Press Releases
Jaguar photo by Tierra Curry/Center for Biological Diversity.
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Viewing recent news releases in the Energy Justice program.
North Carolina Judge to Hear Arguments Thursday on Duke Energy Climate Deception Lawsuit
RALEIGH, N.C.— An Orange County Superior Court judge will hear oral arguments Thursday in a lawsuit against Duke Energy for its role in deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels, contributing to millions of dollars in damages to a North Carolina town.
Read more.Business Leaders Increase Pressure on N.C. Governor to Curb Duke Energy’s Fossil Fuel Expansion
DURHAM, N.C.— More than 200 businesses and nonprofit groups have joined prominent climate scientists in pressing North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein to challenge Duke Energy’s huge expansion of fossil fuels.
Read more.California Regulators Urged to Restart Low-income Affordable Clean Energy Project
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— State law requires the California Public Utilities Commission to reopen an affordable clean energy program it closed in 2020 without notice, leaving hundreds of thousands of low-income rural residents without safe, affordable heat and electricity, according to a petition filed today by health, environmental and community groups.
Read more.California Supreme Court Rejects Deference to Regulators on Rooftop Solar Rollback
SAN FRANCISCO— In a victory for renewable energy, the California Supreme Court ruled today that an appeals court should not have deferred to state utility regulators who decided the latest rooftop solar policy complies with state law. The updated policy slashed the credit new solar users get for sharing excess energy with the grid.
Read more.State, Federal Officials Urged to Ban Utility Shutoffs, Protect Workers From Deadly Extreme Heat
WASHINGTON— As extreme heat gripped most of the country today, more than 150 social justice, environmental, faith, health and labor groups urged federal, state and local elected officials to ban utility disconnections, tax polluters to finance renewable energy and strengthen worker protections. The “extremely dangerous,” persistent heat dome sitting over the central and eastern U.S. this week will be “a shock to the system,” meteorologists said.
Read more.California Supreme Court to Hear Arguments Wednesday Challenging Rooftop-Solar Policy
LOS ANGELES— The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the California Public Utility Commission’s decision to significantly slash the credit new solar users get for sharing excess energy with the grid.
Read more.North Carolina Town Responds to Duke Energy’s Bid to Kill Climate Deception Lawsuit
CARRBORO, N.C.— Duke Energy Corporation is sidestepping detailed allegations about its role in a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about the dangers of fossil fuels, worsening the climate crisis and costing a North Carolina town millions of dollars in damages, according to a legal filing today from the town of Carrboro.
Read more.California Senate Committee to Vote Monday on Holding Utilities Accountable for Rate Hikes, Wildfires
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications on Monday will consider the Investor Owned Utility Accountability Act, which addresses ongoing issues of affordability and safety with California’s investor-owned utilities.
Read more.Scores of Scientists Urge N.C. Governor to Halt Duke Energy’s Fossil Fuel Buildout
RALEIGH, N.C.— More than 60 U.S. research scientists today urged North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein to use his executive authority to stop Duke Energy Corp.’s fossil-fuel buildout and suppression of renewable energy solutions. These actions are critical to avoiding the worst damages of the climate emergency and to save lives, the scientists said.
Read more.150 Businesses, Groups Urge N.C. Governor to Rein in Fossil Fuel-Friendly Duke Energy
DURHAM, N.C.— More than 150 environmental, social justice, faith and youth organizations and businesses from across the country called on North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein to confront Duke Energy Corp.’s expansion of planet-warming fossil fuels and obstruction of renewable energy solutions. The letter comes months after the town of Carrboro sued Duke Energy — the third-largest corporate polluter in the country — in the first-ever lawsuit against an electric utility for harms caused by the company’s decades-long climate deception campaign.
Read more.Report: Utilities Drive Energy Unaffordability, Climate Emergency While Shareholders Rake in Billions
WASHINGTON— Six of the nation’s largest utility corporations netted more than $10 billion in profits while disconnecting their customers’ power at least 662,000 times last year — including hundreds of thousands of record-heat summertime shutoffs, according to a report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Duke Energy’s Decades of Climate Deception, Harm to North Carolina Town
CARRBORO, N.C.— The town of Carrboro sued Duke Energy Corp. today for the company’s decades-long role in a nationwide climate deception scheme that has worsened the climate crisis, harmed the community and cost the town millions of dollars. The lawsuit seeks to hold Duke Energy accountable for the damages inflicted on Carrboro by the corporation’s campaign to delay the transition from planet-heating fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Read more.Carrboro Town Council to Announce Major Action Wednesday to Address Climate Crisis
CARRBORO, N.C.— The Town Council of Carrboro, N.C., will hold a news conference Wednesday at the Carrboro Town Hall to announce a major legal action addressing the climate emergency.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges TVA Plan to Build Methane Gas Plant at Site of Massive Tennessee Industrial Spill
KINGSTON, Tenn.— The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Appalachian Voices, the Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club, sued the Tennessee Valley Authority today for failing to consider cleaner, more cost-effective power options before deciding to build a new polluting methane gas plant at its Kingston location, the site of the largest industrial spill in U.S. history.
Read more.California Energy Commission Hosts Monday Workshop on Clean Energy’s Environmental, Public Health Factors
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Energy Commission will host a public workshop Monday on the environment and public health consequences of the state’s energy decisions. Commissioners, energy experts and the public will discuss ways to include so-called “non-energy impacts” when planning California’s clean energy and climate future.
