 | SUSTAINING THE FLOW Welcome and thanks for subscribing to ARA's partner newsletter, featuring highlights from our 100+ partners and organizations around our network to help keep us collaborating, informed and engaged. Read through for comment opportunities, events, partner highlights, and updates from the ARA team; along with funding, training, and hiring opportunities. See past editions of the newsletter here. |
| | Dear Alliance partners, Happy Earth Month and happy almost Rivers of Alabama Day (April 14th)! I want to thank everyone who was able to attend Alabama Water Rally or support it in some way. It was a truly wonderful weekend, and we are grateful for all the rich conversation and shared celebration that we got to experience with all of you! We also want to give a special shout out to all of our amazing award winners this year! Click here to see who they are and see all the past winners as well! For those of you that couldn’t make it, we missed you and hope you can make it next year for our big 30th anniversary Alabama Water Rally! Please save the date now in your calendar for March 19-20 at Camp McDowell! Speaking of Earth Month, there are lots of great activities going on around the state, so read on to see what’s happening in your neck of the woods, and on April 14th we will celebrate Rivers of Alabama Day! More local governments around the state are planning Rivers of Alabama Day proclamations to accompany the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County and Wetumpka who passed theirs in recent years. We hope you will find time to celebrate our amazing rivers across Alabama in whatever way works for you! I know it is hard to celebrate when the world is so chaotic and attacks on our environmental laws and regulations are plentiful along with attacks on our neighbors and communities, but now is the time to hold tight to the things we value and stand up for them. Celebrating is a peaceful protest against the negativity that surrounds us! Unfortunately many of our celebrations are short lived in this work. The legislative session was completely unhinged this year with the politics of this year’s election looming large! Stay tuned for our upcoming policy update to hear more of the wrap up and plan for the coming months! Thank you for all you do to protect rivers, clean water and healthy communities alongside ARA! Water is Life, Cindy |
|  | FEDERAL / REGULATORY / COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES NEW POLLUTION BUDGETS FOR BACTERIA IMPAIRED WATERBODIES The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has drafted Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for additional impaired waterbodies in the Black Warrior, Choctawhatchee, and Tennessee watersheds. These TMDLs "budget" for the maximum amount of bacteria, measured by E. coli, that these waterbodies can receive while still meeting water quality standards for it's 303(d)-determined usage. To see the specific waterbodies with proposed TMDLs and instructions for commenting, see ADEM's public notice here. Comments are due by April 17, 2026. FOLLOW ADEM's AEMC AGENDA & MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS Sign up for Open Meetings Act notifications to get emails when public meetings or hearings are scheduled for public boards, agencies, commissions, and other governmental bodies around Alabama. You can sign up only to get notifications about the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, or for as many bodies as you'd like to tune into. Learn more here. |
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|  | AROUND THE ARA OFFICE This year's Water Rally had record-breaking attendance for the second year running! But now we’re back in action: Southern Exposure Films made a splash in Auburn with over 100 attendees and 14 partner organizations! We also got the opportunity to join a hike at Chewacla State Park with members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute earlier that beautiful spring day. The final rezoning hearing for “Project Marvel,” which would be the largest data center in Alabama is scheduled for April 21. The city already rezoned 900 acres, but due to a conflict between this proposal and ALDOT’s “Northern Beltline,” the Atlanta-based developers were forced to return to ask for additional rezoning. Birmingham City Council’s hearing on a proposed data center zoning ordinance that would help protect residents and natural resources will be on April 28. Read the draft ordinance here. We’re hitting the road for community meetings and advocacy around the proposed SSE4 expansion pipeline project. Join us at the Lee County Public Meeting on April 28 to discuss potential land and water impacts. Further event details can be found linked in the Events column. |
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| | | PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACROSS ALABAMA Amplifying the voices of river defenders in Alabama by celebrating news, wins of all sizes, milestones and ways others could use support. Submit your news so we can share! - Black Warrior Riverkeeper, Friends of the Locust Fork River, and dozens more community members in Blount County spoke at ADEM's recent public hearing for the proposed discharge permit for the Tyson plant in Blountsville to urge for stricter water quality standards. Read more coverage about the meeting and concerns here from ABC 33/40 and here from CBS42.
- The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and League of Women Voters of Alabama are asking for help poll monitoring the Alabama Primary on May 19! Sign up for a training on how to become a non-partisan poll monitor by clicking the dates in the flyer here.
- The US District Court recently ruled that Alabama Power is allowed to continue to charge solar customers extra monthly fees. The SELC, GASP, and other parties filed this lawsuit on behalf of Alabama ratepayers seeking to use solar panels to relieve some of the highest power bills in the nation, read more here from SELC, here from GASP, and here from the Alabama Reflector.
- Congratulations to Lee Hedgpeth for his award winning coverage at Inside Climate News! The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing praised his reporting on Project Marvel, the proposed Bessemer hyperscale data center, with Lanier Isom and a series on Alabama Power written with Dennis Pillion! See more awardees and details about the Society here.
- OpEd from Danna at the Dogwood Alliance Forests Not Data Centers: A Better Plan for Rural Prosperity. Local and state governments should invest in protecting natural landscapes as the foundation of rural prosperity—not funnel more public dollars into yet another dirty and destructive industry.
- Governor Kay Ivey signed HB 38 into law, establishing the Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task Force to address seagrass decline in coastal waters. The task force will be co-chaired by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and University of South Alabama, along with several members of legislature and appointees. Read more from DISL here.
- Environmental Policy Innovation Project (EPIC) released a new report on the Impact of SRF Earmarks Short-Term “Wins,” Long-Term Losses detailing the largest cuts to our primary water infrastructure funding pot federally.
- Friends of the Locust Fork River's annual Art, Photo, Video, and Poetry Contest kicks off now through June 30th! You can share your recent moments with FLFR and others that love the waters of Blount County. Check out the submission guidelines here!
- Help us spread the Rivers of Alabama Day Proclamation and broaden the communities that celebrate the importance of rivers for our state on the first Tuesday in April of each year! First recognized by the state legislature in 2007, Rivers of Alabama Day has also been proclaimed by the Montgomery City Council and Wetumpka. Click here to get inspiration from the Montgomery proclamation in 2024!
Please reply to this email or click below to submit newsletter items from your organization. We'd love to share your news with our 100+ partners across the region! |
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| FUNDING | LEARNING | EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
| FUNDING OPPORTUNTIES - Southeast Climate and Energy Network's Gulf South Environmental Catalyst Grants, proposals due April 15
- Alabama's Mountains, Rivers, and Valleys RC&D FY26 grant applications open April 1 to June 30
- NEED FUNDS FAST?! Alabama Beer Company + ARA's DRIFT Fund is set up for financial assistance for projects
- FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program is open through July 23. Learn more about this federal funding here.
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| Alabama Rivers Alliance
4439 5th Avenue South Suite 1000 | Birmingham, Alabama 35222
205.322.6395 | [email protected] |
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