Wyoming – In its proposed partial disapproval of Wyoming’s State Implementation Plan earlier this month, the EPA has confirmed a retirement date for PacifiCorp’s Dave Johnston coal Unit 3, one of four units at the plant. In its recent proposed rule, EPA declared that the retirement of the unit has a federally-enforceable commitment to shut down by 2027. The utility has also maintained the same retirement date in its latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) meant to forecast how it will source energy for the next two decades.
This week, the Sierra Club, alongside West Virginia residents and ratepayers Bruce Perrone and Rosanna Long, filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of West Virginia against the Commissioners of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) for their 2021 directive that coal plants operate at 69% capacity – far beyond the average of coal plants in the region.
Springfield, IL – New federal data shows that wind and solar energy – due to coal plant retirements and the growth of renewable energy – generated more power this year so far than coal.
Washington, DC – New federal data shows that wind and solar energy – due to coal plant retirements and the growth of renewable energy – generated more power this year so far than coal. The US is on track for wind and solar to outpace coal for the entire calendar year of 2024, including the hot summer months (when coal generation usually picks up).
CARSON CITY, NEVADA— Years after taking down Nevada’s last Climate Action Plan, Governor Lombardo released a “Climate Innovation Plan.” The 32 page plan is vague, insufficient, and reads like a love letter to extractive, corporate interests.
Reno City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution opposing a rate hike proposed by NV Energy. The resolution is a big next step in preventing NV Energy's contentious proposal to escalate the Basic Service Charge (BSC) from $16.50 to $45.30 for residents in Northern Nevada. This proposed surge, changing the rate structure for ratepayers and disincentivizing energy conservation, has sparked widespread concern among the region's residents.
Harrisburg, PA — Today, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recognized the fundamental right of PennFuture, Clean Air Council, Sierra Club, and Environmental Defense Fund and their members to defend Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), by overturning the Commonwealth Court’s June 28, 2022 denial of intervention.
WASHINGTON, DC – Just weeks after a court challenge to new coal ash safeguards joined in part by the operators of the General James M. Gavin Power Plant in southeastern Ohio was thrown out, about one million gallons of coal ash wastewater spilled from Minnesota Power's Boswell Energy Center, with some reaching a reservoir of the Mississippi River. The spill was discovered Tuesday.
DULUTH, MN -- About one million gallons of coal ash wastewater spilled from Minnesota Power's Boswell Energy Center, the largest coal plant in Minnesota, with some reaching Blackwater Lake, a reservoir of the Mississippi River. The spill, discovered on Tuesday morning, prompted the company to contain the leak and notify environmental authorities, who are still investigating the extent of the contamination. Coal ash contains harmful pollutants, raising concerns about potential impacts on water and wildlife in the area.
Frankfort, KY – In response to legal action by environmental and conservation groups, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia signed a final consent decree Friday that requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to speed up action on haze pollution plans from 32 states that have submitted proposals.
EPA will be required to decide – no later than May 30, 2025 – if the plan submitted by TCEQ complies with the Clean Air Act’s Regional Haze Rule. EPA could either approve the do-nothing state plan, partially approve it, or reject it and then issue a federal plan to limit haze emissions.
Westminster, CO – Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is proposing trailblazing provisions for direct financial assistance to communities impacted by coal plant closures, and plans for resource procurement estimated to reduce its emissions by 89%.