Mary Anne Hitt and Michael Bloomberg ask for support of the Clean Power Plan (CPP)

Today Michael Bloomberg visited Sierra Club’s office in Washington, D.C. and announced an increased commitment to retire America’s coal plants and transition the U.S. economy to a clean energy future. With the generosity of Bloomberg Philanthropies and others, we will amplify our existing success to achieve ever more ambitious goals — building a healthier, cleaner, more prosperous world.

This follows the Trump administration’s announcement of their plan to repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP), Obama’s landmark regulation on carbon pollution for power plants.

“The Trump administration has yet to realize that the war on coal was never led by Washington — and Washington cannot end it,” said Bloomberg. “It was started and continues to be led by communities in both red and blue states who are tired of having their air and water poisoned when there are cleaner and cheaper alternatives available… Without any federal regulations on carbon emissions, those groups have combined with market forces to close half the nation’s coal-fired power plants over the past six years — and with this new grant, we aim to reach 60 percent by the end of 2020.”

Add your voice to Michael Bloomberg’s! Tell the EPA you support limits on carbon pollution and oppose their “Dirty Power Plan.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ generosity comes at a great time, adding to our existing momentum as we fight for clean air, water, and the climate and allowing us to build on our existing achievements:
This year, AEP and Xcel both announced the two largest clean energy projects in US history. Retiring coal plants have opened up new market opportunities for renewable energy, which has raced to fill them and is now cheaper than coal in most parts of the country.

Along with dozens of allies, the Beyond Coal Campaign has helped secured retirement commitments for 11 coal plants since Trump’s inauguration — that’s one plant every 24 days. We are now just a handful of plants away from securing retirement commitments from half of America’s coal fleet.

Additionally, because of work from Beyond Coal and allied groups, the largest coal export terminal in North America is dead, the last of six Northwest proposed coal export terminals to be defeated by tribal and community leaders.

And just this week, in the 48 hours since EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced a repeal of the Clean Power Plan, nearly 60,000 Sierra Club members and supporters have submitted a comment to EPA opposing this.

We know Michael Bloomberg has our back. Do you? Take thirty seconds and submit your comment to EPA now to save the Clean Power Plan!

Carbon pollution from coal power plants sickens our families and makes climate change worse. Previously, the EPA estimated that the Clean Power Plan would prevent 90,000 asthma attacks, 300,000 missed work and school days, and 3,600 premature deaths annually by 2030. These health impacts of climate change disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income families. This means that any attempt to dismantle the Clean Power Plan is an added assault on the most vulnerable populations among us.

For the health of our families and safety of our future, as monster storms and wildfires pummel our nation, we must keep the Clean Power Plan in place. But Trump’s EPA wants to repeal the Clean Power Plan completely.

Now that the EPA has announced its plan, we must fight back. Let’s flood the comment inbox with thousands of messages of support for strong climate action like the Clean Power Plan. If enough of us speak up, we may be able to keep the Clean Power Plan in place. Will you add your voice?

As the EPA takes this drastic action, let’s speak up to defend the Clean Power Plan — and the health and safety of our communities.

To defending strong climate action,

Mary Anne Hitt
Director, Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club