Debate intensifies over Superior's proposed gas plant

Debate intensifies over Superior's proposed gas plant

A proposed $700 million gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin, is causing division among locals, with some seeing it as a job creator and others worrying about environmental and cultural impacts.

Isiah Holmes reports for Wisconsin Examiner.


In short:

  • The Nemadji Trail Energy Center faces criticism for potential environmental damage and disregard for tribal lands.
  • Recent city council decisions reflect growing opposition, questioning the project's alignment with community and environmental values.
  • The project, still lacking several permits, also clashes with state and federal renewable energy goals.

Key quote:

“It provides extraordinary benefits as an undeveloped wetland. It is adjacent to a river and I generally believe, and I believe my opinion is shared by many members of the community, that waterfront — especially undeveloped waterfront — is best left undeveloped for public use.”

— Jim Paine, mayor of Superior

Why this matters:

Critics of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center raise concerns about potential harm to public health and the environment, including harmful emissions, noise pollution, and impacts on local property values. The project is expected to produce 2.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, albeit with a reduction of about 964,000 tons per year by displacing coal plants. Locating NTEC near tribal lands and a historic Ojibwe burial ground adds to the complexity, with tribes fearing the disturbance of their ancestors' remains and environmental damage

As Pittsburgh touted its environmental progress in 2018, a massive petrochemical makeover was taking place in the surrounding region. Tribes and environmental groups argued against a future of pipelines and plastic production.

smoke billows over a mountainside wildfire

Wildfire smoke linked to an increased risk for dementia

A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found that long-term exposure to the fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke is associated with a higher risk of a dementia diagnosis.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Great Salt Lake
Credit:Amy the Nurse/Flickr

Federal funding injects $50M into Great Salt Lake recovery

The Great Salt Lake just scored $50 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, marking the largest-ever federal investment to help restore the struggling ecosystem and bring water back to this critical western landmark.

Kyle Dunphey reports for Utah News Dispatch.

Keep reading...Show less
Ufuoma Ovienmhada

LISTEN: Ufuoma Ovienmhada on toxic prisons

Ufuoma Ovienmhada joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss environmental injustice at prisons across the U.S.

Keep reading...Show less
plugging in an electric vehicle
Credit: Zaptec/Unsplash

Trump’s DOE and DOT picks may reshape EV policies

President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation could challenge Biden-era electric vehicle initiatives, which are worth billions.

David Ferris and Mike Lee report for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
clasped hands over a religious book
Credit: Tep Ro/Pixabay

Faith leaders rally against climate setbacks under new Trump administration

Religious leaders from diverse faiths are preparing to resist anticipated environmental rollbacks under President-elect Donald Trump, drawing on their spiritual beliefs to promote climate action and justice.

James Bruggers reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
ExxonMobil building

California targets ExxonMobil over plastic pollution

California’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil alleges decades of deceptive practices regarding the recyclability of plastics and highlights the role of fossil fuel companies in rising plastic production.

Tamsin Walker reports for Deutsche Welle.

Keep reading...Show less
animated image with CO2 in a net
Big Stock Photo

Louisiana debates carbon capture technology

Proposed direct air capture projects in Louisiana promise to combat climate change but face criticism over costs, safety and effectiveness.

Pam Radtke reports for Floodlight.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Resident speaks at an event about the Midwest hydrogen hub organized by Just Transition NWI.

What a Trump administration means for the federal hydrogen energy push

Legal and industry experts say there are uncertainties about the future of hydrogen hubs, a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s clean energy push.

unions climate justice

Op-ed: The common ground between labor and climate justice is the key to a livable future

The tale of “jobs versus the environment” does not capture the full story.

Union workers from SEIU holding climate protest signs at a rally in Washington DC

El terreno común entre los derechos laborales y la justicia climática es la clave de un futuro habitable

La narrativa de “empleos vs. proteger el medio ambiente” no cuenta la historia completa.

unions and labor movement

LISTEN: Pradnya Garud on the role of unions in climate justice

“They’ve been able to combine forces and really come forward to bring social and environmental change.”

People advocating against the US hydrogen hub build out

Hydrogen hubs test new federal environmental justice rules

A massive push for hydrogen energy is one of the first test cases of new federal environmental justice initiatives. Communities and advocates so far give the feds a failing grade.

photos of people protesting the hydrogen hub buildout

What’s hampering federal environmental justice efforts in the hydrogen hub build-out?

“Organizational change in large bureaucracies takes time.”

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.