Dear Guardian,
Our clean energy future just got a whole lot brighter.
Last Friday, Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM, announced
that it intends to shutter half of the San Juan Generating Station by the end
of 2017.
That’s more than 900 megawatts of dirty coal-fired electricity
permanently retired in just four years.
Spurred by legal pressure from WildEarth Guardians, the plan
would curb poisonous nitrogen oxide emissions, free up four billion gallons of
freshwater, and eliminate half the plant’s toxic coal ash waste.
For our climate, this is a monumental step forward. Retiring half of the plant will prevent
more than five million tons of carbon dioxide from being released every year,
equal to taking more than one million passenger vehicles off the road.
This isn’t just a milestone for New Mexico, it’s a milestone
for the American West. It confirms
that the cost of burning coal is becoming too great to bear.
It also confirms that the dedicated and aggressive advocacy that
Guardians has launched is working. With steadfast legal and public pressure, we’re exposing the real cost
of dirty energy and truly making the progress we need to safeguard our health
and protect our climate.
To be sure, we still have work to do. Dirty energy is still the greatest obstacle
to renewable energy, efficiency, and conservation. The tide, however, is turning.
That’s why we’re both celebrating this success and also
making a commitment to you, and to the West, that before 2020, we will shutter
the remaining half of the San Juan Generating Station.
Let’s cherish this victory and together look forward to
building the momentum we need to power past coal for good. Thank you so much for your support.
