Sierra Club Reaches Landmark Agreement with KCP&L · 2016-01-24 · by Melissa Hope,Chapter...

by Melissa Hope, Chapter DevelopmentAssociate

On March 20th, 2007,Sierra Club andConcerned Citizens of

Platte County announced a groundbreakingglobal warming agreement with Kansas CityPower and Light (KCP&L) that ended all law-suits against the company. In return for drop-ping all legal actions and challenges to thebuilding of a new 850 MW power plant nearKansas City the company agreed to providethe largest investment in clean energy SierraClub has secured to date (400 MW of windand 300 MW of energy efficiency). Theagreement allows the one coal plant under

construction (out of their original plan for fivecoal plants) to continue on the condition thatall 6,000,000 tons of annual CO2 emissionsfrom the new plant will be offset with invest-ments in energy efficiency and wind power.This agreement lays the groundwork to ensurethat this one coal plant will be one of the last(if not the last) coal plant built in theMissouri/Kansas region.

The essential elements of the agreementinclude:

KCPL agrees to build only one 850 MWcoal-fired boiler (Iatan 2) at an existingfacility, rather than the 5 new boilers in amulti-state area initially proposed in2001.

KCPL will offset the entirety of the carbonemissions (6,000,000 tons annually) from

the additional boiler through the additionof 400 MW of wind, 300 MW of efficien-cy, and a yet to be determined amount ofadditional wind or efficiency or thedecommissioning of an additional boilerat another facility. These offsets willlargely be implemented by 2010 and fullyimplemented by 2012.

The agreement includes significant reduc-tions—some 9,100 tons annually—in cri-teria pollutants from Iatan I & II and LaCygne I & II power plants. These reduc-tions will aid the Kansas City metropoli-tan area in achieving attainment statuswith regard to federal air pollution stan-dards.

Net metering will be established within the

Sierra Club Reaches Landmark Agreement with KCP&L

continued on page 10...KCP&L Agreement

APRIL-JUNE 2007VOLUME 39 • NUMBER 2

One Earth One Chance

For the latest updates, visit us on the web:http://missouri.sierraclub.org

Participants in the March 20, 2007 press conference announcing KCP&L, Sierra Club and Concerned Citizens groundbreaking settlement agreement. From left to right: Jerry Shechter (Sustainability Coordinator of the Office of EnvironmentalQuality of the City of Kansas City, MO), Susan Brown (Concerned Citizens of Platte County), James Joerke (Air QualityProgram Manager, Mid-America Regional Council), Melissa Hope (Missouri Sierra Club staff), Crag Volland (Kansas SierraClub), Frank Drinkwine (Kansas Sierra Club), John Marshall (Senior Vice President – Delivery, KCP&L)

Photo by Claus Wawrzinek

2O z a rk Sierra n A p ril/June ‘ 0 7

The Ozark Sierran is published four times a yearby the Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club. Annualdues of Sierra Club members pay for subscriptionto this publication. Non–members may subscribefor $15 per year.Items for publication: Contact Claus Wawrzinek via E–mail at [email protected] or phone (816) 517-5244, PRIOR TO SENDING, for infor-mation on how to submit articles.The editors reserve the right to edit articles! Material may be edited for length,content, or clarity. It is our job to help you communicate. If you have strongcreative ownership of your writing, and wish to review your edited article beforepublication, consider your deadline 10 days prior to the published deadline.With notice, we will be happy to work with you.Reproduction quality photographs (prints) or artwork are dearly welcome.Pleeease: send us photos...The published deadline is the real, honest–to–goodness, drop–dead dead-

line—not a couple of days or a week later!Submissions received after the deadline aresubject to the possibility they won’t appearin the issue: you will feel bad and we will

feel bad. Call us nasty, but we are determined this newsletter will come out ontime!The OZARK SIERRAN is produced on a Macintosh computer, so we strongly pre-fer to receive material electronically (E–mail), or on a CD, WITH A HARDCOPY OF THE TEXT. Typed articles are also OK (must be received a fewdays before the deadline). All submissions must include name, address, andphone number of the author. If you want your submission returned (includingyour CD), please include a SASE.Hard–working, All–volunteer Editorial and Production Staff: Claus Wa w r z i n e kE d i t o r ; Bob Sherrick, p r o d u c t i o n .

C h a p t e r Executive Committee

James Turner, Chapter Chair, [email protected],(660) 665–6256Ginger Harris, Vice Chair, [email protected], (314) 994-710Nick Knobbe, Secretary, [email protected],(314) 775-6798Cheryl Hammond, Treasurer, [email protected],(314) 210–4054Byron CombsLeslie Lihou, [email protected], (314) 726-2140Henry Robertson, [email protected], (314) 647-5603

Eastern Missouri Group: Becky Denny,[email protected], (314) 645-3394Osage Group: vacantThomas Hart Benton Group: Claus Wawrzinek,[email protected], (816) 517-5244Trail of Tears Group: Bob Zeller, [email protected], (573) 334-9965White River Group: Cynthia Andre, [email protected],(417) 581-8318

Conservation Chair: Becky Denny, [email protected],(314) 645-3394

Deferred Gifts Officer, Legal Chair: Roger Hershey,[email protected], (816) 842–3636Fund–raising Chair: Keet Kopecky,[email protected],(816) 966–9544Legislative Chair: Roy C. Hengerson,[email protected], (573) 635–8066Membership Chair: vacantNewsletter Editor: Claus Wawrzinek,[email protected], (816) 517-5244Sierra Club Council Delegate: James Turner,[email protected], (660) 665–6256Transportation Chair: Ron McLinden,[email protected], (816) 931–0498Website Chair: Cheryl Hammond, [email protected],(314) 210–4054

S t a f f G R O U P R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

7164 Manchester Avenue, Maplewood, MO 63143(314) 644-1011(573) 815–9250 voice/answering machine (800) 628–5333 Water Quality HotlineVacant, Program DirectorMelissa Blakley, Development Associate,[email protected], (573) 999-7388Roy Hengerson, Legislative Director,[email protected], (573) 644-2828Angel Kruzen, Missouri Water Quality Monitoring Organizer,[email protected]

CHAPTER OFFICE STA F F

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

GROUP REPRESENTATIVES

AT LARGE

Renewable Electricity StandardsBoth bills include a Renewable Portfolio

Standard. It would be more convenient to callthis a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES).This requires utilities to get an increasingamount of their electricity from renewablesources, whether they generate it themselvesor buy it on the market. The targets start lowand increase over time to let the utilities growinto them. The federal goal would be 20 per-cent renewable generation by 2020.

Nearly half the states have some form ofRES. (As usual, the Show-me state won’t doanything until it’s been shown how by at least45 other states. But we’re working on it.)Most of them have much weaker goals than20/20. They also differ in ways that couldmake them incompatible. There are differentdefinitions of renewable energy—inPennsylvania even coal can be a “renewable”resource. Some have credit-trading programswhile others don’t.

A strong federal RES would be a bigadvance.

Cap-and-tradeBoth bills rely on government regulation,

but Waxman’s includes a market-based cap-and-trade scheme for GHG. Sanders-Boxerdoes not, but it allows the EPA to create oneby regulation.

The whole idea of cap-and-trade is dis-tasteful. First, a level of allowed pollution isset. Then the emissions below this ceiling arecarved up into rights to pollute and allocatedto the polluters. The ones that pollute lessthan their proportional share can sell theirallowances; businesses that pollute too muchhave to buy. The hope is that most companieswill find it more in their interest to make aprofit, not a loss, on the deal and will lowertheir emissions so that they will have moreallowances than they need.

by Henry Robertson, Energy Chair

You wouldn’t know it fromthe media, but there areactually bills in Congress

that address climate change.It’s about time. The political will has been

building from below, with individuals andbusinesses changing their ways, towns signingup to the U.S. Mayors Climate ProtectionAgreement (which the Sierra Club has adopt-ed as its Cool Cities campaign) and manystates passing laws for cleaner electricity, moreefficient buildings and the like. A federal law,if it were serious enough, would do in oneswoop what all these piecemeal efforts aregroping towards.

