Thomas Young, thomas.young@sierraclub.org
Glendale, CA — Late last night, the Glendale City Council voted 3-2 to approve construction of five new gas-fired units totaling 93 megawatts (MWs) at the Grayson Power Plant. This may be the last new gas-fired generation built in California, and runs counter to California’s efforts to reach 100% clean electricity by 2045.
After community protest and advocacy for clean energy in 2018, the Glendale City Council rejected a proposal from Glendale Water and Power (GWP) to build 262 MWs of new gas-fired energy capacity at Grayson. The City Council later directed GWP to develop a plan for achieving 100% clean energy by 2030, but GWP never did a meaningful analysis and has still not justified why this energy capacity is even necessary.
Grayson already contributes to a heavily-polluted community, and this new project could continue that legacy of pollution for decades. This project will also cost $260 million dollars, which will likely be wasted as our state continues to transition to cleaner energy sources that reliably and affordably power our communities and aren’t subject to swings in fuel prices, which we’re experiencing now.
“It’s disappointing. This Glendale City Council vote commits the community to paying hundreds of millions of dollars for more gas pollution when we should be going all-in on reliable and affordable clean energy to address the climate crisis,” said Morgan Goodwin, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter.
“The City Council’s decision is a costly mistake that we cannot afford,” said Byron Chan, Associate Attorney for Earthjustice. “Instead of spending over $250 million to repower Grayson with fossil fuels, this money would be far better spent on 100% renewable energy that can power Glendale with clean and reliable energy in the long-term.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.
About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.