Sierra Club Delta Chapter

The Delta Chapter was founded in 1969 by activists Bill and Iva Futrell, who had previously worked for the Sierra Club chapters in New York and California. The chapter also coordinates public education campaigns while working with national environmental litigation groups such as Earthjustice. ^{3 4}

Activities

Legislative Lobbying

The Delta Chapter operates a “Legislative Action Team” that tracks legislation and coordinates volunteers to appear at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge during legislative sessions. The chapter’s political and legislative committee will also endorse pollical candidates for office, organize community campaigns, and send formal comments on regulatory proceedings to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The chapter has also submitted testimony to the Louisiana House Natural Resources Committee, including a 2015 statement urging compliance with the Obama administration EPA Clean Power Plan and recommending that Louisiana develop wind and solar industries as alternatives to fuel production. ^{5 6 7}

Bayou Bridge Pipeline Opposition

In 2018, the Delta Chapter joined the Gulf Restoration Network, the Waterkeeper Alliance, the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association, and Earthjustice in filing a lawsuit to halt construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, a proposed 162-mile crude oil pipeline planned by Energy Transfer Partners that would extend from Calcasieu Parish to St. James Parish. A federal judge denied the initial request but subsequently issued a temporary block on construction that was later lifted on appeal by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. ^{8 9 10 11}

LNG Terminal Opposition

Between 2022 to 2025, the Delta Chapter, represented by Earthjustice, submitted formal comments and later filed lawsuits challenging the permits for Venture Global’s proposed CP2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal and an associated CP Express gas pipeline in Cameron Parish. ^{12 13}

Louisiana Against False Solutions

The Sierra Club Delta Chapter is a member of Louisiana Against False Solutions (LAFS), a left-of-center coalition of advocacy organizations that campaigns for the elimination of fuel-energy production in Louisiana while opposing the use of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. The coalition operates as a fiscally sponsored project of the Foundation for Louisiana, a New Orleans-based left-wing grantmaking organization that also sponsors advocacy groups focused on criminal justice reform, gender policy, and immigration. LAFS draws its membership from more than 20 organizations, which have received over $115 million in out-of-state funding from 2020 to 2025 from left-of-center foundations. These include the Waverly Street Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund. ^{14 15}