* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Endorsement Meeting with the Sierra Club Political Team
Solar radiation management wikipedia , lookup
Surveys of scientists' views on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Fossil fuel phase-out wikipedia , lookup
Climate change mitigation wikipedia , lookup
Citizens' Climate Lobby wikipedia , lookup
Public opinion on global warming wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on humans wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in the United States wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and poverty wikipedia , lookup
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Canada wikipedia , lookup
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme wikipedia , lookup
Low-carbon economy wikipedia , lookup
German Climate Action Plan 2050 wikipedia , lookup
Politics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Mitigation of global warming in Australia wikipedia , lookup
MEMORANDUM FOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON Date: Friday, March 18, 2016 Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Location: Mid-Town Office New York, NY From: Jared Mueller (Chief of Staff, Political Team) RE: Endorsement Meeting with the Sierra Club Political Team I. PURPOSE YOU are meeting with the Sierra Club’s Political Team (SCPT) as part of Sierra’s endorsement process. The Sierra Club initially requested this meeting in January, in parallel with the campaign’s submission of YOUR responses to Sierra’s endorsement questionnaire. Senator Sanders also responded to Sierra’s questionnaire; Sanders interviewed with the SCPT this past Tuesday, March 15th. The SCPT is split: several members each support YOU and Senator Sanders. An ally on the SCPT has said that he believes mid-March—after YOUR March 15th victories—is the best opening for YOU to pursue an early Sierra endorsement. II. PARTICIPANTS ● YOU ● Aaron Mair, President, Sierra Club; Board Member ● Ken Brame, Political Team Co-Chair, Sierra Club ● Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club ● Khalid Pitts, Political Director, Sierra Club ● Robin Mann, VP for Conservation, Sierra Club; Board Member ● Melinda Pierce, Legislative Director, Sierra Club Joining by Phone ● Sarah Burton, National PAC Director, Sierra Club ● Sarah Hogdon, National Program Director, Sierra Club ● Joseph Manning, Student Chapter Representative, Sierra Club Staff ● Kristina Costa, Policy Advisor, Hillary for America ● Jared Mueller, Political Chief of Staff, Hillary for America III. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 12:00 pm YOU arrive and are greeted by six members of the Sierra Club’s Political Team, facilitated by Michael Brune YOU take a seat 12:05 pm Michael Brune welcomes and introduces YOU 12:10 pm YOU deliver a brief opening remarks (5-7 minutes) 12:15 pm YOU participate in a Q&A session with the Sierra Club Political Team, facilitated by Michael Brune 12:55 pm YOU deliver brief closing remarks (3-5 minutes) 1:00 pm YOU depart IV. PRESS PLAN This event is CLOSED PRESS. V. BACKGROUND Endorsement Process In order for the Sierra Club to endorse, there are three votes that must take place: ● The Sierra Club Political Team (SCPT) must endorse a candidate with a two-thirds majority to send an endorsement recommendation to the Board ● The Sierra Club Board must then also vote to make a presidential candidate endorsement — independent of who the candidate is — with a 51% vote ● After the Board votes to make a presidential endorsement, a candidate must garner the support of two-thirds of Board members to be formally endorsed The Sierra Club’s Board may vote to endorse a candidate as early as next week, following the SCPT’s meetings with YOU and Senator Sanders this week. Historically, Sierra has refrained from endorsing a presidential candidate until a presumptive Democratic nominee has emerged. In 2008, Sierra endorsed thenSenator Obama in late June, only after YOU suspended YOUR campaign. This year, Sierra’s leadership hopes to endorse a candidate in early spring, so that the political impact of their endorsement is greater than it has been in past elections. Several Sierra Club senior staffers, SCPT members, and Sierra board members want the Club to endorse YOU; other Sierra leaders are in the Sanders camp. A vocal group of Sierra members has begun lobbying online for an endorsement of Sanders, through a petition with more than 7,000 signers. Based on a listening tour he conducted last winter, Sierra Political Director Khalid Pitts believes his grassroots membership largely supports Sanders. The Sanders campaign has also made winning Sierra’s endorsement a strategic priority. Sanders has reportedly courted Aaron Mair, Sierra’s Board President—the leading Sanders supporter on both the SCPT and the Board—through in-person meetings and other outreach. Given this dynamic, our internal Sierra allies report that YOUR main goal during the interview should be to establish a personal rapport with the six Political Team members present. If the Sierra Club endorses YOU, its leadership will receive significant blowback from pro-Sanders rank-and-file members. Our goal is for the SCPT members to leave the meeting excited, with a sense of connection—and a vision of future partnership—with the next President of the United States. History The Sierra Club — founded in 1892 by conservationist John Muir — works to lobby state and federal government to support green legislation, secure protections for public lands and waters, and expand access to the outdoors for all Americans. Today, the Sierra Club is America’s largest grassroots environmental organization, comprising 64 local chapters and 2.4 million grassroots members. The Sierra Club now pursues a broad range of environmental and conservation goals, including mitigating global warming by transitioning to a clean energy economy, building a diverse and inclusive environmental movement, and promoting eco-conscious tourism and trade. Over the last half century, the Sierra Club has played a major role in gaining support for federal environmental protection measures, including the passage of the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Wilderness Act, and the National Forest Management Act, as well as the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Political advocacy — and litigation — on the part of the Sierra Club has also helped protect public lands across the United States (including Redwood National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Yellowstone National Park, among others) from development. Messaging and General TPs The SCPT is “dedicated to electing clean air, clean water, and climate action champions at all levels of government.” YOU should thank the Sierra Club for their leadership and environmental stewardship, express YOUR desire to work with them for YOUR shared goal of reiterate YOUR commitment to fighting climate change and building a green America, and lean into YOUR core clean energy and climate action message. YOU have stated: “In spite of the strongest possible scientific consensus about what climate change means for our environment, economy, health, and future, there are still some who deny the facts. They’re intent on obstructing progress. We can’t let them win this fight. We have no choice. There is no Planet B.” While the Sierra Club is perhaps best been known for its protection of public lands across the U.S. and its hand in the bedrock environmental legislation passed over the past half-century, Sierra has declared climate change “the top challenge facing humanity” and its top priority today. In the words of Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, “we want to do for clean energy what John Muir did for wilderness preservation more than a century ago.” In particular, the Sierra Club has participated in the movement against fracking, lobbied and mobilized its grassroots supporters to retire coal plants, helped to organize the largest demonstration against climate change in U.S. history, and worked to get communities to embrace solar and wind energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. Nonetheless, the Sierra Club remains committed to its roots, and expanding access to the environment by supporting programs and policies that cut across economic, cultural, and community lines forms a key part of the Sierra Club’s agenda. YOU should reiterate YOUR commitment to breaking down barriers for all Americans, which includes ensuring communities across the country have equal opportunities to enjoy our natural resources. In this context, YOU should also reiterate YOUR understanding of the important links between environmental health and social justice. YOU should cite YOUR response to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as an example of how as President YOU will ensure that these issues are addressed at all levels of government. NOTE: ● The Sierra Club strongly opposes the use of fracking. To limit the damage from fracking until it can be ended entirely, Sierra calls for “prompt closure of loopholes that effectively exempt fracking from important aspects of major environmental laws.” ● The Sierra Club is also deeply concerned about the lack of transparency around the TPP and the deal’s environmental implications, including: (1) the “extreme secrecy” around which the TPP negotiations took place, and what they perceive as corporations’ outsized influence over the negotiations; (2) “insufficient” protections in the TPP’s environment chapter, especially with regard to illegal timber and wildlife trade; (3) the grant of “unfettered rights to corporations” to sue governments over profitreducing laws and policies, including “common-sense” environmental regulation; and (4) the increase in “dirty fracking” likely to result from increased exports of liquefied natural gas. YOUR History with Sierra Club ● In July 2015, the Sierra Club released a statement welcoming YOUR plan to fight the climate crisis and grow the clean energy economy to 33 percent of the nation’s energy mix by 2027, enough to power every home in America: ○ “The Sierra Club and our 2.4 million members and supporters welcome Hillary Clinton’s strong plan for accelerating our nation’s clean energy growth to fight the climate crisis . . . Americans want climate action and strongly prefer clean energy over fossil fuels. We’re pleased that Sen. Clinton has taken note by prioritizing clean energy growth.” ○ Around the release of YOUR climate plan, Sierra’s Executive Director Michael Brune told Politico, “We’re expecting a reset [of YOUR platform] and a completely different climate and energy policy than the last time she ran for president.” Brune added that YOUR plan to raise renewables’ share of the U.S. energy supply “is a positive first step… but we’re looking for her to reconcile her climate and energy policies, which is something Obama has not yet been able to do effectively.” ● In the 2008 election cycle, the Sierra Club endorsed then-Senator Obama on June 19, 2008 — shortly after YOU announced that YOU were suspending YOUR campaign for president. ● In the 2000 election cycle, the Sierra Club endorsed YOU over YOUR opponent Rick Lazio, stating that YOU “showed an unequaled depth of knowledge on a plethora of state and national issues,” and that despite YOUR lack of legislative record at the time, YOUR attention over the years to children and health issues indicated that YOU would be a powerful ally for environmentalists. Attachments: 1 – Biographies 2 – Policy Background 3 – Sierra Club Questionnaire 4 – Recent Press and Press Releases 5 – Talking Points BIOGRAPHIES Aaron Mair President, Sierra Club; Board Member Aaron Mair was elected president of the Sierra Club on May 16, 2016. Originally an epidemiological-spatial analyst