A Victory for Grassroots Action!
- Topics:
- Blog, Food Policy & Politics
Thursday, March 5th, 2009, 8:47 PM
The Capitol Power Plant in Washington, DC is under intense pressure to switch from burning dirty coal to a more climate-friendly operation. The coal burning plant, which powers the surrounding area (including many government buildings) has been barraged by a series of actions: a hugely successful peaceful demonstration on March 2nd, a major action initiative by the Capitol Climate Action Coalition which encouraged supporters to flood Congress with letters, and direct support from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Pelosi and Reid support a switch to 100% natural gas.
This article by the Youth Climate Movement berates the plant for “being the largest source of pollution in Washington DC… This plant symbolizes the stranglehold coal has over our climate, our environment, our communities, and our political process.”
Read the letter Pelosi and Reid sent to Stephen Ayres, Acting Architect of the Capitol, in which they state, “Taking this major step toward cleaning up the Capitol Power Plant’s emissions would be an important demonstration of Congress’ willingness to deal with the enormous challenges of global warming, energy independence and our inefficient use of finite fossil fuels. We strongly encourage you to move forward aggressively with us on a comprehensive set of policies for the entire Capitol complex and the entire Legislative Branch to quickly reduce emissions and petroleum consumption through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean alternative fuels.”
Support the Capitol Climate Action Campaign, and celebrate this victory, as grassroots action works to mobilize our political leaders.
– Deepa
