Press Releases

Philadelphia, P.A. — PJM Interconnection, the regional electric grid operator for 13 states including Pennsylvania, announced the results of its capacity auction yesterday. The auction ensures that the region has enough electric generating capacity to keep the lights on in 2021. These results confirm that PJM is continuing a trend of procuring much more generating capacity than is needed for the region. As of now, it exceeds the amount necessary by almost 6 percent, which equates to over 9,300 extra megawatts of excess power, or about 10 large power plants that are unnecessary. This extra capacity artificially adds about $530 million in costs for consumers with little reliability benefit.

BOSTON, MA -- The Baker Administration announced today that Vineyard Wind has been selected to construct an 800 megawatt (MW) offshore wind project in federal waters off the coast of Massachusetts. Simultaneously the State of Rhode Island announced it will enter into negotiations with Deepwater Wind to procure 400 MW of offshore wind energy.

Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, Amigos Bravos, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit today for an order requiring the EPA to finalize the Four Corners Generating Station’s water pollution permit. The EPA has missed two permitting cycles to update the coal plant’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water pollution permit that was last issued in 2001.

Documentary focuses on the people advancing clean energy from innovation to installation

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.

Albany, N.Y.— The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a draft pollution protection rule today that would place stringent emissions standards on existing power plants. Today’s action is a critical first step to ensure that the state reaches its goal to eliminate 40 percent of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions sector wide by 2030, while protecting New York’s air and water from outdated, dirty, and unnecessary power plants.

TVA’s board of directors today approved a mandatory fixed fee that will force customers to pay more on their electric bill before they even flip a switch.

Pittsburgh, PA - The Sierra Club today issued a Notice of Intent to Sue NRG Energy and GenOn Americas Generation for failure to meet key Clean Air Act (CAA) and Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP) pollution protections at their Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, PA. Via publicly available air quality monitoring data, Sierra Club has discovered that the Cheswick plant is emitting nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution at levels beyond those allowed in its operating permit, despite having available technology installed in the plant that should ensure that pollution protection requirements are met. NRG will have 60 days to respond to the notice.

The Bellingham City Council approved a resolution that establishes its commitment to a planning process that will assess the feasibility and pathways for getting to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

After a series of backroom talks with Texas-based Dynegy, Governor Rauner’s Illinois EPA, is pushing to weaken Illinois air pollution standards in order to pad their own profits. In addition, Dynegy-Vistra is now also asking the state legislature for permission to raise rates on Central and Southern Illinois households, claiming that ratepayer-funded bailouts are needed to keep coal plants open due to the company’s financial hardship. However, the recent $20 billion merger between Dynegy and Vistra Energy tells a different story, as does a recent interview with Vistra’s CEO highlighted in Sierra Club’s video.