Read more.California Judge Blocks Implementation of Contractors’ Rule Weakening Rooftop Solar
SAN DIEGO— A San Diego County Superior Court judge today temporarily blocked a new California regulation that would prohibit solar contractors from installing or maintaining battery storage. Consumer and solar advocates had requested a preliminary injunction to pause the new rule’s implementation, set for Oct. 1, pending resolution of their lawsuit challenging it.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges California Licensing Board Attack on Rooftop Solar
SAN DIEGO— The Center for Biological Diversity joined consumer and solar advocates today to challenge a new California regulation prohibiting solar contractors from installing or maintaining battery storage.
Read more.Instan a FEMA a financiar la respuesta ante desastres por calor extremo y humo de incendios forestales
WASHINGTON— Una coalición multiestatal de grupos ambientalistas, sindicatos y de salud alzó hoy su voz en un llamado urgente a la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA), para exigir a la agencia que desbloquee fondos cruciales para la asistencia en casos de desastre por calor extremo y humo de incendios forestales, dos amenazas crecientes que FEMA aún no reconoce como desastres importantes.
Read more.FEMA Urged to Fund Disaster Response for Extreme Heat, Wildfire Smoke
WASHINGTON— A multistate coalition of environmental, labor and health groups urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency today to unlock crucial disaster relief funding for extreme heat and wildfire smoke, both of which are not recognized by FEMA as major disasters.
Read more.Lawsuits, Petitions Aim to Redirect Fossil Fuel Disaster Funding Toward Distributed Renewable Energy, Storage
WASHINGTON— Energy justice, consumer and environmental groups sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development today for withholding public records and failing to outline plans to use resilient renewable energy to rebuild communities ravaged by the climate emergency.
Read more.Report: TVA Executives Pocket More Than $3 Million for Fossil Fuel Deployment
WASHINGTON— Executives at the Tennessee Valley Authority have taken home $89.7 million in pay and bonuses over the past four years, $3 million of which is tied to decisions to deploy new fossil fuels, according to a report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.California Regulators OK Petition Requiring Energy Decisions to Factor in Environment, Public Health
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Energy Commission unanimously approved a petition today from conservation, environmental justice and local government groups requiring that it factor in the environment and public health when making decisions about the state’s clean energy and climate future. The action launches a process, including public workshops beginning this summer, to develop methods that include non-energy benefits and social costs throughout the commission’s work.
Read more.California Regulators to Hear Petition Wednesday Requiring Energy Decisions to Factor in Environment, Public Health
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Energy Commission will consider a petition Wednesday from conservation, environmental justice and local government groups that would require it to factor in the environment and public health when making decisions about the state’s clean energy future. The commission’s staff has recommended approval.
Read more.Bill Would Boost Public Participation in Tennessee Valley Authority Planning
WASHINGTON— Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation today to improve the Tennessee Valley Authority’s long-term energy planning process.
Read more.California Bill Would Expand Rooftop Solar to Working-Class Families
SACRAMENTO— A bill to require the California Public Utilities Commission to consider the wider community benefits of rooftop solar was introduced today in the state Assembly. Assembly Bill 2256, sponsored by the Center for Biological Diversity and Environment California, is intended to unwind the commission’s 2023 net-metering policy that gutted the state’s rooftop solar industry.
Read more.California Regulators Urged to Consider Environment, Public Health in Energy Decisions
SACRAMENTO— Conservation, environmental justice and local government groups filed a petition with the California Energy Commission today asking it to consider the environment and public health when making decisions about the state’s clean energy future, as state law requires.
Read more.California’s Regressive Rooftop Solar Policy Appealed to State Supreme Court
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity, The Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group asked the California Supreme Court today to overturn the state’s new rooftop solar policy. The policy, which took effect April 15, significantly slashes the credit new solar users get for sharing extra solar energy with the grid.
Read more.Experts, Community Target Tennessee Valley Authority’s Energy Plan Thursday in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn.― Advocacy groups will hold a public hearing Thursday on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s 2024 long-term energy plan. The country’s largest public power provider has refused to hold its own public hearing on the plan despite criticism of the utility’s lack of transparency or public engagement in its power system planning process.
Read more.First Ever ‘Fossil Fuel’ Decision at COP28 Climate Summit Falters on Phaseout
DUBAI— The United Nations climate summit ended in Dubai today with the first ever commitment to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems but fell short of calling for an unequivocal phaseout of oil, gas and coal.
Read more.Appeals Court to Hear Arguments Wednesday Challenging California’s Regressive Rooftop Solar Policy
SAN FRANCISCO— A California appeals court panel will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the state’s new rooftop solar policy. The policy, approved by the California Public Utilities Commission and effective April 15, significantly slashes the credit new solar users get for sharing their extra solar energy with the grid.
Read more.Press Conference 4pm Today at COP28 Spotlights U.S. Role in Fossil Fuel Phaseout Push
DUBAI— Climate advocates will hold a press conference today on the end game of the United Nations COP28 climate summit and the United States’ role in pressing for a fossil fuel phaseout in the final agreement.