Best known is the McCain-Lieberman bill,officially titled the Climate Stewardship andInnovation Act (S. 280). It would cap green-house gas (GHG) emissions by 2010 at thelevel where they stood in 2000. This is weakerthan the inadequate Kyoto Protocol.

Only two bills would really do the job, set-ting an ambitious goal for GHG emissions of80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Their statedobjective is to avoid a temperature rise of3.6°F (2°C) and hold the CO2 concentrationin the atmosphere below 450 parts per mil-lion; it’s currently 381 ppm and growing atabout 2 ppm per year.

These bills are the Safe Climate Act (H.R.5642) introduced by Representative HenryWaxman (D-CA) and the Global WarmingPollution Reduction Act (S. 309) sponsoredby Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) andBarbara Boxer (D-CA). The Sierra Club sup-ports Sanders-Boxer as the most effective.

Both bills attack the problem on multiplefronts, requiring more fuel-efficient vehicles,more renewable electricity generation, andtougher efficiency measures for the use ofelectricity.

continued on page 5........Climate Change

Climate Change inC o n g r e s s

3O z a rk Sierra n Ja n u a ry/March ‘ 0 6

by Becky Denney, Missouri ChapterConservation Chair

When the Taum SaukReservoir collapsedabove Johnson’s

Shut-Ins State Park onDecember 14, 2005, ques-tions about the Park

Superintendent and the condition of his threechildren were foremost on our minds. But asthey recovered and we breathed thanks that noone else was in the park, we speculated onhow it could have happened. Everyonebecame aware of dam safety in Missouri. Wesuddenly found out that the State of Missourihad no jurisdiction over federal projects inMissouri. The complete inspection responsi-bility belonged to the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission. The Taum SaukReservoir had passed an inspection in Augustof 2005.

Union Electric built the Taum SaukReservoir contending that it did not need aFederal permit to built it and to operate it.When it was dedicated in October, 1963 therehad been no federal inspection of the con-struction. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in1965 that it was under federal jurisdiction.Now we know that the earthen dam had rock“fill” material instead of bedrock, and thedesign and construction methods were sub-standard even for the 1960’s. Would federaloversight have meant that a spillway wasincluded in the design? That might have pre-vented the total failure—particularly sinceovertopping was the force that precipitated thecollapse.

As required, the Taum Sauk plant had anemergency plan. According to the time lineestablished the morning that Taum Sauk rup-tured, the plant supervisor didn’t follow theemergency plan until at least 30 minutes afterthe water hit the USGS station at Highway N.A USGS study released on December 14,2006 estimated the velocity of the water:

“At its peak, the water rushed down theside of the mountain at a rate of 289,000cubic feet per second, roughly equal to theflow of the Missouri River at three to five feetover flood stage. High water marks along thewater’s route down the mountain indicatedthat it reached depths of 50 feet or more. Thesubsequent flood of the East Fork of the BlackRiver was approximately four times largerthan a 100-year flood,” said report authorPaul Rydlund.

“During a 100-year flood, water would flowthrough the river at 21,900 cubic feet per sec-ond,” Rydlund said. “At the peak flow of this

release, it was coming through at 95,000 cubicfeet per second.”

A simple check of the history of dam fail-ures finds that there are many reasons for fail-ure. According to Dr. J. David Rogers of theDepartment of Geological Engineering at theUniversity of Missouri–Rolla, the early con-crete dams were much more prone to fail thanearthen ones. Dr. Rogers grew up inCalifornia and is famous, among othersthings, for his re-study of the St. Francis Damfailure of March 12, 1928. It was a failurewhich sent a wall of water 185 feet high downthe San Francisquito Canyon to the SantaClara River and then to the Pacific for a totaldistance of 58 miles.

The St. Francis Dam was considered the“Titanic of Civil Engineering.” The dam wasdesigned and constructed between 1924 and1926. It was at full reservoir level for only fivedays before it collapsed. The collapse in 1928was one of the greatest disasters in Californiahistory with a loss of 420 lives and millions ofdollars of damage. Rogers’ website claims it isthe worst “American Civil Engineering failureof the 20th Century.”

Until the collapse of the St. Francis Dam,expert input on geology of the sites used fordams was not common. In fact, it was sitedagainst a landslide. An investigation as of 1992found a list of 254 American dams greaterthan 35 feet in height that were constructedagainst old landslides.

According to the interview conducted withDr. J. David Rogers, a concrete gravity damwas supposed to be a conservative engineeringstructure, but in this case the stability calcula-tions were eventually found to be off by a fac-tor of 240 percent. Debate about uplift pres-sures developing beneath concrete dams cameafter the St. Francis dam failed and continuedinto the 1950’s. In fact, Hoover Dam whichwas completed in 1935 had major foundationgrouting done in the mid 1950’s when exces-sive hydraulic uplift pressures were measured.Even when the Malpasset Dam failed in 1959it took years for the uplift pressures to beunderstood.

The design for the Mulholland Dam (forthe Hollywood Reservoir) which was anotherconcrete dam built under William Mulhollandwas inspected by John L. Savage, the ChiefEngineer for the Bureau of Reclamation. Heinformed the Los Angeles Department ofWater and Power that the dam needed to be“retrofitted.” So the Hollywood Reservoir wasdrawn down and the work quietly done by1933.

Another reservoir failure much later in

California ended differently. But again it couldnot be emptied quickly. On December 14,1963 abutment leakage suddenly appeared atBaldwin Hills Reservoir in California. By12:30 p.m., after several hours of checking, anall-out attempt was made to drain the reser-voir. By 3:30 p.m. the Baldwin Hills Reservoirbreached with less than 20 percent of thereservoir drained.

The Laurel Run Dam failure resulted in aten year legal battle over settlements with vic-tim’s families. There were 39 victims with $5.3million damages. But The Tribune-Democrat(Johnston, PA) had to unseal the records laterto find that the failure of the dam duringheavy storms was due to a history of poormaintenance and ignored warnings of the con-dition of the dam.

Early dam legislation in Missouri waspassed in 1889 but was concerned with dam-ages from construction and lake formationand was called the Dams, Mills and ElectricPower Law. We had dam failures atLawrenceton in 1968,Washington County in1975, and Fredericktown in 1977. By 1979the Missouri Legislature became aware that,according to the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers’ inspections of dams in our state,we led the nation in the total number ofunsafe dams. The passage of HB 603 regulat-ed dams over 35 feet high, but exempted damsused primarily for agriculture and dams regu-lated by state or federal agencies.

On January 22, 2006, after the Taum Saukcollapse, the Post-Dispatch ran titles like“Missouri leads the nation in unregulated‘high-hazard’ dams.” The Southeast Missourianreported on January 31, 2006 that the ArmyCorps said we had 390 high-hazard dams—dams that can kill if they rupture.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out thatthere are hundreds of dams in Missouri andIllinois that need repairs; that lack emergencyplans; and that overworked inspectors can’tforce owners to make repairs. More than halfof the 641 dams in Missouri are either high-hazard, significant hazard or not regulated.

Governor Blunt ordered a review of damsafety rules by December 13, 2005. He sup-ported the Department of Natural Resources(DNR) recommendations made publicFebruary 13, 2006 that were in line with theFederal Emergency Management Agency’smodel dam safety law standards. Most damsthat are at least 25 feet high or that hold 50acre-feet of water would be inspected everyfive years. (An acre-foot is the volume it takes

Our Failing Effort to Conquer the Natural Wo r l d

continued on page 4...Conquer the Natural World


to cover an acre with one foot of water.) Therecommendation increased the number ofdams inspected by DNR from the 2005 figureof 600 to 5,000. Dams regulated by theFederal Power Act, agricultural dams, anddams constructed for conservation or irriga-tion would no longer be exempted. The stateof Missouri now regulates only non-agricultur-al dams with a 35 foot or more height.

The Post commented on December 15,2005 that some agricultural dams are morethan 50 feet tall. James Alexander, chief engi-neer for the Missouri dam safety office wasquoted:

“A lot are in overpopulated areas,”Alexander said. “I doubt very seriously whenpeople living downstream of these agriculturaldams are going to notice the differencebetween agricultural water and water thatwould come out of a conventional dam.”

The Post-Dispatch also reported that MartinMcCann, director of the NationalPerformance of Dams Program at StanfordUniversity says that nationally there are ten to20 dam failures a year but deaths are rare. Hethought we needed to see dam failure in per-spective.

In The Southeast Missourian Brad Iarossiwith the American Society of Civil Engineerssaid that the American dam system has gottena “D” on its annual report card each yearsince they started rating them on dam safetyin 1998.

Despite the rhetoric of Governor Blunt lastyear, SB 1236 was passed by the senate butnot the House. This year there is a bill intro-duced in the house and also one in the senate.As they were introduced, neither one permit-ted most agricultural dams and both raisedthe definition of a dam to 50 feet which isworse that the bill we have now. A high-hazarddam was defined as loss of human life beingprobable or expected.

On February 27, 2006, House Bill 159came out of committee radically changed. Theregulations currently define dams as being 25feet or more in height with a storage volumeof at least 50 acre-feet of water. High Hazarddams are to be inspected at least every threeyears and significant hazard dams inspected atleast every five years. Dams licensed under theFederal Power Act such as Taum Sauk are tobe inspected yearly when before the state hadno jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the agriculturaldam exemption may still remain unless thestate council on the advice of the chief engi-neer determines the dam to be a high or sig-nificant hazard dam or reservoir.

On January 22, 2007, the Army Corps ofEngineers began to lower the water level of

Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. Wolf CreekDam was placed on a list of “structures” thathave a high risk of failure after a post-Hurricane Katrina risk assessment of 400Corps dams. An earthen dam with a concretecore, the Wolf Creek Dam is nearly a mile longand 240 feet high. It was started in 1938 andcompleted in the early 1950’s as part of a fed-eral plan to control floods on the Ohio andMississippi Rivers. Should the dam breach,the failure could result in a great disaster. Atotal of $3.5 billion in damages is estimated.

Much of the sediment and debris from theDecember 14, 2005 Taum Sauk breach hasbeen moved so it will not go down river intoClearwater Lake. But there is still sedimentbelow the Lower Reservoir that needs toremoved and stabilized. AmerenUE has decid-ed to rebuild the Taum Sauk Reservoir.TheFederal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC) announced environmental scopingmeetings scheduled for March 2007 for therebuilding of Taum Sauk Plant 2277.AmerenUE has yet to complete its plans to re-establish the Lower Reservoir. The East Forkof the Black River remains unusable for usand not even in a stable ecological state—yetAmerenUE is dependent on that very streamto fill the Lower Reservoir and then use thewater for construction and operation. As damsare built they are indeed dependent on thenatural materials available, the bedrock, andwater that can easily and cheaply be obtained.

Now let me tell you about the dam in theBlack River watershed that is a greater dangerto people and property than Taum SaukReservoir. When Clearwater Dam was com-pleted in 1948 its main purpose was to pre-vent downstream flooding and damages. TheCorps website says Clearwater Dam has pre-vented $217 million in flood damages.

Inspection reports from the Corps in late1977 stated that the safety of the embankmentat high upper pool was questionable. OnOctober 15, 1987 an inspection report saidthat “Construction of the planned seepagecontrol berm and right abutment grouting isnecessary to ensure the continued structuralsafety of Clearwater Dam.”

In 2003 a sink hole was discovered whichwill take millions of dollars and five years tofix. On August 30, 2006 a large hole 30 feetbeneath the base of the dam appeared causingengineers to believe that materials were mov-ing from the dam. The core showed a mixtureof clay silt, gravel, and water. Jason Lindseyreported that:

“Engineers say seepage has been occurringat Clearwater Dam since its completion in1948, primarily because the bedrock isdolomite, a highly fractured rock subject to

wear and erosion.”The sinkhole found in 2003 was repaired,

but a concrete curtain is to be built so a $17million contract was awarded for Phase I workto be done from June 2006 to July 2007. InDecember 2006 during the drilling in thebedrock and grouting done to fill up the cavi-ties or holes three pockets of sandy soil weredetected within the dam. Based on informa-tion determined from core samples, engineerssay they believe the dam’s core is intact. ThePhase II contract to complete the cutoff wall,which has been described as a dam within adam, should be awarded in mid 2007.

A new (published in August 2006) studybased on modern concepts of “state based soilmechanics” found that there was cracking inthe core that had not been recognized in thedesign of the dam.

My early personal experience and dislike ofdams stems from the fight against dammingthe Current River. The Corps of Engineershad plans to dam it but canoers from both St.Louis and Kansas City were up in arms.Leonard Hall wrote a marvelous book calledCurrent River Running which we all loved.Politicians were taken on float trips with theresult that in 1964 the Current and Jacks Forkwere designated as a national scenic riverway.

Two dams were stopped after constructionhad actually started. One was the Echo ParkDam which would have been near the junctionof Yampa and Green Rivers in Colorado with-in Dinosaur National Monument. DavidBrower and the Sierra Club won that fight butcompromised by allowing the Glen CanyonDam to be enlarged. That was a bitter com-promise to some.

The other dam that was stopped after con-struction started was the Meramec Dam. Dr.Rogers has an interesting presentation on hiswebsite about the Meramec Dam Basin plansand defeat. The first and largest dam plannedwas a zoned earthfill embankment for floodcontrol and recreation.There were a total of31 reservoirs planned for the Meramec BasinProject. Evidently there was a statement in therevised Environmental Impact Study (EIS)that the Indiana bats and the gray bats foundin some of the more than 100 caves located inthe project area would be extinct in 15–20years anyway. But, thanks to everyone thathelped win that fight, we still have those cavesand we still have Indiana Brown bats and greybats in Missouri caves.

Conquer the Natural Wo r l d. . . . . .continued from page 3


by Dennis Lovepublished by William MorrowReview by Caroline Pufalt

Sierrans may remember Anniston,Alabama as “that town Monsanto pol-luted.” Readers will recall reading in

2003 of the unfolding trial regarding howdecades of careless disregard for public healthleft the community contaminated with PCBsand it eventually resulted in a “$700 millionday in court.” Now, a book by Annistonnative, Dennis Love, recounts the humandrama behind the city’s struggle with its toxiclegacy. The book’s title, My City Was Gone,captures how Love felt returning to hisbeloved hometown to cover the issue.

Love focuses on city leaders and citizenssuch as the mayor, a judge, and communityactivists to tell a story of how this mid sizedcity faced multiple problems. In addition toPCB contamination, the city faced the possi-ble loss of its Army Depot as well as contro-versy over incineration of weapons stockpilesat that same Depot. Its citizens drew strengthfrom their community as well as from someunlikely sources. One judge admits he some-times asked himself, what would Andy do?

Andy Griffith that is. Readers will come toknow this cast and will likely admire theirdetermination, faith in their city and hardwork.

Like too many towns,Anniston’s residents lived inracially separate neighbor-hoods. Although the PCBpollution threatened every-one, its African American cit-izens were at greatest riskdue to their proximity to pol-lution sources. After years ofincreased illnesses and death,many of those residents laterlearned that their yards werecontaminated and housesdevalued. A central characterin My City Was Gone is DavidBaker, a black communityactivist who led the organiz-ing effort for justice. Hisstory is compelling, inspiring and tinged withsadness as he lost a younger brother to illness-es likely related to PCB exposure.

Love’s book includes highlights from thetrial and evidence submitted. But his focus isnot on environmental impacts or the sciencebehind them. Instead he brings the story of a

struggling town to light through the lives of itscitizens and his own hometown memories.Love, a journalist, is well suited to take us thebehind the headlines story in a readable

account. But there is enoughinformation on the dynamics ofthe pollution to understand thegravity of the town’s problems.

There is another angle forSierrans in this book becauseAnniston was also struggling withthe area’s Army Depot and mili-tary facility used to incinerate oldammunition and other hazards.Despite the controversy, Annistoneventually accepted the incinera-tion operation. But in the mean-time the Sierra Club and otherswere vigorously fighting for analternative to incineration inRocky Flats facility in Colorado.

Why read My City Was Gone?One reason is to learn how varied citizenspulled together to save their health, homesand ultimately their town. Another reason toread this book is to remind us that withoutadequate environmental laws and non partisanenforcement, it may be too easy for anothertown to find itself in Anniston’s position.