with the New York State Department of Health, Mair brings more than 30 years of environmental activism to his position. Mair is the Sierra Club’s first African American president. Mair first became a Sierra Club member in 1999, after leading a decade-long battle to shut down a polluting solid waste incinerator in an inner-city community in Albany, NY. Mair’s efforts ultimately led to a shutdown of the facility and a settlement of $1.6 million awarded to the community. Mair also helped lead the fight and secure the Sierra Club’s activism in the Clean Up the Hudson campaign, which resulted in a settlement between the EPA and General Electric to dredge toxic waste from the Upper Hudson River. Throughout his tenure with the Sierra Club, Mair has demonstrated a commitment to transforming the culture of the Sierra Club to make it, in his words, “a more welcoming environment to all people, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.” ● Mair is a vocal supporter of Senator Sanders among Sierra’s leadership and is one of the key audiences for this presentation ● Although Mair supports Sanders, if there is a push to endorse YOU he may provide the pivotal vote in favor of (or against) making an endorsement; he shares the Sierra leadership’s goal of endorsing “early” for relevance reasons ● Mair is a friend of Rhea Jezer, a member of YOUR New York Leadership Council who is active in the Sierra Club; Jezer helped secure YOUR 2000 endorsement by the New York Sierra Club when she served as its then-chair Michael Brune Executive Director, Sierra Club Michael Brune accepted his role as Executive Director of the Sierra Club in March 2010. One month later, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 workers and sending millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. Brune directly led more than 2,000 Sierra Club members and friends who volunteered for the cleanup. Brune’s first environmental job was as an organizer for Greenpeace. In 1998, Brune joined Rainforest Action Network (RAN), where he ultimately served for seven years as executive director. While at RAN, Brune wrote Coming Clean: Breaking America's Addiction to Oil and Coal, which addresses climate disruption and lays out an ambitious plan for moving America to a clean-energy economy. Brune grew up in Chadwick Beach, NJ, and went to school in nearby Toms River. He graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with B.S. degrees in Economics and Finance. Brune and his wife, Mary, the co-founder of the group MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe), live in Alameda, CA. They have three children. ● Brune privately supports YOU, and has a relationship with John Podesta and several of YOUR environmental policy advisors Ken Brame National Political Team Co-Chair, Sierra Club Currently the Co-Chair of the Sierra Club’s National Political Team, Ken Brame has a long history of involvement with Sierra’s North Carolina chapter where he previously served as Chair of the North Carolina Political Team and Vice Chair of the North Carolina Chapter. Brame was a member of the National Political Team, serving as Chair for the 1999-2000 election cycle. He served on Sierra’s Environmental Voter Education Committee from 2002 to 2006 and joined the National Political Team in 2007. Ken and his wife, Judy, reside outside Asheville, N.C., and enjoy hiking the mountain trails in Western North Carolina. ● Brame reportedly is a swing voter on the SCPT; as its volunteer vice chair, he is one of the most influential voices in Sierra’s endorsement process ● Our allies at Sierra report that Brame’s top priority is ensuring any endorsement decision is in Sierra’s institutional interest, and that the Board will be able to “sell” the endorsement to its membership Khalid Pitts National Political Director, Sierra Club The Sierra Club recruited Khalid Pitts to serve as the National Political Director in June 2015. Pitts has over two decades of experience managing political and legislative campaigns, building coalitions, and organizing national and state-level grassroots advocacy efforts. His political experience includes work as Board Chair and President of USAction and USAction Education Fund; Senior Partner at Democracy Partners; Director of Strategic Campaigns for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); State Director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence; and Virginia State Director for Dick Gephardt for President. In 2014, he also sought an at-large D.C. City Council seat. Pitts and his wife Diane have two children and own the Cork Wine Bar and Cork Market and Tasting Room in downtown Washington, D.C. ● Pitts privately supports YOU, and has a friendly relationship with Robby Mook and several members of YOUR campaign team Robin Mann Vice President for Conservation, Sierra Club; Board Member Robin Mann is in her second term as Vice President of the Sierra Club. She initially held the post from 2007 to 2010. Mann has been a member of the Sierra Club since 1983 and has held multiple leadership positions with the organization, including a term as President of the Sierra Club from 2010 to 2012. She has also served on the Finance Team, Climate Movement Task Force, Chapter-National Joint Planning Team, Water Committee, and Chapter Wetlands Committee. She currently resides in Rosemont, PA. Melinda Pierce Chief Lobbyist and Legislative Director, Sierra Club Melinda Pierce has served as the Chief Lobbyist and Legislative Director for the Sierra Club since 2000. She organizes legislative and administrative advocacy campaigns to support the Sierra Club’s climate, clean air, clean water and clean energy, and public lands protection agendas. Pierce has waged political battles against big oil companies to protect the Arctic Refuge and other public lands from oil development, and she is currently focused on clean air and clean energy advocacy. Pierce has repeatedly been named one of The Hill newspaper’s top lobbyists. She is an avid outdoorswoman and spends much of her free time outside with her family. Pierce earned her Bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Political Science and Government in 1988. Joining By Phone Sarah Hodgdon National Program Director, Sierra Club Sarah Hodgdon oversees the Sierra Club’s national campaigns, including Beyond Coal, Beyond Oil, and Our Wild America. She also manages the Sierra Club’s political programs, outing programs, labor partnerships, environmental justice partnerships, and youth groups. To accomplish campaign and programmatic goals, Sarah manages the Sierra Club’s teams of lobbyists, organizers, and lawyers. She leads the staff diversity team and serves on the founding body of the Building Equity and Alignment (BEA) Initiative, which works to create a more inclusive, connective, and winning environmental movement. In 2012, Diversity Journal named Sarah “A Woman Worth Watching” for her leadership role at the Sierra Club. Before joining the Sierra Club, Sarah was Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance, a North Carolina-based forest-protection organization. She began her grassroots-organizing career with Green Corps and is one of four Green Corps graduates to have received the David Brower Alumni Achievement Award. Sarah has a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Indiana University and a Certificate from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Sarah Burton National PAC Director, Sierra Club Sarah Burton joined the Sierra Club as the National PAC Director in the fall of 2015. Prior to her work with the Sierra Club, Burton served as the Planning Director and Political Capacity Compliance and Campaign Coordinator for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Joseph Manning Student Chapter Representative for National Political Team, Sierra Club As a leader in the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC), Joseph Manning was tasked with bringing together diverse constituencies to strategize a course of action to engage school campuses and coordinate the university chapters of the Sierra Club. Previously, as the Secretary of the Council of Club Leaders, he worked with delegates from every chapter to recruit new youth members and to keep the next generation from growing up with even more severe climate change. He graduated from Boston College in 2014 and has a master’s from Columbia. Staff Jared Mueller Chief of Staff, Political Team, Hillary For America Before joining the campaign, Jared helped run Charlie Crist’s 2014 gubernatorial race in Florida, managing the analytics, budget, operations, and policy portfolios for the campaign, as well as the post-election wind-down process. He had previously worked on the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee and managed the $135 million field budget for President Obama's reelection campaign. Before working in Democratic politics, Jared worked as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. He is from Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Duke University. MEMORANDUM FOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON Date: March 16, 2016 From: Policy Team RE: Sierra Club Meeting I. OVERVIEW We believe there is a good chance YOU can earn the endorsement of the Sierra Club, whose leadership is currently divided. In addition to their central issues of environmental protection and combating climate change, the Sierra Club has been allied with labor unions in strong opposition to the TPP. They will be looking for YOU to express strong opposition to the TPP and to speak specifically to the issues YOU find concerning in the deal. They will also ask political questions about how YOU will bring Sanders supporters back into the fold following the primary, and how YOU would intend to defeat Trump in the general election. They will also likely ask YOU about fossil fuel donations to YOUR campaign. Suggested responses to all of these issues are in Section III of this memo. II. POLICY AREAS OF CONCERN TO SIERRA CLUB AND ITS MEMBERS 1. Climate Change and Clean Energy Like other national environmental organizations, combating climate change and supporting clean energy are top priorities for the Sierra Club. They are primarily focused on U.S. action but in their questionnaire led with an international frame asking how YOU would meet the U.S. commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. We suggest YOU address this by focusing on the following: 1. Making climate change personal to YOU: We believe that more important than detailing specific proposals is to communicate how important climate change is to YOU personally. We suggest doing this by speaking to the impacts of climate change you personally witnessed as Secretary of State (meeting with the leaders of small island states threatened by sea level rise, traveling to drought-stricken countries in Africa, etc.) and within the U.S. (e.g. Hurricane Sandy in New York, speaking to Mayor Levine of Miami Beach about sea level rise) and highlighting YOUR commitment to protect the low-income communities and communities of color that are most at risk. 2. Defending President Obama’s gains from Republican attack: We have made important progress in combating climate change over the past seven years. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are at their lowest level in two decades, wind generation has grown three fold, solar has grown thirty-fold. Our cars and trucks are cleaner and more efficient than ever, reducing oil consumption and saving drivers money. Job number one is defending these gains by combatting Republican attempts to undermine the Clean Power Plan (CPP), fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, building codes and appliance standards. 