Are you worried about the  threat of fracking in Tennessee? Did you know that last month the Executive Committee of the State Building Commission unanimously approved a proposal from the University of Tennessee to frack over 8000 acres of University-owned land? Are you concerned that the state of Tennessee passed very weak regulations on fracking despite input from SOCM and other environmental groups last fall?

If you want to do something to reduce the threat of fracking in Tennessee, the Energy, Ecology and Environmental Justice (E3) committee is the place for you! The E3 Committee has been involved in efforts to regulate and reduce unconventional natural gas extraction in Tennessee for over two years. In addition to fracking, we work on issues that deal with the environmental effects of coal mining and nuclear power along with helping to promote a sustainable and just natural environment for all.  If you are interested in becoming involved in the E3 committee and its work on fracking, contact E3 Organizer Parker Laubach at parker@socm.org or call the SOCM office at 865-249-7488. 

On May 18th, we're inviting hundreds of members, partners, community leaders, students, elected officials, media and supporters to share the good work SOCM members are doing in different parts of the state through a Public Meeting and 40th Anniversary Celebration.

During the Public Meeting, we will present the statewide issue work that members are involved in to build stronger communities throughout Tennessee: the Green-Collar Jobs Committee, the Social Justice Committee and the E3 Committee will all come together to present their work and call for strong commitments from stakeholders to stand with us to move our work forward. SOCM members from across the entire state have been working on these committees for the past several months to build relationships with those people who are in positions to influence our issues.  Come see what we've been able to accomplish and add your voice!

You won't want to miss the evening celebration either. We'll have different musical guests including a group that performs traditional Latin American folk dances, food and drink, SOCM friends and supporters from all over the country, and so much more!

SOCM staff and local members hit the streets in Murfreesboro on Saturday, March 30th, to talk with community members and introduce SOCM to more local residents. This "blitz" provided many valuable new contacts and helped raise SOCM's visibility locally. The group distributed over 400 flyers with invitations to the April 16th Rutherford County meeting and the May 18th Public Meeting in Nashville. Local residents expressed a broad range of concerns about the challenges in the community, including unemployment, violent crime, a lack of public transportation, discrimination, and pollution from the local Middle Point landfill (a.k.a. Mt. Trashmore). 

Thanks to SOCM members Mike Cannon, Scott Martindale, Carly Roberto, and Chloe Cerutti, and SOCM staff Amelia Parker, Kazi Wilkins, Katie Greer, Parker Laubach, and Brad Wright for giving up their Saturday to make the "blitz" happen! And special thanks to Rev. Shirley Bowman and Sam Bowman for their hospitality in hosting the morning training session at Unity Church.