Read more.California Attorney General Bonta Headlines COP28 Side Event Sunday
DUBAI— California Attorney General Rob Bonta will deliver remarks Sunday at a COP28 side event showcasing key global fights against fossil fuels.
Read more.Press Conference Thursday at COP28 Highlights Need to Phase Out Fossil Fuels
DUBAI— Climate advocates will hold a press conference Thursday focusing on the urgent need for a fossil fuel phaseout as the COP28 summit gets underway in Dubai.
Read more.Groups to Rally Wednesday at Tennessee Valley Authority Meeting in Mississippi
TUPELO, Miss.― Grassroots, energy justice, youth and frontline communities will face the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board Wednesday to demand that the utility protect workers and communities and transition to 100% renewable energy. The board meets this week to hear public comments and hold its quarterly meeting.
Read more.D.C. Council Urged to Ban Utility Shutoffs, Forgive Utility Debt
WASHINGTON— More than 40 groups urged the Council of the District of Columbia to pass legislation that protects households from utility shutoffs due to non-payment and recognize that access to utilities is a human right.
Read more.Lawmakers, Youth, Frontline Advocates Rally Thursday in D.C. to Urge Biden Action on Fossil Fuels
WASHINGTON— Members of Congress, youth and climate justice advocates will rally on Capitol Hill Thursday morning to urge President Biden to use his executive powers to stop approving fossil fuel projects, phase out fossil fuels on federal lands and waters, and declare a climate emergency. The rally comes ahead of the March to End Fossil Fuels, Sept. 17 in New York City and the United Nations’ Climate Ambition Summit Sept. 20. It will include colorful banners and signs.
Read more.Biden Administration Urged to Ditch Planned Hydrogen Investments
WASHINGTON— A nationwide coalition of more than 180 conservation, Indigenous, faith, labor and social justice organizations urged the Biden administration today to scrap plans to rapidly expand investment in the production and use of hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy is championing hydrogen as a supposed climate solution despite the heavy reliance of fossil fuels in its production.
Read more.Inflation Reduction Act Anniversary Raises Urgency for Biden to Declare Climate Emergency
WASHINGTON— One year after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the need is more urgent than ever for him to declare a climate emergency, phase out fossil fuels, and fast-track distributed energy systems.
Read more.To Address Deadly Heat, Policymakers Must Ban Utility Shutoffs, Ramp Up Solar, Phase Out Fossil Fuels
WASHINGTON— More than 170 social justice, environmental, faith, health and labor groups urged key policymakers today to implement lifesaving bans on utility disconnections, ramp up renewable energy and resilient water systems, and phase out fossil fuels — the root cause of this summer’s extreme heat. The groups say President Biden’s Thursday announcement of limited measures to help communities survive deadly, record-shattering heat ignores the urgent short- and long-term solutions needed to address the climate emergency.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges TVA’s Backroom Deal, Flimsy Environmental Analysis
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, filed a lawsuit this week against the Tennessee Valley Authority over the federal utility’s plans to replace a coal plant with a new gas-fired power plant in Cumberland City, Tennessee.
Read more.500+ International Groups: Biden Must Stop Fossil Fuel Expansion Ahead of September Climate Summit
WASHINGTON— More than 500 groups from six continents sent a letter to President Biden today demanding he stop fossil fuel expansion ahead of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s climate ambition summit this September.
Read more.Embattled Puerto Rico Dredging Project Faces Court Hearing
WASHINGTON— A federal district court will hear oral arguments Monday in a lawsuit that challenges a proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in San Juan Bay, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico residents and environmental groups will hold a rally outside the courthouse before the hearing.
Read more.Congress Urged to Pass Clean Debt Ceiling Bill
WASHINGTON— Environmental justice and environmental groups urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and members of Congress today to vote on a clean debt ceiling bill without the poison pills that harm disadvantaged communities and the climate.
Read more.Community Groups to Pack Tennessee Valley Authority Board Meetings Tuesday, Wednesday
NORRIS, Tenn.― Community groups, coal-ash cleanup workers and others will face the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board at its meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to demand that the utility protect workers and environmental justice communities and transition to 100% clean, renewable energy. The board meets this week to hear public comments and hold its quarterly meeting.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges California’s Regressive Rooftop Solar Policy
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity, The Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group late Wednesday petitioned the California Court of Appeal to review the state’s new rooftop solar policy. The policy, which took effect April 15, significantly slashes the credit new solar users get for sharing their extra solar energy with the grid.
Read more.Congressional Resolution Urges Biden to Declare Climate Emergency, Phase Out Fossil Fuels
WASHINGTON— Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) reintroduced a resolution today calling on President Biden to declare a climate emergency and use existing non-emergency powers to lead a multiagency, massive-scale response to the climate crisis.
Read more.Una Demanda Impugna los Fondos de FEMA destinados a Reconstruir la Red Eléctrica de Puerto Rico Basada en Combustibles Fósiles
WASHINGTON— Grupos de conservación y comunitarios han presentado hoy una demanda contra la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias y el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional acerca de los planes de reconstruir la red eléctrica de Puerto Rico y volver al modelo centralizado de producción de energía basado en combustibles fósiles en vez de invertir en la energía renovable distribuida que necesitan los puertorriqueños.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges FEMA Funding to Rebuild Puerto Rico’s Fossil Fuel-Dependent Electric Grid
WASHINGTON— Conservation and community groups sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security today over their plans to rebuild Puerto Rico’s centralized electric grid back to the fossil fuel status quo instead of investing in the distributed renewable energy Puerto Ricans need.
