As the wild roller coaster ride that was 2016 comes to an end, it turns out we’ve made incredible progress in moving the U.S. from coal to clean energy. While there’s no doubt that uncertain times are ahead, we’re standing on a strong foundation of progress. Thanks to tenacious grassroots leaders across the nation, the U.S. is leading the world on reducing climate-disrupting pollution ― and we’re not going backwards, regardless of who is in the White House.
As we head into the new year, we have incredible momentum on our side to meet the challenge ahead. Just look at a few of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal highlights from 2016:
Mercury pollution from power plants (our biggest source of mercury pollution) is on track to be reduced by 74 percent, and as it falls, mercury levels in the tuna we eat are falling, too.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution from coal plants—linked to health problems including asthma and heart attacks—have fallen 69 percent and 75 percent, respectively, from their record highs.
By replacing coal with clean energy, we’re already on track to meet the 2030 targets of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, 13 years ahead of schedule! Since 2010, the climate-disrupting carbon pollution from power plants has dropped by 457 million metric tons, equal to taking 96 million cars off the road every year.
245 coal-fired power plants have announced retirement since 2010—47 percent of U.S. coal plants.
We had our best year yet for solar and wind, with clean energy ranking as the nation’s fastest growing new source of electricity generation.
Annual health benefits from coal plants retired or proposed to retire since 2010 include prevention of 6,769 premature deaths, 10,510 heart attacks, and over 111,663 asthma attacks, and $3.2 billion saved in health care costs.
States, cities, and companies are making big new clean energy commitments that are driving innovation and creating thousands of jobs. Launched early this year, Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign has already helped support 20 cities commit to powering their communities with 100 percent clean energy. Here are more 2016 state highlights:
Oregon made history by passing legislation that will move the state completely off coal by 2030 and increase the state’s renewable energy target to 50 percent by 2040.
Illinois passed landmark energy legislation that will unleash clean energy development across the state and create tens of thousands of jobs ― David Roberts at Vox said it “might be the most significant state energy legislation passed in the U.S. in decades.”
After a five-year campaign, the community of River Rouge, outside Detroit, won a major environmental justice victory when local utility DTE announced it will retire two notorious, polluting coal plants that were big contributors to the area’s sky-high asthma rates.
Minnesota’s Xcel Energy announced it would retire two coal units and dramatically accelerate investments in solar and wind power, following years of advocacy.
El Paso Electric became the first Texas utility to go completely coal free ― and they even threw a party to celebrate!
Iowa utility Mid-American made a landmark clean energy announcement that they will be 85 percent wind powered by 2020 without increasing rates for customers.
A Western coalition that included farmers, ranchers, and tribal leaders defeated Arch Coal’s massive proposed Otter Creek coal mine in Montana.
Tribal leaders and grassroots advocates stopped an enormous coal export terminal in Washington state, proposed in the treaty-protected fishing grounds of the Lummi Nation.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo put the state on a path to phase out coal and dramatically increase clean energy to 50 percent of the state’s power by 2030.
If you want a first-hand look at the grassroots determination powering this progress, you’re in luck. Earlier this month, the Beyond Coal Campaign was featured on the National Geographic Channel in the season finale of the Emmy-winning climate series Years of Living Dangerously. America Ferrera is the correspondent, and she takes you inside one of our local campaigns in Waukegan, Illinois, showing you the heart, soul, and tenacity that make up the DNA of the Beyond Coal Campaign. Click here to watch online.
As we continue this progress and work for a just economic transition for coal communities, we’re not just making our air and water cleaner, and our climate safer—we’re also building grassroots power for climate action and changing energy markets, trends that Donald Trump won’t be able to reverse, no matter how many fossil fuel cronies he brings to Washington.
Despite his campaign promises, we won’t let Trump bring coal back. From utility commissions to state houses to city councils, local venues have the final word on where our electricity comes from, not Washington, D.C. These are also the places where the Sierra Club and our allies have built strength for two decades, and that’s where we will double down in the coming years to block Trump’s plans to roll back climate progress.
We’ve also kicked off our federal campaign to protect the gains we made during the Obama Administration, defend our bedrock environmental laws, partner with allies to stop the broader Trump agenda, and strengthen the power of the Sierra Club to keep winning in the years ahead. You can take action now to oppose two of Trump’s toxic cabinet picks ― Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.
Thank you so much to each and every one of you who helped make this progress possible. We’re excited to get back to work with you in the New Year, perhaps our most important year yet.