Energy Justice Network

08/04/2026

We did it! This is the first time we've gotten an existing polluter closed through a local Clean Air Law. Previously, we stopped several proposed polluters, and got Oregon's last waste incinerator closed with a state-level law requiring only one year of continuous monitoring of toxic pollutants, but this is the first one we wrote that sets a precedent for doing this at the local level on an existing facility. Time to inspire other communities to do the same! Kudos to Rosemary Madonna, Ron Atkinson, Tracy Frisch, and everyone else in our member groups, Breathe Free Hudson Falls and Clean Air Action Network for the great local organizing work to make this possible!

In case you missed our big news in April, this happened because the (all-Republican) 5-person board of trustees of the Village of Hudson Falls, NY hired our Executive Director, Mike Ewall, to develop the Hudson Falls Clean Air Law, and passed it unanimously on April 20th of this year -- even over objections from the county that asked the village to defer to the state environmental agency that permits the polluters and doesn't adequately enforce the law. These county objections required the board to have 4 out of 5 votes instead of the normal 3 of 5. They rejected the county's nonsense, countered it in writing, and passed the law unanimously! This all follows a few years of solid organizing by our two member groups in the area, including a strong turnout for our public presentation last year, and hundreds of village residents signing petitions and many speaking up regularly in public comments before the village board.

07/11/2026

After massive objection to Philly continuing to burn its trash in Chester, Philly's Sanitation Department is proposing to City Council to continue contracting for the status quo -- the most racist and health-damaging option -- for another 4-7 years. Can we count on Philadelphia City Council to stand up to this and demand a more responsible choice? Expect this to come to city council for a vote in September.

07/01/2026

FALSE SOLUTION OF THE WEEK: Landfill Gas to Energy

SOLUCIÓN FALSA DE LA SEMANA: Generación De Energía A Partir De Gas De Rellenos Sanitarios

Learn in English: https://climatefalsesolutions.org/landfill-gas-to-energy/

Learn in Spanish: https://climatefalsesolutions.org/generacion-de-energia-a-partir-de-gas-de-rellenos-sanitarios/

FROM THE TEXT | DEL TEXTO:

Landfills are the third largest human-made source of methane in the world, after livestock and natural gas.[1], [2] Landfill gas is about half methane and half carbon dioxide (CO2), laced with hundreds of toxic contaminants, including methylmercury and many chlorinated chemicals that can form highly toxic dioxins when burned (see Waste Incineration). Radioactive tritium is also increasingly found in landfill gas, from emergency exit signs and other sources.[3] Methane is a greenhouse gas, 86 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period.[4] It is produced when organic discards (food scraps, paper and wood products, yard waste, sewage sludge) decompose in an oxygen-starved environment. (Continued on the website...)

Los rellenos sanitarios constituyen la tercera fuente más grande de metano producido por los humanos en todo el mundo, después del metano producido por el ganado y el gas natural.[1], [2] El gas de rellenos sanitarios está compuesto aproximadamente por una mitad de metano y otra mitad de dióxido de carbono (CO2), enlazados con cientos de contaminantes tóxicos, que incluyen metilmercurio y muchas otras sustancias químicas cloradas que pueden formar dioxinas sumamente tóxicas al quemarse (ver Incineración de basura). El tritio radiactivo también se encuentra cada vez más en el gas de rellenos sanitarios, provenientes de los carteles de salidas de emergencia y otras fuentes.[3] El metano es otro gas de efecto invernadero que es 86 veces más potente que el CO2 en el transcurso de un período de 20 años.[4] Se produce cuando los desechos orgánicos (restos de basura, productos de papel y madera, desechos de jardín y aguas residuales) se descomponen en un ambiente que carece de oxígeno. (Continua en la pagina web...)

06/22/2026

Gascells are fuming. https://trib.al/7zoucNL

05/17/2026

In March 2026, renewables officially beat natural gas to become the largest source of electricity generation on the U.S. grid for the first time in history (35% to 34.4%). Meanwhile, Texas is plugging in a massive 12.9 GW of grid batteries this year alone, capturing 53% of the entire U.S. pipeline, to eat legacy gas margins for breakfast

In California, batteries just smashed records, meeting 44.1% of evening peak demand and physically evicting gas peakers from the grid

In China, firm, 24/7 solar + storage is already delivering round-the-clock electricity at a record cost floor of $30/MWh. Compare that to new gas-fired generation at well over $100/MWh. Gas is dead on arrival

In the UK, Germany, and Spain, building a brand-new wind + storage asset from scratch is now cheaper than simply paying for the fuel and maintenance of an existing, already-built gas or coal plant. In Germany, 24/7 firm onshore wind is delivering at $91/MWh, making new gas options (>$100/MWh) look like an expensive 20th-century liability

Countries still building gas plants or signing 20-year LNG import contracts, are signing a national security su***de note and managing a structural bankruptcy

Gas power is going through a slow death to near-zero by 2035 (latest). Save this post.

04/22/2026

HUGE EARTH WEEK VICTORY! On Monday, the all-Republican Village Board of Hudson Falls, New York unanimously passed a local Clean Air Law we developed, setting the nation's strictest standards for monitoring and emissions reductions for any waste incinerator within its borders. The village hosts a 34-year old waste incinerator operating without adequate pollution controls. It burns trash, sewage sludge, industrial waste, pharmaceuticals and tires from eight states and Canada. We would love to see this inspire other communities to pass local laws to prevent industrial air polluters and force existing ones to clean up or close down. Contact us if you're interested in exploring this strategy in your community!

The Village Board of Hudson Falls, New York, voted Monday to unanimously adopt the Hudson Falls Clean Air Law.