Read more.UN Chief Calls for Halt to New Fossil Fuel Development Ahead of Climate Ambition Summit
NEW YORK— The United Nations Secretary General set strong conditions for joining a global climate ambition summit in September, including ceasing all licensing and funding of new oil and gas development and halting expansion of existing oil and gas reserves. This price of entry puts the United States at risk of being shut out of the meeting. The announcement from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres came as the latest U.N. climate report declared drastic fossil fuel cuts are necessary to avert catastrophic warming.
Read more.California Regulators Urged to Delay Harmful Rooftop Solar Plan
SAN FRANCISCO— California regulators should revise a new rooftop solar plan to make solar more affordable for low-income communities, dozens of groups will tell the California Public Utilities Commission at its meeting Thursday. The commission’s plan drastically slashes the credit new solar users would get for sharing their extra solar energy with the grid.
Read more.Report: TVA Clean-Energy Transition Could Create Jobs, Save Billions
WASHINGTON— The nation’s largest public utility, the Tennessee Valley Authority, could create thousands of new jobs, improve public health, and help meet President Biden’s climate pledge if it transitions to 100% clean energy by 2035, according to a new study.
Read more.Report: U.S. Utilities Shut Off Power 5.7 Million Times as Shareholders, Executives Raked in Billions
WASHINGTON— Utility companies have disconnected U.S. households more than 5.7 million times since 2020 while shelling out billions to shareholders and top executives, according to Powerless in the U.S., a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity, Energy and Policy Institute and BailoutWatch.
Read more.Appeal Targets Environmental Justice Harms From California’s Rooftop Solar Plan
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity, Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group today appealed the California Public Utilities Commission’s decision to significantly slash compensation to the state’s rooftop solar customers. The commission’s decision will harm the ability of environmental justice communities to go green.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Federal Emergency Management Agency Documents on Fossil Fuel Spending
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency today for failing to release public records about the agency’s spending on energy-related projects and assistance to help communities rebuild after disasters. The records should show how much FEMA spends on fossil-fuel related projects compared to renewable energy alternatives.
Read more.Tuesday Morning Rally to Urge Congress to Oppose Manchin’s Dirty Deal
WASHINGTON— Members of Congress and climate justice advocates will rally Tuesday morning outside the Cannon House Office Building to oppose Sen. Joe Manchin’s massive giveaway to the fossil fuel industry.
Read more.California’s Revised Net Metering Plan Still Fails Environmental Justice Communities
SAN FRANCISCO— The California Public Utilities Commission’s proposed revised state net-metering plan, released today, abandons the hefty solar tax from last year’s proposal but still threatens to put affordable renewable energy out of reach for most communities.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks TVA Documents on Energy Plans, Fossil Fuel Industry Communications
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Tennessee Valley Authority today for failing to release thousands of pages of public records concerning the agency’s plans to build new gas plants, obstructing the transition to more affordable and resilient renewable energy.
Read more.Manchin Pushes Most Significant Environmental Rollback in Decades
WASHINGTON— After weeks of keeping the public and virtually all members of Congress in the dark, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin today released the details of their secret deal that Manchin demanded as payment for voting to pass the Inflation Reduction Act.
Read more.California Should Reject Solar Tax, Boost Solar in Environmental Justice Communities
SACRAMENTO— More than 125 California and national climate and equity groups, representing millions of people, called on the governor’s office today to reject the California Public Utility Commission’s proposed solar tax and maintain the state’s solar credit to grow rooftop solar in environmental justice communities.
Read more.Biden Stops Short of Declaring National Climate Emergency
WASHINGTON— President Biden announced a series of executive actions targeting the climate crisis today, and while he described the crisis as “an emergency,” he stopped short of the national climate emergency declaration called for by the Center for Biological Diversity and more than 1,200 other groups.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Energy Department Documents on Overdue Grid Study
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of Energy today for failing to release public records about the agency’s long-overdue study on energy transmission bottlenecks across the country.
Read more.Congress Urged to Boost Appropriations for Biden’s Clean Energy Orders
WASHINGTON— Dozens of environmental and labor groups urged House and Senate leaders to increase funding for President Biden’s historic executive orders to spur domestic renewable energy production under the Defense Production Act.
Read more.Report: TVA’s New Board Members Can Fast-Track Transition to 100% Renewable, Just Energy Future
WASHINGTON— The Tennessee Valley Authority’s new board members will have the legal authority to transform the nation’s largest public power provider from a fossil-fuel utility to a renewable energy pioneer, according to a report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Biden Use of Defense Production Act Signals Pivot on Climate, Renewables
WASHINGTON— President Biden signaled a major shift in climate strategy today, announcing executive actions that use the Defense Production Act to manufacture solar panel components, heat pumps, insulation, and grid transformers needed to speed the country toward renewable energy.
Read more.Legal Petition Seeks Federal Trade Commission Investigation of Energy Utility Abuses
WASHINGTON— More than 230 consumer, environmental and public interest groups urged the Federal Trade Commission today to investigate the electric utility industry for widespread abuses. These include bribery, fake dark-money campaigns and denying customers access to renewable energy.
