Good news for clean air in Iowa, but Warren and his lackeys at MidAmerican Energy still want to build a new, radioactive nuclear power station to replace those nukes. They are the #1 rate regulated utility owner of both wind and solar in the USA but they still want a new nuke in Iowa. Follow the money honey, it's all about the money. MidAmerican stands to make billions of dollars on a nuclear boondoggle with their ratepayers taking all the risk! On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 1:18 PM, Redmond, Jim <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > Congratulations Pam, Wally, and so many others for getting to this stage > in the campaign of getting beyond coal. The announcement is excellent > because it informs the public that wind and solar are matching the lost > dirty megawatts. We are especially grateful in Northwest Iowa because > theGeorge Neal Plant is just a few miles from Sioux City. Did these news > releases go out to all Iowa newspapers? If possible I would like to ask > one or more Sioux City journalists if they would use the excellent Sierra > club news release and not just rely on a Mid-American release. > > > > Jim > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements [ > [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Pamela Taylor [ > [log in to unmask]] > *Sent:* Tuesday, January 22, 2013 11:56 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Fwd: NEWS: Sierra Club, MidAmerican Energy Settlement Brings > Clean Air Victory to Iowans > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Emily Rosenwasser <[log in to unmask]> > To: Emily Rosenwasser <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tue, Jan 22, 2013 11:30 am > Subject: NEWS: Sierra Club, MidAmerican Energy Settlement Brings Clean Air > Victory to Iowans > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > January 22, 2013 > > CONTACT: > Emily Rosenwasser, [log in to unmask], 312-251-1680 x119 > Eitan Bencuya, [log in to unmask], 202-495-3047 > > *Settlement Between The Sierra Club and MidAmerican Energy Brings Clean > Air Victory to Iowans * > > *Retirement of Seven Coal-Fired Boilers Marks 50,000 Megawatts of U.S. > Coal Announced to Retire Since 2010* > > > DES MOINES, IA – Today, the Sierra Club and MidAmerican Energy Company > announced a landmark settlement that requires the Iowa utility to phase out > coal burning at seven coal-fired boilers, clean up another two coal-fired > boilers and build a large solar installation at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. > The announcement also pushes the total amount of coal generation retired > or announced to retire since 2010 to over 50,000 megawatts, almost > one-sixth of the nation’s coal fleet. > > In 2012, the Sierra Club notified MidAmerican that it was violating the > federal Clean Air Act at its Walter Scott, Riverside and George Neal coal > plants, by emitting more pollution than allowed by its permits. Today’s > settlement filed in federal court in Iowa resolves those allegations. > According to the Clean Air Task Force, air pollution from these three > plants contributes to 45 deaths and 760 asthma attacks annually. > > “Clean air, clean water and a booming clean energy economy are part of an > Iowa legacy that I am proud to leave for my children and grandchildren,” > said *Pam Mackey Taylor, Chapter Energy Chair of the Sierra Club in Iowa*. > “Coal’s days are numbered here in Iowa. Pollution from MidAmerican’s > coal-fired power plants causes major health problems in communities across > Iowa. Retiring units at these coal plants and installing vital pollution > controls at the remaining units will help Iowans breathe easier.” > > The settlement between Sierra Club and MidAmerican Energy further cements > Iowa’s position as a national clean energy leader. Iowa passed the first > renewable energy standard in the country in 1983, decades before most > states even considered similar standards. Iowa now ranks third in the > nation in installed wind capacity, draws 22 percent of its electricity from > wind energy and is a hub of wind component manufacturing in the Midwest. > The wind industry employs 7,000 workers in Iowa, more than any other state. > > > “Big carbon pollution emitters like MidAmerican’s coal-fired power plants > are contributing to the climate disruption causing this year’s historic > drought across the Midwest,” said *Bruce Nilles, Senior Director of the > Beyond Coal campaign.* “If we want to ensure that droughts do not become > the new normal for Iowa, other utilities must follow suit to phase out coal > imported from Wyoming and push Iowa’s strong home-grown clean energy > development forward.” > > Today’s announcement brings the total number of coal plants retired or > announced to retire since 2010 to 130 plants and 50,717 megawatts, almost > one sixth of the nation’s entire coal fleet. In 2009 these coal plants > emitted more than 188 million metric tons of carbon pollution the > equivalent annual emissions of more than 39 million passenger vehicles. > These plants also emitted more than 7,600 pounds of mercury, a potent > neurotoxin, and caused 6,000 heart attacks, 60,000 asthma attacks and 3,600 > premature lives annually. > > Meanwhile, as coal plants are retired and only one new coal plant has > broken ground since November 2008, the United States is also installing > record amounts of clean energy. During President’s Obama’s first term the > nation doubled its installations of wind and solar, and in 2012 the US > installed more wind and solar than coal, gas or nuclear power, with both > wind and solar having their best year ever. In mid-2012 the United States > hit the milestone of 50,000 megawatts of wind generation installed, > producing enough electricity for 13 million American homes. > > "This is great news for the people of Iowa and another important victory > for the Beyond Coal campaign. The retirement of these plants means our > campaign has achieved an important milestone: we have helped retire more > than 50,000 megawatts of coal power, while also bringing online more than > 50,000 megawatts of wind energy. Iowans are joining a growing number of > citizens around the country who are helping to end our nation's dependency > on coal and move the U.S. toward a cleaner energy future," said *Michael > R. Bloomberg, whose Bloomberg Philanthropies has contributed $50 million to > the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.* > > Tapping into the Sierra Club’s 2.1 million members and supporters, its > Beyond Coal campaign is working across the United States to end coal > burning no later than 2030, replace coal-fired power plants with clean > energy like wind and solar power, and keep the massive U.S. coal reserves > underground and out of world markets. It is the largest campaign in the > organization’s 114-year history, and employs more than 170 staff members > who collaborate with thousands of activists and more than a hundred allied > organizations nationwide. With a relentless focus on moving the country > off of coal fired power, the campaign is engaged in more than a hundred > venues, including the courts, regulatory agencies and in communities where > decisions about coal mining and coal use are being debated. This includes > working with workers and communities to help them transition to clean > energy jobs when local coal plants are retired. > > The settlement can be viewed here<http://action.sierraclub.org/site/DocServer/Dkt_3-1__Lodged_Consent_Decree__1.22.13.pdf?docID=12081> > . > > ### > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: > [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv > Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: > [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv > Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp > -- Mike Carberry 319-594-6453 [log in to unmask] Please consider the environment before printing this email. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp