Challenging Power Plants

WildEarth Guardians uses a variety of tools to go after coal-fired power plants. From challenging construction permits for proposed coal-fired power plants to ensuring that operating permits for existing plants comply with the law, we are working to reduce the massive amount of pollution. This, in turn, makes the power plants, rather than the public, pay for their pollution so that the economic playing field is more level for renewable energy and energy efficiency.  Power plant owners have billions of dollars at their disposal so it is hard, complicated work but with each challenge we more one step closer to a clean energy future.

U.S. coal-fired power plants cause around 8 or 9 percent of world-wide greenhouse gas emissions. This is a staggering figure when you consider that the U.S. is only about 5 percent of the world's population and that there are many other sources of greenhouse gases such as cars and trucks and livestock. 

Coal-fired power plants also are the largest unregulated source of mercury in the U.S.  The mercury accumulates in fish and causes brain damage in children. Federal agencies estimate that 600,000 U.S. children born each year have learning deficits from mercury exposure.

Coal-fired power plants are also the major source of sulfur dioxide emissions in the U.S. which causes acid rain, haze in National Parks and Wilderness areas, and fine particulate matter which contributes to lung cancer and heart attacks. 

Extracting the coal burned in the power plants also destroys habitat and releases pollution.  The coal-fired power plants require massive amounts of water to operate, resulting in lowering water levels in rivers and underground aquifers. At the end of the process, millions and millions of tons of coal ash, which is acidic and contains a variety of toxic metals, is disposed of each year with little regard to long term containment.