My City Was Gone

Depending on your point of view, emis-sions trading by market mechanisms is theideal, or at least the pragmatic, way to dothings; or it’s another attempt to privatize thecommons, turning the atmosphere into corpo-rate property and developing nations intoplantations to grow energy crops for theindustrial world.

One of these days I’ll wrap my head aroundthis complex subject and be able to pontificatewith authority. For now, I’m keeping an openmind.

The devil is in the details. Carbon tradingmight work if the program is designed right.Sanders-Boxer, for example, would ratchetdown the carbon cap if and when carbon-con-trolling technologies became cheap enough, sothere wouldn’t be a permanent right to polluteat the initial level.

Rest assured, however, that the carbon-intensive industries will lobby furiously forloopholes.

Carbon sequestrationAll of the bills stress technological innova-

tion and assume the continuation of economicgrowth. Sanders-Boxer in particular, in orderto reduce CO2 emissions from electricity gen-eration, relies heavily on geological carbonsequestration.

Carbon sequestration, or carbon captureand storage (CCS), is the idea that we cankeep CO2 out of the atmosphere by puttingthe carbon back where it came from—under-ground or in ocean sediments.

It sounds implausible: how can you keep agas underground? Nevertheless there are rep-utable studies that say it is feasible, includingone in 2005 from the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, the body of scientistswhose reports on climate change are the mostauthoritative—and increasingly urgent—warn-ings that global warming is real and danger-ous.

Economics may be a bigger obstacle thanengineering. Building power plants capable ofcapturing CO2, let alone retrofitting oldplants, is expensive. Storage takes the rightkind of geology; Missouri’s porous karsttopography would never hold CO2 down. Itwould have to be piped somewhere else, andthe pipeline would be pure, deadweight cost.

The only, limited market for CO2 is inenhanced oil recovery—pumping the com-pressed gas into old oil fields to increase thepressure and bring more oil out of hiding.When your objective is to reduce GHG, that’scounterproductive. It will take a hefty tax oncarbon before CCS becomes cost-competitivewith funneling CO2 into the open air for free.

Muttering the c-wordIn all these Congressional bills and in most

other plans being publicly floated, the empha-sis is on technological solutions, most of whichare unproven and expensive. The mood is lessone of can-do optimism than of desperation. Ifwe’re lucky, CCS will let us keep burning fos-sil fuels; if not, we’ll just have to hope thatefficiency and renewables will give us the samekind of abundant and reliable energy supply.Economic growth and the precious high-con-sumption lifestyle are not negotiable.

What we’re not hearing is the c-word: con-servation. Efficiency means doing the samejob with less energy. Conservation meansusing less energy, period. Efficiency conservesup to a point, but if the job (or the wholeeconomy) continues to grow it eventuallytakes more energy even if it’s done with maxi-mum efficiency.

The International Energy Agency projectsthat world energy demand, given currenttrends, will double within 35 years. Can ener-gy efficiency and renewable energy keep upwith the pace of this accelerating treadmill?

Right now we’re only whispering the c-word. We should scream it: “AMERICA,USE LESS ENERGY!”

Climate Change. . . . . . . .continued from page 2


Thank YouThe Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club would like to thankall of our members, donors, volunteers and partners fortheir commitment to protect Missouri and leave our childrena living legacy—clean air, clean water, and natural grandeur.The following donors contributed during 2006.

GUARDIANRuth AunerAnonomousDavid & Sheryl HarperMike & Ruth MarrMargot F McMillenCharlie & Beth O'ReillyMary SaleBob & Doris SherrickJacqueline Stevens

PROTECTORAnonomousEmma Ruth AyersDavid & Nancy BedanBecky S DenneyJohn Feldmann & Patty FeitKim & George HansonChris & Kelly HaydayEverett & Joyce HiltyJulie HolleyJames & Annabel Nutter SrRobert S Thrutchley

STEWARDLyle and Jeanette AlbrightDr & Mrs William C AllenClaire AndersonAnonymousAnonymousAnonymousMary L BallouHarold & Julia BamburgAlan & Deborah BaudlerMarie BergmannMarvin & Willa BoisseauJoan & Jack BotwinickSusan BrownJon & Deborah BrunsJanice BryanKevin BuftonJack & Winifred ColwillAlan Journet & KathyConwaySusan CookeRod & Diana CowsertChris & Kathy Crenner/Levy& FamilySusan Cunningham &James DoeringCharles Daniel IIIGina DeBartheJean C DigbyDee DokkenChristine DollKay & Leo DreyEllen DuggerBecky EricksonRabbi Yossi FeintuchSusan L FladerTerri & Jay FolsomRobert FrickAndy Fromm & LaurieBomba & Family

Betsy GarrettJames GiedinghagenJames & Roberta GillilanMr & Mrs Wayne GoodeDennis GredellLouise GreenPaul & Melody GrossPatricia GunbyNatalie Prussing HalpinJill HalversonJohn & Marilyn HarlanRoy & Elaine HartleyOz HawksleyAustin HenryRobert & Charlotte HermanRoger & Nancy HersheyJim & Margot HolsenMelissa HopeJim & Cathy HuckinsMark HurdSisters of St. Joseph ofCarondeletWayne & Lynne KaiserBen KjelshusLoretto KleykampWilliam S KnowlesKatherine KornfeldRichard Kutta & NancyMeyerGrace LeeDick LueckeBill McConnaugheyJohn & Laverna MeyerWanda & Tim MichelsLarry MizelRoy & Jill MoedTom MoranDean R MorehouseJames J NybergDiana & Jim OleskevichTerry PalmerJoseph & Diane PoniewazCaroline PufaltJuris Leon PurinsVickie & Simon PursifullSusan RayDr Ruth A RichMarsha L RichinsHenry RobertsonThomas RoscettiThomas Yusha SagerMark ShapiroStanley & Shelly SilveyLisa SkolnickBeverly & Jim SporlederDorothy & John StadeShirley & Thomas StandishGary & Elizabeth StanglerDavid & Linda StapletonJim & Debra StewartLee and Shirley StiegerMichael StokesMary F StuppyJames D TruesdaleJane Van SantTom & Marilyn VernonRosemary Wakeham

Stephen E WeissmanPhil & Janelle WittmerMarlee YantNorman & Jean YoungsteadtRobert Zeller

ADVOCATEEva AllenMr & Mrs David AlpersBrian & Evgenyia AlworthAnonymousAnonymousAnonymousDorothy ArmbrusterElaine & Roger BarnhillJohn R Barsanti JrElizabeth A BiddickKathy Bildner & LarryLindenbergerDan And Deb BirminghamAnn & Daniel BlanchfieldIrving & Melody BoimeMichael & Jean BollingerHarold F BrighamChris & Jessica BrownJane BurtonEugene L CaplesVicki Carlson & John BowenJames E ChiltonGuy ClardyByron CombsNorman CrockerAntonio Cutolo-RingDon & Patricia DagenaisAlan & Kathleen DamhorstJill De Witt & CharlesWurreyMr and Mrs Ray DominoPaul & Roberta DonahueAnne DufferPatrick DwyerJaunette EaglesfieldRoger & Virginia EmleyLois FaughtArthur FishelWilliam & Margaret FoegeNewell Franks & JoycePlankBarbara FredholmGary M FukasawaSavannah FurmanRonald & Elsie GaberAmy Glaser GageJoan & James GarrisonRussell & Barbara GeenGeorgean GierhartHoward & Darlene GoodrichSue Granger & GeraldOsbornMichael & Vicki GremingerRobert HaggJames & Karin HarmonDebby HaysDr Patricia HoffmanLuise N HoffmanPauline Holtzmann

