Sierra Club works to phase out coal
April 2011
Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign reports that no new coal plants started construction in the United States during 2010 and plans for 38 new coal plants were either abandoned or defeated. Coal is the dirtiest source of electricity in the US.
The rush to build new coal plants has slowed to a trickle. What began in 2001 with plans to build more than 150 new coal-fired power plants in the US has fizzled. Public opposition, rising costs, and increased accountability have stopped 149 of these proposed coal plants. Since October 2008, not a single new coal plant has started construction in the US, and the Energy Information Agency now projects that no new coal plants will be built in 2011 without significant incentives.
The nation’s over 500 existing coal plants are responsible for the bulk of air pollution that makes it unsafe to breathe in many of our urban areas and contributes to the unnecessary deaths of 24,000 Americans each year.
The move away from outdated and dirty coal has created a huge opening into which clean, sustainable energy has jumped. Several large-scale clean energy projects were announced this year, creating needed jobs and strengthening the economy. For more info visit www.sierraclub.org/coal.
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