HomeMy WebLinkAbout070226 - Director’s Notes_ From Loren Blackford_ June 2026ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
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Dear John,
As the American experiment reaches its 250th year, Sierra Club believes that America – and the places that are a part of it – should be celebrated! That’s why we’re launching America
250: Celebrate Our Natural Legacy, an initiative to honor America’s parks and wild places. Our parks and public lands stand as monuments to American democracy, demonstrating how collective
action can protect the extraordinary places that belong to all of us. Working together to save our parks and wild places, and ensure everyone can witness and enjoy the beauty of our
nation, is a necessary act of patriotism that must endure this year and for 250 more. We will share more in the coming days about how you can get involved.
A fitting kick-off to this celebratory year, Sierra Club, with our partners in the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, just launched One Million Kids Outdoors to get young people outside through
hikes, campouts, and adventures in wild places across the country. In just one week, we have mobilized more than 100 organizations to participate in the campaign and collectively have
already ensured outdoor experiences for more than 30,000 kids. Check out our storymap <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoISjaWuhOzAbDdprIMWwh2zYTDaLU210w
7Z0buALRGUHbKUB1asYwfFZPxKdCfx1oVVTjtE-bCSjtORuwNwWRVORaPhQ> to see how we’re catalyzing and mapping our movement. This is just a preview for what’s to come as we get ready to celebrate
the 125th anniversary of our outings program in August.
Here’s another piece of good news: in May, solar generated more electricity than coal <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoJ42ZoptNwXkpK2qDdOpVCJSic2PyJZlzJ
_gegu9oFMe5oO40a5irGqM1YyJwTHbVxRWa9d779kqvTOZlke_F8mwDGDg> in the United States for the first time ever. The decline of coal in America is largely the result of Sierra Club’s Beyond
Coal campaign; what we’re seeing now is the result of decades of work by our grassroots power, our lawyers, and the communities that fought alongside us. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is
still trying to prop-up the coal industry, as he handed it a $700 million taxpayer-funded bailout <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoKetNCzm5Ees_paNJ3Obn
Fp5NDjBFjvsnSO3G2P6gWLOWrrRbyid1EMMhUDPRUgx_BZJwNa5yN1aOf_L9oulhruFCrFA> . But we know the truth: there is no, nor will there be, a coal renaissance.
We scored other wins this month. The administration’s attempt to auction off oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge flopped <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQ
iOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoLfrK6CiUJm_M6ktjcSJxqQA0MYrNsEqNPu3hHhyqkbFz5M-kPzFyfco7QXzl3ZfnbLHIskWDK2J1EttmWdcWr1mtryQ> ; the sale failed to attract meaningful interest, due in no small
part to years of Sierra Club litigation and grassroots pressure. And a federal court blocked the Trump administration’s push to censor and erase <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEs
ImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoML53OX-Vlf7tEQSZS63cGc8tjZp2Wo9xnnC3goGDciab5w6JqIws8D0Q4S4NsgTkp6y-BQnSSsd-PAKvUwIEZZUhQLA> the stories told at our national parks and historic sites. That
ruling came just one week before Juneteenth, an appropriate coincidence in light of the administration’s targeted attacks on Black history in particular. Our public lands belong to
all of us, and so do the stories they hold.
As we approach the 4th of July and the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the Sierra Club is kicking off our Summer of Action <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV
9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoN0N7Zh-rAPzOctFzABqzz_Gfxt60YRq0N-fLTdwrOJmnMH7w5Fsi1R2v1D82igTggnFgEZlnWPMHWSmQlqqN4OTm7ig> . People organizing, showing up, and holding political and corporate leaders
accountable: that’s what built this country. It’s the essence of American democracy. There is no better way to celebrate this milestone than by getting out there and doing exactly that.
You’ll find more in this Director’s Notes, including a big win defending Grand Staircase-Escalante from a legislative attack, chapter spotlights from Utah to West Virginia to Massachusetts,
and new research on fossil fuel financing and electric transportation. Your steadfast support makes all of this work possible.
With gratitude,
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Loren Blackford
Sierra Club Executive Director
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P.S. Sierra magazine just published the winner and runner-up of our Sierra Seedlings Youth Essay Contest – inspiring writing from young people about their connections to nature. Read
the winning essay <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoOVQRrKi64rcH8f5zqS86hUjiWQwqPCuGMGeI1G4zxRdawrpbWwo8uvhDvlsu6y4sHVJzXxDOCHPVnXSeXqflOCuwbzA>
and the runner-up <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoPrFWicRl0ph7mj3a7ld_tV5myKIEjY95In1Ob-PAfL7D-OcO6D2ZjxIvh0PKsTJCfHlgXrxa_wzOL0CSlsWTNMFRk2Q>
.
________________________________
SPOTLIGHT: Defending Grand Staircase-Escalante
Thanks to an outpouring of public support and advocacy from conservation champions across the country, we helped stop federal efforts to weaken protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument. Senator Mike Lee attempted to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to fast track an attack on these protections. Thanks to our work to mobilize supporters, work
alongside allies, and build broad opposition, such attacks are now subject to a 60-vote filibuster that won’t be easily overcome.
Since its establishment 30 years ago, heightened protections for the Monument’s geology, paleontology, wildlife, plant communities, and ancestral sites have succeeded in preserving these
unique values for generations to come, and local communities on the Monument’s doorstep have benefited as well. This measure would have undone the Monument’s management plan, jeopardizing
protections for recreation, Tribal collaboration, dark night skies, and responsible stewardship across the monument’s 1.9 million acres.