Read more.Report: Electric Utilities Shut Off Power 3.6 Million Times While Increasing Payouts to Shareholders, Executives
WASHINGTON— Electric utilities have disconnected U.S. households more than 3.5 million times since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, while shareholder returns and executive compensation have skyrocketed, according to Powerless in the Pandemic 2.0, a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity and BailoutWatch.
Read more.500 Global Groups Urge Biden to End Fossil Fuel Era in Response to Russia-Ukraine War
WASHINGTON— More than 500 organizations from six continents sent a letter to President Biden and other world leaders today, urging them to speed the end of the fossil fuel era and spur a just and equitable transition to 100% renewable energy.
Read more.Bill Calls for Turbocharging Renewable Energy Manufacturing Under Defense Production Act to Ensure True Energy Security, End Fossil Fuels
WASHINGTON— U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) introduced legislation today that would require President Biden to use the Defense Production Act to build a renewable energy industrial base to protect communities and achieve energy independence from fossil fuels.
Read more.New Coalition Pressures Tennessee Valley Authority to Cut Fossil-Fuel Emissions, Ramp Up Renewable Energy
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— Dozens of organizations in the Tennessee Valley came together today to launch the Clean Up TVA Coalition, demanding immediate action from the Tennessee Valley Authority to cut carbon emissions and transition to a fossil-fuel-free and just energy future by 2030.
Read more.Progressive Caucus Urges Biden to Declare Climate Emergency, Stop New Fossil Fuel Extraction, Turbocharge Renewables
WASHINGTON— The Congressional Progressive Caucus called on President Biden today to declare a climate emergency, ban federal fossil fuel leasing and extraction, and build distributed renewable energy systems under the Defense Production Act.
Read more.Biden Urged to Invoke Defense Protection Act, Resist Shortsighted Domestic Fossil Fuel Policies
WASHINGTON— Following President Biden’s announcement Tuesday that the United States will ban all Russian oil imports, more than 200 climate, Indigenous, social justice, religious, and progressive groups sent a letter to the White House today urging the president to invoke the Defense Production Act in order to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy to transition the world off the fossil fuels that are leading to global instability.
Read more.Report Details Key Powers Biden Can Unlock With National Climate Emergency, Echoes Congressional Calls for Declaration
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity released a groundbreaking report today outlining the suite of specific powers that President Biden could unlock to fight the climate crisis by declaring a national climate emergency.
Read more.Federal Regulators Urged to End Utility Practice of Funneling Ratepayer Money to Anti-Environment Trade Groups
WASHINGTON— More than 300 energy justice, environmental and community groups urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today to address utility company behavior that forces millions of customers to finance anti-environment trade groups.
Read more.Congressional Oversight Urged for Tennessee Valley Authority
WASHINGTON— Clean energy groups urged a congressional committee today to call Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeffrey Lyash before an oversight hearing to answer questions about the massive public utility’s business practices, including its financing of anti-environment trade groups.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Records on Federal Loans Fueling Coal, Gas Plants in Arizona, North Carolina
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service today for failing to release public records regarding federal loans to electric generation and transmission cooperatives in Arizona and North Carolina.
Read more.New FERC Commissioner Urged to Prioritize Environmental, Energy Justice
WASHINGTON— The Senate voted Tuesday evening to confirm Willie Phillips to fill an open seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Phillips, former chairman of the DC Public Service Commission, will serve a five-year term on the commission, which regulates energy infrastructure including pipelines, liquid natural gas terminals and interstate transmission of electricity, fracked gas and oil.
Read more.COP26 Summit Ends Without Biden Taking Crucial Action on Fossil Fuels
GLASGOW, Scotland— The United Nations climate summit ended in Glasgow today with the United States still failing to make crucial domestic and global commitments to address the climate emergency.
Read more.Biden Urged to Prioritize Environmental Justice in Build Back Better Act
WASHINGTON— Environmental groups called on Congress and the White House today to prioritize environmental justice in the Build Back Better Act. The Center for Biological Diversity, Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change and WE ACT for Environmental Justice say this legislation will be a litmus test of President Biden’s commitment to make environmental justice a crucial pillar of his climate policy.
Read more.Five Executive Actions Biden Must Take As Climate Program Falters in Congress
WASHINGTON— As Congress struggles to pass major climate legislation, President Joe Biden can use existing executive powers to take at least five major actions to establish global leadership at the international climate talks in November, according to legal experts at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Report: Electric Utilities Took $1.25 Billion in Pandemic Bailouts, Shut Off Power to Households Nearly 1 Million Times
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and BailoutWatch today released Powerless in the Pandemic, a report showing that some of the nation’s top utilities received a collective $1.25 billion from last year’s government bailouts while shutting off families’ electric service nearly 1 million times.
Read more.Lawsuit Filed Over TVA’s Millions in Payments to Dirty Energy Lobbyists
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Center for Biological Diversity and allies sued the Tennessee Valley Authority today over millions of dollars in ratepayer money the public utility diverts to anti-environmental advocacy groups like the Edison Electric Institute and the Energy and Wildlife Action Coalition. The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee, seeks an order compelling the utility to address a 2020 petition and supporting evidence seeking to regulate this kind of spending.
