Los Angeles has a dirty secret. Our city gets a disappointingly high 44 percent of its power from dirty coal-fired power plants in Arizona and Utah, which are among the worst stationary sources of pollution in the United States.
Coal-fired power plants are poisoning the people who live near them by polluting the air and water. Pollution from coal-fired power plants is a major contributor to the potentially catastrophic climate disruption that already may be intensifying the wildfires and droughts that directly affect families in Los Angeles.
It does not make long-term or short-term economic sense for Los Angeles to continue exporting our money to out-of-state coal corporations when we can, instead, invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that will put thousands of Angelenos to work.
Far from the Southern California beaches, the movie studios of Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge, a fleet of coal plants in distant western states churns out power for the California market.
These coal plants discharge vast quantities of air pollution, consume huge amounts of water and emit destructive global warming gases. Some of the largest mining operations in the United States tear up the land in the Southwest to provide the coal they burn. Every day, Californians’ power from these coal plants is transmitted thousands of miles to customers in California… while the pollution and environmental disturbances stay behind, sending a cascade of human health and environmental impacts across the American West and the globe.
Why not take advantage of the fact that we live in one of the sunniest places in the world?
Why Coal Is the Wrong Answer
With the solar and wind potential we see nearly every day of the year, it is unconscionable to continue getting our power from a source as dirty and dangerous as coal, especially when investing in clean and sustainable energy will create green and sustainable jobs for Angelenos. Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy is a solution that benefits the environment, rate-payers and creates the jobs that will help get our economy back on track.
We have an opportunity to begin making the investments that will move Los Angeles beyond coal, but the Los Angeles City Council needs to take advantage of the opportunity.
Join us on Wednesday, July 14, for a 7 o’clock Sierra Club program at the Vets Auditorium, at the intersection of Culver Boulevard, to learn about why solar power makes sense for our community.
Our featured guest will be photovoltaic expert Joel Davidson, speaking on “Powering Los Angeles into the Future with Solar.”
Mr. Davidson has been a photovoltaic consultant to governments, utility companies, businesses and homeowners. He is recognized as one of the founders of the commercial PV industry. He and his wife Fran Orner are the authors of the classic text, “New Solar Electric Home: The Complete Guide to Photovoltaics for Your Home,” in its third edition.
Mr. Davidson will explain why solar energy is the key to getting LA beyond coal. Last November, Mayor Villaraigosa unveiled his ambitious *”Solar L.A.” plan. The goal is to produce 1,280 megawatts of power from solar panels, enough power to meet one-tenth of the city's energy needs within 10 years.
The mayor made the announcement at a South Los Angeles manufacturing plant where solar panels are made. Mr. Villaraigosa said the initiative will help the Dept. of Water and Power wean itself off of fossil fuels and make the city a hub of the solar-energy industry.
After the main presentation, you are invited to stay for a screening of “Power Paths,” a one-hour documentary that follows Native American tribes as they work to bring renewable energy projects into their communities. From the Sioux of the Great Plains to the Navajo and Hopi of the Southwest, tribes are fighting to protect their land, air and water from the harmful mining and burning of coal on their land.
The Navajo Green Economy Coalition featured in the film describe their efforts to provide just energy and economic transitions to their community. Afterward, we will discuss our effort here to get Los Angeles off coal and into a clean energy future.
The Sierra Club's “Beyond Coal” campaign is a national drive to move our economy toward a clean energy future by stopping new polluting coal-fired plants, phasing out existing plants, and keeping U.S. coal reserves in the ground and out of international markets.
Thanks in part to the Beyond Coal campaign, plans for 128 new coal plants have been shelved since the beginning of the coal rush, keeping more than 530 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. For more information about the Angeles Chapter's Beyond Coal campaign, see http://labeyondcoal.org/
Feel free to bring a friend to next Wednesday’s meeting. All of our meetings are open to non-members of the Sierra Club.
Website: http://www.meetup/com/environment-411
Mr. Haake may be contacted at dhaake@ucla.edu
