The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges
Utilities are trying to greenwash their dirty plans.
It’s time to hold them accountable.
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The next decade is critical to averting the worst impacts of the climate crisis and transforming our economy to run entirely on clean energy.
Studies show that to meet our climate goals utilities must retire all their coal plants by 2030, abandon plans to build gas plants, and aggressively build out renewable energy resources over the next ten years. Despite this pressing deadline, utilities are either not moving fast enough toward these goals, or not moving at all.
Dozens of utilities may have pledged to become “carbon neutral” by 2050, but research conducted by the Sierra Club in the Dirty Truth Report shows that those pledges are largely greenwashing. Most utilities in the United States lack the truly ambitious pledges and plans needed to make the clean energy transition a reality.
What utilities do, or don't do, over the next decade will either drive us to more polluting, expensive fossil fuels or lead us to a clean energy transition. What is your utility doing?
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KEY FINDINGS
The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges 2024 Report
The utilities studied scored 29/100 in the Sierra Club’s Dirty Truth Report, earning a D. These utilities have only improved their overall score by 12 points since 2021.
THE 50 UTILITIES THAT OWN THE MOST FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION ARE...
Only committed to retiring
30% of their coal generation by 2030.
Building enough clean energy to replace
52% of their fossil fuel generation by 2035.
Planning to build
93 GW of new gas by 2035,
even more than last year.
Only 10 of these utilities are committed to reducing their emissions by 80% by 2030, which science tells us is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
These 10 utilities with the strongest climate goals receive a combined score of 51, far outperforming the rest.
Utilities without any climate goal score far worse, receiving a 0.
Utilities’ failure to appropriately prepare for a clean energy future has led to the timing and cost challenges that many utilities are now trying to use as excuses to remain reliant on fossil fuels. The solutions exist: the IRA and IIJA have provisions to support a clean energy transition. Utilities must make full use of these opportunities to plan for the future.
The Sierra Club’s The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges report is a comprehensive assessment of whether utilities are committing to the actions needed to combat the climate crisis. The report is based on an analysis of long-term energy plans—typically referred to as integrated resource plans (IRPs)—and major announcements from the 50 utilities that own the most fossil fuel generation. This includes investor-owned utilities, public utilities (like the Tennessee Valley Authority), generation and transmission co-ops, and large municipal utilities.
In total, Sierra Club analysts examined plans for 75 operating companies owned by 50 parent companies that own half of all remaining coal and gas generation in the US. The report shows that almost all of their pledges to become “carbon neutral” sometime in the future are nothing more than distractions from the fact that they are not transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy fast enough.
The Case for Clean Energy
Every year a coal plant stays online is another year the neighboring community—which in the US is frequently Black, Indigenous, people of color, or low income—suffers from elevated rates of asthma, heart disease, and other health problems. As of 2023, the remaining coal plants without plans to retire by 2030 are responsible for about 3,800 premature deaths per year due to particulate pollution. In addition, renewables such as wind and solar, especially when combined with storage and smart energy management, can increase resiliency and reduce the risk of blackouts and other energy shortages due to extreme weather, which are more likely to occur in Black and Latinx communities.
Utilities can become partners in the transition to a clean energy economy and a better, more sustainable future. By making real commitments to eliminate pollution—commitments that are backed up by near-term, concrete, binding plans—utilities can lead the way to a future with a stable climate, economic opportunities, and clean air for all.
What Is Your Utility Company Doing to Transition to Clean Energy?
Use the tool below to learn more about your utility company’s pledge and how they’re doing.
For the best experience, use a desktop computer. If you prefer, you can view in Tableau.
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Taking action for clean energy now is critical to our future, and we need your help to get your utility on board with ditching fossil fuels and investing in clean energy. Share with your networks and spread the word to hold utilities accountable. Make sure to tag your utility and use the hashtag #DirtyTruth.
Learn More
The Sierra Club's energy work is moving the world beyond fossil fuels. See our Beyond Coal campaign page for more information.
Archive
2023 Dirty Truth Report
2022 Dirty Truth Report
2021 Dirty Truth Report