Read more.466 Groups Urge Biden to Fill FERC Seat With Environmental, Energy Justice Champion
WASHINGTON— More than 460 environmental and energy justice, racial justice, faith and youth organizations from across the United States sent a letter today urging President Joe Biden to appoint a nominee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission who will champion environmental and energy justice.
Read more.Rep. Tlaib Introduces Utility Debt Cancellation Bill
WASHINGTON— Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) today introduced the Maintaining Access to Essential Services Act, which would provide nearly $40 billion to help wipe away household water, power and broadband debt across the country.
Read more.Energy Department Pushed for Roadmap on TVA’s Transition to 100% Just, Renewable Energy
WASHINGTON— More than 80 energy justice, racial justice, faith and youth organizations urged the U.S. Department of Energy today to release a roadmap detailing how the Tennessee Valley Authority will transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Read more.Senators Support FERC Petition to Curb Misuse Of Ratepayer Funds on Anti-Environment Trade Groups
WASHINGTON— Five Democratic U.S. senators urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today to grant a Center for Biological Diversity petition that would change the way ratepayers are charged for payments utilities make to trade groups obstructing the renewable energy transition.
Read more.Data From 17 States Shows Over 1 Million Power Shutoffs During Pandemic
WASHINGTON— More than 1 million household electricity shutoffs have occurred in 17 states since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an updated analysis of state utility commission data released today by the Center for Biological Diversity. Georgia Power, for example, reported shutoffs equivalent to nearly 8% of its customers.
Read more.TVA’s Plans to Replace Largest Coal Plant With Dirty Gas Meet Opposition
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Center for Biological Diversity urged the Tennessee Valley Authority today to replace its largest coal plant with renewable energy sources that will protect the climate and public health. Today’s public scoping comments from the Center oppose the federal agency’s current plans to replace the Cumberland Fossil Plant near Clarksville, Tennessee, with polluting fossil gas.
Read more.Records: More Than 1,000 Loggerhead Sea Turtles Died in Mexico in 2020
LA PAZ, Mexico— According to newly obtained official data from the Mexican government, at least 1,088 North Pacific loggerhead turtles died in 2020 in Baja California Sur, Mexico, likely because of entanglement in fishing gear.
Read more.Congressional Resolution Calls for Public Power System to Combat Climate Emergency
WASHINGTON— Democratic House Representatives Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman have introduced a congressional resolution that calls for transforming the country’s largely private energy system into a publicly owned and governed network. The resolution also urges a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and a ban on utility shutoffs, which disproportionately affect low-wealth people and communities of color.
Read more.Documents: TVA Used $3M in Ratepayer Money to Fund Anti-Clean Energy Efforts
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— Four nonprofit organizations called today for a federal investigation of newly uncovered records showing that the Tennessee Valley Authority used $3 million of ratepayer money to fund litigation and lobbying efforts by organizations that fight the EPA’s Clean Air Act rules. TVA is the largest public energy provider in the United States.
Read more.Senate Bill Aims to Protect Americans From Utility Shutoffs, Mounting Debt Crisis
WASHINGTON— Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced a bill today that would place a national moratorium on the disconnection of electric, water and broadband utility service due to uncollected payments. An increasing number of people in the country are at risk of losing access to vital utilities, including electricity, water and broadband, as utility debt increases nationwide.
Read more.President Biden’s TVA Nominees Urged to Lead Utility’s Transition to 100% Just, Renewable Energy
WASHINGTON— More than 200 energy justice, racial justice, faith and youth organizations are calling on President Joe Biden’s four nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors to commit to transitioning the utility to 100% renewable and just energy by 2030. TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider.
Read more.650 Groups Tell Congress: Leave Dirty Power Out of Clean Electricity Standard
WASHINGTON— More than 650 national advocacy and grassroots groups sent a letter today calling on Congress to develop a truly clean, renewable and just energy standard for electricity as part of an evolving infrastructure package.
Read more.U.S. Climate Target Falls Short of What Science, Justice Demand
WASHINGTON— The new U.S. target for reducing climate-heating emissions 50%-52% by 2030 fails to meet the demands of climate science and environmental and energy justice.
Read more.Legal Petition Aims to Stop Utilities From Forcing Customers to Bankroll Anti-Environment Trade Groups
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today to prevent electric utilities from forcing customers to finance anti-environment trade groups.
Read more.Data From 10 States Shows Alarming Number of Utility Shutoffs During Pandemic
WASHINGTON— Utilities in just 10 states have reported at least 765,262 household power shutoffs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis released today by the Center for Biological Diversity. Georgia Power, for example, reported more than 131,000 shutoffs — equivalent to 6% of its customers.
Read more.On COVID Anniversary, Justice Groups Gather in D.C. to Demand Utility-shutoffs Moratorium
WASHINGTON— The national #NoShutOffs Coalition and We Power DC mobilized today outside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building to call on President Biden and local D.C. officials to impose a moratorium on power, water and broadband shutoffs.
Read more.Environmental Justice Activists to Rally in D.C. for Moratorium on Utility Shutoffs
WASHINGTON— One year after COVID-19 was declared a national emergency, the national #NoShutOffs coalition and the D.C.-based We Power DC will mobilize Saturday outside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to call on President Joe Biden and HHS Acting Secretary Nathan Cochran to issue a nationwide utility-shutoff moratorium. The socially distanced action will also urge local officials to extend the soon-expiring D.C. moratorium on Pepco disconnections.
