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2008 Project Descriptions
North Carolina Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the nation's oldest and largest
grassroots environmental organization, with over 800,000 members.
The mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy and protect
the wild places of the earth; practice and promote the responsible
ruse of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and
enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the
natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means
to carry out these objectives. For nearly 30 years, the North
Carolina Sierra Club, with more than 19,000 members, has had
a particular focus on state level environmental advocacy in
the North Carolina General Assembly and before the executive
branch.
nc.sierraclub.org
Project Proposal 1
Legislative Advocacy Internship
Description: The Legislative Advocacy Internship is geared toward students wishing to pursue careers in environmental law, policy and advocacy. Interns will have an opportunity to experience the state legislative process first-hand and to advocate for the passage of strong environmental laws and the defeat of laws that would undermine existing protections and progress. This internship provides the opportunity interact with lawmakers, government officials, other advocates for the environment, and the media.
Responsibilities: The intern will work with the Sierra Club’s Director of Government Relations on projects relating to some or all of the following: water conservation and allocation, energy and global warming, transportation, coastal policy, animal waste management and land conservation. Specific projects will depend on the organization’s needs, and on the interest and experience of the intern. Work may involve policy research, analysis and writing as well as the opportunity to experience administrative and legislative lobbying first hand.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Attend and report on legislative committees and hearings
- Research and prepare fact sheets on key issues
- Prepare written communications to legislators in preparation for key votes
- Prepare action alerts on issues for Sierra Club volunteers across the state
- Assist with Sierra Club legislative and vote tracking database
- Assist with preparation of media events and press releases
- Compile and distribute daily media coverage of North Carolina environmental issues
Qualifications: The internship requires a keen interest in a wide range of environmental policy issues, a flexible work style, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, attention to detail and excellent communication skills. The intern should have strong writing skills and general working knowledge of computers, including basic word processing and spreadsheet applications.
Additional Information: 112 South Blount Street , Raleigh, NC . The intern will work out of the Sierra Club’s state office in downtown Raleigh, within walking distance from the General Assembly and other government buildings.
Supervisor:
Christa Wagner
North Carolina Sierra Club
Office: (919) 833 - 8467 Ext. 26
Fax: (919) 833 - 8460
christa.wagner@sierraclub-nc.org
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Project Proposal 2:
Cool Cities Campaign
Project Description : The North Carolina Sierra Club is offering the opportunity for an intern to play a meaningful role in the Sierra Club’s conservation efforts in North Carolina through a grassroots organizing internship. The intern will assist in the implementation of grassroots organizing campaigns across the state to build public demand for important and timely conservation goals.
The primary project the intern will be working on is the ‘Cool Cities’ campaign. This is a nationwide citizen driven effort to convince local governments to make a real commitment to reducing global warming through local energy solutions. At the time this project proposal was prepared, 35 mayors in North Carolina had signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and been designated a “ Cool City” by the Sierra Club—more than all but 3 states in the country. In 2008, the “Cool Cities” campaign will focus on recruitment of an additional 20 mayors. We will also work in local communities on ways to achieve the emissions reductions. For more information about the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities program, go to: http://coolcities.us/ or read our blog at http://sierraclubnc.blogspot.com/index.html .
The intern will also have an opportunity to assist with other projects as they arise.
Responsibilities: The internship will provide support to the Cool Cities program. You will work alongside the Club’s Conservation Campaign Coordinator, spending time both in the office and in the field, and working with Club volunteers, government agencies, media and ENGO partners.
It will also involve issue research and preparation of an updated Best Practices report on what communities in North Carolina are doing to reduce global warming emissions.
Grassroots Organizing: Intern will help to implement strategies to engage the public on Cool Cities and other Sierra Club conservation priorities. Intern will assist in community organizing activities such as house parties, public education forums, recruiting citizens to speak at public hearings, and conducting training events. The intern and will gain hands-on experience working with citizens in local communities.
Media: Intern will assist with implementing media strategies, including working with local media outlets, organizing news conferences, writing news releases and building visibility for events.
Research: Intern will prepare an updated version of the 2007 highly successful Best Practices report on how communities in North Carolina are reducing global warming emissions. The 2007 report, prepared by a Stanback intern, was featured in numerous media stories, including USA Today.