3. Meeting our commitments without relying on climate deniers in Congress: While defending President Obama’s achievements is critical, it’s not sufficient to meet our Paris commitments. With current policy alone we are not on track to meet these targets, let alone our long-term goal of at least an 80% reduction by 2050. We can and must do more. That’s why as President YOU will set the following goals on your first day in office and will achieve them within 10 years. Generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America, with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of YOUR first term. Cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals and offices by a third and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world. Reduce American oil consumption by a third through cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, boilers, ships and trucks. Unlike Senator Sanders, whose plan depends on passing comprehensive climate legislation in Congress, YOU believe this is too important to wait for climate deniers on the Hill to stop listening to the Koch brothers and get with the program. That’s why YOU will achieve these goals, and our 2025 international commitment, though a combination of existing federal authorities like the Clean Air Act and your $60 billion Clean Energy Challenge that provides competitive grants to states, cities and rural communities that take the lead and exceed federal standards. 4. The importance of a just transition: While Sierra Club has an aggressive legal campaign to shut down all coal fired power plants in the country, they have been very supportive of YOUR plan to revitalize coal communities. They are opposed, however, to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) which YOUR plan supports, because they prefer a 100% renewable energy future (they are also opposed to natural gas and nuclear). They may have seen YOUR letter to Senator Manchin and may have concerns about YOUR reiteration of support for CCS. If pressed on CCS, we suggest YOU say that the coal community leaders YOU have met with want to see if it’s possible to make CCS commercially viable so coal can play a role in a lowcarbon future. YOU believe it’s important we give them that chance. Climate change is too important to take any technology off the table if it can help us meet our emission reduction goals. 2. Environmental Justice Sierra has been working with the NAACP to raise awareness of the water crisis in Flint and broader environmental justice concerns. While Senator Sanders also spoke out about Flint, YOU have much more credibility and a longer history of working in this space. YOUR environmental justice plan has not yet been released, but we recommend YOU emphasize your long history on these issues, from working with Carol Browner on air pollution and child asthma as First Lady, to holding the first-ever Senate hearing exclusively on environmental justice as Senator, to launching the Clean Cookstoves Initiative as Secretary of State, as well as being the first candidate to speak out about the water crisis in Flint and the only candidate to launch a forceful response. Points to emphasize: YOU will make environmental justice a central goal of your administration. President Clinton signed the first federal executive order on environmental justice, and YOU held the first Senate hearing on the topic, in addition to introducing multiple pieces of legislation particularly aimed at reducing childhood lead exposure. YOU recognize environmental justice and climate justice need to be elevated and emphasized in order to break down all the barriers holding Americans back. YOU know there are more Flints out there. As part of YOUR forthcoming environmental justice plan, YOU will set a goal of eradicating lead as a public health threat from paint, soil, and pipes within 5 years through increased federal funding, increasing penalties for negligent landlords, working with the philanthropic sector, investing in water infrastructure, and improving federal-state-local coordination and cooperation on drinking water treatment. YOUR team has developed this goal in cooperation with the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, which has worked for decades to reduce childhood lead exposure. YOU won’t leave communities out or behind in the fight against climate change. The poorest Americans stand to lose the most from climate change. Communities of color in particular face challenges from “energy poverty,” where degrading housing stock leads to higher energy bills for heating and electricity. YOUR Clean Energy Challenge will reward cities, states, and rural communities that cut red tape and promote access to rooftop solar, community solar, and energy efficiency programs for low-income families. 3. Conservation YOU have just released a “Collaborative Stewardship” plan for public lands and waters and wildlife. Sen. Sanders has not been active in this policy space, and it is something that Sierra Club cares deeply about. We recommend that YOU highlight that YOU are the one with a smart and ambitious environmental and conservation plan. Points to emphasize: Keep public lands public: With Republicans and special interests escalating their efforts to privatize public lands, now more than ever we need a leader in the White House who understands how to win this fight and has a clear plan for how to ensure that our national treasures remain treasures for all Americans – both today, and for future generations. YOUR plan will double the size of the outdoor economy in 10 years: YOU reject the Republican argument that we have to sell off our public land for the sake of economic opportunity. Our outdoor economy already generates some $700 billion of economic activity annually – and you have set a goal of doubling that in ten years. YOU will establish an American Parks Trust Fund: This new fund will replace, modernize, and scale up to roughly double the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund will, among other things, address the $11 billion dollar maintenance backlog that plague the parks today. YOU will cut in half the amount of public land that is currently cut off or inaccessible: Too much public land is off-limits to the public because it is ring-fenced in by private land or other barriers. Your plan will open millions of acres to hunters, anglers, and outdoors enthusiasts. YOU will launch an initiative to rehabilitate more than 3000 parks in urban areas in ten years: This will help to ensure that kids and families everywhere and across the full socio-economic spectrum can use and enjoy them. Sierra Club does important work in this space, and would be a valuable partner in this effort. YOU will ensure America’s national parks, memorials, and monuments tell the story of all Americans: This means both increasing the diversity of the workforce itself and ensuring that the stories of communities of color, women, and LGBT Americans are better told and commemorated. YOU will make public lands part of the climate solution. You have said you will maintain the President’s moratorium on new coal-leases on public lands while you reform the leasing process to eliminate fossil subsidies and efforts by companies to game the system. In addition, you will make public lands engines of our clean energy economy through a ten-fold increase in renewable energy production on public lands and waters within ten years. 4. Natural Gas/Fracking YOUR support for natural gas as a bridge to a clean energy economy has attracted criticism from a number of environmental groups. Sierra Club opposes all natural gas production, and gas produced through fracking (which now accounts for nearly half of the U.S. total) in particular. In their view, there is no such thing as “safe fracking.” Sen. Sanders has sought to draw a contrast with YOU on fracking in particular by calling for a comprehensive ban. Given how important this issue is with our labor allies, we recommend YOU acknowledge this is an area of disagreement, if raised, and make the case for why YOU believe that with the right safeguards in place, natural gas can play an important role in the transition to a clean energy economy: 1. Reducing carbon pollution: U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are at their lowest level in two decades thanks both to Sierra Club’s hard work and a switch from coal to natural gas. That put the U.S. on a strong footing in the Paris climate talks. 2. Improving air quality: The switch from coal to natural gas in the power sector since 2008 has significantly improved local air quality and the health of the most pollution-impacted communities, avoiding thousands of premature deaths and more than 100,000 asthma attacks in 2015 alone. 3. Energy costs: Using natural gas as a transition fuel can help keep energy costs low and US manufacturing competitive as we make the clean energy transition on track to a more than 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. We recommend YOU highlight the specific safeguards YOU have proposed, which unlike Sen. Sanders’ fracking ban, are legally and politically achievable and would move far beyond what the Obama Administration has proposed: 1. Reduce methane emissions through regulations on new and existing sources: Reducing fugitive methane emissions from natural gas production and transportation is a major policy priority for the Sierra Club. Last year the Obama Administration announced draft regulations to limit fugitive methane emissions from new oil and gas sources. YOU have called for regulations on existing sources as well using existing authorities under the Clean Air Act to achieve a 40-45% reduction in oil and gas methane emissions below 2005 levels by 2025. 2. Close the “Halliburton loophole” and require mandatory disclosure for fracking fluids: We recommend YOU highlight two areas where you would improve federal water safeguards as it relates to hydraulic fracturing: a) closing the “Halliburton Loophole” that restricts EPA from regulating fracking fluid injection under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and b) requiring companies to publicly disclose the chemicals used in fracking. 3. Address risk of earthquakes: There is growing concern surrounding earthquakes caused by injecting waste-water from fracking into underground aquifers. We recommend YOU highlight this as an area that needs additional federal attention. Under YOUR plan, if fracking can’t be with these safeguards in place, it shouldn’t be done at all. And YOU have called for defending the rights of states and local communities to say no to fracking, which Sierra Club will like to hear. 5. Fossil Fuel Production on Public Lands Sierra Club has called for halting all fossil fuel leasing on public lands and Sen. Sanders has introduced legislation that would do exactly that (though it has no chance of passage). Over the course of this campaign, YOU have come out against offshore drilling in the Atlantic and the Arctic, both of which were seen as big victories by Sierra Club and are positions the Obama Administration has since at least partially adopted. YOU have also supported President Obama’s decision to pause new coal leases on public lands pending a review of the federal coal leasing program. Where YOU differ from Sen. Sanders and the Sierra Club is that you have not called for a permanent moratorium on coal leasing or a ban on onshore oil and gas or Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leasing. Instead YOUR plan calls for reforming those leasing programs to close loopholes and raise royalty rates so taxpayers get a fair deal, and to make new leasing decisions in light of our long term clean energy and climate goals. There may be some confusion regarding YOUR position among some Sierra Club members following an answer YOU gave to a climate activist on a ropeline in New Hampshire that has been interpreted by some as supporting an immediate moratorium on all coal, oil and gas production on public lands. Such a move is unfeasible and unnecessary to meet our climate goals, and the campaign has since clarified that YOU were referring to support for President Obama’s pause of the coal leasing program specifically. 