Sierra Club Nebraska Chapter Statement on Attorney General Suing OPPD to Block Coal Retirement

OMAHA, Neb.- This month, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit to prevent the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) from retiring its polluting coal-burning units at its North Omaha power plant. The Attorney General's actions challenge the locally-supported retirement of the harmful facility. OPPD's board and management first committed to retirement plans for the aging plant in 2014, following years of engagement and continued involvement with its customer owners since then.

For years, Omahans have raised health concerns over the coal plant, pointing to studies that have shown higher rates of asthma, heart attacks, strokes, and premature deaths linked to the air and water pollution from burning fossil fuels. Hilger's lawsuit overlooks these serious health threats, as well as the associated cost of medical bills and lost school and work days.

Additionally, the lawsuit prioritizes out-of-state coal purchases over in-state benefits. Millions of OPPD customers' dollars will be spent on purchasing coal from Wyoming, instead of being invested in wind, solar, and battery storage projects in Nebraska. Investing in wind and solar energy has proven to boost local communities, providing more than $21.5 million in annual tax revenues that benefit schools and pay for roads, as well as more than $46 million in annual lease payments that benefit Nebraska farmers and ranchers.

In response, Ken Winston, Sierra Club Nebraska Chapter Director, released the following statement:

We support North Omaha residents and the OPPD customer owners in opposing Hilgers' ill-conceived lawsuit, which undermines community health and local decision-making. It is easy for the Attorney General and other politicians who live more than 50 miles away from the plant to claim that it has no negative health impacts, but they are disregarding those directly experiencing the coal plant's harms.

By investing in homegrown energy, efficiency, demand management, and distributed generation, OPPD would be better equipped to meet capacity needs while simultaneously helping to lower energy bills, create healthier communities, and improve grid resilience.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.