TOPEKA, KS -- Earlier today, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that utilities cannot charge customers who generate their own power more than customers who do not. The Court ruled in favor of Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, and Vote Solar, who challenged a 2018 Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) decision approving extra fees (sometimes called “demand charges”) on residential solar customers.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Sierra Club this week launched a statewide radio ad campaign urging residents to demand that the state Senate reject HB 1414, a piece of dangerous and unnecessary legislation that would slow the retirement of Indiana’s aging, polluting coal fleets, lead to higher bills for families and businesses, and worsen the climate crisis.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana House today passed HB 1414, a bill that would require the state’s utility regulatory commission to approve coal plant closures. The bill would also let electric utilities recover the costs for more coal, thereby incentivizing them to buy more coal and pass that cost onto customers.
TOPEKA, KS -- On Thursday, Evergy--which serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri-- announced goals of “reducing carbon emissions'' and becoming “more environmentally sustainable.” While the addition of 660 megawatts of wind power is encouraging, the utility’s plan also includes continued operation of the utility’s large fleet of coal plants until between 2040-2050 if not longer.
Sierra Club applauds and fully supports the special resolution Indianapolis City-County Council members passed unanimously tonight, calling on local electric provider Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) to update its 20-year energy plan filed with state regulators in December to include the full retirement of the Petersburg Super Polluter coal plant by 2028.
Georgia families and business will pay more on their monthly electric bills, and have less control of their energy costs, after the state’s Public Service Commission today approved a rate hike request from Georgia Power.
Today, the Sierra Club released the Building Electrification Action Plan for Climate Leaders, which advises policymakers on how to clear greenhouse gas emissions out of California’s homes and buildings. More than 20 cities have already adopted ordinances to begin phasing gas out of buildings, which release roughly 17 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and account for more pollution than all of the state’s power plants combined.
Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) today released its plan for how the utility will generate electricity for its more than 470,000 customers over the next two decades with a proposal to retire two units at the Petersburg Super Polluter coal plant, but will keep burning coal until 2042 at the two remaining units.
Hartford, CT -- Today, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced Park City Wind, a project of Vineyard Wind, will supply over 804 megawatts of offshore wind power to Connecticut--enough to supply 284,000 homes with power. The announcement highlights notable provisions in the project including significant economic development for the state and Bridgeport Harbor, a commitment to prevailing wage and project labor agreements, and plans to address environmental and fisheries impacts.
Avista Utilities would commit at least $3 million to assist in economic transition for the community of Colstrip and would no longer support investments that would extend the life of the plant past the end of 2025, under the terms of a proposed settlement in the company’s rate case before the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Donald McEachin (VA-4) introduced the 100% Clean Economy Act, a bill that seeks to move America to a 100 percent clean economy with net-zero emissions by 2050 across all sectors of the economy, including transportation, buildings, and manufacturing, as specified by the IPCC. The bill would also create a commission representative of workforce and environmental justice issues to provide recommendations to Congress.
DULUTH, MN-- Two gas plant proposals would cost Minnesota ratepayers more for electricity than comparable clean energy portfolios (CEP), as shown in a Sierra Club analysis using a methodology and algorithm developed by Rocky Mountain Institute. In both cases, CEPs would provide the same energy, peak capacity, and ramping characteristics as the proposed gas plants, but at a lower cost, saving ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars.