April 8, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bloomberg Philanthropies announced today that it will invest an additional $30 million in the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign to secure replacement of half the nation’s coal fleet by 2017 with clean energy. Building on a successful, state-driven strategy that has made it possible for the U.S. to be a world leader in aggressive emission reductions, the new round of funding builds on a previous commitment of $50 million, raising the foundation’s overall investment in the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign to $80 million.
“The single biggest reduction in carbon pollution in the U.S. has come by retiring and repurposing coal-fired power plants - and that's the direct result of our Beyond Coal campaign," said Michael R. Bloomberg. “Thanks to the community leaders who have spearheaded this work, the U.S. led every industrialized nation in reducing carbon emissions last year. But much more work remains, and today we are doubling down on what has proven to be an incredibly successful strategy for improving public health and fighting climate change."
With the new round of support, the Sierra Club will continue to use tactics as varied as grassroots advocacy, community organizing, paid advertising, technical research and litigation. The Sierra Club will also continue their work to secure critical carbon emissions reductions under the President’s Clean Power Plan, push regulators to crack down on harmful pollution, and replace dirty power generation capacity with solar, wind and energy efficiency.
In Maryland specifically, coal power plants are the largest source of smog-causing pollution in a region that suffers the worst smog in the east. That’s why Sierra Club is leading the charge to ensure that new protections are finally implemented to ensure that all coal plants in the state install state of the art pollution control technology, retire, or repower to cleaner fuel. This week, Sierra Club partnered with Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility to air a TV ad on prime-time cable throughout the state calling on Governor Larry Hogan to swiftly unblock those critical protections, which he yanked from publication on his first day in office. View that ad here.
“Mike Bloomberg's continued commitment to clean air, water, and climate action demonstrate his understanding that we are at a critical turning point in our nation, when it comes to how we power our economy and ensure healthy families," said Michael Brune, Sierra Club executive director. "The Sierra Club's partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies has helped us work with communities nationwide who are fighting to protect their air, water, and children's health from toxic coal pollution. Together, we have secured the retirement of 187 dirty power plants – we cannot and we will not stop there. With this new investment a clean energy economy is in our sights, and dirty coal is a thing of the past."
To date, the Bloomberg Philanthropies-Sierra Club partnership has led to solid results including:
● A steady stream of plant closures – To date, 187 coal plants have already retired or announced their retirement, making way for public health improvements and a shift towards cleaner energy.
● A lower US coal dependence – Coal has plunged from 52% of US electricity generation to under 40%, and states are investing in cleaner, newer energy sources.
● A reduction of carbon emissions – The announced retiring coal plants effectively cut more than 280 million metric tons of carbon emissions from the U.S. electric sector. By burning less coal, the US leads the world in lowering its carbon emissions, which are down 7.7% economy wide since 2006.
● In Maryland, three coal plants have either retired or announced they will retire. In their place, Sierra Club has fought for increased investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, and is currently working with other clean energy advocates to expand the state’s renewable energy commitments to 25% by 2020.
Reducing America’s reliance on dirty coal will not just help save the environment – it will save lives. That's why community leaders - from local elected officials to doctors to faith leaders - have been the drivers of these local coal retirement campaigns, which have mobilized thousands of Americans in dozens of cities and small towns. For every 50 gigawatts of coal taken offline, more than 3,600 deaths and 60,000 asthma attacks are prevented. In addition, $2.3 billion in health care costs are saved each year. Closing even one coal plant can prevent 29 premature deaths, 47 heart attacks and 146 asthma attacks.
Bloomberg Philanthropies began funding the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in 2011 with a goal to phase out one third of the nation’s coal plants, beginning with the oldest and dirtiest units, and replacing the retiring coal fleet with cleaner energy sources and reducing toxic mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2020. The initial $50 million grant was used to expand the Sierra Club’s campaign to 45 states from 15, enforcing state and federal environmental laws and helping communities impacted by coal mining and coal plants to make the clean energy transition and address concerns left from closing coal plants.
For more information about this initiative, please visit, http://beyondcoal.bloomberg.org.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ mission is to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Public Health, Environment, Education, Government Innovation and the Arts. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $462 million. For more information on the philanthropy, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.