January, 21 2009, 12:34pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
George Torgun or Paul Cort, Earthjustice, (510) 550-6725
John Barth, (303) 774-8868
Amy Atwood, Center for Biological Diversity, (541) 914-8372
Charles Benjamin, Western Resource Advocates, (775) 671-5690
Lynn Davis, National Parks Conservation Association, (702) 281-7380
Lydia Ball, Sierra Club, (702) 732-7705
Brian Moench, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, (801) 243-9089
Massive New Coal Plant In Nevada Threatens Local Environment and Global Climate
ELY, Nev.
Several leading conservation and clean energy groups have filed an appeal with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Board of Land Appeals to stop a proposed coal-fired power plant from spewing millions of tons of CO2 and other air pollutants into Nevada skies.
The organizations -- including the Bristlecone Alliance, Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Great Basin Resource Watch, Post Carbon Salt Lake, Nevada Wildlife Federation, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Western Resource Advocates, and National Parks Conservation Association, represented by attorneys from Earthjustice -- are urging the Board to reject the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the White Pine Energy Station near Ely, Nevada.
The White Pine project would be one of the largest and most heavily polluting coal plants in the western United States. Operation of the facility would release an estimated 12.88 million tons of CO2, the predominant greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, into the air each year. The plant would also emit significant amounts of other harmful pollutants, such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, and fine soot, impairing local air quality and visibility in nearby Great Basin National Park.
"America's top scientists have made it clear that continuing to burn coal will lead directly to climate catastrophe," said Center for Biological Diversity attorney Amy Atwood. "We need to scrap proposals for obsolete, dirty coal plants like White Pine and move toward a clean energy future."
In approving the project, which will be constructed and operated by the LS Power Group, the Bureau of Land Management authorized the sale of 1,281 acres of undeveloped public lands and additional rights-of-way for the facility and associated electric transmission lines, a well field and water pipelines, a railroad spur, access roads, and other features.
"Selling pristine public lands so private corporations can build dirty coal plants is the exact opposite of what this country needs right now. America should be leading the transition to sustainable energy," said Earthjustice attorney George Torgun.
In its analysis of the project, the Bureau of Land Management disregarded the facility's health impacts on area residents, the effects on local water supplies and imperiled species, and the potentially massive contribution of greenhouse gases. It also failed to consider clean-energy alternatives or conservation measures. The proposal's numerous deficiencies were made clear to the Bureau in public comments submitted by the conservation groups, members of Congress, and other federal agencies such as the National Park Service and Environmental Protection Agency.
"Instead of allowing a huge new dirty coal plant, LS Power and BLM should take the lead from other companies and public agencies that are working to meet electricity demand through energy efficiency and renewables," said John Barth, an attorney for the groups. "We plan to vigorously contest the project to prevent a tremendous setback to these efforts to rein in global warming pollution and to protect the health of area residents."
In fact, the approval of the White Pine Energy Station comes at the time when momentum is building for the development of other energy sources in Nevada, including geothermal and solar power and wind.
"The White Pine power plant seriously undermines regional efforts to promote renewable energy projects," said Charles Benjamin, the Nevada director of Western Resource Advocates. "There is simply no need for new coal plants like White Pine to meet the energy demands in Nevada. We call on LS Power and White Pine Energy Associates to join us in creating a clean and renewable energy future that will provide jobs and economic development throughout Nevada."
"At a time when most of our policymakers have committed to reducing climate pollution, this project is a huge step in the wrong direction," said Sierra Club's Lydia Ball. "Knowing what we now know about global warming, we owe it to future generations to spend our resources and fuel our region on energy conservation and renewable resources like wind, geothermal, and solar power."
The White Pine Energy Station is actually just one of three coal plants that have been recently proposed on Bureau lands in eastern Nevada. The other two facilities -- the 1,500 megawatt Ely Energy Center and the 750 megawatt Toquop Energy Project -- are also seeking approvals to begin construction.
"Yesterday, four of the top five most polluted cities in the country for air quality were in Utah," said Dr. Brian Moench, president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. "The air pollution was the equivalent of everyone smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day, including children and pregnant women. Utah citizens are not going to stand back and allow several new coal plants to make these pollution problems even worse."
"The massive, dirty coal plants proposed for eastern Nevada will have a devastating impact on air quality and visibility in places like Great Basin National Park in Nevada and Zion National Park in Utah," said National Parks Conservation Association program manager Lynn Davis. "Enforcing our nation's environmental laws will help clear the air for the millions of Americans who treasure these amazing places."
With yesterday's presidential inauguration and the changing of the guard at the Interior Department, the groups expressed hope that the incoming administration will take a new approach to climate change issues and public land management.