6. Energy infrastructure To the extent that oil and gas infrastructure other than Keystone XL is raised, we recommend YOU avoid expressing an opinion on any specific pipeline, as our labor allies see these as important sources of work for their members and have asked we avoid weighing in on individual pipeline debates. Instead, we suggest YOU share YOUR views on the need for a comprehensive plan to modernizing North American energy infrastructure to build a clean energy future, including through: 1. Pipeline safety: Old natural gas pipelines are a significant source of fugitive methane emissions, so we recommend YOU highlight your plan to repair or replace thousands of miles of old and outdated pipeline infrastructure, as well as improve national pipeline safety regulations to prevent disastrous oil spills like occurred in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. 2. Rail safety: The environmental community has become increasingly focused on rail safety given the amount of crude oil now being shipped by rail. We recommend YOU preview your plans to accelerate tank car replacement, repair track defects, and ensure first responders and the public have information about the oil moving through their communities. 3. North American Climate Compact: You would launch negotiations with Canada and Mexico on a comprehensive and ambitious North American Climate Compact (NACC) that will slash carbon pollution and methane emissions across the continent and ensure that the new energy infrastructure we build is consistent with the clean energy economy we need to create. The recent agreement between President Trudeau and President Obama creates a good foundation for the NACC. III. Q&A POLITICAL TPP: Why do YOU oppose the TPP deal? Would YOU seek to renegotiate it? As soon as TPP was finally concluded, I came out against it. I didn’t wait. I made my position clear. I did think it was important to know what was in the agreement before taking a position—because that’s what you have to do as President. So I called out the deal for being too weak on currency manipulation and for putting the interests of drug companies in front of those of consumers. And I stood with my friend Sherrod Brown, one of the deal's staunchest opponents, and agreed with him on his key priority. I said that the deal's “rules of origin” standards for automobiles are too weak. We can't give China a gaping back-door to preferential treatment. That’s not right. I’m not interested in tinkering around the margins of our trade policy. I think we need a fundamental rethink of how we approach trade deals going forward – and it can’t just be about the words of the deal. It has to be about the investments we make in our workers here in the U.S. FOSSIL FUEL DONATIONS: Why have YOU not refused donations from fossil fuel interests the way YOU have from private prisons? I’m glad you asked that question, because I think there’s been a lot of misinformation out there. I asked my team to crunch the numbers, and donations from employees of fossil fuel companies make up less than onetenth of one percent of the donations to my campaign. I’m not soliciting donations from oil and gas interests. A small number of people who work for these companies have donated to my campaign. We are actively seeking to develop a donor base among clean energy companies and environmental organizations. I’ve held a number of fundraisers with clean energy interests and will continue to do so. The fact is, we know why the Koch brothers have pledged to spend $900 million to try to put a Republican in the White House—because they know I’m no friend of fossil fuel interests. SANDERS SUPPORTERS: How could the Sierra Club ‘sell’ an endorsement of YOU over Sanders to members? We need a President who will be ambitious and creative in making America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century and leading the global fight against climate change. That’s what I will do. We need to not just build on the progress President Obama has made, but accelerate it, and I will do that starting from day one. I will use the substantial existing authorities available to the President to continue to drive down greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide—and I’ll do it by working collaboratively with states, with cities and rural communities, with organizations like the Sierra Club, and where appropriate with the private sector. Ultimately, I think that’s how we’ll change the tone of the discussion in Congress. Not by hanging all our hopes on passing big new legislation. But by supporting the growing number of cities, states, and rural communities, and the leaders from both parties, who are recognizing that they need to take action. States like Oregon where they just passed some of the most ambitious clean energy legislation in the country. Rural co-ops in places like Colorado coal country and Wisconsin, where they’re investing in solar power. Mayors and county executives in South Florida who are doing everything they can to build more resilient infrastructure. I want to support those efforts and encourage more local leaders to go further, and to have them put pressure on Congress to start changing their tune. VIABILITY IN GENERAL: How will YOU seek to defeat Donald Trump in the general election? Well, I’m very proud that I’m actually the only candidate in this race who has gotten more votes than Donald Trump. And I’ve done that by building a broad-based, diverse coalition and a really inclusive campaign. That’s the kind of coalition I’ll bring to the general election to make the case that this really is the highest-stakes election any of us has ever been involved in. And I think there will be a compelling case to be made that not only would Donald Trump be terrible for our economy, terrible for immigrants, terrible for women, terrible for our environment, but he’d do serious damage to America’s position in the world if he became President. And I think I am the best able to make that case to the American people. CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT Q: What is YOUR plan for meeting the US commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025? First, I am very proud of what President Obama and his team achieved in Paris. It was the result of years sustained diplomatic and domestic policy action and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of groups like the Sierra Club. I will fight to defend the progress we have made, particularly President Obama’s Clean Power Plan which has been stayed by the Supreme Court and is under constant Republican attack. But current policies alone won’t be enough to meet our Paris commitment. We can and must go further. That’s why as President I will set the following bold national goals, which we will achieve within ten years of my first day in office and which will reduce US emission by up to 30% below 2005 levels by 2025 – easily meeting our Paris commitment: o Generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America, with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of my first term. o Cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals and offices by a third and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world. o Reduce American oil consumption by a third through cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, boilers, ships and trucks. I believe combatting climate change and meeting our international commitments is too important to wait for climate deniers in Congress to stop listening to the Koch Brothers and get with the program. That’s why my plan relies on existing federal authorities, particularly those under the Clean Air Act, and a $60 billion Clean Energy Challenge that awards competitive grants to states, cities and rural communities across the country that are ready to lead on clean energy and efficiency. And I will continue America’s diplomatic leadership abroad. I was proud to appoint Todd Stern, the first Special Envoy for Climate Change, when I was Secretary of State and made climate a centerpiece of the US-China relationship in my first few months on the job. That kind of diplomatic foundation is what makes deals like the one we achieved in Paris possible. Q: Are YOU willing to commit to a 100% renewable energy future like Senator Sanders has? First, I believe the next decade will be critical in our transition to a clean energy economy, so that’s what my focus has been. Within that time, I want one third of all our electricity to come from renewable energy, enough to power every home in the country. Over the long term, I’m more concerned with how we most effectively reduce emissions to levels scientists tell us is required – more than 80% by 2050 here in the U.S. - than the specific technology that gets us there. If renewable energy proves the most cost effective way to meet our climate goals – that’s great. If advanced nuclear power or carbon capture and sequestration can compete – I’m all for it. But I think climate change is just too important to pre-emptively take any emission reducing option off the table. Q: Why do YOU support fracking? I know this is a controversial issue, and one on which we may disagree. So let me lay out my view. I believe we need to do everything we can to protect groundwater and reduce methane emissions. I have a plan to do that: o First, we need to reduce methane emissions by 40-45% by 2025. As you know President Obama has only proposed regulations for existing sources, which is a small share of the total problem. I will use the Clean Air Act to regulate existing sources as well. I will also repair and replace thousands of miles of leaky pipes by the end of my first term. o Second, we need to protect local water supplies by requiring companies disclose all the chemicals they use and by closing the Halliburton loophole so EPA can put effective safeguards in place. o Third, we need to make sure that waste water injection is not occurring in places with seismic risk. The recent spike in earthquakes in Oklahoma is particularly troubling. Now if those risks can't be addressed then fracking should not occur. And as President I will protect the right of states and local communities that decide they don’t want it in their backyard. But a comprehensive ban is not only a complete non-starter in the Congress, I don’t believe its good policy. The switch to natural gas has helped drive U.S. emissions to their lowest level in two decades. We need to keep going and deploying more renewables, and in the meantime we need to get methane emissions under control as quickly as possible. Q: In New Hampshire YOU told a climate activist that YOU support a moratorium on all fossil fuel production on public lands. Is that correct? I was referring specifically to President Obama’s decision to put a hold on new coal leases while the program is reviewed. I support that decision and will see the review through to completion. I believe we need to be moving toward phasing down fossil fuel production on public lands, starting with the dirtiest sources. As you know, I have come out in opposition to offshore drilling both in the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean. I was relieved to see President Obama’s recent decision to withdraw new Atlantic leases and hope he will do the right thing and permanently protect the Arctic. I have also called for reforming our onshore leasing program to close loopholes and raise royalty rates so taxpayers get a fair deal for energy production on public lands and believe that new