Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

NEW ANALYSIS BY SIERRA CLUB: U.S. ON TRACK TO DRIVE LOWEST EMISSIONS SINCE 1995

New Analysis by Sierra Club: U.S. on Track to Drive Lowest Emissions Since 1995

Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign has Helped Drive the Historic Reduction

Carbon Emissions Already Below Targets Set by Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade Climate Bill

Reductions Place President Obama in a Strong Negotiating Position at Upcoming Paris Climate Summit

Washington, D.C. -- A new report released today by Sierra Club, with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, finds that almost one third of the U.S. coal fleet as it stood in 2010 has already retired or is proposed to retire, and as much as a half could be replaced within the next decade. The unprecedented reduction in coal use is driving down carbon emissions in the electric sector and economy-wide to levels not seen in more than two decades.

The report, relying on data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency, U.S. EPA and independent research firm Rhodium Group, also found that the U.S. is already well below the 2015 carbon emissions target set by the 2009 Waxman-Markey climate bill, which Congress failed to pass. 2015 will mark the lowest electric sector carbon emissions since 1995.

In addition, the report finds that the U.S. power sector is well positioned to meet the carbon emissions reduction targets established by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan; projected emissions for 2015 will already fall within 5% of the 2022 goal set by the Clean Power Plan, setting up the U.S. economy to drive deeper, faster cuts in carbon emissions while ramping up renewable energy and efficiency investments in the coming years.

U.S. progress on phasing out its aging coal fleet puts the U.S. in a strong position – leadership by example – to push for strong action at the international Paris climate negotiations this December. This progress has been the centerpiece of a decade-long campaign by the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, its allies, and grassroots activists around the country.

“Thanks to the Beyond Coal campaign and the community leaders who have stood up against the coal industry, the U.S. is leading the world in cutting dangerous carbon pollution,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change. “The domestic reductions will give President Obama a strong negotiating hand at the U.N.’s climate summit in Paris and hopefully we can help lead the rest of the world in the same direction.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies has pledged $80 million to the Beyond Coal campaign.

The single biggest reduction in carbon pollution in the U.S. over the past five years has come by phasing out coal - a direct result of the Bloomberg Philanthropies-Sierra Club partnership. The partnership is pushing to accelerate the replacement of coal with clean energy, build upon the carbon reductions required by the Clean Power Plan over the next decade, and ensure that the U.S. meets and exceeds it Paris commitment to cut economy-wide carbon emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

'With the help of Bloomberg Philanthropies and thousands of activists across the country, a fair and just transition to an economy powered by 100% clean energy is in our sights, and dirty coal is becoming a thing of the past,” said Michael Brune, Sierra Club executive director. 'The Sierra Club and our 2.4 million members and supporters are proud of our work in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and countless supporters to improve public health and economic fairness and to fight climate disruption.'

Highlighted findings from the report:

• Carbon pollution from the electric sector is projected to fall below 2 billion tons this year, for the first time since 1995, and is directly a result of plummeting coal use, and the rise of clean energy.

• · These carbon reductions in the electric sector are also the primary reason why U.S. economy wide carbon emissions are projected to be 5.3 billion tons this year, about 150 million tons below the levels projected for 2015 in the Waxman-Markey legislation.

• · Coal generation is projected to be 36% of electricity generation this year, down from 50% ten years ago, and at the lowest level since 1995, at the same time the U.S. is experiencing record investment in clean energy.

• · Since 2010, the U.S. has retired 41,978MW of coal generation – representing 15% of installed capacity, including a record 15,760MW already retired this year. In the two decades between 1990 and 2009 the U.S. retired less than 10,000 MW of coal.

/// Campaign Name: Beyond Coal