St. Louis, MO - In a federal court filing today, Ameren Missouri announced its intent to retire its Rush Island coal plant no later than March 2024 following Clean Air Act violations and a court order to add modern pollution controls. Ameren Missouri previously planned to retire Rush Island in 2039 according to the Integrated Resource Plan it filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission in 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, the politicians and coal companies who are petitioning the United States Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA submitted their initial legal briefs in the case. As the briefs make clear, these petitioners are asking the Court to go far beyond what is needed to clarify the relevant portions of the Clean Air Act. Instead, the petitioners are seeking to redefine the Court’s precedents so as to fundamentally erode the ability of our government to protect the public.
Today marks the close of the public comment period on a proposed rulemaking from the Department of Labor that would restore flexibility to managers of pension funds and retirement accounts to consider the environment, social justice, and corporate governance in making investments and voting on shareholder proposals.
New report finds that if US financial institutions were a country, they would be the fifth worst carbon emitter in the world, or just below Russia, in annual net emissions of CO₂;
Today, a coalition representing thousands of members who live in communities directly impacted by coal mining sent a letter to the White House asking the Biden Administration to prioritize the appointment of a permanent director for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). The groups highlight three specific, unprecedented challenges facing the coal mining industry and coal mining communities.
DULUTH, MN -- Sierra Club members and communities from around the Twin Ports continue to voice their opposition to a proposed fracked gas power plant--the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC)--to be built in Superior, Wisconsin. The proposed gas plant is now a joint effort between Duluth-based Minnesota Power, Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power, and North Dakota-based Basin Electric. NTEC would be built along 31st Ave E, between Grand Ave and E 10th St, close to homes, schools, and businesses, and only a few miles from Lake Superior.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Today, the the Energy We Can’t Afford coalition--which includes, SP350, MN350, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Vote Solar, Environment Minnesota, Community Power, Fresh Energy, Cooperative Energy Futures, and the Sierra Club--launched a public education campaign to inform Minnesotans that so-called “natural gas” is primarily methane, a dirty and dangerous fossil fuel.
In a huge step towards environmental justice, President Joe Biden announced yesterday plans to appoint Dr. Earthea Nance as the new Region 6 Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.
*** Senior Sierra Club policy staff and leadership, along with grassroots volunteers, are available to discuss the urgent need for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act. ***
As the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics prepares to release its Consumer Price Index data for November on Friday, the Senate is slated to vote soon on President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, a bill that will greatly reduce costs for struggling families in communities across the country.
Richmond, VA - Today, Governor Ralph Northam signed Virginia onto the Multi-State Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero Emission Vehicle Memorandum of Understanding, which has been signed by 15 states and Washington DC, to support vehicle electrification and eliminate toxic air pollution. Under the MOU, Virginia joins a multi-state commitment for 30 percent of new truck and bus sales to be zero-emission by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emission by 2050.