Renner Barsella, 217-390-9394, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
La Crosse, WI -- Today Dairyland Power Cooperative announced plans to retire the Genoa coal-fired power plant in Genoa, Wisconsin in 2021. This proposed coal plant retirement marks the 304th nationally.
In response, Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Chapter Director Elizabeth Ward released the following statement:
"Today’s announcement that Dairyland is proposing to retire the Genoa coal plant next year is another indication that Wisconsin is ready to move off coal. One less coal plant in Wisconsin means cleaner air, cleaner water, and progress towards reducing climate-disrupting emissions.
“But make no mistake: replacing coal with fracked gas would be an economic and environmental disaster. Analysis has shown again and again that there are viable clean energy options available to meet the energy needs of consumers and save them money. Dairyland’s proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) gas plant would saddle us with decades of climate-polluting emissions, wreak havoc on groundwater systems in northern Wisconsin, and is projected to be uneconomic less than a decade after it would come online. The proposed plant still faces regulatory and permitting processes in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. The fight over NTEC is far from over.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works 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.