About Us
Coal-Free PSE is the beginning of the end of coal in the Northwest.
Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign started over 10 years ago focusing on the damaging practices of mountain top removal and the rush to build new coal plants. Here in Washington, we stopped the Kalama coal plant from being built. As the Campaign succeeded in stopping over 160 new plants from being built, the focus expanded to include the inevitable: begin to address the 600+ existing coal plants in the United States.
Oregon and Washington each has one large coal plant, the last of their in-state coal-based power. About three years ago, we launched campaigns to address these two dirty and dangerous plants. Last year, our campaign against Portland General Electric’s Boardman coal plant resulted in legally binding agreement for its retirement. And a few months later, we had a legally binding agreement for TransAlta coal plant in Centralia Washington.
Now only one major plant remains in the Northwest. It actually is in Eastern Montana but primarily provides power to Washington and Oregon. This coal plant is owned by five Northwest utilities and Pennsylvania Power and Light. And it is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas pollution in the West, and eighth largest in the United State. It is as big as TransAlta and Boardman combined. And Puget Sound Energy is the single largest owner of this dirty and dangerous plant.
Our vision is for a coal-free Northwest. And the Colstrip plant is the primary barrier to the brighter, cleaner future. We need your help in sending in a message to Puget Sound Energy that there is a better way than this 19th century technology that is the dirtiest of fossil fuels.
For more information about Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, go to www.beyondcoal.org
There is one issue that has appeared on the horizon and that is the development of proposed coal export terminals in Washington. We intend to do everything in our power to ensure no coal exports terminals are built in this state. For more information about this campaign, go to www.coalfreewashington.org.
For more information, or to get involved, please get in touch with Seth Ballhorn, at seth.ballhorn@sierraclub.org