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100 Coal Power Plants Set for Retirement, Clean Energy Sees Record Growth
Case Updates:
February 29, 2012
Today, the Sierra Club marked a major milestone in the transition to clean energy as the Fisk and Crawford facilities in Chicago became the 99th and 100th coal-fired plants to announce retirement since January, 2010. These iconic Midwest Gen owned plants are two of nine coal-fired plants from Chicago to Pennsylvania that announced plans to retire today, including the Portland plant in Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania.
The Sierra Club’s goal is to retire one third of America’s polluting coal plants by the year 2020 and replace that power with clean energy like wind and solar.
Pollution from coal-burning power plants contributes to a host of health problems, including respiratory illnesses and asthma attacks, heart disease and cancer. Retirement of these 100 plants is estimated to prevent more than 2,042 premature deaths, 3,299 heart attacks and 33,053 asthma attacks, according to the Clean Air Task Force.
In addition to securing retirement dates for more than 100 coal plants nationwide and continuing to keep a watch on their progress to ensure they phase out on schedule, the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign has played a key role in stopping 166 new coal plants from being built. Preventing new coal plants and retiring existing coal plants has opened the space for clean energy. U.S. solar and wind capacity is now over 50,000 megawatts, enough to power 11 million homes, and nearly 180,000 people are now employed by the solar and wind industries.
Details and Documents:
100 Coal Power Plants Set for Retirement, Clean Energy Sees Record Growth
February 29, 2012, Sierra Club Press Release
Why retiring 100 coal plants matters
February 29, 2012, Blog by Sierra Club's Executive Director Michael Brune
The Nation's 100th Coal-Fired Power Plant Retirement
February 29, 2012, Blog by Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign Director Mary Anne Hitt
News Articles:
Utilities announce closure of 10 aging power plants in Midwest, East
February 29, 2012 by Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post
More Info:
See other "Retiring Old Coal" cases.