San Francisco, CA -- Today, embattled EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced he is naming agricultural attorney Mike Stoker to head EPA’s Region 9. This region consists of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Islands.
Stoker is perhaps best known as the person who coined the phrase “lock her up.”
In response, Sierra Club Western Director for Beyond Coal Bill Corcoran released the following statement:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted to ignore the catastrophic environmental effects of gas pipelines.
Today, Michigan’s two largest utilities, DTE and Consumers Energy, announced that they are committing to a 50 percent clean energy goal by 2030, including investments ensuring that 25 percent of the electricity they sell comes from renewable sources by that time, along with energy efficiency programs to reduce energy demand.
The House today failed to pass the 2018 farm bill, though Republicans are vowing to pick the highly partisan legislation up again next week under a motion to reconsider. The bill includes a host of troubling provisions, including weakening the SNAP anti-hunger program, and undermining bedrock environmental safeguards for clean water, wildlife and forests. More than a half dozen measures target millions of acres of pristine national forests for logging. There is also yet another attempt to repeal the Clean Water Rule, which provides certainty and protects waterways feeding the drinking water of 117 million people.
Jackson, WY— Today, 107 wildlife photographers released a letter calling on Wyoming Governor Matt Mead to halt his state’s proposed grizzly bear trophy hunt. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission votes on the proposal in just four days. The signers emphasized the importance of saving iconic wildlife like the globally-loved Mother 399 who is at-risk if a hunt happens.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, The Hill reported that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt plans to repeal key parts of the Chemical Safety Rule meant to inform the public of chemical hazards before disasters happen. The decision would also rescind a one-year deadline for chemical incident reports. The Chemical Safety Rule applies to 12,500 facilities, including chemical manufacturers, refineries and fertilizer plants.
The Sierra Club is calling on FERC to order the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to immediately cease construction activities after the pipeline’s builders had their Incidental Take Statement vacated
As he floundered yesterday, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt revealed that he broke federal law on multiple accounts and lied about his corruption and scandals numerous other times.
All of Dynegy-Vistra’s coal fleet in Southern Illinois can be replaced without damaging the regional stability of Illinois’s electricity grid, and this replacement could save Illinois ratepayers up to $14 billion, according to a report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Sierra Club. The report, prepared by Vibrant Clean Energy (VCE), analyzed the electricity, customer bill, and pollution impacts of closing Dynegy-Vistra’s eight southern and central Illinois power plants. The report contradicts Dynegy-Vistra’s claim that shuttering their Illinois coal fleet would have negative impacts on the state’s power grid that would lead to power outages and consequently require a bailout from the state.
Washington, DC -- Yesterday, eight military kids and their families delivered postcards from over 1,000 fourth-graders across the nation to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Many of the postcards were hand-signed by children who have participated in the Every Kid in a Park program, which allows every child in the United States to visit their national parks for free in their fourth-grade year. The visit and postcard delivery was organized by National Park Trust and Blue Star Families.