Earthjustice attorney Paul Cort said, "We're hopeful that the new administration in Washington will act quickly to secure a clean energy future for the United States, and manage our public lands in ways that benefit all Americans."
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Grand Jury Indicts Top Trump Aides, 11 Arizona Republicans Over 'Fake Electors' Scheme
Had it succeeded, said the state's attorney general, the scheme would have "deprived Arizona's voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president."
Apr 25, 2024
A grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday charged seven aides to Donald Trump and nearly a dozen Republican officials over a "fake electors" scheme in the state that aimed to keep the former president in power after his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
Trump, who is currently facing nearly 90 charges across four criminal cases as he runs for another White House term, was described as "unindicted co-conspirator 1" in the 58-page indictment, which was announced by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
"The people of Arizona elected President Biden," Mayes, a Democrat, said Wednesday. "Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendants charged by the state grand jury allegedly schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency. Whatever their reasoning was, the plot to violate the law must be answered for."
The indictment names former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, sitting state Republican Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon, and seven others as the "fake electors" who sought to declare Trump the rightful winner of the state's presidential contest.
The names of other individuals indicted by the state grand jury are redacted, but the document's descriptions make clear that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and top Trump legal strategist Boris Epshteyn are among those facing felony charges—including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.
"In Arizona, defendants, unindicted coconspirators, and others pressured the three groups of election officials responsible for certifying election results to encourage them to change the election results," the document reads. "Discussions about using the Republican electors to change the outcome of the election began as early as November 4, 2020. Those plans evolved during
November based on memos drafted by [an attorney for the Trump campaign, Kenneth Chesebro]."
Mayes said Wednesday that had the fake elector scheme succeeded, it would have "deprived Arizona's voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president."
"It effectively would have made their right to vote meaningless," said Mayes.
A state grand jury, made up of everyday, regular Arizonans, has handed down felony indictments in the ongoing investigation into the fake elector scheme in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/Nu8GcD4ZqJ
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 24, 2024
Alex Gulotta, state director of All Voting Is Local Action Arizona, said Wednesday that "the indictment of the eleven fake electors is one of the first steps required in holding these election deniers accountable for their alleged attempts to take power away from voters by disrupting our free and fair elections."
"Arizonans deserve to trust the election officials responsible for administering our elections and preserving our democracy," said Gulotta, "and this is a positive step forward as we continue to strengthen the foundations of our democracy and restore faith in our elections."
The Arizona Republicreported Wednesday that "several of the Arizona electors have previously claimed they were merely offering Congress a backup plan, though nothing in the documents they sent to Congress and the National Archives backs up that assertion."
"The indictment includes several statements the false electors made on social media that contradict those claims," the newspaper observed.
Jenny Guzman, director of Common Cause's Arizona program, said the indictment "marks the start of a new chapter for the fake elector scheme that has plagued Arizona."
"Arizonans are still dealing with the fallout from the false electors and the Big Lie about the 2020 elections," said Guzman. "We are relieved that the investigation by Attorney General Mayes has concluded and Arizonans can now know that what comes next is accountability. These efforts by these fake electors to undermine the will of Arizona’s voters have had implications far beyond their failed attempt to overthrow the 2020 election."
"This indictment can reassure all Arizonans that if anyone, regardless of their political affiliation, attempts to undermine their vote, consequences will follow," Guzman added.
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Watchdog Urges FEC to Investigate Trump Campaign Over Scheme for Legal Fees
"By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much."
Apr 24, 2024
A campaign finance watchdog on Wednesday filed a Federal Election Commission complaint accusing former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, affiliated political groups, and an accounting firm of violating U.S. law in a scheme "seemingly designed to obscure the true recipients of a noteworthy portion of Trump's legal bills."
The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center (CLC) said that "evidence appears to show an illegal arrangement between several Trump-affiliated committees and a compliance firm named Red Curve Solutions that is designed to obscure the identities of those providing legal services and how much they are being paid."
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money."
CLC alleges that the Trump campaign, Trump's political action committee (PAC) Save America, and three affiliated organizations "violated federal reporting requirements based on a scheme in which the committees reportedly paid over $7.2 million—described as 'reimbursement for legal' costs or expenses"—to Red Curve.
The watchdog also said that Red Curve appears to be "making or facilitating illegal contributions that violate either federal contribution limits or the prohibition on corporate contributions."
According to CLC:
Red Curve is a domestic limited liability company that offers compliance and FEC reporting services but does not appear to offer any legal services. It is managed by Bradley Crate, who also serves as the treasurer for each of the five Trump-affiliated committees concerned in this complaint, as well as over 200 other federal committees.