Sally L HubbardPhyllis HuettnerSally & Tom JonesStan Kaufman & JuliaReitanPatricia & Harold KeairnesRobert & Phyllis KesslerLarry King & Jeanne KirktonSusan KingG Clare LauneCarol LockhartPaul & Judie LoreDavid Lutz & Ellen McLeanDennis & Bettina MarkwardtRichard MattEileen McManus & MikeHurdSusan K McRillDaryl MellerJames & Deborah MillerLarry Falkin & ElizabethMolinarioJames & Paula NordstromHank & Katy OttingerTere OwensLee & June PfeferSusan and Gordon PhilpottJames & Hanne Hartmann-PhippsSusan & Charles PorterTerry & Karen ProffittMitchell ReeseJames & Piper ReimerRussell & Patricia RobinsonJames A RogersDouglas R RushingRobert Sager & Ann KvetonKen SchechtmanEdgar W SchmidtRon Serino & Elizabeth DickShirley SostmanKen SpanglerMichael F SpicerGary & Muriel StephensMichael StofielAlexandra SwathoutDean & Melissa TheideEllsworth TitusJim & Pat TornatoreMr & Mrs Eugene TriceArdith & Robert TrostThomas & Leslie TupperAlbert & Lucy Van L MaasRichard & Nancy WatsonStephen & Mary WeinsteinJames & Barbara WillockTeresa Woody & Rik SiroBarbara Yates

SUPPORTERMary AbbotPatricia AdamsAnonymousAnonymousAnonymousAnonymous

AnonymousAnonymousAnonymousAnonymousJoan & Michael BanksDale BatesMarlen BeachJaretta BeardGeorge A BehrensTheodore M BeringerBetty BettsLillian B BolyDennis & Kathleen BoppGloria BroderickPatty BrownDonna J BrownGladys & Clinton BrownDixie BrownJim & Susan BrownMargaret J BruffeeAl Bruns & Donna HartLinn & Neal BurdickMargaret CannanHarvey & Francine CantorGlenda & Chester CarrowRobert & Lois ChamblessEmory & Loretta CorriganWilliam & Jo Ann CroninThomas & Judi CrouchTravis Curd IIDean & Virginia DanzerPaul & Eleanor DeWaldDonald L DickMartha & Phil DodsonDebra Dolly & Ron Papsdorf Amanda & Kenochewa DotyConnie DoverAnita F DuncanAnn EggebrechtMargaret & WilliamEisenbergerHerbert R EschlimanPamela EvansJames EverettJohanna & Donald FlynnRichard & Lillian FosterHarvey FrenchCatherine FuhryJames H GantAlmut and WalterGassmannShawn & Teresa GatesNancy & Lawrence GelbGeorge & Susan GilleEarl & Nikki GomerMolly & Andrew GosnellBarbara GraceJohn & Mary GriceGary & Mary GrigsbyMarcia GrundonH Eugene HallCheryl HammondKarol L HancockRita HansonRochelle HarrisMichelle HarrisSally Harrison

O z a rk Sierra n A p ril/June ‘ 0 77

Daniel & Sylvia HeinAmy Heithoff & AndresDominguezCheryl HellmannDenise HestiaGene & Dolores HoefelPamela HoslerDave & Rose Anne HuckSteve HumphreyRoss A HuntDaniel HurleyGloria HusneyJerry HutterWilliam HydeSue & Steve JarrettDavid JarvisMary E JohnsonVicki JohnsonDean & Mary Ellen JohnstonMr & Mrs Fred KaulLilli & John KautskyChristopher KemnerWilma & David KennellDavid G KentCarrol & Freddie KeyGregory KigerRoy KirganJoseph & Rea KleemanHenry A KnauperKenneth KoniecznyStephen & Marilyn KoshlandMatthew KralemannEverett B LakeyEdward & Katherine LampeJoe LandwehrGregory & Shelly LeCureGreg LeonardDr David M LiebermanLeo LoehnigJane Loevinger WeissmanBill & Lee LongmanLinda & Brent LowenbergLyn MageeMary Vines MartinJoy MartinSidney & James Martin

George & Hazel MartinW Dudley & ElizabethMcCarterJanet McCormackClifford & Jean McCormickDeborah A McDarisMaureen McEntireArnold & Oneta McMannPhyllis McPheetersLewis & Dolores MeadNancy MebedRonald & Paula MeyerAlbert & Sharon MidouxChris MihillJill MillerKerby MillerVince Mitchell & Claire FryMary MontgomeryRuth MoultonGen Obata & Rebecca StithPaul W OhlendorfDerek L OhlmsTheresa & Brian OttChristopher OttoChris L PalcheffJeanine PaniaguaMichelle PojeThomas Tucker & StephaniePowelsonAlice C PrewittJohn PriceWalter L RadeckBarbara RainAmy & Thomas Enkelmann-ReedSally & Don RichardsonRichard & Michele RightLarry RobinsonJim & Mary RumanThomas & Elaine ScatizziFaith M SchaanJulia SchoenstadtArthur & Mary ScholbeMarjorie SchroerPam SchulteRichard Schwartz

Bernice SeiferthCathy SeltsamPatricia A ShermanDale & Anne ShipleyTom & Edith SkalitzkyDaedra SmithTerry & Jane SmithPaul & Marianne SteingrubyMark & Teresa StettesBob StoltmanGail StrongHoward & Mary SutherlandMark TamasiClaudine ThomasLea ThompsonLauri TialaCharles & Janet TobenGilbert TuckerJames TuckerJim & Laurie TurnerSteven Holtkamp & MarionUlrichLany Van L MaasKent VanceLarry Vaughn & Francis AnnWardGeraldine VernickGary & Kathleen VogtRichard & Charlotte WalshKristen Welborn & JeffWilliamsDorothy WelschJenna WestonCarol Sue WheelerWilliam & Frances WhitePenny WhiteMichael WillardDavid D WilliamsJo Ann WittRobert L WixomLois L WoodsMr & Mrs C A WurstSharon & Dennis WylamKarl & Mary YeagerNathan Zenser


by Colleen Sullivan

Recycling has changed a lot in the pastfew years. My recycle bin has gonefrom a small 2’ x 3’ plastic bin to a 50

gallon trash can with more volume than mycan for “other” waste. What has changed?Eureka, Missouri, residents and many otherswho are serviced by IESI, Allied, WasteManagement, Veolia and other independenthaulers may no longer be limited to newspa-pers, cans and soda bottles. These haulershave the capability to offer single stream recy-cling which allows cans, glass bottles, alu-minum trays and foil; plastics of all types(except #6); magazines, newspapers, junkmail, cardboard, pizza boxes and even waxedmilk and juice cartons to be tossed into a sin-gle bin. Simply empty and rinse all containers.

It seems pretty simple—and it is. If it ispaper and can be torn, it can probably berecycled. If it is a plastic container and is notstamped with #6, it can probably be recycled.Please do NOT recycle hazardous chemicalcontainers such as motor oil, insecticide orherbicide; no Styrofoam coffee cups, plates orclear polystyrene #6; no plastic films such ascling wrap or bags from potato chips, cake mixand cereal. Please return plastic grocery bagsto the store for recycling.

IESI along with the other haulers notedabove bring their recyclables to a materialsrecovery facility called Resource ManagementCompany. I had the opportunity to tourResource Management along with the SierraClub this January to see where my commin-gled recyclables go. Somehow I had expecteda dirty and smelly operation, and was sur-

prised to find a large, open and rather cleanfacility in Earth City. It looks like any othernew building on the outside and houses72,000 square feet of operating space. Theprocess is a sophisticated and proprietary sys-tem of shakers, ramps, eddy currents, blowersand quality control linesmen that has beenengineered and refined over the last sevenyears. The shakers remove the glass and thenthe paper, metals, and plastics are filtered out.According to Gary Gilliam, ResourceManagement’s sales manager, “This systemhas revolutionized the industry for us and ourhaulers. Not only can we sort more materials,but hauling trucks can now ‘compact’ theirrecycle loads which means they can pick upmore on a single run.” This is also significantbecause special fleets of recycle trucks are nolonger needed.

The sorted paper is bailed and sold tomake other paper products. The glass is pul-verized into sand for new bottles, pea gravel orfiberglass insulation. The aluminum, tin andsteel are sold for re-fabrication.The remainingplastics are palletized and shipped to ResourceManagement’s Chicago facility where a state-of-the-art optical scanner reads each piece ofplastic and sorts it by recycle number, size,weight and color. Beverage bottles #1 areremanufactured into products like carpet. Infact, approximately 50 percent of carpeting isnow made from recycled bottles. Containerswith #2, milk and juice jugs, along with deter-gent and shampoo bottles are extruded intopellets to create plastic decking and a widevariety of other materials.

