Megan Wittman, megan.wittman@sierraclub.org
Des Moines, IA – Today, Sierra Club released its third version of the annual Dirty Truth About Utilities’ Climate Pledges Report. The report analyzes the plans of 77 utilities owned by 50 parent companies and assigns scores and grades to the utilities based on three criteria: plans to retire polluting coal plants, whether they plan to build new gas power plants, and the scale of their investment in clean energy through 2030.
The largest carbon polluter in Iowa, MidAmerican Energy, scored a ‘D’ grade for a third year in a row, despite significant investments in wind energy, because the utility has no plans to retire its five Iowa coal plants before 2049. Polluted air has been linked to increased asthma rates, bronchitis, blood clots, heart attacks, lung cancer, diabetes, and premature death.
Emma Colman, Organizing Representative, released the following statement:
“For the third year in a row, MidAmerican Energy has earned a ‘D’ grade because of its five massive coal plants in Iowa and lack of plans to make a clean energy transition. There are no excuses for keeping its coal plants open – clean energy is more affordable and reliable than ever, especially with the Inflation Reduction Act. MidAmerican owes it to its customers to pursue what’s safest and most affordable for its customers: clean energy.”
Background
The 77 utility companies most invested in fossil fuels are planning to replace just 30 percent of their existing fossil fuel generation with clean energy by 2030, according to the Sierra Club’s 2023 Dirty Truth Report released today. Utilities scored an overall grade of 'D,' in the report, with 43 percent showing no progress or receiving lower scores compared to the previous year.
Although clean energy is less expensive than 99 percent of existing coal and new gas generation, only 20 of the 77 utilities have plans to be entirely coal-free by 2030. And combined, these 77 utilities are planning to build 53 gigawatts of new gas plants through 2030, nearly 40 percent more than was planned last year.
In an interactive webpage, users can see their utility’s score and what progress – if any– the utility has made toward transitioning to cleaner, more affordable energy.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.