Coal

May 21, 2009 -- CHEYENNE - U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal today concluded a two day tour of several major energy production regions in Wyoming.

Gov. Freudenthal invited the Administrator to visit Wyoming and see first-hand the production of traditional and renewable energy resources.

Wyoming is currently the nation's largest net exporter of energy. The state also has some of the best wind energy potential in North America, with highly-rated wind production areas stretching from the western border with Utah to the state’s eastern plains.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today praised the federal Environmental Protection Agency for recommending reconsideration of the recently issued air permit for the proposed Desert Rock Energy Facility in the Four Corners region.

In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Gov. Ritter also asked for a thorough and thoughtful review of air emission controls for the existing nearby Four Corners Power Plant and the Navajo Generating Station.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. Today Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reportedly given the green light to the Army Corps of Engineers to approve as many as 42 new permits for destructive mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.

If true, and if these permits -- more than were even approved during recent years by the Bush Administration -- were to proceed, this could mean certain destruction of hundreds of miles of Appalachian streams and hundreds of acres of America’s oldest mountains.

Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope:    » read more »

Prevent Consumers from Economic Benefits of Fuel Efficiency and Clean Car Standards

WASHINGTON (May 15, 2009) — Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) today released details (pdf) of an agreement on auctioning and allocating emissions allowances in their proposed climate and energy legislation. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) congratulated the two congressmen for steering this landmark piece of legislation toward passage. But experts at the science group cautioned that the some of the most recent draft allocation categories should be strengthened before finalizing the bill.    » read more »

Kansas to take a significant step forward on renewable energy policy

May 4, 2009 -- Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson, together with Sunflower Electric Power Corporation President and CEO, Earl Watkins, have announced a comprehensive energy plan to encourage the production of more renewable energy in Kansas.

“We’re bringing people together to create hundreds of jobs, increase our renewable energy production and ensure a comprehensive energy plan for our state,” said Governor Parkinson. “Prior to this agreement, the Legislature was at an impasse on energy issues. With this agreement, we can start to move forward.”    » read more »

Action signals move toward stronger environmental safeguards for Proposed Coal‐Fired Power Plant on Navajo Nation

April 27, 2009 -- (Santa Fe, NM) -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s motion for voluntary remand of the air quality permit for the Desert Rock Energy Facility.

“I am encouraged by this decision -- it’s a significant victory in our ongoing fight to protect the quality of our air,” said Governor Richardson. “We still have work to do to make sure that this project only moves forward with the proper environmental safeguards. I am pleased the Obama Administration is taking action to reverse the disastrous environmental policies of the Bush Administration."    » read more »

Restores Protections Against Dumping in Streams

April 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced his determination that the mountaintop coal mining “stream buffer zone rule” issued by the Bush Administration is legally defective. Salazar directed the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a pleading with the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. requesting that the rule be vacated due to this deficiency and remanded to the Department of the Interior for further action.    » read more »

April 23, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.—It didn’t take long before the defenders of dirty energy started sounding like a broken record during yesterday’s action-packed day of hearings on the Waxman-Markey clean energy jobs plan. They trotted out all the canards, smears, and discredited attacks that have become so familiar—and then they came up with a few a new ones.

The clean energy champions on the committee and the Obama administration officials who appeared yesterday—EPA Administrator Jackson, Energy Secretary Chu, and Transportation Secretary LaHood—all deserve major kudos for turning in strong performances yesterday.    » read more »

April 27, 2009 -- LEXINGTON, Ky. − The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) has created a consortium with government agencies, electric utilities and their research organizations to seek cost-effective technologies to reduce and manage carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. It is anticipated that Kentucky state government and the industrial partners will provide $24 million over 10 years to support the research.

At a news conference today, accompanied by representatives from the industrial partners, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and UK Pres. Lee T. Todd Jr. announced the consortium, which builds on ongoing carbon management research at CAER initiated by E.ON US in 2006.    » read more »

April 20, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.-The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Environmental Foundation named Maria Gunnoe, a tireless voice in the movement against mountaintop-removal coal mining, as a recipient of the prestigious 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize. The Worldwatch Institute was one of several organizations to nominate Gunnoe for the award, which recognizes individuals for their sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.    » read more »

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.--16 April 2009-- GE Energy announced that it is joining an Australian government-supported initiative to facilitate the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage projects worldwide.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed by General Electric International and the Australian government, GE is becoming a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI). The institute will provide international policy and management oversight with a goal of delivering commercial-scale CCS plants around the world. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government has pledged to provide up to $100 million per year to fund the institute.    » read more »

April 13, 2009 -- The following is Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ veto statement on HB 2014:

“Last year, I vetoed legislation that forced the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to issue air quality permits for two new coal fired plants which would produce 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. These new plants would generate 1400 megawatts of electricity, most of which would be exported to Colorado and Texas. In fact, Kansas would only get 200 megawatts of electricity, while we would get all of the new pollution.    » read more »

Community members applaud decision to protect streams, residents

April 8, 2009 -- Appalachia, Virginia -- In a victory for community members and for clean water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke the "nationwide 21" mining permit for A&G Coal’s massive Ison Rock Ridge mountaintop removal coal mine in Southwest Virginia.    » read more »

Decision to Review Certain Permits Will Save or Create Jobs, Protect Communities

March 25, 2009 -- Washington, DC: Tuesday’s announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it will review certain permits for mountaintop removal coal mines something the Bush EPA never did is a strong first step in the complex effort to end this most destructive form of coal mining and to support Appalachia’s long-term economic vitality.

Conflicting media reports and multiple press releases Tuesday led some to question the impact of the EPA announcement.    » read more »

March 25, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin today released this statement after meeting with officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency:

“Late this morning, I met with senior White House environmental officials to discuss mountaintop mining and the letters sent yesterday by the EPA about mining permits. We had a very productive meeting during which I shared our concerns about the potential impact of those letters. They explained that they are evaluating a number of permits, but want to look more closely at the two mining permits in question. I told them we are looking for a balance between the environment and the economy, and they assured me that they will work with us to find that balance.    » read more »