July 13, 2021
Washington, D.C. — Utilities are trying to greenwash their climate commitments — and a new ad campaign by Sierra Club holds these polluters accountable.
Press Releases
July 12, 2021
Backers of the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline announced a new scheme today to purchase carbon offsets to make up for the operational emissions of its first 10 years in service. These offsets would do nothing to address the climate impact of extracting or burning the fracked gas that MVP would transport.
July 9, 2021
RICHMOND -- Today, the Richmond Times reported that Michigan-based NOVI Energy is no longer pursuing the planned development of the C4GT gas power plant in Charles City County.
July 9, 2021
The Dane County Circuit Court held a hearing today to hear testimony on former Public Service Commissioner Mike Huebsch’s potential conflict of interest when he voted to approve the proposed $700 million Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin. These issues came to light when it was revealed that, shortly after Huebsch voted to approve the controversial gas plant in January, 2020, he applied for the open position of CEO at Dairyland Power Cooperative, one of two utilities who filed the application. In the hearing, Sierra Club elicited testimony demonstrating that Commissioner Huebsch, in voting to approve a major project for a utility he sought employment from soon thereafter, and one of whose high level executives he had a close personal relationship, was exposed to undue pressure to approve the project, which would have impacted any reasonable person in his position.
July 8, 2021
Washington, DC— The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will vote next week on the confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Last month, more than 100 local and national conservation organizations sent a letter to the Senate urging support for her confirmation. Read the letter here, and watch the live stream of the vote here.
July 7, 2021
Leading national environmental organizations, EDF Action, the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, NRDC Action and Clean Water Action, launched a digital ad campaign to thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Mark Kelly, Maggie Hassan, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar for their support of the For the People Act. The ads also highlight why environmental groups have joined the democracy fight -- “A Healthy Democracy = A Healthy Environment.”
July 7, 2021
AUSTIN, TX -- Earlier this week, Governor Abbott released a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), demanding changes that Abbott falsely claims will ”increase power generation capacity and to ensure the reliability of the Texas power grid.” Unfortunately, Abbott’s letter promotes polluting, unreliable fossil fuels, attacks safer clean energy options, and ignores solutions that would actually benefit everyday Texans.
July 7, 2021
Montana— The Global Indigenous Council today released “FAMILY,” a short film highlighting the deep cultural connection Indigenous Nations share with wolves and the major threats currently facing imperiled wolves in the lower 48 states. WATCH “FAMILY” on the Global Indigenous Council YouTube page here.
July 5, 2021
Albany, N.Y. -- Today, the New York State Outdoor Rx Task Force released a highly anticipated report on promoting veterans’ mental and physical health through outdoors therapy. The report recommends expanding nature-based therapy and programming for veterans and adjusting or eliminating entrance fees to state parks and public lands to allow for greater access to the outdoors, especially for veterans from diverse, historically marginalized, and underrepresented communities.
July 2, 2021
New York City; Newburgh, NY - New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said on Wednesday that two proposed fracked gas power plants — Astoria NRG in Queens and Danskammer in Newburgh, Orange County — appear to be “inconsistent with or would interfere with the attainment of the Statewide GHG emission limits” established in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).