A report by the Sierra Club rates utility companies for what they say they are doing to transition to cleaner energy sources, compared to what they are actually doing.

In the analysis, the Tennessee Valley Authority is slowly reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and received a "D" grade for its transition to renewable energy.

Amy Kelly, field organizing strategist for the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club, said the TVA has proposed adding six natural gas turbines to the Allen Combustion plant in Memphis. She warned of rate hikes for customers.

"Even though they say their rates are low, by adding more gas, they're adding this volatile fuel cost to people's bills," Kelly pointed out. "I think people should demand that other options be looked at. We already know that solar is cheaper than gas."

Kelly pointed out the TVA has made promises to decarbonize 70% by 2030, and 80% by 2035. She argued the utility is not making sufficient moves to meet the goal.

The TVA is accepting public written comments on the proposal for the turbines by Nov. 13.

Kelly added the Sierra Club has spoken with local residents who would rather see the TVA invest in renewable energy for the area. She reported they are concerned about pollution, since the current combustion turbines have not been running at the Memphis site.

"They are worried about their water supply, which is an aquifer that supplies the city's water," Kelly pointed out. "And that there was no, really, consultation with the community before these plans were put out, as well as there's no alternative that TVA is looking at."

Kelly emphasized adding six turbines to the Memphis site would have very little impact on local employment.

The Inflation Reduction Act passed last year made funding available to companies to fight climate change.

Noah Ver Beek, energy campaigns analyst for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign and the report's co-author, said many utilities are still delaying the transition to cleaner energy. In part, he said it's because many utility incentives are tied to the performance of fossil fuel-based assets.

"The Inflation Reduction Act, the IRA, it includes this great big pot of money that utilities can take advantage of to build out more wind and solar and storage," Ver Beek stressed. "At the same time, we see across modeling that's going to lower utility bills for Americans, that's going to increase reliability. But we haven't seen utilities really take advantage."

Ver Beek added people of color and low-income communities continue to be exposed to higher levels of dangerous air pollution than other groups, and are at higher risk of developing chronic diseases related to pollution.

West Virginia environmental groups are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, arguing the agency failed to consider residents' health when it gave the stamp of approval for the creation of four valley fills on a thousand-acre surface mine in Raleigh County.

Vernon Halton, executive director of the nonprofit Coal River Mountain Watch says the region experienced severe flooding in the 1990s and early 2000s, and says more valley fills, which involve dumping rocks, minerals and waste into nearby waterways, will put their lives at risk.

"It's going to permanently endanger the people whose homes are in the valleys below, he explained."

According to Environment America, valley fills permanently bury headwater streams and reduce water quality. More than 2,000 miles of headwater streams have been buried due to mountaintop removal.

Haltom added that communities continue to grapple with health challenges unparalleled outside of the coalfields.

"Higher rates of cancer, higher rates of heart disease, higher rates of birth defects, higher rates of other diseases, and most of them can be linked to the airborne dust that people are forced to breathe," he continued.

Research has shown breathing in toxic dust promotes the growth of lung cancer cells in people living in communities near mountaintop removal. Coal is mined in 22 of West Virginia's 55 counties, according to federal data.

A Knoxville environmental group is raising concerns over federal budget cuts and their effects on jobs at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The Trump Administration briefly laid off workers at the complex but called them back the next day.

Tanvi Kardile, coordinator for the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, warned the cuts, including layoffs at the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration, are troubling. She advocated shifting jobs from weapons production to environmental cleanup, citing ongoing efforts to address groundwater contamination, though she pointed out cost overruns and major concerns remain unaddressed.

"One of these cuts we feel should be the uranium processing facility, which is being constructed to replace, all these old, deteriorating buildings at Y-12," Kardile explained. "The budget for that keeps skyrocketing.
And this is one of the largest construction projects in Tennessee history."

Kardile emphasized the uranium processing facility is estimated to cost $10.3 billion and will not be complete in 2031. Initially, the project was expected to cost $6.5 billion and be finished by this year.

Kardile added her group is hesitant about Trump's statement expressing his intention to initiate nuclear arms reduction negotiations with China and Russia. The future of the U.S. nuclear weapons program remains uncertain as a result.

"Who knows if reduction talks will happen or how successful they'll be, especially with some other energy initiatives that he supports, such as discrediting climate change, promoting fossil fuels and drilling," Kardile outlined. "It doesn't seem like the administration will take many initiatives to protect the environment."

Kardile argued it is crucial for Tennesseans to push for greater accountability from the Department of Energy on the rising cost of Y-12 and collaborate with lawmakers to find the best path to allocate their tax dollars and protect public health.

Ohio is seeing a growing number of solar energy projects, including the first utility-scale installation in Dayton, which will help power a key water treatment facility.

Cities across the state are also working together to expand clean energy access. The five-megawatt solar array in Dayton will be built on a brownfield site, which is also a repurposing project for land that had been burned and has limited use because of contamination.

Robert McCracken, energy manager for the neighboring city of Cincinnati, said it is amazing to be able to produce energy to help with energy resiliency anywhere in Ohio.

"There is a lot of great work happening in the sustainable energy field throughout the state of Ohio," McCracken observed. "That's happening in large cities and small towns."

It is expected to provide 38% of the Miami Water Treatment Plant's electrical power needs and cut consumer energy bills by keeping water rates low. The City of Dayton serves as the principal water source for an estimated 1.5 million people in southwest Ohio.

McCracken pointed out local governments across Ohio recognize the importance of clean energy and are working collaboratively on solutions.

"It's become ever more important for all of those cities throughout Ohio ... to be working together to figure out how we all can advance the projects that we're working on that can benefit residents and businesses in each of our local communities," McCracken contended.

The project supports Dayton's climate emergency commitment to cutting carbon emissions at city facilities through renewable energy. McCracken emphasized Ohio cities remain dedicated to sustainable solutions, benefiting the environment and local communities.


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