Qualifications : Applicants must be energetic and people-oriented. Applicants should possess strong communication skills, both written and verbal, organizational skills and the ability to work independently. Applicant should also have interest in community outreach and working with volunteers in their communities.
Location: The intern will work out of the Sierra Club’s office in downtown Raleigh, with periodic travel to other localities. Occasionally, an intern may have the opportunity to work from home.
Supervisor: Molly Diggins
North Carolina Sierra Club
Office: (919) 833-8467 Ext. 23
Fax: (919) 833-8460
Molly.Diggins@sierraclub-nc.org
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Project Proposal 3
Stop the Coal Rush Campaign
**San Francisco Office**
Background Information: The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization, with over 800,000 members. The mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Currently, a proliferation of coal-fired power plants threatens to undermine local, state, and federal efforts now underway to address climate change. Over the past several years, in the absence of any significant public dialogue, America has begun a dramatic reversal in its energy strategy. After two decades of progress toward cleaner power sources, plans have emerged to build as many as 150 coal-fired power plants across the United States. Bearing the brunt of this new “coal rush” are states across the Midwest, Central Appalachia, the South, and the Rocky Mountain West.
The Stop the Coal Rush campaign is an integral part of the Sierra Club’s broader campaign to enact a major shift in how this country develops and uses energy. The timing of this campaign is critical. The world’s scientists agree: global warming is here and happening faster than anyone predicted. Scientists say that in order to have an impact on global warming we need to reduce the nation’s global warming emissions by 80 percent by 2050—that’s two percent a year. Yet we cannot achieve the carbon dioxide reductions the scientific community says we need to curb global warming if the plans for new coal plants go forward.
Many investors have already realized the benefits of investing in clean energy, but there are still many who are being swayed by claims of “clean” coal. If another generation of very large coal plants is built, they will largely eliminate the market for other sources of cleaner energy. Utilities will not invest in things like wind farms if they are locked into 50-year contracts with a coal burning plant. Our nation is on the verge of making major investments in clean energy, yet the wave of newly proposed coal plants presents the most significant threat to any progress on combating global warming.
Based on our analysis, we estimate that there will be approximately 15 to 25 new coal plants in the permitting pipeline for each of the next three to five years. As the upswing in discussions about global warming regulations nationally is augmented by decisive local and state action to regulate emissions, coal plant developers know the window of opportunity to secure permits and commence construction gets smaller each month. The window will likely be closed in the next three to five years. The developers, like us, know that this is a very high-stakes horse race to determine the nation’s energy investment and environmental future.
The Sierra Club also has a network of regional and national attorneys, expert witnesses, and administrative advocates who are intervening in the permitting process of the majority of these proposed coal-fired power plants. The litigation track record of the Club makes it particularly well-suited to the difficult tasks ahead. Our in-house lawyers and network of outside counsel have litigated many of the nation’s highest profile energy cases in the past several years, including the Cheney Energy Task Force case.
http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/
Project Description: The Sierra Club Environmental Law Program offers internships to law students interested in public interest, environmental litigation to assist with strategic litigation. The Club’s Environmental Law Program develops and prosecutes the legal strategies for the Sierra Club’s nationwide grassroots campaigns. The Law Program’s cases center on the Club’s three overarching conservation initiatives: promoting smart energy solutions, building safe and healthy communities, and protecting America’s wild legacy. The Law Program’s docket for summer 2008 will include a large component of global warming litigation, including cases challenging coal-fired power plant construction and the advancement of clean car laws.
Responsibilities: Summer interns work on all aspects of litigation and work as an integral member of a team working on active courtroom and agency proceedings. Students may draft notice letters, briefs and other pleadings, attend court appearances, and work on discovery, in addition to the typical law intern tasks of legal research and writing. There is high demand and opportunity to analyze and explicate technical scientific and engineering issues that are germane to active cases. During the course of the program, students typically work with several of the Club’s attorneys, thus gaining exposure to a wide range of litigation styles. The internship program also includes informal discussions and workshops on various environmental litigation topics.
Qualifications : The Internships are designed for students currently enrolled in Law School. Solid writing and analytic skills are required, as well as good interpersonal skills. An environmental law background is preferable, but not a requirement.
Location: Interns will work at the Law Program’s San Francisco office, located at 85 Second Street in the heart of the city’s burgeoning arts district.
Supervisor(s): Sanjay Narayan
Sierra Club
Environmental Law Program Intern Coordinator
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