Press Releases

On Thursday, Sept. 19, Sierra Club staff in Texas will brief reporters on the regional haze rule, the ongoing failures of state and federal regulators, new community efforts, and news out of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Saturday, September 21, people from across the Tennessee Valley will gather in Nashville’s Centennial Park to “Rally for the Valley” ahead of the release of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s new long-range energy plan, the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). 

Washington, D.C. – Gains in clean energy and emissions reductions are being stunted by the increasing demand for electricity from data centers, electrifying vehicles and industries, and reshoring manufacturing. Utilities are extending the life of obsolete and dirty coal plants and proposing new gas-burning plants, putting climate targets at risk.  

Christine, Tex. – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the San Miguel Electric Cooperative in South Texas has been selected as a funding finalist for its proposal to build a large solar energy and battery storage project that will improve affordability and reliability and improve air and water quality for nearby rural communities.

FLORIDA – President Joe Biden announced today that Seminole Electric Cooperative’s application to construct and procure a combination of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage across rural portions of Florida was chosen as a finalist in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. The New ERA program, authorized through the Inflation Reduction Act, is a competitive program to provide $9.7 billion in grants and loans to rural electric cooperatives. Today’s announcement identified 16 cooperatives, including Seminole, that collectively are expected to receive $7.3 billion. USDA expects this tranche of funding to drive $29 billion in large-scale clean energy investments across the country.

Wyoming – Today marks the conclusion of EPA’s public comment period on its proposal to partially disapprove Wyoming’s regional haze state implementation plan (SIP), meant to show progress towards reducing haze pollution that blurs iconic views in national parks and wilderness areas from Yellowstone National Park to Bridger Wilderness Area.

Phoenix, AZ – Today Sierra Club filed an appeal in Maricopa County Superior Court challenging the Arizona Corporation Commission’s unlawful June decision to eliminate environmental reviews for most new methane gas-fired power plants. 

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Salt Lake City, UT – In a major win for public health and the climate, yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized standards that will slash air, water, and carbon pollution from power plants to address their deadly and dangerous emissions.