Greater Baton Rouge Sierra Club

The next meeting of the Baton Rouge Group has been moved to Monday, September 12th, at 7pm at Le Madeleine’s on Jefferson Hwy.  All are welcome to attend.

East Baton Rouge Parish is revising its Master Plan for Development  and a draft is out for review by the public. It contains extensive sections on land use, parks, and environment/conservation. The draft can be viewed at www.futurebr.com.

Also, the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) is holding the “CONNECT Policy Forum.”  Consider attending this exciting FREE event Thursday, July 21st in Baton Rouge at the Lod Cook Alumni Center from 9:00-4:00. The Forum will feature speakers from:

ReConnecting America
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
Federal Highway Administration
Capital Region Planning Commission
New Orleans Regional Planning Commission
South Central Planning and Development Commission
New Orleans Regional Transit Agency
Baton Rouge CATS
City of New Orleans
City of Baton Rouge

You can register for the Forum here:  https://cpex.wufoo.com/forms/connect-policy-forum-registration/

Also, CPEX is hosting its annual Smart Growth Summit, August 17th to 19th, at the Shaw Center in Downtown Baton Rouge.  The summit has become the premier event for promoting quality planning and design in Louisiana, attracting Louisiana elected and appointed officials; planning practitioners, such as developers, architects, engineers and planners; and citizen and activist groups.  You can learn more or register at http://summit.cpex.org/

How does the flooding along the Mississippi affect your town?

THE BIG UNEASY, the first documentary by long-time “mockumentarian” Harry Shearer (Spinal Tap/The Simpsons) follows three remarkable people – the leaders of two scientific investigation teams and one whistleblower from inside the Army Corps of Engineers– as they reveal the true story of why New Orleans flooded and where it could happen again.

THE BIG UNEASY is holding a special screening in Baton Rouge on June 4th, from 8 to 9:30 PM at the Manship Theater.  Director Harry Shearer will be there for a live Q&A after the show. To get tickets or watch the trailer or please visit http://www.thebiguneasy.com.

Although it doesn’t officially start for another 3 weeks, summer is in full swing here in Louisiana. It’s a great time to get out and experience the outdoors, get a little sun, and enjoy what Nature has to offer. Of course, our spicy southern sun can make even the most die-hard outdoors enthusiast appreciate the creature comfort of A/C.

The Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club has invited the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) to update us on their efforts to make this rail a reality.

When: 7 p.m., April 21.

Where: Jones Creek Library.

March 17–For Immediate Release

Baton Rouge – The Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club today called on politicians and pundits to stop repeating well-worn energy myths that have re-emerged during the current run-up in oil and gasoline prices.

The first of these myths is the claim that drilling for more oil in the U.S. will reduce prices at the pump. There are several reasons why this is not true, the most fundamental being that prices for oil are set on the global market. “The price for oil is set internationally, not domestically,” said , “and not in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil that is produced from the Gulf or on American lands still has to meet that global price.”

A 2009 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration also stated that opening up offshore areas currently protected from drilling would potentially only lower the price of oil by a few dollars per barrel by 2030, and would have no significant impact on the price of gasoline at the pump.ⁱ

A second energy myth goes with the first – that the U.S. isn’t producing oil at home. Oil production in the U.S. has actually increased, however, due to “unconventional” and environmentally problematic extraction from tar sands and shales.ⁱⁱ “What this myth really means is that some areas are still off-limits,” said [Club], “because America is still protecting its parks and many wilderness areas.”

BRSC Criticizes Energy Myths – 2

But even here the myths mislead, since drilling permits on public lands increased dramatically over the past decade, and the areas offshore that are open for leasing and development have long exceeded those that are off-limits.ⁱⁱⁱ

“The current run-up in oil and gasoline prices is widely acknowledged to be a result of speculation and uncertainty about events in the Middle East^iv,” said , “but some politicians and pundits are spreading old energy myths anyway. The country is better served by policies based in reality.”

The Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club released a paper in 2008 that addressed many of the same myths and misinformation about oil and gas.^v

To vote on whether we should amend the by-laws to reduce the size of the Executive Committee from 8 to 5, follow the link below.

http://www.doodle.com/b6h9dviqh97zkqy4?newDesign=true

Thanks for your participation!

Also, please remember to send us your email addresses, if you haven’t already done so.  This allows us to conserve paper as well as time and resources that can be spent on local environmental efforts and campaigns.

Our next ExCom meeting will be February 7th.

Time: 7:00pm

Location:  La Madeleine’s on Corporate and Jefferson

The Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club, along with the Louisiana Hiking Club, is hosting a joint hiking trip on January 8, 2011 to the Clark Creek Natural Area in Wilkinson County, Mississippi.  A carpool will leave from the Campus Credit building on Quail St. at 8:30am.  The hike will begin at 10am in Clark Creek.  Contact Nancy Grush at 225-938-9353 if you would like to learn more or RSVP.

The Baton Rouge Group is currently accepting candidates to run for its Executive Committee (ExCom).  No prior experience is necessary, but membership, motivation, and teamwork skills are necessary and required.  If you are interested in helping to organize grassroots campaigns that can achieve real change in your community, contact our Conservation Coordinator at devin.martin@sierraclub.org.  Please state your full name and a description (a short paragraph) of why you think you would be a good candidate.