Decades of advocacy from Sierra Club supporters like you just resulted in a HUGE win: Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced four historic protections that will slash air, water, and carbon pollution from power plants!

Dear Supporter,

Today's news from the EPA shows that our tireless efforts are working. Step by step, we're moving in the right direction towards a healthier, safer, clean-energy future.

These just-announced environmental protections are a BIG deal. More of our kids will be safe from asthma. More communities can turn on the tap and have safe drinking water. Less heavy metals and mercury pollution will wind up in our air and water. And it means huge progress in our fight for a stable, livable climate for generations to come. 

So, what are these environmental protections and why are they so important?

🏭 Carbon Pollution Standards will limit pollution from existing coal-fired power plants and new gas plants, reducing climate emissions that go into our atmosphere.

💨 Mercury and Toxic Air Standards will protect vulnerable communities from toxic air pollution, including heavy metals and mercury.

💧 Coal Wastewater Standards will dramatically reduce the amount of toxic pollutants and heavy metals, including mercury and arsenic, discharged by coal-fired power plants into our rivers and lakes, many of which are used for fishing, swimming, and even drinking water sources.

🪨 Coal Ash Pollution Rules will protect groundwater and communities near coal plants from old, dangerous coal ash landfills and ash dumps that leak toxic pollutants and metals into our waterways.

Together, these new rules send a clear message to coal polluters. Now that the EPA has finalized them, it's critically important to see them fully implemented. 

Republicans in Congress, however, are gearing up to restrict the EPA's authority and revoke these rules that our movement fought so hard for. We need to make sure Congress hears from us loud and clear that we support these protections and want to see them implemented!

Over one million people submitted public comments urging the Biden administration to adopt the strongest protections possible, including tens of thousands of Sierra Club members and supporters. These victories only happened because of your advocacy! Let's keep up the pressure to make sure these protections are fully implemented.

Thank you for all you do,

Holly Bender
Chief Energy Officer
Sierra Club

P.S. Are you interested in learning more about how government agencies implement environmental protections? Check out our quick one page explainer!