leasing decisions need to be made with our long-term climate goals in mind. Q: Will YOU continue subsidizing gas, coal, and oil? How will YOU eliminate fossil fuel subsidies? I strongly support ending wasteful fossil fuel subsidies, including the billions of dollars of oil subsidies that US taxpayers are saddled with every year and other giveaways. I also will fight to ensure that Americans are getting a fair deal on any fossil fuel production on public lands, including by raising royalties for onshore production and closing loopholes. Companies that produce fossil fuels on public lands have to pay their fair share to the federal government. Taxpayers deserve nothing less. And the fight cannot stop at home – fossil fuel subsidies are a global challenge that tilt the playing field against clean energy and divert public resources from pressing economic and development priorities. Q: Did YOU support lifting the current ban on crude oil exports? As you know, that decision was made as part of a broader legislative deal at the end of last year. No deal is perfect, but I’m happy that Senate Democrats and President Obama were successful in winning a multiyear extension of wind and solar tax credits that will help drive deployment of these technologies until the Clean Power Plan begins. In light of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the Clean Power Plan, this has proved particularly important. SIERRA CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Presidential Candidate: The Sierra Club is America's largest and most effective grassroots environmental organization with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. For more than 25 years, our members have worked to elect leaders who will protect the planet and our neighborhoods, who will conserve wild lands and open spaces for people and wildlife. Today, with the looming threat of climate disruption, our members are looking to support candidates who will put our nation on a path to 100% clean energy by reducing carbon pollution and advancing clean energy technologies. Our nation needs strong leadership in the fight against climate disruption. The science is irrefutable -- the damage to our planet and our economy is palpably real. We can turn the corner on climate disruption, but only if America’s elected leaders take bold action now to put the country on a path to meet or exceed the carbon reductions of 50% by 2030 that science demands. Those actions should include: ● Aggressive policies to reduce carbon pollution and hold fossil fuel polluters accountable for their pollution ● Investments and incentives for clean energy ● Keeping dirty fuels in the ground ● Investment in green transportation options ● Fulfilling the unmet demand for family planning ● Ensuring that trade agreements do not undermine our ability to address climate change ● Making sure that climate solutions are just and protect our most vulnerable communities Poll after poll has demonstrated that voters across the country – regardless of demographics or political persuasion – share these values. They believe we do not have to choose between a clean environment and a strong economy. Voters are looking to their elected representatives to provide leadership that will secure good jobs for America’s workers and a healthy environment with clean air, clean water and wild places for this and future generations. If you are interested in Sierra Club’s endorsement, I invite you to complete the attached Sierra Club 2016 Presidential Questionnaire. Moreover, we would request an opportunity to interview you. Please return the completed copy to the National Political Team ([email protected] or Sierra Club, 50 F Street NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20001). Sincerely, Michael Brune Executive Director Sierra Club 2016 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire The questions below represent some of the diverse environmental issues that the members and supporters of the Sierra Club consider a priority. Your responses will be considered confidential and will NOT be posted online or released to the public. They will only be seen by key Sierra Club volunteer leaders and staff. For any additional information on the issues raised below please feel free to reference Sierra Club’s website, www.sierraclub.org. QUESTIONS Continuing International Climate Leadership Our nation needs strong leadership in the fight against climate disruption, which represents the greatest environmental challenge of this century. Science demands that we take bold action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030. 1) If elected, will you direct your administration to deliver on the international commitments that the United States put forward in Paris? Yes. The reality of climate change is unforgiving. Sea levels are rising. Ice caps are melting. Storms, wildfires, and extreme weather are wreaking havoc at home and around the world. I’ve seen firsthand the damage that climate change inflicts on our communities, our public health, our economy, and our national security. Simply put, this is one of the most urgent threats of our time, and we have no choice but to rise and meet it. But I also firmly believe that American ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, and leadership are fully up to the task, both domestically and internationally. That’s why fighting climate change and building America into a clean energy superpower will be top priorities for me from Day 1 of my presidency. This means that I will fight to defend the important progress we have made to date, including by defending and fully implementing the Clean Power Plan, fuel economy standards, building codes and appliance standards and other smart standards that the Obama administration is putting in place. But we can and must go further. Simply defending the gains made under the Obama administration will not be enough to fulfill our Paris commitment of a 26-28% reduction in US emissions by 2025, or put our economy on a pathway to deep decarbonization by 2050. That’s why in July I announced that as President I will set two ambitious renewable goals: First, by the end of my first term, we will have half of a billion installed solar panels across the country. That’s a 700% increase from 2014 levels and the equivalent of having rooftop solar systems installed on 25 million homes. Second, the United States will generate enough renewable electricity within 10 years of my taking office to power every home in America. This translates into 33% of US electricity coming from renewable sources. But we need more than goals – we need a concrete strategy for how to achieve them that doesn’t depend on Republican climate deniers and defeatists in Congress passing comprehensive climate legislation. Here’s mine: defend and fully implement the Clean Power Plan (which, if done right, can increase renewables from 14% of electricity production today to as much as 25% by 2027) and then launch a $60 billion national Clean Energy Challenge which will spur states, cities and rural communities ready to lead on clean energy to exceed federal pollution standards. Through this new partnership we will cut carbon pollution, protect the air we breathe, create jobs, and expand renewable energy to account for 33% of electricity supply. I will also use this same combination of smart federal standards and a Clean Energy Challenge for states, cities, and rural communities that exceed them to accelerate clean energy deployment and energy efficiency improvements beyond the electric power sector, reducing carbon pollution by up to 30% below 2005 levels by 2025 and putting the US on track to reduce emissions by more than 80% by 2050. For instance, I recently announced a goal to cut energy waste in American homes, schools, stores, municipal buildings, hospitals and offices by a third within ten years of taking office. In achieving this goal we will slash carbon pollution, reduce annual energy costs for American households and businesses by more than $70 billion, or $600 per household, and eliminate the use of expensive and highly polluting fuel oil to heat homes and businesses. In the weeks ahead I will be releasing my plan for reducing American oil consumption and resulting carbon pollution by a third within ten years of taking office by making our cars, trucks, ships and airplanes more efficient, expanding public transit, and accelerating the deployment of low-carbon fuels. My clean transportation plan will also improving access to good jobs and schools, cut congestion and commute times and reduce air pollution that disproportionately impacts low income communities and communities of color. I will also be releasing my plan for making American manufacturing cleaner, more efficient and more internationally competitive and how to attract and retain new clean energy manufacturing jobs here in the US. A key part of my plan for meeting the climate pledge the United States made in Paris is to reduce methane emissions from both new and existing sources. That’s why in September I launched a comprehensive plan for modernizing our energy infrastructure, including repairing and replacing thousands of miles of leaky pipelines. As part of this plan, I will forge a North American Climate Compact that ensures the infrastructure we build is consistent with the clean energy economy we need to create and that would include ambitious and coordinated methane reduction policies from the US, Mexico, and Canada. I am also eager to realize the full potential of the international climate agreement achieved in Paris. This will require taking immediate action at home to leave no doubt that the United States will honor its commitments to reduce its own greenhouse gas pollution and to mobilize the necessary financing to help poorer developing countries meet the climate challenge. But it will also require intense and skillful diplomatic engagement to ensure that the whole world shifts decisively toward clean energy – and I will draw on my experience as Secretary of State to ensure that this happens. As Secretary, I fought hard to mobilize a global response to climate change. I created the highest-level post at the State Department dedicated exclusively to climate diplomacy (the US Special Envoy for Climate Change); I put climate squarely on the agenda in my first trip to China as Secretary; I worked to feature climate change in the annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meeting; and I helped secure the first international agreement in which all of the major economies (including China) committed to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution and included vital new commitments on climate finance. In addition, I built new coalitions to combat emissions from methane, pushed for phasing down the use of superpolluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) through the Montreal Protocol, and launched a clean cookstove initiative that delivers not only health but climate benefits. We have made enormous progress since 2009 in meeting the climate challenge at home and abroad, but our gains are not secure and there is still much further that we have to go. Under your tenure, you will be called upon to put forward the next U.S. Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for 2030. 2) Will you put forward an ambitious target for the United States? Yes. As President I will put forward an ambitious 2030 INDC consistent with a pathway that achieves a greater than 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. As part of its international climate commitment, the Obama Administration put forward a goal of cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector 40 – 45 % from 2012 levels by 2025. Achieving this commitment will require administrative action to regulate existing sources of methane pollution, a critical step that the current administration has not yet taken. 