DOVER, DE - State Senator Harris McDowell (District 1) unveiled critical legislation that would seriously increase Delaware’s utilization of renewable energy by expanding the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and creating a new community solar market.
The Sierra Club announced a new “polluter watchdog” program today, by issuing Freedom of Information ACT (FOIA) and state-based open records requests to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulators who are refusing to enforce public health safeguards during the pandemic.
Today, the Sierra Club and its environmental allies filed their opening brief in federal court to challenge the Trump Administration’s so-called “ACE” rule—also known as the Dirty Power Plan. Concocted by former coal lobbyist and current EPA chief Andrew Wheeler, this reckless and unlawful rule will allow fossil fuel-burning power plants to keep dumping carbon dioxide pollution into our air with essentially no restraints, driving dangerous climate change to ever more catastrophic levels.
Despite the presence of a global pandemic that’s risking the lives of millions of Americans, today former coal lobbyist and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced his final plan to undermine the basis of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS).
Former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler rejected pleas from experts to increase the EPA’s protections for Americans from dangerous soot pollution released from power plants.
SANDERSVILLE, GA -- The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has denied a request for additional time to begin construction on the proposed Plant Washington, signaling the end of the troubled 12-year-old project. The now defunct consortium of electric membership corporations (EMCs) behind the project had 30 days to appeal the EPD decision which expired last week.
Annapolis, MD - Today, the Sierra Club, along with 21 other community organizations and hundreds of concerned Maryland residents submitted comments urging the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to finalize a permit update for two of Maryland’s coal plants and establish the earliest possible compliance date for toxic discharge limits in order to protect families and waterways. The covered pollutants include mercury and arsenic both of which can be extremely toxic to humans and pose a serious threat to public health and waterways.
Late yesterday, Sierra Club’s legal team challenged EPA’s plan to reopen the Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction (SSM) loopholes in Texas, which would allow dirty industrial facilities like coal plants and oil refineries to release massive amounts of dangerous air pollution into vulnerable communities already suffering from respiratory ailments.
Trenton, NJ - Today, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) responded to a new Federal rule from the Trump Administration, which will promote fossil fuel electricity generation at clean energy’s expense, by opening an investigation into state regulatory options that will protect New Jersey’s clean energy economy.
Today, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, former coal lobbyist and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is planning to waive compliance requirements and deadlines for a range of polluting industries, which will cause dangerous increases in water and air pollution for vulnerable communities across the U.S.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - On March 18, the Sierra Club and partner organizations released their 2020 banks scorecard, Banking On Climate Change, ranking the top international financiers of fossil fuels. The report demonstrates that--despite the ongoing climate crisis--Wall Street continues to pour money into fossil fuel projects, including a number of projects in (or connected to) Minnesota.
The electricity grid operator PJM’s capacity market has been overcharging tens of millions of customers to prop up unneeded dirty power plants, a new analysis has found.