Background
The Sierra Club is a national environmental protection group with local chapters across the nation. Founded in 1892, the club serves as a watchdog for clean air, pro-environmental land use, environmental sustainability in trade and renewable energy. The organization’s current focus is on “climate recovery” by cutting coal usage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants and squaring away land to restore natural habitats. The Sierra Club is a nonpartisan organization that supports pro-environmental candidates for office. The club also organizes free outdoor recreational activities including, conservation walks, hikes, cycling or skiing.
The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club represents approximately 24,000 Texans and 10 regional groups from Big Bend to Houston. The Texas Chapter focuses on public parks, public transit, smog reduction and water conservation. Advocacy and education efforts center on several of the chapter’s environmental priorities: Beyond Coal to Clean Energy, Clean Energy Solutions, Green Transportation, Safeguarding Communities: Clean Air & Water, A Texas Land & Wildlife Legacy and Water for People & the Environment.
Austin’s Regional Sierra Club has listed water conservation and water quality as one of its priorities. Other local priorities include improved transportation, the Longhorn Pipeline and an anti-Fox News coalition called Fox Attacks. The regional branch also supports the Global Population and Environment Program, which argues for public health family-planning initiatives across the world.
In June 2011, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in conjunction with Environment Texas against ExxonMobil in Houston for violating the Clean Air Act.
