RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, in a brazen assault on the health and welfare of the American public, the Trump administration announced that it will finalize its rule revoking the Environmental Protection Agency’s longstanding greenhouse gas endangerment finding under the federal Clean Air Act. With the stroke of a pen at a White House event this Thursday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will formalize climate denialism as official government policy and move to eliminate EPA’s ability to directly fight the climate crisis.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an extremely disappointing reversal, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it is planning to keep its Kingston and Cumberland coal plants operating for the foreseeable future, blowing by its upcoming deadlines to close the polluting facilities. The nation’s largest federal utility had previously committed to shutting down these dirty and expensive plants, which was the basis of its plans for building new, multi-billion-dollar methane gas power plants at the Cumberland and Kingston sites.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Sierra Club appealed the EPA’s approval of South Carolina’s do-nothing plan to reduce air pollution at our country's most wild and scenic national parks and wilderness areas. The Congressionally-approved Regional Haze program of the Clean Air Act is intended to reduce air pollution, including from coal plants, that impair visibility at our most prized public lands.
Phoenix, Ariz. – Today the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) approved a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) for the gas-fired Baccara power plant, which would supply power to a new data center. The project would build 18 new gas-fired turbines–essentially large jet engines–and eighteen 72-foot high exhaust stacks adjacent to existing residential neighborhoods in Glendale, Surprise, and El Mirage, with 620 homes within 1 mile of the site.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency gave a group of polluters a 33-month extension to clean up coal ash dump sites. This is twice as long an extension as what the EPA had proposed last year.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — With the go-ahead from the three governor-appointed PSC commissioners, SWEPCO will increase bills by 23% at current fuel costs, in part to help prop up the old, dirty, and expensive Flint Creek coal plant.
Washington, D.C. - Today, seven environmental and consumer advocacy groups filed rehearing requests after Donald Trump’s Department of Energy unlawfully invoked Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and forced two coal power plants in Indiana to stay online after their planned retirements.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Politico reported that the Trump administration will use funding legally directed by Congress to reduce pollution to instead help build new and prop up aging, expensive, polluting coal plants. Responding to competitive pressure from lower cost and lower risk resources, utilities have voluntarily retired 158 coal plants over the last decade.
Gov. Jared Polis and Xcel Energy are trying to weaken the Public Utilities Commission’s decision to limit the usage of, and air pollution from, Comanche 2, a 50-year-old coal unit that was supposed to retire at the end of 2025.
OMAHA, Neb. — Today, the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) board voted to extend the life of a dangerous coal-fired power plant that has been harming the health of North Omaha families for more than 70 years. In 2014, OPPD committed to retiring the polluting North Omaha Station, which has a documented history of reliability issues. The majority of OPPD board members have decided to no longer honor that commitment and now plan to burn coal indefinitely at the North Omaha Station.
An executive order issued by Donald Trump last week could block state guardrails around artificial intelligence and the infrastructure needed to run AI data centers, including popular state-level initiatives, known as large load tariffs, that help ensure tech companies have financial skin in the game for the costs of growing electricity demand.
NEW YORK - Last night, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that Donald Trump’s executive order banning wind projects in the United States was unlawful and vacated the order.