Press Releases

Salt Lake City, UT-- The non-partisan environmental group today released a comprehensive environmentally focused review of the 2019 Utah State Legislative Session. The Utah Sierra Club considered committee and floor votes for the year’s top 20 bills, reflecting a range of conservation issues including reduction of plastics, nuclear waste, water conservation, public lands, and climate change. Unfortunately, averages for both chambers were failing. The Senate had an average of 54.14% and the House had an average of 51.55%.

Denver, CO-- Yesterday, a coalition of organizations joined a hearing to oppose the Trump administration’s decision to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list across the lower 48 states. Members of the public, wildlife experts, and conservation advocates, as well as a representative from Congressman Joe Neguse’s office, stressed the need for continued federal safeguards to ensure the gray wolf population reaches full recovery before losing its endangered status. Contact for photos for editorial use.

Today in New York City, a coalition of groups led by Majority Action delivered over 129,000 petition signatures to BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager and the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels. The petition calls on BlackRock, Vanguard and Fidelity to use their immense voting power responsibly by supporting key climate-related shareholder resolutions and voting against directors who are not serving long-term investors’ best interests at nine major upcoming shareholder meetings.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled the updated “Sustainable City pLAn,” an ambitious roadmap establishing climate goals that will guide the city’s equitable environmental and economic future. The plan includes a commitment to power all of the city’s energy sectors -- its electricity, buildings, and transportation -- with carbon-free sources of energy by 2050.

A group of WEC Energy Group shareholders, customers, and climate advocates will gather prior to the holding company’s annual meeting to demonstrate and make statements about their concerns over the financial liabilities of burning coal and other fossil fuels. The WEC Energy Group annual shareholders’ meeting is Thursday, May 2, from 10:00-11:00 am in the R. John Buuck Field House at the Concordia University-Mequon campus. Those going to the annual meeting have been instructed to park at nearby Marcus North Shore Cinema and take a shuttle provided by WEC. Participants in this public demonstration event will gather on the sidewalk in front of the northwest corner of the parking lot at 8:30 am and then demonstrate along the shuttle route.

Former coal lobbyist and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler delivered his draft plan today to the federal register to reopen the Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction (SSM) loopholes in Texas, which would allow dirty industrial facilities to release massive amounts of dangerous pollution generally not allowed under the Clean Air Act onto vulnerable communities. The SSM loopholes have been decried by public health and environmental justice organizations as an irresponsible and dangerous giveaway to polluters that threatens the health of low income and communities of color.

DENVER, CO (April 29, 2019) − Community members of Denver and the surrounding areas will gather on Monday, April 29, to give verbal testimony in opposition to the proposed delisting of the gray wolf. Expert panelists representing the scientific and recreational communities will be in attendance.

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Rio Grande LNG fracked gas export terminal and the 135 mile-long Rio Bravo Pipeline. Rio Grande LNG is one of three fracked gas export terminals proposed for the Rio Grande Valley, none of which have been approved.

On Thursday, the Milwaukee County Board voted unanimously in support of a resolution opposing We Energies’ request to the DNR for a mercury variance in their discharge water from the Oak Creek-Elm Road coal plants. The proposed variance in the DNR’s draft permit would allow We Energies to discharge water tainted with mercury at up to three times the state standard into Lake Michigan.

Washington, DC-- Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released interim guidance for cleanup of two toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFOS and PFOA in groundwater. The proposed guidelines are meant to inform the clean-up of contaminated sites, but some critical limitations will hinder their implementation by local, state and federal governments. PFAS chemicals are likely to be present in drinking water for more than 100 million Americans.