Thousands of activists were converging on Washington this weekend in the biggest-ever protest against the use of coal, which they argue is the dirtiest fossil fuel and yet provides half of the US’ electricity.
The focus of the demonstration is what might, in other circumstances, seem a quaint relic from another era: a coal plant built 99 years ago to assure Congress an independent source of power.
But the Capitol Hill Power Plant, which environmentalists say should have been retired years ago, is seen by many as a potent symbol of how powerful the coal lobby is.
“In terms of carbon emissions, this plant is small potatoes, but it really is a very iconic symbol,” said Matt Leonard of Greenpeace. “It can burn gas or oil or coal and people have fought very hard over the years to make sure it burns coal.”
That may be about to change. On Thursday, Democratic leaders in Congress called for an overhaul of the plant so it could run entirely on natural gas by the end of this year.
The order came down as more than 10,000 young people began arriving in Washington to lobby members of Congress to reduce the US’ reliance on coal.
Organizers say this could be the tipping point in the fight against coal, after years of steady activism.
Since the middle of 2006, plans for more than 83 coal plants have been halted. This week, Michigan’s governor announced a moratorium on all new coal plants and a Georgia court put a stop on a coal plan because of pollution concerns.
The campaign got an extra push late last year when Al Gore championed a drive to make Americans aware of the connection between coal burning and electricity. The latest TV ad, produced by the Oscar-winning Coen brothers, shows a salesman spraying black smog from an aerosol can to debunk the notion of clean coal.
Organizers of the Power Shift lobbying effort aim to give the campaign the final push. They say they have set up meetings with 80 Senators and 287 members of the house of representatives, Republican and Democrat, to convince them to vote for action on climate change.
Demonstrators led by NASA climate scientist, Jim Hansen and actor Darryl Hannah, will gather for a protest at the plant.
The survival of the plant mainly comes down to cash and influence: the coal industry has waged a ferocious struggle for survival.
At the front of the pack is the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCE), which spent nearly US$40 million last year on TV ads and a lobbying effort for coal.
Joe Lucas, vice-president of the ACCE, said: “America not using coal would be like Saudi Arabia not using oil.”
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
US ELECTION: Polls show that the result is likely to be historically tight. However, a recent Iowa poll showed Harris winning the state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign entered its final hours. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on election day today. Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally in must-win Michigan that “we have momentum — it’s
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Although the human dead usually get their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different. The holiday has roots in Mexican pre-Hispanic customs, as does the reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife, and were sometimes given
RSS