{"id":1904365,"date":"2023-03-24T12:25:41","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T16:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/climate-action-plan-in-southern-city-draws-backlash-over-diversity-smart-city-language\/"},"modified":"2023-03-24T12:34:14","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T16:34:14","slug":"climate-action-plan-in-southern-city-draws-backlash-over-diversity-smart-city-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/climate-action-plan-in-southern-city-draws-backlash-over-diversity-smart-city-language\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Climate Action Plan\u2019 in Southern City Draws Backlash Over Diversity, Smart City Language"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclimate-action-plan-in-southern-city-draws-backlash-over-diversity-smart-city-language%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1904365&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0324\/6dd7996a-10f7-4ccd-a6c4-062ca1a7f131\/audio.mp3?length=7997517&#038;duration=666\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>A Climate Action Plan being debated in Chattanooga, Tennessee was the subject to a public hearing in front of the city\u2019s council on Tuesday, March 21, drawing a wide range of support and adamant opposition.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s meeting was of such interest that Chattanooga City Council Chairman Darrin Ledford said the building was over capacity per the fire marshal and those who couldn\u2019t get a seat would need to leave the meeting room and wait in the lobby. The planned 30-minute speaking slot was also extended by an hour to allow more voices to be heard.<\/p>\n<p>The plan, proposed by Mayor Tim Kelly, has ambitious goals for making governmental operations in the city carbon-neutral by 2040 and the entire Chattanooga community carbon-neutral by 2050.<\/p>\n<p>Chattanooga\u2019s mayor is nonpartisan, with Kelly stating in the past he does not identify with a single party. He has voted in eight Republican primaries and one Democratic primary in 2020, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, noting his discontent with former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<h2>The Plan<\/h2>\n<p>Over the years, the city has already cleaned up its image and environment decades after once being famously called \u201cthe dirtiest city in America\u201d by Walter Cronkite in 1969.<\/p>\n<p>The city has since been noted for its approach cleaning up its once heavily polluted environment, in particular going from the \u201cdirtiest city in America\u201d to one of the first cities to implement an electric bus system (pdf) in its downtown corridor in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Kelly released the Climate Action Plan earlier this month online, alongside a video announcement, with the goal of \u201ccreating a clear vision for growing and attracting the workforce of the future while preserving the natural resources we treasure.\u201d An earlier Climate Action Plan was released in 2009 by former mayor Ron Littlefield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile some folks may tune out or make assumptions about the plan based on its name alone\u2014I\u2019m here to tell you that it\u2019s about a lot more than just climate resiliency,\u201d he said in the video. \u201cChattanooga is growing and it\u2019s up to us to ensure that we grow in a way that\u2019s good for the environment, good for our local economy and good for our quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2271321\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Chattanooga is a hotspot of natural beauty. (Crystal Shi\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kelly goes on to say the plan is about sustainability and protecting the city from a \u201cchanging\u201d climate that\u2019s \u201ccausing more extreme weather events, disrupting local economies, negatively impacting public health and leading to billions of dollars in losses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mayor notes the rise of \u201cgreen technologies\u201d and other cities working to \u201creduce their carbon footprints.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The plan itself is broken down into \u201csix ambitious yet achievable goals\u201d through 2050.<\/p>\n<p>They include building a more sustainable city through new, modernized smart growth and zoning policies; preserving and improving Chattanooga\u2019s natural resources; becoming a national leader in the green economy; achieving net zero-carbon emissions and zero waste footprint in city government operations by 2040 and city-wide by 2050; and reducing disparities among socially and economically vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n<p>Details of the plan\u2019s equity portion include public water fountain\/refill stations in key areas such as heat islands and unshaded streets; community health and resiliency assessments, and designing affordable housing developments with interconnected communities.<\/p>\n<p>Other initiatives under the remaining five goals include water use intensity reduction goals at city facilities; electrifying the entire mass transit bus system; encouraging and incentivizing EV adoption; establishing low or no-emission zones; increasing recycling and reducing solid waste entering landfills; adopting a smart growth policy and implement a centers and corridors policy; preserving natural resources; and continuing green job growth.<\/p>\n<h2>A Public Hearing<\/h2>\n<p>As residents of the city and surrounding Hamilton County voiced their opinions, the council called for order in the room more than once, as audience members reacted to speakers.<\/p>\n<p>A tally by The Epoch Times noted approximately 41 people voiced their opinion at the meeting, with around 22 in support and 19 against the plan.<\/p>\n<p>Those who spoke ranged from everyday citizens to community leaders, business people, and representatives from major industries such as the local power company Electric Power Board (EPB) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).<\/p>\n<p>Carol Eimers, TVA Regional Vice President, was the first speaker of the evening and voiced support from the TVA for the plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTVA was established 90 years ago to serve this region and the nation by developing innovative solutions to solve complex problems,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are supportive of the mayor\u2019s climate action plan and look forward to working side by side to help improve Chattanooga\u2019s quality of life and enable smart, clean, and sustainable growth that benefits all members of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Glenda Pappu, a resident of Hamilton County, spoke against the plan, calling for a referendum for all county residents before the plan is implemented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe plan is packed with administrative power overreach without the consent of the people,\u201d she said. \u201cThe climate action plan is based solely on political theory, not true science \u2026 this global, one-world plan will eventually enslave us into a digital concentration camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_395554\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Workers assemble Volkswagen Passat sedans at the German automaker\u2019s plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., on June 12, 2013. (Erik Schelzig\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rick Walser spoke against the plan just before his wife, Harriette Reid, also spoke against it. The couple said they moved to Chattanooga from California.