After hanging a banner on one of the dirtiest coal plants in the country to protest the Bush Administration's energy plan, six peaceful Greenpeace activists were charged with multiple state and federal felonies. The four women and two men scaled the 700-foot smoke stack at the Hatfield's Ferry power plant, 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, and unfurled a 2,500 square foot banner that read, "The Bush Energy Plan Kills - Clean Energy Now!"
The climbers have been charged with four state misdemeanors, three state felonies and two federal felonies.
"Federal felonies charges against Greenpeace activists are completely unwarranted and should be immediately dismissed," said Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Casey Harrell. 'The real threat to Americans is the Bush energy plan, which kills over 23,000 people every year."
The arrested climbers are: Jessica Miller and Renee Blanchard of Washington, D.C.; Josh Raisler Cohn of Portland, Oregon; Virginia Hunter of Los Angeles, California; Lynn Stone of Maine and John Watterberg of Brooklyn, New York.
The Bush administration has systematically weakened clean air laws by allowing power stations to install new equipment without adding pollution controls, and permitting coal-fired power plants to continue to release tons of mercury into the air and waterways. In addition to its negative impacts on health, dirty energy wreaks havoc on the environment, causing global warming, acid rain, and smog.
The Hatfield's Ferry Power Station in Masontown, Pennsylvania was under investigation by the Justice Department for violating the Clean Air Act - an investigation that was dropped by the Bush administration.
Greenpeace activists scaled the 700-ft coal plant smokestack at Hatfield's Ferry Power Station to denounce Bush's dirty power plan. A 2,500-square-foot banner reading "THE BUSH ENERGY PLAN KILLS - CLEAN ENERGY NOW!" was unfurled.
At the same time, one activist circled the smokestack with a powered parachute, flying with the message, "CLEAN ENERGY - CLEAN AIR" on its chute.
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Perhaps they're trying to show others how to cut the fences of a power station and get in to cause even worse problems.
I consider your description of them "six peaceful activists" to be inaccurate and self serving.
There is relief in the Clean Air Act independent of the Department of Justice. There is also State of Pa relief.
Did these terrorists have to leave their day job for this breakin? I hope their employers realize they have felons working for them.
Hope their families realize those 700 foot ladders they climbed have no cages. There's no honor in doing foolish things. Probably safer to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
For the cost of travel, living and legal expense they could have saved 100's of starving people in Ethiopia or Sudan or even some in the US.
I hope they end up in a jail cell with no lights.