June 3, 2013
Sierra Club & Springfield, IL Forge Landmark Clean Energy Agreement
Sierra Club and the City of Springfield have finalized a ground-breaking plan to replace an old coal-fired power plant with a cleaner facility coupled with an ambitious energy efficiency program and a monumental investment in wind power. The agreement also represents the first enforceable agreement in the nation by any city or utility to significantly reduce its global warming pollution.
Overall, the landmark energy agreement would do the following:
- Replace the City’s Lakeside coal plant, one of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation, with the cleanest coal-fired power plant in the nation—the new plant will emit 99 percent less sulfur dioxide than the existing power plant
- Cut mercury emissions from its existing and new coal plants by 90 percent by 2009 (the most stringent requirement in the nation)
- Cut overall sulfur dioxide emissions from its existing and new coal plants by 75 percent by 2012 (the lowest SO2 pollution limit in the Midwest)
- Meet the goals of the Kyoto Protocol by cutting the City’s global warming pollution by 25 percent (600,000 tons annually) below its 2005 levels by 2012, the most stringent global warming reduction commitment by any utility in the U.S. It’s the equivalent of removing 103,000 automobiles off of our highways
- Double Illinois’ installed wind capacity by adding a record 120 megawatt of new wind turbines—this includes 60 MW to power the State’s Springfield office buildings, including the State Capitol—this represents one of the largest investments by any state in clean energy
- Boost the City’s investment in energy efficiency funding ten-fold to a record $4 million over the next decade
- Establish an internship program for college students to work on clean energy projects