The Sierra Club is committed to fighting for clean air policies locally and nationally. Last year, we had one of our biggest fights at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which is responsible for setting clean air standards for over 17 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. If you recall, we lost the fight in securing two rules that would have required the transition of space and water heating to be zero-emission, like heat pumps. After mobilizing hundreds of community members across the region, dozens of comment letters of support for rules 1111 +1121, engagement throughout the whole rule-making process, public health data on the benefits of heatpumps, we were baffled by the SCAQMD board's decision not to pass these rules. We knew something was not right and that the fossil fuel industry, pun intended, was playing dirty.
In February, the Los Angeles Times revealed a troubling new tactic in the fossil fuel industry’s playbook — one that threatens both climate policy and democratic engagement. Over 20,000 public comments opposing sensible clean-air rules were generated by an AI advocacy platform called CiviClick and submitted to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) during a vote last year on rules (1111+1121) that would phase out polluting gas-powered appliances across the region.
These proposed rules — nearly two years in the making — were designed to cut emissions of nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient that creates smog, pollutes our air and harms public health, our climate, and traps communities of color in a cycle of environmental racism. Instead of a fair public process grounded in real community voices, AQMD was flooded with an avalanche of AI-generated opposition that overwhelmed regulators and to not pass common-sense climate rules.
A dystopian future that once seemed far away is here— it’s the emerging fossil fuel industry playbook to swamp public comment systems with AI, drowning out real community concerns and slowing real climate progress. The Sierra Club and environmental allies have already called for investigations into this kind of astroturf campaign to protect our public dialogue and the integrity of climate-critical decision-making.
This moment is about more than technology — it’s about power, transparency, and justice. We know that the fossil fuel industry will pump cash into campaigns that shield their profits at the expense of our health and climate safety. We know because we have sued them when they have been caught red-handed. We know whose interests are being served when climate safeguards are derailed. But we will overcome because the real voices will not be silenced.
I share this not to instill fear or worry. Rather, I share this so you get angry. I share this so you throw down with us and our ongoing fight to hold the fossil fuel industry and our regulators accountable.
You are probably wondering, “But what can I do?”
Our movement grows stronger when we act together:
- Volunteer with Sierra Club Angeles — help organize neighbors, educate community members, and build pressure for real clean-air wins. The Climate Action Committee meets virtually on the first Thursday of every month. RSVP today.
- Tell your story to your representatives and local elected officials — your lived experience matters more than any AI-generated message.
- Donate to the chapter. Your donation stays in the chapter and funds our advocacy work for clean air.
The forces that stand in the way of climate progress are evolving — but so are we. Together, we can ensure community voices stay at the heart of climate decisions and win the clean air future we deserve.