2010.09.11 Press Release
East Valley Residents Call for End to Coal in Los Angeles
Contact: David Graham-Caso
(858) 945-2203
david.grahamcaso@sierraclub.org
East Valley Residents Call for End to Coal in Los Angeles
At Second Department of Water and Power Workshop, Residents Push for Coal-free Future
(Los Angeles, CA) — Dozens of East Valley Residents turned out to the first of six Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) public workshops on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to support a coal free future for the utility. The LADWP is currently seeking public feedback on its IRP, a long term strategic plan which will map out the city’s energy future.
“I attended because I wanted to be sure my deep concern with the LADWP’s ownership in two of the largest and dirtiest coal plants in the country registered with the people building this plan,” said Studio City resident Kent Minault.
Workshop attendees added their voice to a growing number of Angelenos who see the city’s continued use of coal as an increasing financial threat, given the rising cost of coal, as well as a missed opportunity to support economic development locally. Following a presentation on the LADWP’s draft IRP, attendees broke out into small groups and were asked to list out their priorities for the LADWP and rank them.
“The feedback from my breakout group to the [LADWP] was pretty clear: we have to stop buying dirty coal-fired power,” said added Minault.
Coal-fired power still supplies more energy to LA than any other source. Los Angeles’ two coal-fired power plants, located in Arizona and Utah, are among the worst stationary sources of pollution in the United States and are major contributors to the potentially catastrophic climate disruption that may already be intensifying the wildfires and droughts that directly affect families in Los Angeles.
More than 700 citizens have sent comments to LADWP on the IRP, requesting a coal free future.
“This workshop is just the latest example of the public coming together to demand a clean energy future,” added Evan Gillespie, Regional Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.
In August, nearly 120 people attended the first IRP workshop, the vast majority of which were there to push for a coal-free outcome in the IRP.
“By moving away from out-of-state coal-fired power, we can protect the climate and drive investments locally in the energy efficiency and solar markets,” Gillespie added.
By transitioning away from coal-fired power and investing in renewable energy and efficiency programs, LADWP can make Los Angeles the national leader in the fight against climate change while creating family-wage jobs and stimulating economic development in Los Angeles. The clean energy economy has the most promising potential in the California economy, with green jobs growing at ten times the rate of statewide average since 2005.
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About the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign
The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign is a national effort that aims to move our economy toward a clean energy future by stopping new polluting coal-fired plants, phasing out existing plants, and keeping U.S. coal reserves in the ground and out of international markets. Thanks in part to the work of the Beyond Coal Campaign, plans for 139 new coal plants have been shelved since the beginning of the coal rush, keeping more than 530 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and encouraging America to follow the path to a new clean energy economy.
For more information about the Sierra Club’s Coal Free LA campaign, please visit www.sierraclub.org/coal/ca.
Contact: David Graham-Caso
(858) 945-2203
david.grahamcaso@sierraclub.org