3) Will you use your executive authority to reign in methane pollution, including directing and empowering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate existing sources of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry? Yes. Reducing methane from oil and gas systems from both new and existing sources is critical to meeting the United States’ 2025 target. In addition to new regulations from the EPA, I would work with states and cities to repair thousands of miles of leaky pipes and negotiate a North American Climate Compact that drives methane emission reductions across the continent. Protecting Communities Protecting our communities requires not only action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also continued progress to limit other sources of air and water pollution. Our communities should be safe, healthy places to live and raise children - with clean air and water free from the dangers of toxic pollution - but fossil fuel pollution threatens public health. For example, each year, coal pollution causes 12,000 emergency room visits and $100 billion in health costs. Half of the families in our country live in places with unsafe air. In the United States, 1 out of 10 children suffers from asthma, and recent studies show that coal-burning power plants are the number one source of water pollution in America. This air and water pollution disproportionately impacts our nation’s poorest families and communities of color. For example, Latinos, Blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders are more likely to live in areas where air pollution exceeds national standards. We must hold polluters accountable and ensure that, as we do, the solutions put forward are both strong and just and fully address the needs of these communities. 4) Will you direct and empower the EPA to use its authority under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other longstanding and proven safeguards to issue standards that hold fossil fuel polluters accountable and protect public health, safety, and the environment? Additionally, will you ensure that these safeguards fully consider the cumulative impacts faced by overburdened communities? Yes. Defending and fully implementing the Clean Power Plan is particularly important. This rule will deliver net climate and health benefits of $55 to $93 billion per year in 2030, avoiding up to 6,600 premature deaths and 150,000 asthma attacks each year in children. But even with the Clean Power Plan in place, the public health impacts of fossil fuel combustion will be far too great. That’s why I will drive even deeper reductions in carbon and other pollution through other smart federal standards and through my Clean Energy Challenge. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act have been and must continue to be cornerstones of protecting the air we breathe and water we drink. They have been instrumental in holding accountable those responsible for harming the environment, and I will reject any attempts to weaken these safeguards. It is unacceptable today that any parent should have to worry that their kids' water isn't safe. Yet, that worry has tragically turned into a reality for the many residents of Flint, Michigan. Thousands of children may have been exposed to lead, which could irreversibly harm their health and brain functioning. We now know that a General Motors factory stopped using Flint's water because it was corroding car engine parts -- yet officials continued to reassure the public that the water was safe for human consumption. That's unconscionable, and I have applauded the Department of Justice for joining the Environmental Protection Agency in investigating what happened here. Moreover, too often these crises impact underserved communities and communities of color. They are overlooked and their pleas for help are regularly ignored. As President, they will not be invisible to me. It’s hard enough for hardworking Americans to make ends meet, they should not, and when I am president, will not have to choose between putting bottled water and food on the table. I will maintain and enforce the meaning of environmental justice through executive order and hold EPA and other agencies accountable for implementing it. We need to involve not just environmental officials, but housing, public health, civil rights, and other experts. In addition, I will ensure that communities have a stronger role in working with the government on environmental justice issues. I worked in the Senate to address specific environmental justice problems, such as introducing the Family Asthma Act, which would have helped children manage their asthma, and improve our ability to identify and control the environmental factors that contribute to asthma attacks; introducing the Healthy, High Performance Schools Act, which would help school eliminate environmental hazards that can affect learning like mold and lead; and introducing the Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act, which would have connected chronic disease registries with information about pollutants and other environmental factors in order to increase our understanding of the relationship between the two. 5) Will you direct relevant agencies to use the full extent of the law to close loopholes that exempt drilling and fracking operations from basic environmental protections provided by laws such as the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act? Yes. It is crucial that we put in place smart regulations and close loopholes, such as the so-called Halliburton loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act, that could put our families at risk. 6) Will you direct relevant agencies to use the full extent of the law to protect streams, waterways and communities in Appalachia and across the country from coal-mining waste resulting from the practice of mountaintop removal mining? Yes. In addition to pursuing new administrative action to protect our climate, environment, and communities, it is critical that we implement and adequately enforce the laws and policies already in place. Over the past several years, the Environmental Protection Agency has put forward strong standards to protect public health and regulate pollution but the implementation and enforcement of these laws is often lacking. 7) Will you support investments in adequate monitoring and enforcement of environmental laws? Yes. Many of the administrative rulemakings promulgated by the EPA under President Obama have come under fire in the court system, including critical mercury, carbon, and smog standards as well as the Clean Water Rule defining the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. 8) Will you direct the Department of Justice and other Agencies to defend EPA and other Agency standards that come under fire in the court system? Yes. Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy Our nation’s continued reliance on dirty fossil fuel energy not only contributes to climate disruption but also directly threatens our health and well-being. Our government leaders must reject an “all of the above” approach to energy development and instead pursue policies and make investments that will keep fossil fuels in the ground or under the ocean, and unleash America’s clean energy potential. The next Administration must advance a national energy policy that will keep dirty fuels in the ground, protect communities from the burden of pollution, and forestall catastrophic climate change. These policies must consider halting new leasing and development of fossil fuels on public lands, opposing opening new areas offshore of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to drilling, and consistently applying a climate test to all major energy infrastructure decisions. Keeping dirty fuels in the ground has the added benefit of protecting some of the most wild and spectacular public lands in the nation. American families enjoy a rich natural heritage of parks, refuges, forests, wilderness and wildlife, but today, a rush to mine, drill and frack for coal, oil and gas threatens the natural, recreational, health and cultural values of special places from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to our public lands and forests across the country and off our coasts. Developing these dirty fuels would damage valuable wildlife habitat, foul our waters, harm indigenous communities, and hurt local economies. 9) Will you use executive authority under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA) to limit fossil fuel exports? As president I will ensure that our trade policy supports, rather than undermines, our policies to reduce emissions at home and encourage climate action abroad, whether through international trade agreements or existing executive authorities including those under the EPCA. 10) Will you use your executive authority to keep fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas in the ground by banning any new oil and gas leasing and drilling on federal public lands and will you support a ban on new coal leasing and mining on federal lands? It’s time we move beyond an “all of the above” approach to energy policy and focus on meeting the climate change challenge and making the United States the clean energy superpower of the 21st century – and that includes on federal lands. As President I will reduce fossil fuel production on federal lands and significantly expand clean energy production, from wind in Wyoming to solar in Nevada. I will reform our current leasing program to ensure taxpayers get a fair deal and that leasing decisions are consistent with our long term climate objectives. To that end, I support President Obama’s recent decision for a broad review of the coal leasing program and as President would see it through to completion. But it’s equally important that we have a real plan in place to safeguard the healthcare and retirement security of the coal miners, transportation workers and power plant operators who have given so much to this country, and to ensure their communities are not left behind or left out as we transition to a clean energy economy. That’s why I’ve put forward a $30 billion plan for revitalizing America’s coal communities. My plan would provide a federal backstop for retired coal miners, transport workers and power plant operators that lose their health insurance or pensions due to a company bankruptcy, reforms the black lung benefits program, and safeguards funding for coal community schools. It would drive new investment and job creation into these communities through tax credits, infrastructure improvements, broadband access, and repurposed mine lands and power plant sites. And it would support locally-driven economic development and diversification through the establishment of Coal Communities Challenge Fund. 11) Would you use your authority to keep new offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans? As President, given what we know, I will say "no" to offshore oil production in the Arctic Ocean. In light of our need to transition to a clean energy economy and meet the climate challenge, it is not worth putting this unique national treasure the risk. I have also expressed my skepticism about the need or desire for us to pursue offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. There are some places where we should keep fossil fuels in the ground or under the ocean. Designating and Defending Public Lands Next year, the National Park Service, often called the best idea America ever had, celebrates its centennial. Despite the overwhelming popularity of our parks and public lands, some in Congress want to undermine public land protection statutes and oppose protecting new areas as wilderness, parks or national monuments. 