For Immediate Release: November 20, 2019
Contact: Elizabeth Ward, Elizabeth.ward@sierraclub.org, (608) 445-4489
Residents call on Dairyland Power Cooperative to Invest in Clean Energy
Petitions delivered calling on Dairyland to abandon plans for fracked gas plant in Superior
La Crosse, Wisconsin – A group of community members delivered over 1,000 petitions to Dairyland Power Cooperative at their headquarters today, calling on them to abandon plans for a fracked gas plant in Superior Wisconsin. Dairyland Power Coop and Minnesota Power have applied for permission to build a new $700 million fracked gas power plant in Superior. This power plant, the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC), has come under scrutiny for concerns about water usage, the proximity to Lake Superior, the impact on the climate crisis, and the cost.
“We’re delivering 1,130 petitions to Dairyland Power Coop asking them not to build a new fracked gas plant. We believe they should be investing in renewable energy, not more dirty fossil fuels. We’re in the middle of a climate crisis and that is not what we need,” said Avery Van Gaard, La Crosse resident before the group delivered the petitions.
A sample of some of the comments include:
“Battery backup would be a much better choice for today and the future. We have enough stupidly bought infrastructure in Wisconsin that we have to pay for even though it's already shut down, let's not build more and lock in more expensive rates for consume”
“The health of the planet and all life on it depends on us making the right choices right now. We can't wait until it's "more convenient" to move away from fossil fuels”
“What options could you do without compromising the quality of health in the area, destroying parts of Wisconsin for fracking sand?”
“I believe that we must move robustly and swiftly away from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy sources if we are to avoid the worst-case scenario of the impact of climate change on the planet.”
“Lake Superior being the largest of the great lakes and holding so much fresh water that is critical for every living thing surrounding it and so much more.”
“I stand in strong opposition to the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC). I demand that you completely reject this proposal as well as end all continued investment in fossil fuels.”
“Given how desperately we need to go to zero carbon emissions in the next 20 years, it's preposterous to build more power plants to burn fossil fuels.”
A recent analysis by the Sierra Club showed that the project would cost ratepayers more for electricity than comparable clean energy portfolios (CEP). The analysis showed that CEPs would provide the same energy, peak capacity, and ramping characteristics as the proposed gas plants, but at a lower cost, saving ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. In Wisconsin, the Sierra Club - John Muir Chapter’s 18,000 members work to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin.