Sierra Club News A Publication for Members and Friendsof the Roanoke River Group of the Sierra Club Almost Spring 2005 SPECIAL PRESENTATION -- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The video "Oil on Ice" will be shown at the Roanoke Unitarian Universalist Church on Saturday, February 19 at 7:30 PM. This is a fantastic documentary about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the controversy over drilling in that special area. The scenery and wildlife photography are wonderful, and the case for protection of this national treasure is eloquently presented. A co-production of several organizations including the Sierra Club, this is a great resource for environmental activists or anyone who is interested in learning about this critical issue. Following the video there will be discussion and an opportunity to visit with others who are concerned about our environment. The church is located at the SW Corner of Grandin & Brandon in Roanoke. Call Bob Egbert at 540-684-7448 for more details or to arrange a screening for your organization. Free - everyone welcome! A WORD FROM THE [NEW] CHAIR . . . by Mark McClain I would like to express, on behalf of the ExCom and all members, our profound gratitude to Bob Egbert, who has served as your Group Chair for the past five years. Bob's dedication and hard work have been critical to our organization. Bob has decided to step down from that position, and I am honored to have been asked to serve as his replacement. But Bob is not going away! He has been re-elected to your ExCom, and he will serve as Vice-Chair of our group. Additionally, Bob has been elected to the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter ExCom. He will serve as Membership Chair for the chapter, as well as Transportation Committee Chair for the Roanoke River Group. We are looking forward to an exciting and challenging year. We hope to energize more of our members to become active, and to that end we will be planning more activities and participating in more local events. Our monthly meetings will combine official business of the ExCom, informal discussions, and socializing. We hope to see you at a meeting or event soon (next is our annual planning meeting at 2 PM, February 19). Finally, I want to remind everyone that because we are not able to publish a lengthy and frequent newsletter, we have improved the timeliness and content of our web site, and we urge you to visit that site often to find the latest information on issues, action alerts, group contacts and activities. HELP VIRGINIA SIERRA CLUB FIGHT FOR CLEAN AIR NOW! We urgently need your help on what is probably the most important environmental legislation that will be taken up in the General Assembly this year. The "Clean Smokestacks" bill (HR 2742) will clean up over dozen of Virginia's oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants, including two AEP plants in southwest Virginia that contribute to pollution in our area. The bill was introduced by Del. Jack Reid of Henrico County. Pollution from power plants causes about 1,000 premature deaths, 140,600 lost work days and 23,700 asthma attacks each year in Virginia. Air pollution spoils the views in our beautiful mountains is detrimental to the health of the forest. · Call your legislators today! Tell them you support the Clean Smokestacks bill and ask them to vote for it for the sake of clean air and public health. Sierra Club contact Diana Christopulos (540-387-0930). Here are the Richmond phone numbers of Virginia legislators in our region: Senate: Dist. 21 John Edwards (804) 698-7521 House: Dist. 8 Morgan Griffith (804) 698-1008 If you're not sure who your legislators are, or they're not listed here, check your voter ID card or go online to http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform |
Roanoke River Group
of the Virginia Chapter