Read more.Legal Challenge: Duke Energy Plan Would Supersize Climate Pollution, Waste Billions on Unused Power Plants
DURHAM, N.C.— NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a legal challenge to Duke Energy’s plan to build scores of gas-fired power plants in the Carolinas even though huge amounts of excess generation already sit unused during the worst winter weather.
Read more.FERC Urged to Open Tennessee Valley Authority to Clean Energy Sources
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a brief before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, in a proceeding that could help push the Tennessee Valley Authority region toward clean, climate-friendly sources of energy. The TVA is a federally owned corporation and the nation’s largest public power provider.
Read more.Dozens of Groups Urge Congress to Support Energy Justice Spending in Next Infrastructure Package
WASHINGTON— Twenty-six conservation and energy justice organizations today called for the next infrastructure bill to include support for creating energy microgrids, expanding solar projects in low-wealth communities and increasing funding for rural clean energy programs. This week’s widespread power outages in Texas and Oregon show the nation’s power system is ill-equipped to handle extreme weather due to climate change, which disproportionately harms low-wealth families.
Read more.Thousands Urge Biden to Commit U.S. to Doing Fair Share on Climate
WASHINGTON— Just days before the reentry of the United States into the Paris Agreement becomes official, environmental groups delivered a petition to the Biden administration signed by more than 50,000 Americans demanding that the U.S. commit to cutting its fair share of emissions.
Read more.Tennessee Valley Authority Must Commit to 100% Clean Energy, Align With Biden Climate Goal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority must align its energy planning with President Biden’s recent executive order requiring that the federal electricity sector completely decarbonize by 2035, energy justice groups said today in a letter to the public utility’s board of directors.
Read more.600 Groups Urge Biden to Halt Water, Electricity, Broadband Shutoffs With Emergency Executive Order on First Day
WASHINGTON— More than 600 utility-justice, environmental, racial justice, labor and faith groups delivered a letter today to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris urging their administration to halt utility shutoffs nationwide to protect public health.
Read more.Thursday Webinar: Major U.S. Climate Coalition Calculates America’s ‘Fair Share’ of Climate Action
WASHINGTON— A new analysis finds that the United States would need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to 195% of its 2005 emissions levels by 2030 in order for the U.S. to contribute its “fair share” to global action on climate change.
Read more.Nevada Releases Flawed Climate Strategy
LAS VEGAS— Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Nevada Climate Initiative released the state’s climate strategy late Tuesday. This is an important milestone in the state’s march toward decarbonization, as mandated by 2019’s Senate Bill 254.
Read more.State Funding to Assist Families With Rent, Utilities During Covid Runs Out Today
RALEIGH. N.C.— As of 6 p.m. today, the roughly $175 million allocated for Gov. Roy Cooper’s HOPE program — which has provided financial relief for renters unable to pay their rent or utility bills — will have run out after less than a month since being announced. To date the program has received nearly 40,000 applications to help households maintain electric, gas and water service and make rent payments.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Energy Department’s Failure to Update 25 Overdue Efficiency Standards
WASHINGTON— Six environmental and consumer groups are suing the U.S. Department of Energy for failing to review and update energy efficiency standards for more than two dozen categories of consumer and commercial appliances and equipment, including large energy users like refrigerators and water heaters. The 25 overdue standards — the most under any administration — could cost U.S. consumers and businesses billions of dollars and significantly increase climate pollution.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Department of Energy Documents on Industry Influence Over Grid Resilience Model
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of Energy today for failing to release records about the agency’s collaboration with utility companies and the fossil fuel industry on an important, publicly funded study about the reliability and resiliency of North America’s power grid.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Feds’ Failure to Protect Frontline Workers From COVID-19
WASHINGTON— Labor unions representing healthcare workers, teachers, transit operators and millions of other frontline workers joined with environmental groups today to sue the federal government over its failure to provide adequate reusable respirators, N95 masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to these essential workers.
Read more.Millions Demand Congressional Action on COVID Relief Measure
WASHINGTON— Dozens of organizations, representing millions of people across the United States, called on Congress today to urgently pass a COVID relief package to prevent unnecessary suffering across the country and to ensure voting rights.
Read more.Legal Petition Demands Tennessee Valley Authority Halt Electricity Shutoffs, Fund Debt Relief
WASHINGTON— Dozens of climate-justice organizations petitioned the Tennessee Valley Authority today to immediately impose a moratorium on electricity shutoffs in the region and fund debt relief for its customers.
Read more.Labor, Environmental Groups Urge Emergency Action to Protect Frontline Workers From COVID-19
WASHINGTON— Labor unions representing health care workers, teachers, transit operators and millions of other frontline workers joined with environmental groups today to demand that the Trump administration take emergency action to provide adequate masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to these essential workers.
Read more.Department of Energy Inaction Will Cost Consumers at Least $22 Billion, Spew at Least 80 Million Tons of Carbon Into Air
WASHINGTON— Six environmental and consumer groups warned the U.S. Department of Energy today that they will sue the agency if it does not meet its legal responsibility to review and update overdue energy-efficiency standards for an unprecedented 26 consumer and commercial products within 60 days. These products include some of the largest energy users, such as air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators and clothes dryers.
