FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2009
CONTACT: Josh Dorner, 202.675.2384
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Last-Ditch Effort
to Build Outdated Coal Plant
Washington, D.C.--In a victory for clean energy, the United States Supreme Court today refused to consider an appeal by EnviroPower, LLC. The company was attempting to build a coal plant in Southern Illinois using outdated plans that lacked modern pollution controls. Today's decision affirms earlier rulings by the federal courts on this proposed coal plant. It also reflects a broader national trend as states, businesses and cities reject dirty coal in favor of clean energy and the green jobs it brings.
In response, Bruce Nilles, Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, issued the following statement:
"EnviroPower has been pursuing its coal plant project for nearly a decade. The fact that the company tried to take this case all the way to the Supreme Court, losing at every step along the way, shows how desperate coal plant developers are these days.
"From the mine to the ash, coal is a dirty business. It's also increasingly risky and expensive. The industry has no solid plan in place to clean up its act in the face of new federal regulations that will make coal pay for its pollution, including global warming pollution. That means the cost of coal will continue to rise, while the prices for clean energy, like wind, solar, and efficiency continue to fall.
"Today marks the end of the road for EnviroPower's outdated plans, but only the beginning for a clean energy economy. We have barely scratched the surface of energy efficiency and clean energy's potential to create jobs and boost the economy."
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A copy of the Supreme Court's order regarding Franklin County Power, et al. v. Sierra Club is available at: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/orders/courtorders/062909zor.pdf. Sierra Club was represented in this matter by Lester Pines and Kira Loehr of the Madison, Wisconsin law firm of Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, LLP and by Brian Wolfman and Greg Beck with Public Citizen in Washington, DC.
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