Challenging times, indeed!

[Carol Landis]

    First of all, thank you for being an engaged member who reads blogs and tries to keep up with contemporary life in TN and the rest of the world. Really!  Thank you!

    But I also feel a need to formally acknowledge that I've gone hog-wild lately with requests to contact our legislators. Please forgive me for that. I'm new to the legislative process in TN. I didn't realize that the TN Legislature considers so many bills in such rapid succession at this time of year.

    To recap:  first we came to you with pleas for help to get the TN Scenic Vistas Protection Act passed (Senate Bill 577/House Bill 291). Instead, the House subcommittee conveniently relegated HB 291 to "summer study". I've promised, in good faith, to help them with that "effort".

    Next HB 368, the "anti-science" bill, was passed and still awaits Gov. Haslam's signature.  As a science educator, whose dissertation research in 1994-95 addressed teachers' difficulties addressing controversial issues, and as an active climate change educator, I had to speak out! The bill specifically called out topics as examples of "scientific controversy" where there is none. The likely effects of this bill will be prolonged confusion, denial, and inaction about a critically-important fact of life: climate change.  Humans are directly contributing to climate change and thereby affecting our shared future. Other life forms and the most vulnerable of human societies are increasingly at risk now--not at some point in the future. It's that simple. This is directly addressed in GINI's mission and vision statements:  "...we work to promote practices which protect and enhance our relationship to all Earth's life-forms and natural systems..." and "...to become a spiritual voice for environmental sustainability..." in the region.

    Then, yesterday, Senate Bill 3296/House Bill 3520 (the "solar tax bill") was brought to my attention. This bill is worded poorly and seems likely to negatively affect the number of solar installations if enacted. If we can tolerate continued subsidies to the fossil fuel industries, who make millions of dollars in profits, then I think we need to look closely at how and why the solar industry was singled out for direct economic intervention at this time. There may be good reason to increase the tax, but it is not clear from the text of the bill. In effect, the Legislature seems to be OK with allowing our mountains to be blasted to bits but they feel a need to put a damper on the growth of the solar industry in this state. Both are environmental sustainability issues, and we deserve better explanations of the need for both.

    Finally, on Wednesday, HB Lee posted a blog about SB 3460/HB 3620, which would "make it a criminal act to report any animal abuse in these operations. It would outlaw any undercover investigations. Farm managers and workers could not be held accountable for any of the abuse that has been exposed in Tennessee during the last few months." (Is this in keeping with GINI's mission statement?)

    Perhaps I've sent too many requests, too quickly. I will try to be more judicious in the future. But I also want to see evidence that our legislators are using logic and reason coupled with the best available scientific and economic data and analyses. We can help them lead when we empower them with our voices.

    We must continue to pray for our leaders and their service to our communities, our state, and our nation. But we also have an obligation as citizens to inform ourselves and then communicate those informed opinions to our elected officials so that they represent us effectively. Likewise, they have a similar obligation to communicate with us. I will appeal to them again to answer the questions that we submitted prior to our March meeting. Not one of them replied about their reasoning about HB 291, and only half were courteous enough to offer an RSVP. Perhaps they wanted to write a more informed opinion as a result of their summer study opportunity.

    I believe we can help them to do better, and I hope you'll continue to help.