Energy & Climate
Change
> Renewable Energy > Greening
LADWP > Dirty Coal Plant
for LA > Solutions
Your energy use is one of the largest and most lasting impacts you
have on the environment.
Almost half of the global warming pollution in the US is a result of electricity
production. As a nation, we are debating our energy supplies, including when
and how much to clean up old power plants and how aggressively we should
pursue alternative, renewable sources of energy.
The Coalition for Clean Air supports cleaning up existing power
plants, increasing the development of renewable supplies and conserving
energy.
Renewable Energy
In 2002, California passed legislation that established a Renewables
Portfolio Standard (RPS) requiring the private utilities (SDG&E,
PG&E, and So. Cal. Edison) to increase renewable energy sources
so that they make up 20% of supplies by 2017.
Renewable energy sources are significantly cleaner than traditional
supplies like gas and coal, and, unlike them, won't run out in
the future. Sources like the sun, the wind, geothermal power (using
natural
underground reservoirs of heat), landfill gas and biomass power
(from the decomposition of agricultural waste) are among those considered
renewable. In California, half of our power comes from natural
gas,
with the remaining half is divided up fairly equally among nuclear,
coal, hydroelectric, and renewable sources.
Greening LADWP
The Coalition has been leading the fight to set a similar standard
for Los Angeles. The LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is
the nation's largest municipal utility, providing electricity for
4 million residents.
LADWP currently gets less than 3% of its power from renewable sources,
while half comes from coal power. In response to our advocacy,
LADWP has presented preliminary plans to achieve 13% renewables by
2010
and 20% by 2017. The Coalition remains heavily involved as this
plan continues to develop and moves toward implementation. Take action:
thank Councilmember Cardenas for his support and leadership.
Dirty Coal Feeds Southern California's Energy Appetite
In response to pressure from labor and environmental groups, including
the Coalition for Clean Air, Mayor James Hahn directed the LADWP
to end all activities toward expanding the Intermountain Power Plant
(IPP), a coal-fired power plant located in Delta, Utah. Anaheim has
taken a similar action, declining to invest in the expansion of IPP,
deciding instead to pursue renewable energy. This $2.1 billion investment
in coal is still on the table, however, as other cities remain involved.
Still, 75% of the energy from IPP comes to Southern California; Riverside,
Pasadena, Anaheim, Burbank and Glendale are all recipients, as well
as Los Angeles. Our cities are too dependent on dirty energy. Coal
makes up half of Los Angeles' power, 60% of Anaheim's and 45% of
the power in Riverside.
Coal-fired plants are a primary source of global warming pollution,
mercury contamination and haze over some of the nation’s most
cherished wild places. Coal plant emissions are also associated with
asthma and other serious respiratory diseases, as well as heart disease;
the emissions cut short the lives of over 30,000 people each year.
Expanding IPP would increase smog at five national parks and increase
the carbon dioxide output of the entire state of Utah by 20%.
Residents of Riverside, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank, Take Action:
Tell your city to kick its coal habit and follow the lead of LADWP
and Anaheim by ending its role in the expansion of IPP.
Solutions
It is critical that Los Angeles, California, and the country as
a whole, aggressively pursue renewable energy if we are to begin
to transition away from polluting and unsustainable fossil fuels.
This is a long-term vision for sustainability. You can take
steps now to limit the pollution that your electricity use causes.
Whether you're in Los Angeles and half of your power comes from coal,
or you're somewhere else in California and half of your power comes
from natural gas, the simple steps you take to use less energy will
save you money and prevent air pollution.
Global Warming FAQs
Read our report on distributed generation here.
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