A day after a major protest in Mexico, Greenpeace, members of
the Ratepayers for Affordable Clean Energy coalition (RACE) and
Mexican community activists visited the Sempra Energy headquarters
to bring their message straight to the horse’s mouth, CEO Stephen
L. Baum. Participants signed a petition calling for the
cancellation of Sempra and Shell’s $600 million EnergÌa Costa Azul
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) receiving terminal project in Baja
California, Mexico.
“LNG facilities are a severe safety risk and should not be
dumped on Mexico. The truth is they are unsafe and unnecessary.
Sempra should invest in clean energy like wind and solar,” said
Greenpeace Energy Specialist John Coequyt. According to Arturo
Moreno, Greenpeace Mexico Campaigner, “Mexico’s renewable energy
potential is being ignored as the Mexican government rushes to
embrace the wishes of multinational companies like Sempra.”
Yesterday, Greenpeace Mexico placed two large replications of
LNG storage tanks in front of the Mexican Energy Department
building in Mexico City. The Mexican activists sent a clear message
to their government to reject dirty energy from Sempra and invest
in Mexico’s untapped clean energy potential.
The RACE coalition is working within the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) to protect ratepayers from being locked
into a dirty energy future and ensure that the state implements the
renewable energy portfolio standard and community choice
aggregation laws. “San Diego should follow through with it’s
promise to invest in 50 megawatts of renewable energy over the next
ten years.” Said Donna Frye, San Diego City Council Member, ” Clean
Energy is California’s solution for a healthy future.”
Today’s event comes just a one-week before an international
coalition of over 80 nations meet to discuss a global commitment to
clean energy. The Bush Administration has been unwilling to support
international renewable energy targets and timetables. Greenpeace
is calling on the Bush Administration to join the world community
in supporting the establishment of a global renewable energy
standard of 20 percent renewable electricity by 2020 and the
creation of finance mechanisms for supporting renewable energy
projects in the countries like Mexico.
RACE Members: Amazon Watch, Border Power Plant
Working Group, Environmental Protection Information
Center (EPIC), Greenpeace, Local Power , Long Beach Citizens for Utility
Reform, Marin Clean Alternative Energy Now, Northcoast Environmental Center, Pacific Environment , Public Citizen, Vallejo Community Planned Renewal
(VCPR), Womens Energy Matters