As Sierra Club’s Athan Manuel put it, “This outcome is bigger than one monument. Had this effort succeeded, it would have created a dangerous roadmap for dismantling management plans
and undermining protections for public lands across the country. Instead, the broad coalition that came together to defend Grand Staircase-Escalante proved once again that Americans
will unite to protect the places that belong to all of us. This failed fast-track attack should serve as a warning to anyone looking to weaken our public lands: people are paying attention,
and they are prepared to fight back.”
Other Updates
Clean Transportation for All Congressional Testimony
On June 3, Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García testified as the minority witness before the Subcommittee on Environment of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
<https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoQkhib9fEPxV5mXntooRMsPT-ybreklebZVgS8xnlXYtEEtTLzKppJvVXPvUYtp5swmJOV0eGdicMLKFV3aMHCOiKRwA> . Katherine
was invited to speak in support of the Clean Air Act, respond to questions about the affordability crisis, and make the case for why strong standards are needed to reduce vehicle pollution
and address climate change.
Read her written testimony here <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoRKgJvdIu5ndEMheQ2wa0jJ1eVu7xaX5lQJDxH-hUmQv6LeY6Vi5mZnS4gMRrX9U-UtYK8Tf_J8_eb_0Ebz9WO9G
tffQ> and learn more in an article published ahead of the hearing here <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoSH7Cf5k5ylrz-WSYmGaLxkZzUSFUjykSxJs7LZxdbWtnzEa
SRZBmnUS2An-6HUL-QNNpDwd5TIGL1Z_nJAC6du1h8wQ> : “Katherine Garcia of the Sierra Club will serve as the lone environmental voice, arguing that weakening mobile source requirements, on
top of the endangerment finding rescission, compounds risks for communities already bearing disproportionate pollution burdens.”
Watch a powerful exchange between Rep. Raul Ruiz from California and Katherine posted by Forbes on YouTube <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoTXb-fKDdT1LB
A8w7TEmO9xjgld9ND1bHZ8DSv8J2EMtEVwCtt4FLdPDn3SCGhlEJQ9YCpHwbRVUWd8oQ2r_rFsvNXJg> about the impacts of air pollution and why the Clean Air Act is so important.
This comes as Sierra Club, the Electrification Coalition, Forth, and Plug In America released the latest edition of the AchiEVe 2026 Policy Guide Equips States and Communities to Advance
Electric Transportation <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoU1fhgQT3sSTqESFMA4dnR1bhuQEWyxD8mLiKFXhGr3pOXmNYLdtC4nnezEusKJeqgaHXMUoGu40yfCYmgVQMlLpZWJg>
, a comprehensive resource designed to help advocates, policymakers, utilities, and community leaders accelerate the transition to electric transportation through proven state, local,
and utility policies.
Chapter Highlights
Across the country, Sierra Club volunteers and supporters are turning local action into meaningful change.
* In Utah, community advocates secured a major clean energy victory as 16 cities and counties opted into the Utah Renewable Communities program <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsIm
QiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoVS70xt0TwfQP8d0z-d457oGxIzn2pOGMzh86eBtR0zVZz0c9UnRil2Xmgw5DLzOfltPgWJppuQwdmShfw9iGBy8oQoQ> , helping bring net-100% renewable energy to the grid. The milestone
followed years of organizing, with residents consistently showing up at local meetings and advocating for clean energy choice in their communities.
* In West Virginia, volunteers celebrated the completion of the chapter's “Quilting for Community” project <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoW2Nxpcv-F1zQ
khxYJDUtYYc-6Pv8eCwfrNTbsU2JEbP0xdY4SzID1EUTQ5_kwhPfNO0rgJoqewB_Dio3mmfr06QBGJQ> , a community-made quilt created from donated and recycled fabrics. More than 35 people gathered for
the unveiling, which also served as an opportunity to build relationships, share ideas, and strengthen ongoing environmental advocacy efforts.
* In Massachusetts, grassroots activists rallied at the State House for a large “People Over Profits” grassroots action <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5P
oXz0fPU_BeJZTohv7xPDhKIRtJtz1ouKxulju2aFK-b7OSJtsULefxyRwZtTWtXK8oqXRkbq4ejdi9ctvuPnesO_K27g> , calling on utility giant Eversource and state leaders to prioritize residents over corporate
interests. The event showcased the growing power of community members organizing for a more affordable and equitable clean energy future.
* That same determination fueled 100-mile advocacy bike rides in both Connecticut <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoYfmqeX1mEFXSkGvLGNQ43CzuNeMKyikg47y-G
ih9lcXCaHN5Vd2KR8nIcPL3Lb6wp9GZGn-Hn6xbQ2q5Ova5ZgAqpTg> and Tennessee <https://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=ABB7InYiOjEsImQiOjQ5MjV9AAcAAAAAA33Y5PoZfz7krgEdO7RsDPf7AJ9r2l3y2Nu7KtD8AYdRGHmTyUNkg4M
xlhHfI-cg6G1r7ImSfKATjApzJS3IxRg53FBJBwavzA> , where supporters raised awareness about the impacts of fossil fuel infrastructure and demonstrated the extraordinary commitment of local
activists.
Thank you for your ongoing support! Have questions or feedback? Please reach out to me any time at loren.blackford@sierraclub.org
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