According to filings with the FEC, Red Curve appears to have been fronting legal costs for Trump since at least December 2022, with Trump-affiliated committees repaying the company later. This arrangement appears to violate FEC rules that require campaigns to disclose not only the entity being reimbursed (here, Red Curve) but also the underlying vendor. By not disclosing the vendors that actually provided legal services, the Trump-affiliated committees effectively blocked the public from knowing which attorneys and firms are being paid—and how much they are being paid—through this arrangement.
"Voters have a right to know how the presidential campaigns and other committees supporting presidential candidates spend their money," CLC senior director of campaign finance Erin Chlopak said in a statement. "When campaigns and committees obscure that information from the public, not only do they make it difficult to determine if the law has been violated, but they deny voters the ability to make an informed choice when casting a ballot."
"The steps taken by the Trump campaign, its affiliated committees, and Red Curve Solutions concealed information about how campaign funds were used to pay former President Trump's legal expenditures, including the amounts and ultimate recipients of these expenditures—and the FEC must investigate immediately," Chlopak added.
Trump—who is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee—faces 91 federal and state felony charges related to his role in the January 6 insurrection and his organization's business practices. He is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to cover up sex scandals during the 2016 election cycle. The twice-impeached former president has been open about his use of campaign donations to pay his legal costs.
The new CLC filing comes a day after the watchdog filed separate FEC complaints urging investigations into a pair of Trump-affiliated "scam PACs," which "pretend to fundraise for major candidates or issues while secretly diverting almost all of their donors' money back into fundraising or the fraudsters' own pockets."
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'One Step Closer': Arizona House Votes to Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban
"With a total ban still set to take effect June 8, the Arizona Abortion Access Act is needed now more than ever," one state campaigner said of a November ballot measure.
Apr 24, 2024
Three Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday joined with Democrats to advance legislation that would repeal an 1864 ban on abortion—a development rights advocates welcomed while stressing that the fight is far from over.
The 32-28 vote on House Bill 2677—with GOP Reps. Tim Dunn (25), Matt Gress (4), and Justin Wilmeth (2) voting in favor—was the third attempt in as many weeks to pass repeal legislation since the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the ban.
"The state Senate could vote on the repeal as early as next Wednesday, after the bill comes on the floor for a 'third reading,' as is required under chamber rules," according toNBC News. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Wednesday toldThe Washington Post that "I am hopeful the Senate does the right thing and sends it to my desk so I can sign it."
Applauding the House passage of H.B. 2677, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona president and CEO Angela Florez said that "today, Arizona is one step closer to repealing the state's Civil War-era total abortion ban. While the repeal still must pass the Senate, this is a major win for reproductive freedom."
"We must celebrate today's vote in support of abortion rights and harness our enthusiasm to spread the word and urge lawmakers in the Senate to support this necessary repeal bill," she continued. "Despite this step forward, Arizonans cannot stop fighting."
Florez noted that "even with the repeal of the Civil War-era ban, the state will still have a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy that denies people access to critical care. And lawmakers continue to attack Arizonans' ability to access reproductive healthcare. Our right to control our bodies and lives is hanging on by a thread."
"Thankfully, voters will have the opportunity to take back control if the Arizona Abortion Access Act is on the ballot this November," she added. "Abortion bans are out-of-step with the will of Arizonans and will force pregnant people to leave their communities for essential healthcare. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona will continue fighting to ensure everyone has the right to make decisions about their health and futures."
The Arizona Abortion Access Act is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would prevent many limits on abortions before fetal viability and safeguard access to care after viability to protect the life or physical or mental health of the patient.
The coalition supporting the amendment, Arizona for Abortion Access, highlighted on social media that the House-approved bill "did not include the emergency clause required to stop the 1864 ban from taking effect on June 8," meaning H.B. 2677 wouldn't apply until 90 days after the end of the legislative session.
Coalition campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said that "with a total ban still set to take effect June 8, the Arizona Abortion Access Act is needed now more than ever. We remain committed to taking these decisions out of the hands of extremist politicians."
Arizona is one of multiple states where rights advocates are promoting abortion rights ballot measures this cycle. Reproductive freedom is also dominating political races at all levels, including the presidential contest. Democratic President Joe Biden is set to face former Republican President Donald Trump in November.
"Donald Trump is responsible for Arizona's abortion ban. Women in the state are still living under a ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and have been stripped of the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions," said Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' reelection campaign manager.
While the presumptive GOP nominee has tried to distance himself from the Arizona Supreme Court's reinstatement of a 160-year-old abortion ban, he has also campaigned on his three appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped reverse Roe v. Wade.
"Trump brags that he is 'proudly' the person responsible for these bans and if he retakes power, the chaos and cruelty he has created will only get worse in all 50 states," Chávez Rodriguez said. "President Biden and Vice President Harris are the only candidates who will stop him."
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