COAL COUNTRY — This morning, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement released its final “Ten Day Notice” rule to address how the agency responds to community member complaints about safety, pollution, and other violations at coal mines across the country.
Washington, DC – Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will visit Charlotte, North Carolina to announce $20 billion in funding will be awarded through two Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund competitions to advance clean technology projects in communities across the country.
Salt Lake City, UT – On Monday, April 1, PacifiCorp, the parent company of monopoly utility Rocky Mountain Power issued an update to its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), doubling down on fossil fuels when decarbonization is urgently needed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Biden Administration announced new protections for critical public lands in Colorado. An order issued by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland protects more than 200,000 acres of Colorado landscapes known as the Thompson Divide from oil and gas development and other extraction for 20 years.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Sierra Club is co-hosting a panel on April 8th, 2024 at the National Press Club on the intersection of climate, health, and security implications regarding the impending sale of U.S. Steel. Experts will dive into the overlooked consequences such as significant CO2 emissions and hazardous air pollutants discharge. With Japanese Prime Minister Kishida's visit and the U.S.
WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration just announced $17.6 million in grants to 20 communities in 16 states to invest in transit-oriented development (TOD).
Boise, ID -- Today the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the City of Boise challenging a 70-year-old ordinance that unconstitutionally restricts the use of loudspeakers and megaphones in public spaces. The lawsuit asks Idaho’s federal court to halt enforcement of that ordinance and others like it because they violate First Amendment rights by restricting free speech and creating a "chilling effect" on protest.
Kansas City, MO - Despite much of the Midwest experiencing the warmest winter on record, Evergy is still dragging its feet on retiring expensive, coal-burning power plants and building out enough renewable energy. That’s what Evergy, the second largest electric utility in Missouri, announced when it filed its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with state regulators yesterday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Today, after years of dedicated community advocacy and activism, the Tennessee Valley Authority finalized its plan to retire the 1,700-megawatt Kingston coal plant in Roane County, Tenn. The federal utility issued the final decision to decommission all nine units in 2027. This is the 382nd coal plant to announce a retirement since the start of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
Helena, MT - On Thursday, March 28, 2024, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) rejected a law passed by the 2023 Montana legislature that would have weakened water quality protections required of coal mines. OSM’s decision ensures the law will not go into effect in Montana. It found the new Montana law was weaker than minimum federal requirements in six significant ways. OSM only ruled on HB 576, one of two bills that were challenged at the legislature and in court by ranchers and conservation groups. The other bill, SB 392, is still awaiting a final decision by OSM.