interesting news item

["Neil, David M" <neildm@ID.DOE.GOV>]

Found at   http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?id=5177

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Activists Scale Massive Coal Pile At Salem Power Plant

>From Greenpeace

Tuesday, August 28, 2001



SALEM, MA - 

Action Highlights Impact of Bush Energy Plan on New England

Eleven Greenpeace activists scaled a massive coal pile at the Salem Harbor

Power Plant today to focus attention on the Bush Energy Plan's destructive

impacts on Massachusetts and New England. Carrying banners stating, "Stop

the Bush Energy Scam," and "Global Warming Starts Here," the activists

planted crosses to symbolize the deaths caused by the mining and burning of

coal made, making the point that the Bush plan is over reliant on coal, a

dirty energy source. All eleven have been taken into police custody.

"Coal is an environmental disaster," said Kert Davies, Greenpeace Global

Warming Campaign Director. "Coal kills the people who mine it, and when

corporate polluters burn it - coal destroys our air, shortens lives and

causes global warming."

Under the Bush energy plan passed by the House, the coal industry windfall

from taxpayers would triple to $5.3 billion over 10 years. As more

coal-fired plants and other fossil fuel plants go on-line, New England will

witness much higher levels of polluting greenhouse gases and more extreme

global warming impacts, such as: 

*	A major decline of the area's Maple-dominated hardwood forests,

resulting in lost tourism revenue and the collapse of the Maple Syrup

industry. 



*	More Northeasters coming up the Atlantic coast such as the

"Halloween Storm" of 1991 that battered Massachusetts. 



*	An increase in the range and population of disease carrying insects,

resulting in the transmission of Lyme disease, malaria and dengue ("break

bone") fever. 



*	An increase in concentrations of ground level ozone pollution, a

major component of hazardous smog. 

"New England should not rely on burning polluting, foreign coal or oil, when

it has a wealth of renewable energy sources such as wind power just waiting

to be tapped," added Davies. "For example, Massachusetts alone has enough

in-state wind potential to power one-fifth of New England."

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I won't argue the demonstrated abundance of 'wind'  :-) 

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