  
September 15, 2011
Contact: Claire Orphan, 312.251.1680 x146
Sierra Club Applauds
Retirement of Cane Run, Green River and Tyrone Coal Plants in Kentucky
Huge public health
victory comes after years of pressure from local citizens and the Sierra Club
Louisville, Kentucky – Today, Kentucky
Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric made a landmark announcement to
retire three coal plants in Kentucky – including the hotly-contested, massively
polluting Cane Run Plant in Louisville.
The
announcement set the retirement date for 2016. Since 2003, the Sierra Club has
worked on an extensive organizing campaign targeting the plant for responsible
retirement due to the extensive damage the plant’s pollution has caused to the
families of Louisville,
Kentucky.
“We applaud this
announcement. Kentucky families will soon to be able breathe a little easier,”
said Thomas Pearce, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Organizer. “Phasing out
these dirty, outdated coal plants will protect our kids' health, and allow us
to create new jobs in clean energy. We hope this is the beginning of a
longer-range plan to transition to clean, safe power, energy efficiency, and
weatherization, all of which help protect our lungs. The next step now is to figure out a way to protect the community and the Ohio River from the dangerous and toxic coal ash landfill.”
The
Green River Plant in Central City, along with the Tyrone Plant in Versailles,
and most notably, the Cane Run Plant in Louisville have undermined the health
of Kentucky residents for decades. Over the past few years, the Cane Run Plant
in Louisville, and its associated coal ash dump, has been a source of significant
controversy as neighboring citizens and health professionals have linked the
pollution to asthma attacks and a wide range of health problems in the local
area. According to the 2011 Clean Air
Task Force study, the Cane Run Plant contributes to 23 deaths, 35 heart
attacks, 380 asthma attacks a year.
“I am grateful to hear of the coal plant retirement, it has
been a long time coming,” said Kathy Little, Cane Run resident and mother. “Pollutants from the plant have been threatening the health
of our families for far too long. The closure of Cane Run is a great
moment, however I hope this is a first step for LG&E. We still need to
protect our families from the coal ash dump and be looking towards investments
in energy efficiency and renewables.”
Recently
the Sierra Club joined forces with Michael R.
Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, and his Bloomberg Philanthropies to combat the dangerous health effects
coal fired power has on children and families across the nation. The
announcement of a $50 million dollar gift to roll back the threat of coal-fired
pollution was held just outside the plant in Alexandria.
The
Cane Run, Green River and Tyrone plants join the ranks of plants like GenOn in
Alexandria, VA which just announced an historic retirement last month. The
Beyond Coal Campaign aims to replace dirty, polluting coal-fired power plants with clean
energy like wind and solar power. The campaign has stopped more than 150 coal
plants from breaking ground, and the number of planned retirements continues to
grow and the nation transitions to a clean energy future.
For more information about the Sierra Club’s campaign
to move beyond coal, please visit: http://www.beyondcoal.org
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