Why climb a 700 foot smokestack?

Feature story - 23 June, 2004
The Bush administration has trashed US 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. This dirty energy also wreaks havoc on the environment, causing global warming, acid rain, and smog. That's why our activists are 700ft up a chimney in Pennsylvania to call for clean energy now!

Activists climb a 700-ft coal plant smokestack to denounce Bush's dirty power plan. The Hatfield's Ferry Power Station is a symbol and an example of the Bush administration's dirty energy policy that favors polluting fossil fuels over clean energy sources.

Activists from Greenpeace USA have scaled the coal plant smokestack at Hatfield's Ferry Power Station this morning to denounce Bush's dirty power plan. 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.

Joshua is one of the activists who scaled the stack: "President Bush allows dirty power plants like Hatsfield Ferry to continue to spew out poison, which pollutes our bodies, our water and air. We need a commitment to clean energy like solar and wind to provide us with safe and secure energy for the future."

"This smokestack is a symbol of President Bush's dirty energy plan," said Terri Swearingen, a long time environmental activist and registered nurse. "As a mother whose daughter attends college and lives less than 15 miles from here, I am outraged that President Bush has blocked efforts to clean up this plant and others like it."

Hatsfield Ferry is an exceedingly dirty coal-burning power plant. Owned by Allegheny Energy, this plant ranks as one of the worst polluters in the country, violating environmental standards and causing numerous health problems including premature death. However, thanks to extensive Republican Party contributions, this plant is permitted to continue on its dirty energy path without consequence.

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