Brunswick Environmental Action Team
BEAT sincerely wishes everyone a Happy Earth Day 2023! We are grateful to all who continue to share both their ideas and work so that we may continue to exist in peace while making use of the life sustaining energy that our Earth provides for us every day - To optimize our survival.
BEAT received an email from: Melissa Edmonds <medmonds@selcnc.org> of the Southern Environmental Law Center on September 9, 2022 at 12:32:50 PM EDT. The subject of the email was Offshore Drilling Comment Opportunity. BEAT leadership would like to share this message with you here. The text that follows is the body of the message in its entirety.
Hi all,
I hope this note finds you well! You are receiving this email because you have previously been involved in SELC’s campaign to fight offshore drilling, by signing onto our comment letters to oppose drilling in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. I am writing now to alert you of another important comment opportunity on the issue of offshore drilling in these regions.
SELC is currently preparing comments on the Biden administration’s Proposed Five Year Plan for offshore drilling, which removes all Atlantic Planning Areas from consideration, yet still proposes to hold lease sales in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico. Comments are due Oct. 6. As usual, our comments will be focused on the Gulf and the Southeast; we plan to thank BOEM for listening to the voices of the East Coast by removing the Atlantic, and further urge no new leasing in the Gulf of Mexico because of the continued harm from offshore drilling on Gulf communities and natural resources and on climate change.
SELC supports responsible offshore wind development as a critically important piece in the necessary clean energy transition to address the climate crisis, but we do not support provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act that tie future offshore wind leasing to continued oil and gas leasing. We are planning to make this distinction in our comments, but please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns with this approach.
If you are potentially interested in signing on and have input as we draft, please let me know ASAP, as we are working on drafting the comments now. We will circulate a draft on Sept. 23, accept feedback through Sept. 28, and take final sign-ons through Oct. 5.
Thank you all for being valued partners in this important issue, we look forward to your continued support throughout this fight!
Melissa L. Edmonds (Whaling) (she/her)
Science & Policy Analyst
Southern Environmental Law Center
601 West Rosemary Street, Suite 220
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Office (919) 391-4099
Mobile (919) 623-5003
Dear visitor, below is a message BEAT received from "Emily Donovan via ActionNetwork.org" <info@email.actionnetwork.org>
The subject of her message regards
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED:
Say: "No More Chemours!"
BEAT received this message on: September 10, 2022 at 12:36:12 PM EDT
Her message is shared here in its entiretity.
Friends,
It's time to mobilize like never before. Chemours just announced they want to EXPAND their toxic PFAS production in NC. We don’t feel they’ve earned this right–especially when they’ve failed to deliver on the most basic promises to our community.
We believe the majority of control measures taken, so far, are because Chemours was legally forced to comply via a 2019 consent order established by our friends at Cape Fear River Watch. However, it’s important to remember, consent orders are only as good as they are being enforced. Sadly, strong enforcement of the Chemours consent order has taken constant pressure from dedicated folks like you, who are determined to hold both DEQ and Chemours’ feet to the fire.
Here’s a quick summary of how Chemours has “helped” us:
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They've been dragging their feet on establishing toxicity studies required by the 2019 consent order.
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They have made private well owners wait 6 months with no replacement water.
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They refuse to meet the needs of commissioners in Cumberland County and are now being sued.
Chemours has not earned the right to expand in NC and we are counting on you to help them get the message. Chemours is hosting a public information session at Leland Cultural Arts Center, Wednesday, September 21st from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Click here to RSVP We’ll send you talking points in the next two weeks to help you feel prepared.
In the meantime, please share our event link on social media and with your fellow neighbors. Media will be present at this meeting, so it’s vital that we show a united front against Chemours. We cannot allow them to add another drop of their poison to our water.
With gratitude,
Emily Donovan, cofounder
Clean Cape Fear
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE BEAT LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR the Brunswick County NAACP’s proposed Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Multi-Use Greenway/Blueway Trail, Brunswick County, North Carolina
FYI: An Informative PDF about PFAS as it Relates to Brunswick County in 2020 - by Eugene Rozenbaoum of LG Chem
BRUNSWICK ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM (BEAT)
SUMMARY OF THE MEMBERSHIP MEETING
(Held at Hickman’s Crossroads Library,
1040 Calabash Road, Calabash, NC)
April 26, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Dr. Richard Hilderman.
The meeting began with Neil Gilbert thanking the following:
* Hickman's Crossroads Library for hosting today's meeting.
* Laura Lewis of the Brunswick Beacon for her continuing excellent coverage.
* Trista Talton for her excellent article in yesterday's Coastal Review Online
Neil then introduced Dr. Richard Hilderman. Dr. Hilderman went around the room and asked all of the attendees to introduce themselves, say where they were from, and why they were interested in the new environmental group. There were 35 attendees representing 10 different communities throughout Brunswick County. Everyone was well spoken and passionate about protecting our beautiful environment in Brunswick County.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Hilderman spoke about the need to form a Board of Directors. He would like to see a representative from each town on the Board. If interested in serving on the Board of Directors, please respond to this message by hitting REPLY ALL. That way Dr. Hilderman will get your response and be able to keep tabs on those who are interested. In your response please say who you are, what town you represent. and why you are interested in serving on the BEAT Board.
MISSION STATEMENT
Ted Janes of Sunset Beach clarified the difference between a Mission Statement and a Vision Statement. Our Mission Statement should reflect why we are a group while the Vision Statement states our goals and objectives. Gary Merritt and Ted Janes will be working on the Mission Statement to present at our next meeting.
RECRUITING
Numerous ideas were shared by the group about how we can grow our group. Everything from contacting all the various social media outlets in Brunswick County to staffing a booth at all the County festivals are just a few ways we can spread the word of BEAT. We have to remind people that we are a group that marches to a different BEAT.
PRESENTATIONS
* Lora Sharkey of Southport spoke of all the good work her group "Coastal Water Watch" does for the area and she spoke of the need for collaboration between groups. Lora also mentioned their Southport NatureFest that will be held this Saturday in Southport.
* Jan Harris of the now defunct Sunset Beach Environmental Resource Committee gave an update on the proposed dredging of Jinks Creek.
MEETING DATES
* We agreed that our meetings should be held on the same day of the month. It was decided the 4th Wednesday of the month as the date we will establish for now.
* We agreed that meetings should be held at different starting times. We need to have evening meetings as well so our young and working members can participate.
* We agreed that the meetings should be held at different locations throughout the County so one area is not always having to travel a greater distance.
NEXT MEETING
Wednesday, May 24 at 10:00 AM .
3 Possible Locations: Brunswick Electric Corporation Building, Brunswick Community College, and Hickman’s Crossroads Library.
BEAT DIRECTORY
Attached is a membership directory of the 87 people who have signed up to be members of BEAT. Since all of my mass mailings are done by way of blind copy, if there is somebody in the group that you want to contact, the Directory should help. Please download the Directory and let me know what changes or additions need to be made.
Neil Gilbert