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News :: Environment : Human Rights : Social Welfare |
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Boston Activists Die-In To Protest Merrill Lynch's Funding of Dirty Energy |
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by Jonathan McIntosh
Email: jonnyrebellious (nospam) gmail.com |
22 Feb 2007
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On Wednesday Feb. 21, local Boston environmental and human rights advocates in collaboration with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) staged a dramatic "die-in" in from of the Merrill Lynch office downtown at One Financial Center.
Activists fell to the ground crying black tears and spitting up pollution sludge, while "medics" dressed in hazmat suits and masks attempted to save their lives. Other demonstrators, also in hazmat suits, were barred from entering the building as they attempted to deliver a letter demanding Merrill Lynch's Boston branch help stop the bank's financing of TXU's dirty energy plan. |
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Neon hazard signs reading "Dirty Energy Kills Communities" and a colorful banner reading "Merrill Lynch: Don't Fund TXU, Don't Cook the Climate" were also displayed.
A broad coalition of Texas mayors, businesses, global banks, and local and national environmental advocates are working to stop Dallas-based utility company TXU from building 11 new dirty coal-fired power plants in Texas.
In addition to the activities in Boston, activist also visited Merrill Lynch's headquarters in New York City and regional branches in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco to protest the bank's financial support for coal plans.
Environmentalists and human rights activists around the world are calling on Merrill Lynch to follow the lead of many of its peers in the global finance sector and reject TXU's solicitations for $11 billion to finance the 11 new coal-fired plants. If completed, the new plants will emit 78 million tons of new carbon dioxide emissions per year – equivalent to putting 14 million new cars on the road.
If TXU's full expansion plans are completed (in Texas and other states), TXU will become the nation's largest corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) polluter. The outdated pulverized coal-fired technology being promoted by TXU is widely recognized by regulators and scientists as the highest GHG-polluting source of electricity.
Demonstrators also made a point to connect the TXU issue to local struggles against a plan to build a new diesel power plant in a residential Chelsea neighborhood, right across the street from the Burke Elementary School complex which houses four schools and 1,300 students.
Activists on Wednesday passed out fliers from The Chelsea Collaborative encouraging citizens to get involved in efforts opposing the local power plant. The Boston City Council has already passed a resolution this year in opposition to the plan.
The Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) will hold a public hearing to receive comments from the public on EMI power plant in Chelsea. The hearing will be on Tuesday, February 27th at 7:00pm at Chelsea High School.
For more information on the local power plant in Chelsea see:
www.chelseacollab.org/powerplant
For more information on Rainforest Action Network see:
www.RAN.org.
For more information on TXU see:
www.stopthecoalplant.org
and
www.dirtymoney.org
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Photos by Jonathan McIntosh:
www.capedmaskedandarmed.com |
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This work licensed under a
Creative Commons license. |
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