Today, Xcel Energy filed a new proposal for its electric resource plan that will have the 750 megawatt, coal-fired Comanche 3 unit close no later than January 1, 2031. The Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) signed on to this new proposal as part of a settlement agreement, which the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is expected to consider in May. According to this proposal, the precise date on which Comanche 3 will close will be set in 2024 as part of a Just Transition proceeding at the PUC.
Press Releases
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) released a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the retirement and replacement of the 2,470 megawatts Cumberland coal-fired power plant located northwest of Nashville. Cumberland is one of the nation’s largest and most polluting coal plants, releasing over 8 million tons of carbon pollution into the air each year.
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA -- Today, a coalition of environmental groups including the National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, and several other signees, published an open letter addressed to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) asking the agency to strengthen its regional haze plan to protect air quality in the state. The letter, including all signees, can be found here.
Harrisburg, P.A. - This morning, the regulation known as the CO2 Budget Trading Program, which allows Pennsylvania to link to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) went into effect via publication in the online version of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Under the new rule, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fueled power plants in Pennsylvania will be capped at 78 million tons per year initially, and the cap will decrease by over 3% per year. This is the first time that Pennsylvania has limited greenhouse gas emissions in any sector of the economy.
Boston – Today, 11 New England clean energy and consumer advocacy organizations filed a protest urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject ISO New England’s proposal to delay reforming the Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) and require an immediate fix to this anti-competitive rule.
Denver, CO -- On Monday, April 18, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a unanimous settlement in Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s Electric Resource Plan that says the company will retire all remaining in-state coal-fired generation by 2030, and aim to cut carbon pollution associated with its Colorado sales by at least 80 percent relative to a 2005 baseline.
Little Rock, AR - Late yesterday, a coalition of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it has failed to enforce the Regional Haze Rule as required by the Clean Air Act. Thirty-four states have yet to submit plans to reduce air pollution in our country’s most iconic national parks and wilderness areas, and return natural visibility to these wild places.
Oklahoma City, OK - Late yesterday, a coalition of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it has failed to enforce the Regional Haze Rule as required by the Clean Air Act. Thirty-four states have yet to submit plans to reduce air pollution in our country’s most iconic national parks and wilderness areas, and return natural visibility to these wild places.
New Orleans, LA - Late yesterday, a coalition of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it has failed to enforce the Regional Haze Rule as required by the Clean Air Act. Thirty-four states have yet to submit plans to reduce air pollution in our country’s most iconic national parks and wilderness areas, and return natural visibility to these wild places.
St. Louis, MO - Late yesterday, a coalition of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it has failed to enforce the Regional Haze Rule as required by the Clean Air Act. Thirty-four states have yet to submit plans to reduce air pollution in our country’s most iconic national parks and wilderness areas, and return natural visibility to these wild places.