“Creating a second life for these items is all

about economics,” said Gary. Buyers have areduced cost of materials which allows themto be more competitive. In addition to savingnatural resources, recycling saves energy,reduces air and water pollution, and reducesgreenhouse gas emissions. According to thestatistics for 2006, Eureka residents diverted520 tons from the landfill which is an averageof 11.3 pounds per person per month!

What about people who do not have curb-side recycling or are unsure if their hauleroffers single stream? Good question. If yourcommunity does not offer curbside pick up,you can take recyclables to a variety of centersthat are listed on the St Louis-Jefferson SolidWaste Management District website:www.swmd.net. If you do have curbside recy-cling and are not sure if it is single stream, callyour hauling company or contact your citygovernment. Single stream recycling isexpanding rapidly.

Recycling—especially single stream is aneasy thing to do, but it still requires changinghabits which is hard. If you are already a recy-cler, challenge yourself to divert at least halfyour trash into the recycle bin. If you are newto recycling, set a small can next to yourkitchen trash for paper, cans, glass and plastic.Choose to buy items such as eggs in card-board instead of Styrofoam—containers thatare or can be recycled. For those in business,especially in the food industry, set guidelinesfor responsible purchasing and handling ofmaterials—particularly #6 which cannot berecycled which means it goes to landfills orgets shipped overseas. Last but not least, takepride in your efforts small and large becauseyour choices and actions do make a difference.Thank you!

Recycling . . . Where Does It Go?

Free Newsletter Subscription for Sierra Club Membership!!!Learn how socially and environmentally responsible investing makes our world better!

For your FREE, one year subscription to our quarterly newsletter pleasemail, phone, or email your request to:

First Affirmative Financial Network 5960 Dearborn, #107 Mission, KS 66202

1-800-341-0528 Email: [email protected]

First AffirmativeFinancialNetwork

Jim Horlacher MBA, AIF®Comprehensive Financial Planner,Investment Advisor, andAccredited Investment Fiduciary

First Affirmative Financial network LLC is an independent Registered Investment Advisor registered with theSecurities and Exchange Commission.


WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLEWHO CARE ABOUT OUR

RIVERS!

JOIN US AT THE JACKS FORKRIVER FOR:

The ninth annual Jacks Fork Rivercleanup and canoe

give-away*. Saturday- June 2, 2007

LOCATIONS FOR CLEANUPHwy. *Y* to Buck Hollow at Hwy 17

Buck Hollow to Blue SpringsBlue Springs to Rymers LandingRymers Landing to Bay Creek

Bay Creek to Alley CampgroundAlley Campground to Hwy 19 Eminence

BridgeEminence Bridge to Two Rivers

Or you may cleanup a put-in/take out area aslisted above

For more information call:Ted or Pat Haviland 417-932-4363

[email protected]

Groups are responsible for their own rivertransportation.

Canoe available for rent at local liveriescall for information on Stream Team dis-

counts.Registration and sign-up time 8:00-9:00 am-

June 2 at your chosen location.A Bar-B-Q supper will be served to all partic-

ipants at Eminence pavilion at 6:00 pm.Drawing for canoes and other prizes to follow

supper.You must be present to win!!

We have a group campground reserved forJune 1st & 2nd at Alley Springs- Group

campsite #3. Group sites cannot accommodaterecreational vehicles. Their are no electricalor water hook-ups at group sites. The camp-

ing is free for clean-up volunteers.

You and I can be proudthat we are part of an amazing network of volunteers,

activists and donors—citizens combining their resourcesto hold polluters accountable and effect positive policychanges for the long-term health and safety of Missouri

communities. Please give generously so that yourMissouri Sierra Club has the resources in 2007 to utilizeevery lawful means of defending the environment, includ-

ing grassroots organizing, public interest litigation andeffective lobbying. And thank you for all that you do!

1 0O z a rk Sierra n Ja n u a ry/March ‘ 0 6

[email protected] May 5 (Sat)—Compass class at Loose ParkKansas City, MO. Learn the basics of using acompass. We will locate Champion Trees, Civil Warmarkers, fountains, etc. in one of the most beautifulparks in the city. $5 donation requested. EileenMcManus, (816) 523-7823, [email protected] May 5–6 (Sat–Sun)—Canoe Trip, Buffalo NationalRiver, AR. We’ll float one of the most scenic rivers inthe U.S. Terry DeFraties (913) 385-7374,[email protected] May 18–20 (Fri–Sun)—Family Campout in the FlintHills. We’ll stay at the YMCA’s scenic Camp Wood inElmdale, where your choice of accommodationsrange from your own tent to a well-appointed cabin. Aday trip to the nearby Tallgrass Prairie National

Preserve will be a great opportunity to explore andlearn about the region’s fascinating history and prairieecosystem. Sign up early so we can arrangeaccommodations. $10 donation requested. ReneeAndriani, (913) 488-4445, [email protected] May 20 (Sun)—Sunday Stroll at Lakeside NatureCenter, Kansas City, MO. Meet us at 2 p.m. atLakeside Nature Center in Swope Park for a shortSunday stroll through its exhibits and grounds. SteveHassler, (913) [email protected] June 2 (Sat)—Tour, hike and picnic at LakesideNature Center in Swope Park, Kansas City, MO.Come see displays of Missouri native wildlife, hike the2 1/2 mile Fox Hollow Trail and relax afterwards at apicnic at a nearby shelter. Eileen McManus, (816)523-7823, [email protected]

June 16 (Sat)—Day Hiking, Parkville, MO. Parkvillehas two great walking venues: the English Landingtrail along the Missouri River and the NatureSanctuary. We’ll do one or both on a lovely day inMay. $5 donation requested. Anne McDonald (913)384-6645 [email protected] July 7 (Sat)—Day Hiking at Weston Bend StatePark, Weston, MO. Join us as we take in some of thescenery along the Missouri River bluffs. $5 donationrequested. David Anderson (816) [email protected]

Trail of Tears GroupNone submitted.

White River GroupNone submitted.

O u t i n g s C o n t i n u e d

entirety of the utility’s service area withinsix months.

The company will work with the SierraClub on legislative and/or regulatory mea-sures in Kansas and Missouri as part oftheir effort to achieve a 20 percent sys-tem-wide reduction in the utility’s CO2

emissions.

The Sierra Club will participate in a studywith KCP&L to determine the future oftheir aging Montrose generating stationlocated southeast of Kansas City. Thestudy will look at the possibility of retir-ing, altering, or repowering three units atthe Montrose site.

The company agreed to a six figure invest-ment in global warming reduction, pollu-tion monitoring projects, and infrastruc-ture upgrades in the utility’s main metro-politan service area. The projects will beselected jointly by the utility, the SierraClub, and Concerned Citizens of PlatteCounty.

K C P & L A g r e e m e n t. . . . . . .continued from page 1 Statement made on behalf of Missouri SierraClub by Melissa Hope at the joint press confer -ence in Kansas City with Concerned Citizens ofPlatte County and KCP&L on March 21st,2007.

Today, we may have turned the corner fordealing effectively with climate change in theU.S.

What we have achieved here serves as amodel for citizens, environmental groupsand businesses working together to addressenvironmental concerns.

We would like to applaud and congratu-late KCP&L for raising the bar; for leadingthis community, its peers in the industry,and perhaps the entire U.S. in addressingclimate change.

This groundbreaking agreement offsets100 percent of the 6,000,000 tons/year ofcarbon emissions from the new plant.KCP&L has made a huge commitment toutilize Smart Energy Solutions to meetfuture energy demand.

Sierra Club looks forward to workingwith KCP&L to help the Midwest realize itspotential as a clean energy leader.

Part of the agreement provides funds forKansas City’s Climate Protection Initiative. Iwould like to call on all communities in theregion to begin their own ClimateProtection Initiatives.

Finally, I would like to thank everyonethroughout the community that helped usget to this place today—there have beenhundreds of volunteers involved in this cam-paign over the last several years. I especiallywant to thank Susan Brown and ConcernedCitizens of Platte County for their tirelessefforts.

Staff and Office inthe 21st Centuryby Jim Turner, Chapter Chair

When Carla Klein left to become directorof the Wisconsin Chapter and Therese Folsomtook a different job within the Club, ourExecutive Committee discussed whether theColumbia office was still useful.

