January 18, 2019
On January 18, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the “Clean Energy D.C. Omnibus Act of 2018,” a bold climate bill unanimously passed by the D.C. Council on December 18.
beyond-coal-northeast
January 15, 2019
At his State of the City address, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh highlighted the city’s accomplishments over the course of his five-year tenure -- including his commitments to taking action on climate change. The City will soon release its "Carbon Free Boston" report.
January 8, 2019
Harrisburg, P.A.-- Governor Wolf signed an executive order today committing Pennsylvania to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels, consistent with the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. The executive order also includes a provision re-establishing the Green Government Council, co-chaired by the Department of General Services, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Department of Environmental Protection. The goals of the council are to reduce energy consumption in state government by 21 percent, procure 40 percent of state agency energy use from renewables, and replace 25 percent of the state fleet with electric vehicles by 2025.
December 18, 2018
D.C. Council unanimously approves clean energy bill, commits to power the district entirely with renewable electricity by 2032
December 17, 2018
Trenton, New Jersey -- Governor Murphy announced his plan to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative today, a multi-state program establishing limits on carbon pollution from the region’s power plants. The announcement comes after his January 2018 Executive Order directing the administration to re-enter the program. New Jersey is proposing to enter the regional program starting at 18 million tons/CO2 per year. Current states included in RGGI are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Virginia and New Jersey both now plan to participate.
November 28, 2018
Pittsburgh, PA -- The Pennsylvania Department of the Environmental Protection (DEP) hosted a public hearing yesterday on its drafted update to the water pollution permit for the Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant. The plant owned by FirstEnergy, is a 2,700 megawatt plant located on the Ohio River in Beaver County. It is currently the largest coal plant in the state, and one of the largest remaining plants in the country.
October 15, 2018
BALTIMORE, MD — The Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Health filed a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today for failing to ensure that seven states, including Maryland, have effective plans in place for reducing harmful sulfur dioxide air pollution being emitted from coal-fired power plants.
September 8, 2018
WORCESTER - Hundreds of people rallied at Institute Park in Worcester to demand elected leaders take action to create a safe, healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. This event was one of over 400 taking place simultaneously around the world. Ralliers stood in solidarity with marchers in San Francisco who flooded the streets demanding action from governors and business leaders at the Global Climate Action Summit, while communities across the nation came together to galvanize engagement in the midterm elections.
September 8, 2018
BOSTON, MA— On September 8th, hundreds of people mobilized in East Boston to protest a planned Eversource high-voltage electric substation, and rallied for better, safer jobs; common-sense protections for immigrants; and bold action on climate change. The mobilization was one of more than 480 around the world. In San Francisco tens of thousands of people flooded the streets demanding action from governors and business leaders at the Global Climate Action Summit, while communities across the nation came together to galvanize engagement in the midterm elections.
October 2, 2018
Audubon, PA — PJM Interconnection, the regional electric grid operator for 13 states including Pennsylvania, announced the results of its grid reliability analysis for the FirstEnergy-owned Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant today. The report states the plant is not necessary for grid reliability in the area. Transmission upgrades are scheduled to be in place by the requested retirement date of June 1, 2021, which means the plant can retire on that date as requested with no impact to electric reliability.
September 26, 2018
Long Beach, NY — The New York State Energy Research and Development (NYSERDA) hosted a public hearing on Wednesday to provide the latest updates on the state's plan for offshore wind development for Long Beach. The Sierra Club, labor unions, allied groups, and local residents attended the hearings and voiced their support for strong environmental protections, community benefits, and labor standards in New York’s increasing investment in offshore wind.
August 29, 2018
Pittsburgh, PA -- FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. announced today that the 42-year-old Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant would retire by June 1, 2021. The 2,510 megawatt coal-fired power plant, located in Beaver County, is the largest in Pennsylvania and until recently, burned over seven million tons of coal annually.