Brian Willis, 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Late Friday afternoon, Bloomberg News reported that the Trump administration is covering up a report commissioned by the Department of Energy that disputes the administration’s rationalization for planning to force electricity customers and taxpayers to pay tens of billions of dollars to bailout uneconomic coal plants heading for retirement.
In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration is covering up this report because it makes clear that there is no good reason to force people to pay tens of billions of dollars to bail out uneconomic coal plants. Facts are the enemy of the Trump administration and its coal bailout scheme, so instead of letting the truth be known, they are trying to bury it. It won’t work. The public, energy experts, and utilities have already made it clear that the bail out would be destructive and is unnecessary. Clean, cheaper energy resources like solar and wind are replacing dirty, expensive fuels. Clean energy is what the public wants and what the market demands, and that’s the direction we will continue to move in spite of this transparent ploy by the Trump Administration to hand out favors to their campaign donors.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.