One of our chapter's critical needs is tohave a staff member available throughout theyear to closely monitor state regulatory agen-cies and lobby the legislature in Jefferson City.Doing this from the Columbia office meanttravel expenses. The Columbia office alsolacked space for meetings and was not acces-sible to disabled visitors. So we'll think towardopening an office in Jefferson City, when ourchapter treasury level permits, to coordinateour volunteer activists in our attention toMissouri government.

To free up funds for hiring another full-time staff member, we'll economize on officeexpenses. Using mail, phone and fax in theoffice of the Eastern Missouri Group inMaplewood, our clerical staff will forwardinformation and materials to our fund-raisingDevelopment Associate Melissa Hope, ourlobbyist Roy Hengerson, and to volunteeractivists engaged in specific campaigns such asenergy and forestry. Through phones, emails,and bimonthly meetings, our volunteers willcontinue to maintain our chapter's culture andenvironmental campaigns.

1 1O z a rk Sierra n A p ril/June ‘ 0 7

park. This will be a leisurely walk with time to enjoythe sights & sounds along the way. Bob Herndon,(314) 961-4811.May 4 (Fri) Shaw Nature Reserve should be in fullspring bloom. Join us to see on our 6 to 8-milejourney. Suzanne Smith, (618) 281-4762.May 5–6 (Sat–Sun) Buffalo River—PoncaArkansas. The Buffalo is one of the première rivers inthe nation. The river gorge is much deeper than anywe have in Missouri. We will be car camping, stayingat Lost Valley Restoration Area. There may be sidehikes to Eden Rock Cave and to Hidden Valley Falls,which is a waterfall that emerges from a hangingvalley and drops into a box canyon. Marion Evensmay volunteer to make breakfast for the group.Saturday night, we will go into the town of Jasper fordinner and possibly a show. Colin Maag (314) 721-7397, [email protected] 6 (Sun) Beginner and intermediate canoeclinic. No experience needed. All that is required is adesire to improve your canoeing skills. Equipmentprovided for tandem instruction. Intermediate solocanoe instruction will be offered depending on interestshown. Must provide own solo canoe. GeorgeBehrens, (314) 821-0247, or Diane Albright, (314)729-7629.May 11 (Fri) It is azalea time at Hawn State Parkon the 10-mile wilderness loop. Suzanne Smith,(618) 281-4762.May 12 (Sat) Highway cleanup. We’ll keep our eyesopen for wild strawberries and fawns hiding in thegrass. Diane DuBois, (314) 721-0594.May 12 (Sat) Huzzah Creek—We will put in at RedBluff and take out 10 miles downstream atHarper’s Ferry. This is above where the outfittersusually run. There may be some low water bridgesand a tree or two to portage around. Some quickturns may be required depending on water level.Colin Maag, (314) 721-7397,[email protected] 18 (Fri) We will explore Cuivre River StatePark. Always a challenge. Suzanne Smith, (618) 281-4762.May 20 (Sun) Castor River Shut-Ins. See April 28description above. Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.May 26 (Sat) Mineral Fork—There may be sometrees and low water dams to portage over. Thestream is small and intimate with quite a few twistsand turns. Colin Maag (314) 721-7397,[email protected] 26 (Sat) Silver Mines RecreationArea/Millstream Gardens Shut-ins are a uniqueexample of the result of millions of years oferosion creating picturesque wonders of nature.Carving a channel through granite layers, the StFrancis River created a multiplicity of boulders ofmany shapes and sizes. Combining the historic withthe natural makes the shut-ins of Silver Mines

especially interesting. We will walk about two miles ofthe trail overlooking the shut-ins along the St. FrancisRiver. We will also hike a portion of the trail at MillStream Gardens. We will picnic by the river. The trailsurface is moderate with considerable elevation.Exploring opportunities exist for the moreadventuresome. The drive is 1 1/2 hours to the park.This will be a leisurely walk with time to enjoy thesights & sounds along the way. Bob Herndon, (314)961-4811.May 27 (Sun) One day canoe/kayak trip in theMeramec basin. We will try to catch a section of theriver that is less crowded. Canoe rentals notavailable. Toni Armstrong & Richard Spener, (314)434-2072June 1 (Fri) Call for info on our eight-mile hike.Might be Buford Mountain, steep and rocky about 10miles. Suzanne Smith, (618) 281-4762.June 2 (Sat) A small stream with canoe rentalsavailable. Possibly the Courtois, Mineral Fork or BigCreek if there is enough water. Jonathan Lehmann,cell (314) 791-3969.June 2 (Sat) Hike to Valley View Glades. We willtake the trail to get a closer look at the manywildflowers in the glades. Hot weather conditions andcross country travel may occur. Please planaccordingly. Paul Stupperich, (314) 429-4352,[email protected] 3 (Sun) Canoe Float down theMeramec/Explore Green Cave. Utilizing theMeramec State Park Canoe Rental, We will float fromSappington Bridge down to the boat ramp. We’ll stopand explore Green Cave on the way down the river.The charge is $37 per canoe for the canoe rental andtransportation. Payment must be made in advance.Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.June 8 (Fri) Back to Shaw Nature Reserve for anew batch of wildflowers on our seven-mile hike.Suzanne Smith, (618) 281-4762.June 10 (Sun) Inner tubing on the Meramec. Enjoythe best of many worlds! On a hot summer day take acool hike and tubing float. We will start at a picnictable in La Jolla Park (Meramec Caverns), blow thetubes up and plop our hot bods on the tubes in thecool water. We’ll paddle (with the power and control ofspecial tubing paddles), walk on gravel bars andwade upstream as we explore the Meramec river fromMeramec Caverns . We will leisurely float back downthe meandering river through an excellent tubing runand under the 200-foot high bluffs over Merameccaverns. Several options are available depending onthe river level. Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.June 15 (Fri) We probably will hike to a southerndestination within two hours of St. Louis. SuzanneSmith, (618) 281-4762.June 16 (Sat) Inner tubing on the Meramec. Seedescription above for June 10. Bob Herndon, (314)961-4811.

June 24 (Sun) Inner tubing on the Meramec. Seedescription above for June 10. Bob Herndon, (314)961-4811.June 29 (Fri) If it is not too hot we will hike theeight- mile Lewis Trail at Weldon Springs. SuzanneSmith, (618) 281-4762.

April 4–May ?? (Wed) Wildflower Walks. JoinRandal Clark for his annual Spring Wildflower Walks.Learn about wildflower identification while taking awalk on the wild side. Dinner after the hike at a localrestaurant. Meet each Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at theDevil’s Icebox parking lot of Rock Bridge MemorialState Park. Randal Clark, (573) 875-0514.April 14 (Sat) Clean Up Columbia Day. Help uskeep our city clean at the 11th annual cleanup. Lunchis included. Contact Greg Leonard, (573) 443-8263,[email protected] 28 (Sat) Bike Ride. We will start the ride atCooper’s Landing on the Katy Trail, ride out forseveral miles, and then return for dinner at the Thairestaurant. Contact Greg Leonard, (573) 443-8263,[email protected].

April 14–15 (Sat–Sun)—Car Camping Tuttle CreekState Park, Manhattan, KS. Spring is a great time tobe on the prairie and we can enjoy it on a hikethrough the Konza Prairie on Saturday as part of ourcar camping excursion to Tuttle Creek State Park justnorth of Manhattan KS. $10 donation requested. AnneMcDonald (913) 384-6645 [email protected] April 26–29 (Thu—Sun)—Car Camping, MountainView, AR. Join us for our fourth annual trip toBlanchard Springs Recreation Area and the OzarkFolk Center State Park. Deadline for signup on thistrip is April 19. $10 donation requested. Dave orKathy Patton (816) [email protected] April 29 (Sun)—Outdoor Photography Outing atLoose Park, Kansas City, MO. Bring your camera(digital or film) along with a tripod if you have one forthis outing. No previous experience needed. Therewill be a brief introduction to outdoor photography andhike to look for photo opportunities. Please RSVP.Limit 10 participants. $5 donation requested. Claus(816) 517-5244 (please call before 8 p.m.)[email protected] May 4 (Fri)—Evening Walk in the Crossroads ArtsDistrict, Kansas City, MO. Join us for a fun eveningin Kansas City’s cross roads art district as we walkfrom art gallery to art gallery. Claus (816) 517-5244(please call before 8 p.m.)

