What's New

In February 2007, Alliant energy requested a permit for the construction of a new coal-burning power plant in Cassville, WI, despite the availability of clean energy technologies in Wisconsin like wind and solar power. At the same time, powerful utilities are trying to stop laws that would require them to clean up their existing plants.

How You Can Help

Please call your senators to support the Clean Power Act to clean up pollution from power plants.
 

Brief Summary

Power plants are threatening our health and environment. More than half of all Americans live in areas that fail to meet minimum health standards for smog and soot. At least 45 states have fish consumption advisories for mercury.

Power plants are the nation's largest industrial source of the pollutants that cause these problems.

Yet the Bush administration’s industry-backed "Clear Skies Initiative" weakens Clean Air Act programs and sets pollution caps that fail to protect public health.

With the bill stalled in the Senate, the Bush administration gutted key provisions of the Clean Air Act known as New Source Review, which require power plants to install modern pollution controls when they upgrade their plants.

The rule was successfully struck down by a federal court earlier this year. In the absence of federal action many states are moving on their own to address smog, soot and mercury pollution.