The Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign

Coal is an outdated, backward, and dirty 19th-century technology.

Not only is coal burning responsible for one third of US carbon emissions—the main contributor to climate disruption—but it is also making us sick, leading to as many as 13,000 premature deaths every year and more than $100 billion in annual health costs.

The Beyond Coal campaign’s main objective is to replace dirty coal with clean energy by mobilizing grassroots activists in local communities, nationwide, to advocate for the retirement of old and outdated coal plants and to prevent new coal plants from being built.

Our goals include:

  • Retiring one-third of the nation’s more than 500 coal plants by 2020
  • Replacing the majority of retired coal plants with clean energy solutions such as wind, solar, and geothermal
  • Keeping coal in the ground in places like Appalachia and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin

What do we need to do in Tennessee?

Stop the destructive practice of mountain top removal coal mining.

TVA needs to place more emphasis on energy conservation and development of clean energy.

Tennessee should stop producing coal and instead create jobs that support clean energy.

Tennessee should encourage and support the development of clean energy, and clean energy-related jobs.

More about the Tennessee Beyond Coal Campaign.