Thomas Hart Benton Grouphttp://missouri.sierraclub.org/thb/outings

Osage Group

O u t i n g s C o n t i n u e d

1 2O z a rk Sierra n A p ril/June ‘ 0 7

Eastern Missouri Group outings cost one dollar andare open to the public. Leaders are unpaidvolunteers who need your cooperation to make thetrip safe, pleasant and rewarding. Please call theleader well in advance for details, approval, or if youplan to cancel. Outings start officially at the trailheador river access. Travel responsibility rests on eachparticipant. Car-pooling is encouraged but leaderscannot be responsible for its organization. The SierraClub does not provide insurance for transportation.Participants sign a liability release form andreimburse drivers for expenses. Be adequatelyequipped and prepared. No guns, pets, or radios arepermitted on trips. Please leave the area cleanerthan you find it. For additional outings submittedafter our publication deadline and for changes,please check the Eastern Missouri Group website athttp://missouri.sierraclub.org/emg.April 7 (Sat) Washington State Park. This is a verydiverse park with Indian petroglyphs (rock carvingsfrom 1000 A.D.-1600 A.D.), large bluffs, glade areas,The Big River and a wildflower valley. The primarytrail is a 1/2 mile FLAT EASY trail through the mostspectacular, natural wildflower area in this part of thecountry. At the peak it is a carpet at least 50 footwide by 1/2 mile long of blue-eyed Marys, celandinepoppies, Virginia bluebells, trillium, Miami mist andmany others. The petroglyphs are a few hundredfeet from the parking lot on paved walkways. Thehistory and origin is explained at the entrance. Wewill also hike the Thousand Step trail (optional)which is about 1.5 mi, moderately difficult steepclimb along the bluffs and by a gazebo overlookingthe Big River valley. Several woodland wildflowerscan be seen on this trail. Other options are availablefor anyone not wishing to take this hike. This will bea leisurely walk with time to enjoy the sights &sounds along the way. Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.April 8 (Sun) Pickle Springs Natural Area. Thisunique natural area is a part of the La Mottesandstone complex of Ste. Genevieve County. LaMotte sandstone is the oldest sedimentary rock inMissouri. This is a two-mile, moderately difficult trail(with rough trail surfaces and considerable elevation)that takes you by many unique formations with suchintriguing names as The Keyhole, Cauliflower Rocks,

The Slot, The Double Arch andmore. Other features includenumerous small springs (including Pickle Springs),massive bluffs (Dome Rock andOwls Den Bluff), box canyons(Rockpile Canyon and Spirit

Canyon), waterfalls (Mossy Falls and HeadwallFalls), and a glade (Piney Glade). Because of thevariations in elevation (About 200 feet) several plantcommunities are evident along the trail producing avariety of spring wildflowers . We will relax on DomeRock for lunch and enjoy the view. We will have theoption of stopping for dinner on the way back. This isa 1.5 hr drive. This will be a leisurely walk with timeto enjoy the sights & sounds along the way. BobHerndon, (314) 961-4811.April 11 (Wed) Looking for Bluebells at St.Francois State Park, about six miles at moderatepace. Margot Kindley, (636) 458-4063,[email protected] 13 (Fri) Annual hike in Southern Illinois.Maybe Little Grand Canyon or Giant City State Park.About 6–8 miles total. Giant City has greatwildflowers and many trails. Suzanne Smith, (618) 281-4762.April 14 (Sat) Big Creek—Sam A. Baker StatePark. We will put in at Des Arc and take out at thepark for a total of 10 miles. Three quarters of theway through there are some shut-ins that add a littlechallenge. The shut in would rate a class II. As wepaddle into the park, the red granite buffs are someof the prettiest in the state. If the lodge is open, wewill have dinner before heading home. Leader: ColinMaag, phone (314) 721-7397 email:[email protected] 14–15 (Sat–Sun) Day hike in the canyoncountry of Southern Illinois. Our route throughspectacular Jackson Hollow will follow the base ofimposing, sixty-foot high sandstone cliffs, windthrough building size boulders and past hundred-year old beech trees. This is a fairly strenuousseven-mile hike for experienced hikers. Camping willbe in a primitive Shawnee Forest campground. Limiteight. Hiking boots required. Terry Allen, (618) 398-1087 or Suzanne Smith (618) 281-4762 (after 7:30p.m., weeknights only).April 14–15 (Sat–Sun) Overnight Trip to FerneClyffe & Giant City State Parks. We will exploresome of the majestic wonders of Southern Illinoiswith this overnight, two day trip to Marion, Ill. We willrent rooms at Motel 6 in Marion for Sat. night. Fromthere we will go to Ferne Clyffe State Park on Sat.and to Giant City on Sun. While we will exploreseveral trails among the spectacular rock formationsof the two parks, the primary focus of this trip is theTrillium Trail at Giant City and the Round Bluff

Nature Trail at Ferne Clyffe. At this time of the year,the trails feature a wide variety of spring wildflowersincluding white trillium, blue-eyed Marys, sand phlox,May apples, jack-in-the-pulpit, fire pink and manyothers. The trails are moderately rough withconsiderable elevation. Marion is a two hour driveand the parks are each about 1/2 hour further. Eachday’s hike will be 3-5 mi. This will be a leisurely walkwith time to enjoy the sights & sounds along theway. Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.April 15 (Sun) Day hike St Francis Park. We willhike the Swimming Deer Trail for a view of Big Creekand then go cross country to hunt for the elusiveTable Rock. Paul Stupperich (314) 429-4352 [email protected] Bob Gestel (636) 296-8975 or [email protected] 20 (Fri) Spring wildflower hike approx. 8mile. Tentative Washington STATE PARK for theblue-eyed Marys and other great flowers. SuzanneSmith, (618) 281-4762.April 21 (Sat) Al Foster Trail & Glencoe Bluffs.We will explore one of the most prolific wild flowervalleys and one of the more unique bluffs around StLouis. The valley is carpeted with billions of blue-eyed Mary’s, Virginia blue bells, etc. The bluffsprovide a unique view of the Meramec Valley all theway to I-44. The area has an interesting history as ithas withstood the ravages of civilization for manyyears including Majestic Material Corp., SimpsonSand & Gravel, and the Robinson Group eachcontributing to it’s present state. This will be aleisurely walk with time to enjoy the sights & soundsalong the way. Bob Herndon, (314) 961-4811.April 21–22 (Sat–Sun) Trail maintenance on theOzark Trail in the Pioneer Forest. Our last trailmaintenance outing until fall so let’s have a greatturn out. We will have a party Saturday night and aday hike on Sunday. Paul Stupperich (314) 429-4352or [email protected] Bob Gestel (636) 296-8975 or [email protected] 22 (Sun) Earth Day celebration at the mainlower level entrance to the Muny Opera in ForestPark. Please volunteer for a few hours with fellowSierrans in a lemonade booth or an exhibit booth. 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Please call the office, (314) 644-0890,or Jim Young, (314) 664-9392.April 28 (Sat) Castor River Shut-Ins. Shut-ins area unique example of the result of millions of years oferosion creating picturesque wonders of nature.Carving a channel through granite layers, the CastorRiver created a multiplicity of boulders of manyshapes and sizes. We will picnic by the river andexplore the trail among the shut-ins and along theriver. The trail surface is moderate with someelevation. Considerable opportunity exists for themore adventuresome. The drive is 1 1/2 hours to the

Eastern Missouri Grouphttp://missouri.sierraclub.org/emg/outings.aspx

In order to participate on one of the Sierra Club’s outings, you will need to sign a liability waiver. Ifyou would like to read a copy of the waiver prior to the outing, please seehttp://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/ or call (415) 977-5630.

In the interests of facilitating the logistics of some outings, it is customary that participants makecarpooling arrangements. The Sierra Club does not have insurance for carpooling arrangementsand assumes no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a privatearrangement among the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

Sierra Club Reaches Landmark Agreement with KCP&L · 2016-01-24 · by Melissa Hope,Chapter...

Documents

Transcript of Sierra Club Reaches Landmark Agreement with KCP&L · 2016-01-24 · by Melissa Hope,Chapter...