Read more.Legal Action Challenges Duke Energy’s Buildout of Unapproved Gas-fired Power Units
DURHAM, N.C.— Climate-justice groups filed a legal petition with the North Carolina Utilities Commission today asserting that Duke Energy — one of the top polluting U.S. utilities — is violating state law by quietly building large amounts of inefficient gas-burning capacity without commission approval.
Read more.New Data Underscores Urgent Need for Federal Moratorium on Utility Shutoffs
WASHINGTON— Senator Tom Carper, Democratic ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released a report today that revealed only 10 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., have statewide moratoriums on water, power and gas utility shut-offs that protect all or the vast majority of residential ratepayers in effect right now. The report provides a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of state protections against water, power and gas utility disconnections.
Read more.California Data Show Regular Truck Crashes, Deaths Along Proposed ExxonMobil Oil-trucking Route
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— There’s been a large truck collision every week, and almost two fatalities per year, on average over the past five years along the California highways where ExxonMobil wants to send up to 70 oil tanker trucks a day, according to California Highway Patrol data analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.9th Circuit Court Urged to Reject Arizona Utility’s Discrimination Against Rooftop Solar
PHOENIX— Five climate and energy-conservation groups took legal action this week in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge an Arizona public power utility’s discrimination against rooftop-solar customers.
Read more.Solar Co-op Launches for Tucson Residents to Go Solar Together
TUCSON, Ariz.— The nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors announced the launch of the Tucson Solar Co-op today, in partnership with the Center for Biological Diversity and Physicians for Social Responsibility Arizona.
Read more.450 Environmental, Energy Justice Groups Urge Federal Commission to Reject Threat to Solar Net Metering
WASHINGTON— More than 450 environmental and energy-justice, faith and labor groups urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today to reject the New England Ratepayers Association’s petition seeking federal jurisdiction over state solar policies.
Read more.Legal Intervention Fights Shadowy Organization’s Effort to Gut Solar Net Metering
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a brief today urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject a pending petition aimed at gutting net metering for distributed-solar power by putting it under federal control.
Read more.Tucson Solar Co-op to Help Area Residents Go Solar
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Solar United Neighbors (SUN) are partnering to bring a solar cooperative to Tucson. The co-op opens today, and the groups will kick off the project with a June 8 webinar.
Read more.Virtual Town Hall to Explore Why Congress Must Fight for Power, Water, Broadband for All
WASHINGTON— A virtual town hall featuring teachers, advocates, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) will lay out why Congress should include a national moratorium on utility shutoffs in the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation.
Read more.Louisiana Groups Urge Delay in Power Project for Industrial Polluters, Citing COVID-19 Concerns
ST. JAMES PARISH, La.— The coalition opposing Formosa Plastics’ massive proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana, has requested a delay in upgrading electric transmission lines to serve that project and future industrial polluters. The coalition’s letter cites current public health warnings about COVID-19 and damage to wetlands.
Read more.Seven State Bans on Electricity Shutoffs Expiring Soon
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity released an issue brief today analyzing state orders suspending electricity disconnections due to the COVID-19 state of emergency. The brief found that 42% of states currently have no legally binding protections against electric utility shutoffs. Moreover, seven existing state bans on electricity shutoffs just expired or are set to expire in the coming weeks, raising the percentage of states with no legal shutoff moratoria to 56%.
Read more.Public Records Sought on Anti-Solar Group’s Efforts to Gut Net Metering
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a Freedom of Information Act request today seeking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s communications with a secretive front group that’s demanding a nationwide ban on state retail net-metering programs for distributed solar energy.
Read more.Briefing to Announce Launch of National Peoples’ Mobilization to Save Lives, Prevent Second Wave of COVID-19 Deaths
WASHINGTON— The COVID-19 Emergency Response Group is mobilizing as the fourth branch of government, the Peoples’ Branch, to save as many American lives as possible and keep families and communities safe from COVID-19. The group is driving for the passage of legislation: a COVID-19 Peoples’ New Deal.
Read more.In Next Coronavirus Rescue Bill, 830 Groups Urge Congress to Halt Electricity, Water, Broadband Shutoffs
WASHINGTON— More than 830 utility-justice, environmental, faith, civil-rights and labor groups sent a letter to Congress today calling for the next stimulus package responding to the coronavirus to include a moratorium on electricity, water and broadband utility shutoffs.
Read more.In Coronavirus Crisis, 575 Groups Urge Halt to Electricity, Water Shutoffs
WASHINGTON— More than 575 utility justice, labor, faith, consumer and environmental groups urged state governors, mayors and utility regulators today to put a moratorium on electricity and water-utility shutoffs in response to the coronavirus crisis and resulting job losses.
Read more.Legal Petition: TVA Violating Customers’ Rights by Giving Millions to Dirty Energy Lobbyists
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations petitioned the Tennessee Valley Authority today to stop giving millions of dollars in ratepayer money to anti-environmental advocacy groups like the Edison Electric Institute and Energy and Wildlife Action Coalition.
Read more.Environmental Group Launches Energy Justice Program
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity launched a new Energy Justice Program today focused on driving the urgent transition to a clean energy future to protect wildlife and people.
Read more.