Sierra Club applauds Liberty Utilities' stand against coal

Liberty Utilities no longer wants to receive energy produced by coal so they have asked to end their contract with NV Energy's North Valmy Coal plant. Instead they are asking for a new contract that excludes all coal-fired resources.

Up to 20% of all power currently sent to Lake Tahoe comes from the large coal plant in Nevada as part of the existing contract with NV Energy, which ends in December.

The Sierra Club is applauding the move by Liberty Utilities, which serves 49,000 customers in Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada. Their request came on the heels of an April 17, 2015 request to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve the purchase of two new proposed solar projects that would further reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. The two new proposed solar projects in Nevada, one in Minden and the other near Hawthorne, Nevada.

“We applaud Liberty Utilities for taking steps to provide cleaner energy for its customers," Barbara Boyle, Senior Campaign Representative with the Sierra Club said in a statement. "Residents in Lake Tahoe and the Sierra know all too well the devastating impacts that will result from climate change. We need more utilities to follow Liberty’s example and step-up to replace dirty coal power with renewable energy.”

The effort was supported by the South Tahoe Citizens Climate Lobby, the
Tahoe Sierra Club and the two sierra club chapters, Mother Lode and Toiyabe.
Also by the Sierra Nevada Alliance and Lake of the Sky Outfitters.