In a monumental victory for both public advocacy groups and local farmers, a California court today ruled that a Kern County oil and gas ordinance paid for and drafted by the oil industry violated the state’s foundational environmental law.
WASHINGTON— A federal judge on Tuesday overturned a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect northern long-eared bats as threatened rather than endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today rejected the request from low-income residents, shrimpers, environmental groups, local cities and landowners to reverse its approval of the Rio Grande LNG fracked gas facility proposed for a site along the Gulf Coast near Brownsville. The move by FERC demonstrates that the agency has dismissed the groups’ justifiable concerns about elevated pollution and potentially devastating damage to the local tourism and fishing industries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Documents released by the Environmental Protection Agency in response to a lawsuit by the Sierra Club reveal that there was no factual basis for Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s false public claim that “most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out.” Wheeler, a coal lobbyist prior to being chosen by Donald Trump to be the nation’s top environmental officer, made the false claim in 2019 during his first nationally televised network interview with CBS News.
Richmond, Calif. — Last night, the Richmond City Council voted to approve an ordinance that will prohibit the storage and handling of coal in Richmond in order to protect community health and safety. The ordinance will phase out storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke over a period of three years.
Arkansas PSC approved the retirement of the Dolet Hills Power Station today, in a settlement with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), making it the 300th coal plant proposed to retire since the beginning of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.
ARKANSAS - Today, Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) announced the retirement of the Dolet Hills coal-fired power plant as part of a settlement with Sierra Club in the Arkansas Public Service Commission. Communities in Shreveport and Northeastern Louisiana have long been affected by air pollution from Dolet Hills, while communities in Arkansas have had to foot the bill to keep the expensive and aging coal plant in operation.
ST. PAUL AND DULUTH, MINNESOTA -- Today, the Minnesota Court of Appeals overturned the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC’s) approval of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC), a fracked gas power plant proposal in Superior, Wisconsin that would be jointly owned by Minnesota Power. The Court’s decision requires the Minnesota PUC to assess the impact of pollution it would create over its forty year lifespan, including greenhouse gas pollution, air and water pollution and other impacts.
Today, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted to reject a request from the state’s investor-owned utilities to set two-year contract terms for renewable energy projects under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA).
Oakland, CA— A federal court today ruled that President Trump’s use of emergency powers to divert $3.6 billion in military construction funds for the border wall is unlawful. The ruling came in a lawsuit, Sierra Club v. Trump, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition.
In ruling against the use of emergency funds, U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. stated:
Odessa, Texas -- A settlement of a lawsuit challenging unpermitted flaring under the Clean Air Act from the James Lake Gas Plant in West Texas has secured penalties and significant pollution reductions for a plant that state and federal regulators have failed to address.
Challenge to Berkeley’s gas phase out is attack on cities’ right to clean air, climate action In response to a lawsuit from the California Restaurant Association, likely acting at the behest of the oil and gas industry, against Berkeley’s ordinance phasing out gas for heath, climate and economic reasons