Sierra Club Foundation

From cradle to grave, the U.S. dependence on coal -- which provides almost half of our nation's electricity -- comes with a long list of environmental and human health damages; from mountain top removal to toxic air and water pollution to the storage and disposal of hazardous coal ash. It is also the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our economy, accounting for approximately 32% of total US emissions. The Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal Campaign" seeks to weaken this dependence by expanding its successful work around blocking the development of new coal plants and working to close down many of the nation's existing coal plants. The US coal fleet is fleet is old and dirty, and EPA will soon need to update various regulatory rules around air, water and waste standards for coal power. At the same time, many coal-burning utilities will be determining if it makes sense to continue to operate coal plants or switch to cleaner forms of generation. The Sierra Club will focus on three broad activities: First a top down approach that advocates for strong regulations from EPA and other federal agency. Second, it will train and deploy activists in key states across the country to engage in specific utility commission proceedings to push for retiring older coal plants and replacing them with clean energy alternatives such as renewable power and energy efficiency. Finally the Club will work in key coal producing states to "Keep it in the Ground" by exposing the many health, safety and environmental risks associated with coal mining.