THE SIERRA CLUB GRASSROOTS NETWORK
YEAR-END GRANT REPORT
01/01/2014 – 12/31/2014
Your Team: Clean Air Team
Your Name: Marti Sinclair
Your Contact Info:
Email kiri45240@gmail.com
Telephone 513.674.1983
Total Grant Funds Received in 2014: $7,000
I. GOAL AND PROSPECTIVE OUTCOMES
Conservation Goal:
Our ongoing work is aimed at reducing air pollutants, especially

Air pollutants that pose the greatest risk to communities.

Air pollutants or polluters contributing to climate disruption.

Air pollutants that threaten environmental justice communities.
Conservation Outcome: We had many successful litigation efforts and we engaged EPA
at a number of levels.
Organizational Goal:
Revamp our outreach efforts to Group and Chapter air activists. We proposed a
newsletter composite of stories on clean air work from group and chapter newsletters.
Organizational Outcome:
We have produced an outreach product entitled Primer for Clean Air Activists,
Advocates & Agitators. We are now planning the publicity phase.
II. MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT
Describe in one concise paragraph your most significant project accomplishment. It is
important to state precisely the Sierra Club’s role in achieving the accomplishment and
to explain its significance.
We made significant inroad combatting pollutants that pose the highest risks to natural
and human communities, that foster climate disruption, and that pose risks to
environmental justice communities. For air pollutants posing the greatest risks, we
advanced our agenda to reduce emissions of chromium, a potent carcinogen. We
engaged EPA on its emissions standards for the chrome plating industry, which
comprises over 1,000 plants. Environmental justice and fossil fuel issues came together
in two cases. First, we prevailed in court against EPA’s exemption that had allowed oil
refineries (the bane of Cancer Alley) to burn hazardous waste in gasification units
without meeting federal hazardous waste safeguards. Second, we prevailed in court
when the courts denied an appeal by the polyvinyl chloride industry (a fossil fuel
product) to delay compliance with toxic air pollution standards. In more environmental
justice news, in complying with a case we won to force EPA to promulgate the rule
regulating hazardous waste recycling emissions, EPA included the first-ever thorough
analysis of environmental justice and community health impacts by a federal agency.
III. PROGRESS ON OTHER OUTCOMES
Describe other notable project outcomes in a few paragraphs. Describe what you did and
how you did it so that an audience with no prior knowledge can understand it
(committees are named, acronyms spelled out). State the result of the work, along with
its current status at the time of the report.
Our Primer for Clean Air Activists, Advocates & Agitators is posted on the Sierra Club’s
Grassroots Network website. The provocatively titled publication is a handbook for
volunteer grassroots activists by volunteer grassroots activists. The Clean Air Team
issued the primer to inform and inspire new activists to join us in our fight to clean the
air. It includes contact information for our grassroots team, resources on grassroots
organizing, tips on fact collecting, and recommendations on what can be done to stop
air pollution. Currently, we are developing a plan to advertise and promote the primer
to group and chapter conservation leaders and activists.
IV. LOOKING AHEAD
Conclude with a brief paragraph discussing the project’s future direction and upcoming
challenges. Explain how the recent accomplishments have prepared you(us) to take
advantage of future opportunities.
We continue to take on litigation addressing highly toxic pollutants, the fossil
fuel industries, and environmental justice issues. Our long-time ally at
Earthjustice, Jim Pew, was awarded the William O. Douglas Award by the Sierra
Club this year, a well-deserved recognition for a tireless advocate and supporter.
We have brought additional people on board this year, which has helped our
team deal with some thorny organizational issues of coordination and
communication. Our team – and the Club- are stronger for these joint efforts.
We have also reached out to Club members concerning our litigation and have
responded to requests from Club members – and others – for information or
opinions on various air pollution issues. We have continued our outreach with
cement kiln activists nationally. Our proposed outreach program of culling Club
newsletter articles on clean air activism proved to be unfeasible. We believe
that our outreach publication will prove successful once we have had time to
publicize it to groups and chapters.
V. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please feel free to attach any additional information relevant to this project, for
example, photos of events held, informational materials produced, links to news
stories/media your work generated, etc.
The link for the Clean Air Team’s Primer is
https://content.sierraclub.org/grassrootsnetwork/documents/primer-clean-air-activistsadvocates-agitators
Some of the news releases and news stories concerning our work can be found at:

Communities Call for Stronger Protection from Oil Refineries’ Air Pollution; EPA’s Public
Comment Period Ending

Hazardous Waste Recycling Regulations – the Latest Chapter

Protecting Communities from Chrome Plating Facilities

AIR POLLUTION: EPA battles 3-front legal assault on chrome plating standards

Oil Refineries Required to Reduce Toxic Pollution into the Air Communities Breathe

EPA Faces Court Challenge Over Solid Waste Loophole

SIERRA CLUB STATEMENT ON REVISION OF SOLID WASTE RULE: Updated Standard
Incorporates Key Environmental Justice Findings But Leaves Loopholes Open

Fenceline Communities Win Relief in Oil Refinery Suit

Environmental Law Alert - EPA Releases Final Rule To Distinguish Recycled Products From
Solid Waste Under RCRA Subtitle C