BLOOMBERG’S MILLIONS TO FIGHT COAL

Bloomberg Philanthropies Teams Up with Sierra Club
Michael Brune, July 21, 2011 (Sierra Club)

"…[A] $50 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies to Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign…[will] help the Sierra Club move America beyond coal…

"…[H]alf of all Americans breathe air that is unhealthy…[C]oal is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and the fastest growing in the world…[and] coal contributes to four of the five leading causes of death. Coal is responsible for nearly half the poisonous mercury released into the environment every year. One in ten Americans suffer from asthma, with coal a primary cause. Just the soot alone from coal plants kills 13,000 Americans prematurely each year, causing more than $100 billion in healthcare costs. And don't get me started on coal ash and mountaintop removal..."

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"This gift from Bloomberg will allow us to take the coal industry head-on and reveal the hidden costs of burning coal. Our aim is to retire at least a third of the coal plants across the country and replace them with clean energy as quickly as possible. We'll do this by working with community organizations…and with clean tech entrepreneurs who know that solar and wind produce more domestic jobs, cut costs, help stabilize our climate, and clean up our air and water. We'll build on…our grassroots coalition of organizations and community groups [that has] defeated more than 150 new coal plant proposals over the last decade.

"I know that many of you have played a big role in this campaign so far. Thank you, and congratulations. This gift is a vote of confidence for all of the work…We'll need your support even more…[W]hen powerful, entrenched interests are attacked, they fight back and fight back hard. But when a Republican billionaire joins forces with the Sierra Club to end the dominance of coal in the U.S., you know it's an idea whose time has come…"