozens of endangered species and fragmented habitat. Most concerningly, there is zero accountability or consequence for these outcomes."

“It makes no sense to spend nearly $2 billion on an unnecessary and cruel border wall. We will continue to stand against this wall and attacks on immigrants.”

Then, send a tweet to them at: @SenSchumer and @SenatorDurbin.  Don't be fooled, @SenSchumer and @Senator Durbin, what @RealDonaldTrump calls a 'levee' is his wall in disguise! #NoBorderWall The majority of Americans and border residents oppose a #BorderWall. @Senator Durbin and @SenSchumer must stay strong in opposing all of the @RealDonaldTrump border wall boondoggles! #NoBorderWall - Don't waste billions on racist walls! @SenSchumer @SenatorDurbin More information on flooding and ecological impacts of the wall: New map details Trump’s Texas border wall plan, renewing flood concerns NPR: Mexico Worries That A New Border Wall Will Worsen Flooding The ecological disaster that is Trump’s border wall: a visual guide There is a similar problem in Arizona: Our border is a river. It's dangerous to wall that off - AZCentral.com

Protect Your Sick Days - Speak Up Now!

In 2016, Arizona voters passed a law, Prop 206, that gives workers the right to earned sick time. Now, Speaker JD Mesnard is trying to make it easier for your employer to fire you for taking the sick time you’ve earned.

This is an outrageous attempt to subvert the will of the voters and make life harder for working families. If enough of us speak out, we can stop it.

Send the following message to your Legislator by clicking here.

(Feel free to personalize it for more impact.)

Dear Legislator,

I’m writing to you as a resident of your district and as a concerned citizen worried about efforts to make life harder for working people. In 2016, 58% of Arizonans voted to give workers paid sick time, to increase the minimum wage to $12/hour by 2020, and to prevent employers from retaliating against workers who take earned sick time. These changes have made a tremendous positive difference in the lives of people across Arizona, and have helped boost our economy.

HCR2028, currently under consideration in the legislature, would side with bosses over workers, makes it easier for employers to retaliate against workers for taking sick time. Right now, if someone is fired within 90 days after taking their earned paid sick time, the employer has to be able to prove that the firing was legitimate, and not retaliation. HCR2028 would eliminate that provision, leaving workers justifiably afraid that if they take a much-needed day off to visit the doctor, recover from illness, or deal with the effects of domestic violence, they’ll be fired. I urge you to vote against it.

Sincerely,
your constituent
city and zip

- Progress Now Arizona

#Protectmysickdays