The Sierra Club has come out against California Resources Corporation's proposal to increase electricity generation from gas-fired power plants that would be fitted with carbon capture and storage technology. The environmental group argues that the plan would prolong reliance on fossil fuels and could undermine California's clean energy goals. The debate highlights a growing tension between using carbon capture to reduce emissions from existing gas plants and the push to phase out fossil generation entirely. CRC's proposal would add more gas-fired capacity at its Elk Hills facility in Kern County, with the captured CO2 injected underground. The Sierra Club contends that even with carbon burial, the plan would still produce upstream methane leaks and other emissions, and that the state should focus on renewables and storage instead. The outcome could set a precedent for how California treats gas plants with carbon capture in its long-term decarbonization plans.