13) As President, will you use the full suite of your executive powers to protect America’s public lands by recommending new parks and wilderness areas and using the authority under Antiquities Act to safeguard special places as national monuments? Yes. America has a proud, bipartisan tradition of conserving national parks, monuments, wilderness lands, and marinescapes for future generations. And today, we see local communities across the country continuing this tradition by working to protect places that are integral to their economies and way of life. As President, I would support these locally-driven efforts by signing conservation legislation and, when appropriate, wisely using the Antiquities Act to permanently protect the lands, waters, and sites that make up our nation’s proud natural, cultural, and historic treasures. As President, I would also oppose all attempts by Congress to weaken the Antiquities Act. President Teddy Roosevelt understood that America’s vast natural bounty and beauty had to be safeguarded, managed and nurtured, and that if we did so wisely it would be a source of perpetual strength and wealth for our nation. That is as true today as it was then. If anything, the need to protect our precious landscapes and marinescapes is made even more urgent because of the stresses posed by climate change. For instance, we know that our oceans are under unprecedented stresses—from overfishing to marine pollution to rising temperatures and ocean acidification. I am proud of the steps that President Obama has taken to protect our oceans—including withdrawing Bristol Bay in Alaska and nearly 10 million acres of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in the Arctic Ocean from consideration for oil and gas leasing and creating the world’s largest marine protect area with the expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. As President, I will build on this historic progress to protect our oceans for future generations. I have a history of working to protect our public lands. In the Senate, I fought efforts to drill in places that are just too special or too risky, like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. I cosponsored the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would have prohibited road construction and logging in unspoiled, roadless areas of the National Forest System, and voted for additional funding and manpower to combat forest fires in the West. Ensuring Trade Deals are Good for Workers and the Environment Past U.S. free trade agreements have undermined the ability of governments to protect the environment and address the climate crisis. For example, past agreements have empowered foreign investors to challenge climate and environmental policies in private trade tribunals through the controversial investorstate dispute settlement system. The Sierra Club strongly opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would expand ISDS to thousands of new firms and would pave the way for increased exports of climate-disrupting fossil fuels and dangerous fracking by requiring the U.S. Department Energy to automatically approve exports of liquefied natural gas to countries in the pact. 14) Will you renegotiate the TPP to remove these environmental threats and will you direct your administration to ensure that future trade agreements do not replicate these flawed rules? As President, I will ensure that any new trade deal meets three tests: First, it must protect American workers. Second, it needs to raise wages and create more good jobs at home. Third, it must also strengthen our national security. Too often over the years we haven’t gotten the balance right on trade. We’ve seen that even a strong deal can fall short on delivering the promised benefits. And unfortunately, the TPP agreement that was negotiated does not meet this high bar. As President, I would seek and deploy a range of tools to fight back against unfair competition and attempts by other countries to take advantage of us. As President, I would pursue a range of strategies to fight back against currency manipulation – and I would work with Congress to ensure I had the authorities and resources I need. The days when other countries could take advantage of our open markets without themselves committing to a level playing field should end. And I believe it is critical that we address health and environmental regulations and workers' rights and wages. Multilateral trade agreements can be used to raise global trade standards. And we can bring others along in having higher labor, environmental and other standards. I still believe in the goal of a strong and fair trade agreement in the Pacific as part of a broader strategy both at home and abroad. I am focused on a trade policy that improves labor rights, protects the environment and health, helps crack down on currency manipulation, and opens new opportunities for our small business to export overseas. Forging a Federal Budget that Reflects Environmental Priorities The annual Budget for the United States put forward each year by the President in February is much more than a document of funding levels and cost saving recommendations. The President’s Budget Blueprint reflects the key priorities of the Administration. The President’s Budget offers the opportunity to increase federal investments to: o o o o o o o Support public transportation and electric vehicles; Fulfill the unmet demand for family planning; Secure full funding EPA monitoring & enforcement; Ensure full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund; End Fossil fuel subsidies; Promote Incentives and subsidies to spur clean energy development. Promote the POWER+ Plan to invest in workers and jobs by addressing important legacy costs in coal country. 15) As President, will you put forward a Budget Blueprint that will drive investments that support safe and healthy communities, ensure protections for our public lands and champions incentives to drive our clean energy economy? Yes. In addition to defending against Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, EPA, LWCF and the Green Climate Fund, I would significantly increase funding for clean energy research and development, climate resilience, and transportation infrastructure and solutions that reduce local air pollution and GHG emissions, cut commute times, and improve the equity of access to good jobs and schools. I would end wasteful taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuels and return that money to states, cities and rural communities through my Clean Energy Challenge to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency. My $30 billion plan for revitalizing coal communities builds on the important progress of POWER+ but goes much further. 16) Will you commit to veto stand alone legislation and any spending bills that include appropriations riders that undermine bedrock environmental laws. Yes. Promoting a Just Democracy Sierra Club's values are rooted in principles of justice, fairness, and equality. We believe both nature and people deserve justice and full protection under the law. We believe in a society that is first and foremost just, fair and rational - one that abhors brutality and favors equality. Whether it's the planet itself or the people who inhabit it, we hold the ideals of respect and reverence in the highest regard. For these reasons, we support policies that not only preserve and protect the environment but promote racial, economic, social and environmental justice. 17) Will you direct your administration to support and actively promote policies that address racial, economic, social and environmental justice? Our nation cannot reach its fullest potential until we address the racial, social, economic and environmental disparities that far too many American families and communities still face. These inequities are rooted in a history of discrimination and materialize today in a system that is too often stacked for those at the top. That’s true in our criminal justice system, our education system, in employment, housing, and transit. And tragically, it’s true in the very air our children breathe and in the water they drink. That is why my campaign has focused on laying out policies that will address the inequalities in our system; I will fight to make these policies a reality as President: Environmental Justice: The water crisis in Flint, Michigan underscores that clean water and clean air are basic human rights—and that our rights shouldn’t change based on what ZIP code we live in. All Americans, and especially children, deserve safe water and healthy air. But there are a lot more Flints in America—overwhelmingly low-income communities and communities of color, rural and urban alike, where pollution, toxic chemicals, and decades of neglect harm kids’ health and futures. That’s why as President, I will pursue cleaner transportation, take ambitious steps to reduce air pollution, and make new investments in safe and modern water infrastructure. I’ve prioritized environmental justice throughout my career: In the Senate I introduced the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act to make it easier for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take action when public housing residents are exposed to dangerous levels of lead. I also cosponsored a measure calling on the EPA to revise its lead paint hazard standard under the Toxic Substances Control Act to do more to protect pregnant women and children from the dangers of lead paint. And I introduced a bill to improve federal coordination around reducing lead exposure from every source. Economic Justice: I have said many times that getting incomes rising again is the defining economic challenge of our time. I will fight to raise incomes so that working families can get ahead and stay ahead and I will ensure that the wealthiest Americans are paying their fair share. My plan includes raising the minimum wage, ensuring equal pay for women and guaranteed paid family and medical leave, providing incentives for companies to share profits with their employees, boosting apprenticeships to help more people get into the workforce, making pre-K universal for all 4 year-olds, and ensuring cost doesn’t hold anyone back from earning a college education. I’ll ensure we are investing in our economy and our people in order to create good-paying jobs: I will invest $275 billion in our crumbling infrastructure and ensure that critical investments are going to the communities that need them most. I will work to revitalize manufacturing, remove barriers to sustainable home ownership and affordable housing and build on President Obama’s efforts to protect working families from abusive financial practices. Finally, all of my plans will be fully paid for by asking the most fortunate to contribute more—middle class families have struggled enough; they need a raise, not a tax increase. Racial and Criminal Justice: We have to confront the gaps that exist across our country and the inequality that continues to stalk too many communities. First, our criminal justice system is out of balance—from Ferguson to Staten Island to Baltimore, the patterns have become unmistakable and undeniable. Therefore we must work to strengthen the bonds of trust between our communities and our police, end racial profiling and the era of mass incarceration, and ensure a successful transition of individuals from prison to home. We have to address the heartbreaking violence in our society by standing up to the gun lobby and working to build on President Obama’s common sense gun reforms. I said recently that I want this campaign, and eventually my administration, to be more about inspiring young people, and older ones as well, to find that niche where kindness matters, whether it’s to a friend, a