<\/p>\n<p>Walser criticized the city\u2019s current plan not being put to a vote by residents, as well as the former climate action plans in recent decades. He urged the council to put the plan on the ballot for voters to decide on.<\/p>\n<p>Reid said the city had an \u201cunproven problem called climate change\u201d with an \u201cunproven solution called alternative energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She spoke to how her former state of California\u2019s climate efforts had worked out, in her opinion, stating windmills and solar panels did not keep up with power demand and there were rolling \u201cbrownouts,\u201d along with wildfires caused in recent years due to lack of maintenance on power infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>She added she believed the plan would lead to World Economic Forum-style \u201cSmart Cities\u201d and also said she didn\u2019t understand why diversity and equity were included in a climate plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it rain more where minorities live,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy are minorities more affected by climate change?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tanya Miller, a county resident, said the fact that several corporate and business leaders spoke in support of the plan was telling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to call anybody out by names, but they\u2019re all in support of this bill,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m against this plan and I think it needs to be put up to the citizens to have a vote on \u2026 We\u2019re waking up more and more and learning more of what this plan is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added she was concerned in particular about reliance on other countries for minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, such as China, along with fears of electricity prices going up as more people begin charging EVs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t need to sell out our soul to these big corporations, the federal government, and the World Economic Forum,\u201d she said. \u201cThe World Economic Forum has come up with this plan for us, because of the climate change, that we are going to own nothing and be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melanie Mayo, a member of the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Association, spoke in favor of the plan, and said it should add additional language related to increasing local food production.<\/p>\n<p>Allie Beukema, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Masters of Public Health candidate, said she spoke on behalf of the MPH program and Tennessee Public Health Association. She spoke in favor of the plan, stating Chattanooga\u2019s poor had worse outcomes than in other cities and advocated for \u201cclosing the gaps in public health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Campbell, a city resident that said she owns a small subcontracting company, supported the plan and its goals of making Chattanooga clean compared to its \u201chistory of being the dirtiest city in the south.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said the plan is something the community could \u201cbe proud of\u201d and where her children and their children \u201ccan live, work, play and breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5112926\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Smart streetlight. (Courtesy of the city of San Diego)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Others mentioned the smart-city plan cameras that had been popping up around Chattanooga recently, equating the cameras to fears of surveillance and being forced to limit travel based on their data being monitored.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron Berry, a man who said he was a retired Army Sgt. that lived in the city, said listening to speakers before him it was clear that \u201cyou have the corporation[s] against the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet me explain something to you, the Constitution wasn\u2019t written for corporations, it was written for the people,\u201d he said. \u201cI will have these cameras removed. I\u2019m not going to discuss it anymore, I\u2019ve had enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added he believed the plan was \u201csurreal and serious\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s a control factor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been all over this world and I\u2019ve seen it and now I\u2019m sitting here in my own city. I didn\u2019t come here to be in peace\u2013to see war, and you know exactly what I\u2019m talking about and I\u2019m not going to go any further.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sadie McElrath, a nurse practitioner and pediatric primary care physician, said she supported the plan particularly because of increases in allergies and asthma she has seen in children as an \u201ceffect of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Johan De Nysschen, a county resident and representative of the city\u2019s transportation agency, said he was in favor of the plan and noted the impact he felt from hearing other speakers.<\/p>\n<p>A slew of others spoke in favor and against the plan, echoing similar sentiments to those quoted.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times reached out to Kelly\u2019s office for a response to the meeting but did not hear back.<\/p>\n<h2>Chattanooga\u2019s Current and Future \u2018Green\u2019 Business Investments<\/h2>\n<p>The city\u2019s business community writ large spoke in support of the plan, including a representative from the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n<p>Companies in Chattanooga have made major investments in the \u201cgreen economy.\u201d Volkswagen launched electric vehicle manufacturing at its Chattanooga plant in 2022, with reported plans to expand.<\/p>\n<p>An Australian-based company, Novonix, is expected to begin the first U.S.-based production of a key component in EV batteries this year.<\/p>\n<p>The city has tentatively scheduled the first vote on the Climate Action Plan on March 28.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Climate Action Plan being debated in Chattanooga, Tennessee was the subject to a public hearing in front of the city\u2019s council on Tuesday, March 21, drawing a wide range of support and adamant opposition. Tuesday\u2019s meeting was of such interest that Chattanooga City Council Chairman Darrin Ledford said the building was over capacity per<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1627,"featured_media":1904366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[4625,4265,5269,4321,6759,10903,6129,4025,8319,6260],"class_list":["post-1904365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-action","tag-backlash","tag-city","tag-climate","tag-diversity","tag-draws","tag-language","tag-plan","tag-smart","tag-southern"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1904365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1904366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1904365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1904365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1904365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}