WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, a broad coalition of 95 environmental organizations and local community groups called on the Biden Administration to fix a glaring environmental justice problem by closing the Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction (SSM) loopholes. The groups sent a letter and filed a legal petition to urge EPA to prioritize closing the loopholes. The SSM loopholes allow polluting facilities like coal plants and oil refineries to release unlimited amounts of dangerous air pollution during routine events, without facing legal consequences under the Clean Air Act. This toxic pollution causes severe health consequences in fenceline and nearby communities and has historically had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color that live near polluting facilities.
Press Releases
El Presidente Biden formalmente presentó su primera propuesta presupuestaria al Congreso.
Washington, DC -- Today, the Biden Administration announced they will maintain the Trump Administration’s position and allow oil to continue to flow through this illegally-constructed pipeline, threatening tribal lands, drinking water, and the climate rather than take action and shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
Richmond, VA-- Today the Sierra Club filed the expert testimony of Rachel Wilson of Synapse Energy Economics with the State Corporation Commission (SCC) opposing Appalachian Power Company’s (APCo) request to charge ratepayers to maintain the Amos and Mountaineer coal plants in West Virginia through 2040 rather than investing in more cost-effective clean energy.
Frontline Communities From Permian Basin and Greater Chaco Region Demand Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Reform and End to Sacrifice Zones in First-Ever Joint Press Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, President Biden will sign an executive order to create a new bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. According to the announcement, over the next 180 days, the Commission will study “the genesis of the reform debate; the Court’s role in the Constitutional system; the length of service and turnover of justices on the Court; the membership and size of the Court; and the Court’s case selection, rules, and practices.” The study will also include public meetings to solicit views of additional experts.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Biden formally submitted his first budget request to Congress. The request takes as its starting point the urgent imperative to address four interlocking crises facing the nation: “a historic global pandemic; an economy battered by recession; the generational crisis of climate change; and persistent inequities in the economy and Nation.”
TOPEKA, KS--Yesterday, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) ruled 3-0 that Evergy must refund the unlawful and discriminatory charges levied against customer-owned solar in its Central and South jurisdictions that the utility collected since April 3rd, 2020.
ATLANTA, GA -- Today, the Sierra Club submitted its opening brief to the Georgia Court of Appeals in Sierra Club v. Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power Company over the company’s 2019 rate case where the Southern Company subsidiary was approved to collect $525 million from ratepayers for coal ash pond closure costs.
St. Louis, MO -- Tonight, Missourians from throughout the state held a virtual rally to demand that the state’s largest coal polluting utilities quickly transition to clean energy. The rally builds on the The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges report released by Sierra Club in January.