neighbor, a colleague, a fellow student — whether it’s in a classroom or doctor’s office or in a business — we need to do more to help each other. An important part of that is ensuring our laws and our policies allow all Americans to see the justice and opportunity we all deserve. RECENT PRESS AND PRESS RELEASES Flint is just the tip of the iceberg Cornell William Brooks, President, NAACP Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club CNN March 4, 2016 (CNN) The world stared in disbelief recently at the news that an American city of nearly 100,000 was needlessly exposed to toxic levels of lead in the city's water system. In Flint, Michigan, thousands of families fear for their health and their children's future. And as the full story has emerged, disbelief has turned to outrage, turning Flint into a political issue big enough to attract a presidential debate. But what will happen once the television cameras and the presidential candidates leave Flint? Will there be meaningful change to ensure this never happens again? That depends on whether the root causes of this disaster are addressed. It's no secret that the poorest communities in our nation are often the most vulnerable to pollution, whether it's undrinkable water or unhealthy air. That fact is obviously both a health issue and an economic issue. But it's also an issue of race and of justice. Every family, regardless of income or skin color, should be able to expect that the air they breathe is clean, that the water they drink is safe, and that their government will treat them with fairness and equality. In Flint, a tragedy that should never have happened was magnified by what can only be called callous indifference. How did the United States become a nation where something like this could happen? It wasn't by accident... Shrinking government: A self-fulfilling prophesy...Circumventing local government: Emergency managers...Crumbling infrastructure: Flint is just the latest example. Sierra Club Statement on Nomination of Merrick Garland to Supreme Court March 16, 2016 (Washington) Today, President Obama will nominate Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Sierra Club is mobilizing its 2.4 million members and supporters to call on the Senate to do its job, sending more than 77,000 messages to Congress, organizing a letter from the environmental community to the Senate, and participating in actions across the country. In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement: “President Obama has done his job, now it's time the U.S. Senate does its job by holding a hearing and a timely vote for this well-qualified, impressive nominee as soon as possible. Merrick Garland is exactly the kind of fair, even-handed, and thoughtful jurist who deserves the immediate consideration of the Senate, and not more of the obstruction Senate Republicans have promised. The Sierra Club's members and supporters across the country will continue to mobilize to ensure the Senate fulfills its constitutional duty, does its job, and gives Merrick Garland the fair and honorable consideration he deserves.” Re: Following Announcement of TransCanada’s Investor-State Case against the United States, Environmental Organizations Urge Opposition to TransPacific Partnership Sierra Club et al. March 9, 2016 Dear Member of Congress, The Obama Administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have expanded the development of one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet, was a historic win for communities and the climate. As environmental organizations fighting against the expansion of tar sands development and harmful trade agreements, we are deeply troubled by TransCanada’s announcement that it intends to use the North American Free Trade Agreement’s controversial investorstate dispute settlement (ISDS) system to demand $15 billion from the U.S. public as compensation for this historic project rejection. We are even more concerned that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would extend nearly the exact same rules that TransCanada is using to thousands of new firms operating in the U.S. These would include companies with major investments in fossil fuels, threatening our ability to keep fossil fuels in the ground. We therefore strongly urge you to oppose the TPP. While we are deeply troubled by TransCanada’s announcement, it does not surprise us. For years, environmental, environmental justice, labor, faith, Indigenous, affordable healthcare, consumer, family farmer, small business, and many other groups have stressed that the TPP threatens countries’ ability to set public interest safeguards. Countries have already been ordered to pay billions of dollars to foreign investors in ISDS suits, often for policies that protected the environment and public health. Last year more than 100 leading U.S. legal scholars detailed ISDS’s threats to U.S. public interest policies. If the Keystone XL rejection is not immune from investor challenges under trade agreements, it is hard to imagine what environmental policies would be safe, especially if the TPP were to pass. In its environmental assessment, the U.S. Department of State found that Keystone XL would have generated the equivalent of up to 8.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime, an amount greater than total annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The project also would have threatened First Nation communities in Canada; Indigenous leaders, farmers and ranchers living near the project; refining communities in the U.S.; and people living along the pipeline route. The Obama Administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline was an execution of its legal right, done amidst widespread evidence that the project would hurt communities and the environment. It is therefore egregious that, under NAFTA, TransCanada can demand billions of dollars for a sound policy decision that is squarely within the U.S. law. Yet fossil fuel corporations are increasingly using ISDS as a tool to undermine environmental policies. The ISDS system of arbitration has already empowered corporations to launch almost 700 cases against the policies of more than 100 governments across the world. Recent cases have targeted a fracking moratorium in Quebec, Canada; restrictions on a coal-fired power plant in Germany; and an Ecuadorian court order for Chevron to pay for widespread pollution caused by oil operations in the Amazon. Half of the new ISDS cases launched in 2014 stemmed from investments in power generation, mining, or oil and gas extraction. Corporations have a good chance of profiting from ISDS suits; more than half of concluded ISDS suits have ended in a loss for the government or settlement with the investor. While losing a case can cost countries millions or billions of dollars, settlements have also required governments to pay corporations millions of dollars in damages and legal fees, and sometimes to even reverse the challenged policies. The TPP would significantly expand the reach of the ISDS system. If approved by Congress, the 12-nation TPP would extend virtually the same broad rights that TransCanada is using to more than 9,000 new foreign-owned firms in the U.S., roughly doubling the number of foreign corporations that could follow TransCanada’s lead and bring cases against the U.S. Under the TPP, foreign corporations could use their international investments in the U.S. to challenge a number of new environmental and climate policies, including restrictions on fracking, mining, oil and gas pipelines, offshore drilling, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. We are concerned that investor-state cases such as TransCanada’s are heard not in U.S. courts but in private trade tribunals. Three private attorneys bound by no legal precedents, and acting under no meaningful conflict of interest rules, would determine whether the U.S. government acted fairly towards TransCanada in rejecting Keystone XL. In past cases, more than half of these attorneys have rotated between serving as tribunal “judges,” and as lawyers representing corporations in ISDS cases against governments. Such tribunals have repeatedly ruled against environmental policies on the basis that they thwarted foreign investors’ “expectations.” The TPP would create a powerful roadblock to environmental and social progress by empowering corporations to demand billions of dollars in compensation for climate and environmental policies. Furthermore, these ISDS cases could be detrimental to the sovereignty and rights of Native Nations in the U.S. and First Nations in Canada in the protection of their lands, territories, and peoples. In order to protect the U.S.’s ability to make environmental safeguards and other public interest policies, we strongly urge you to oppose the TPP. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON TALKING POINTS FOR SIERRA CLUB ENDORSEMENT NEW YORK, NY MARCH 18, 2016 Thank you all for meeting today, and for your flexibility as schedules have changed. Climate change is one of the most serious threats we face as a country. Across our country, Americans are grappling with the consequences of climate challenge. In Miami, there are streets flooding on sunny days. Arizona is experiencing historic drought. The next President can’t wait to take action on climate change. We need an activist administration to follow President Obama. We need to be as ambitious and creative as possible to reduce carbon pollution, protect our lands and waters, and protect public health. We have all seen times when the federal government has been a strong partner with groups like the Sierra Club, and times when it has missed opportunities or resisted change. As President, I will work alongside groups like Sierra to ensure we don’t leave any Americans out or behind in a clean energy future. We have to defend the gains we’ve made under President Obama, starting with the Clean Power Plan. And we’ll set bold national goals: 500 million solar panels installed by the end of my first term … to generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America by the end of my second term… to generate 10 times more clean energy on public lands … and to cut energy waste and oil consumption by a third. We also need to make environmental justice and climate justice top priorities. We know there are more Flints out there. We know that the poorest and most vulnerable of our fellow Americans stand to lose the most from climate change. I’ve worked on environmental justice since I was First Lady, because pollution can seriously harm kids’ health. And we need to make sure every American shares in the benefits of a clean energy future. That means helping bring solar and energy efficiency technologies to low-income communities, protecting mineworkers’ pensions and health benefits, and investing in creating new economic opportunities in coal communities. It means creating jobs in every community in clean energy and energy efficiency and green infrastructure. The kind of action we need on climate change, clean energy, and environmental justice is going to take building robust partnerships—like what you’re doing here at Sierra with the NAACP on environmental justice. This is going to take a coalition of every sector of the economy, all levels of government, and all kinds of nonprofit organizations and activists pulling together. Simply put, we need to use every tool we have. We’ll empower cities, states, and rural communities that are ready to lead with a new Clean Energy Challenge. Ensure that we and the world live up to and fulfill the Paris agreement. Galvanize more international action through a North American Climate Compact with Canada and Mexico. Slash carbon pollution and methane emissions. Make America a clean energy superpower. Because there’s no Planet B.