Friday afternoon, the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC) submitted an order approving the 2023 Santee Cooper Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which includes approval of a massive new methane gas plant proposed to be built with investor-owned utility Dominion Energy.
Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper are asking the South Carolina legislature to fast-track a new multibillion-dollar gas plant in Colleton County. House Bill 5118, known as the "Ten Year Energy Transformation Act,” practically writes a blank check allowing them to build a massive methane gas plant on the Edisto River in Canadys -- without having to disclose the costs of the project and the locations of pipelines for the project.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Friday, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it will move forward with plans to build a new gas plant and pipeline, forcing families in the Tennessee Valley to foot the bill for the polluting and outdated fossil fuel infrastructure.
Duke Energy's plans include a proposal to build a new massive 1,360MW combined cycle methane gas plant in South Carolina – which would undermine their promise of a clean energy transition and deliver additional risks and costs to South Carolinians.
Recently, Duke Energy filed an update for its combined Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP) with the North Carolina Utility Commission - a filing that shows the rate of growth for Duke Energy's electric usage load is currently 8 times higher than the growth projected in 2022.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency opened the rulemaking for its Waste Emissions Charge regulation, designed to achieve important methane pollution reductions from the oil and gas industry as quickly as possible. The charge is a component of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program established through the Inflation Reduction Act. The announcement will now kick off a 60-day comment period.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted a three-year extension of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s certificate for their Southgate extension.
ALBANY, NY -- Today, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) declined to approve the 20-year long-term gas plan from National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation of Western New York (NFG), requiring a number of modifications including ending incentives for gas expansion, proposing a gas demand response program, and developing pilot projects to compare cold-climate air-source heat pumps and hybrid heating systems. However, the order failed to rule on the appropriateness of numerous aspects of NFG’s plan including its limited contribution to the emission reductions required by New York’s climate law. The PSC also failed to rule on the outsized role of alternative fuels such as “renewable” natural gas and hydrogen in NFG’s plan and how to properly account for the emissions of these fuels.
***Sierra Club Staff are on the ground in Dubai.***
***Contact Jonathon Berman for interviews or specific comments on COP28 proceedings***
No state produces more oil and gas than Texas, which released more than 564 billion cubic feet of methane in 2019 alone. Thus, the federal rules could have more impact on Texas than any other state.
Washington, DC -- Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final Clean Air Act protections against methane and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas industry, a major win for climate and public health. These safeguards strengthen standards for new equipment and also include the first-ever standards for existing equipment, which has been a major priority for the Sierra Club.
Washington, DC - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final, critical Clean Air Act protections against methane and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas industry, a major win for climate and public health. These safeguards—which include the first-ever standards for existing equipment while also strengthening standards for new equipment—have been a major priority for Sierra Club and its allies, and are the culmination of years of advocacy by and on behalf of our members, families, and communities.