Multiple environmental organizations have added their names to ongoing litigation against the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power regarding the proposed retrofit of the Scattergood Gas Plant. The lawsuit contests the city’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act in approving modifications that would enable the facility to continue operating beyond its planned closure by utilizing a combination of hydrogen and methane fuel.
The Scattergood facility, situated in proximity to communities in Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Lennox, has long been a source of air quality concerns in the region. When the LADWP Board of Commissioners certified an Environmental Impact Report for the retrofit project in 2025, Communities for a Better Environment and Los Angeles Waterkeeper initiated legal action in December. Food & Water Watch, Physicians for Social Responsibility—Los Angeles, and Sierra Club have since joined the case. The litigation had been held in abeyance while the LA City Council considered an environmental appeal, but following an August 4, 2026 Council vote that denied the appeal, the litigation stay is set to expire in September.
The environmental groups have raised multiple objections to the project. They contend that continuing to operate the gas plant contradicts the city’s stated objective to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and that the project perpetuates reliance on fossil fuel infrastructure. Additionally, the groups argue that the Environmental Impact Report contains significant analytical shortcomings and fails to adequately evaluate the health impacts, water requirements, and safety considerations associated with hydrogen combustion. The groups maintain that the project represents a substantial financial commitment to fossil fuel infrastructure rather than a genuine climate solution. The Center for Biological Diversity has separately filed its own lawsuit challenging the Scattergood project.
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