Foundation News
Era of Coal is Over in Los Angeles
There was big news out of LA yesterday, where the utility board approved plans and contracts to end coal in Los Angeles. After a long working relationship with the Sierra Club, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa has committed to moving Los Angeles entirely off coal by 2025 and scaling up clean energy to replace it. Los Angeles will be getting out of the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona and the Intermountain Power Plant in Utah. The Major will be formally announcing the final agreements at a March 22 press conference on the roof of the Nokia Center in Los Angeles. Vice President Al Gore and Sierra Club's-own Mike Brune will be there for the public announcement.
LA will become the largest city to go coal-free in the nation. By abandoning coal, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is committed to slashing emissions 60% below 1990 levels by 2025, an achievement unmatched by any major utility in the nation.
Here's a great YouTube video from the Mayor, and his press release. Congratulations to our incredible Beyond Coal team in LA for playing a big role on this.
Peter Martin, Executive Director, The Sierra Club Foundation