Here at PBCEC HQ, we've been busy (as usual) fighting business-as-usual… And we could use your help! While we are still actively engaged with campaigns in Loxahatchee, Acreage, Lake Worth, Delray, etc.. in the past several months, at the request of activists in our neighboring counties, we have also been spreading out to get involved with regional issues in Broward, Martin and St. Lucie Counties. Our common Everglades watershed does not stop along government borders, and neither should our battles to defend and restore it. As you can imagine, we are stretching thin! So if you've been waiting for a good reason to make that leap out from behind the computer screen into the streets, October might be your month.
Meanwhile on the home front, the plot continues to thicken. Monday following our 9/20 FPL protest, WE WERE BEEN GRANTED A HEARING FOR INJUNCTION, which means FPL could be required to stop construction until our official court date in February. Yes, that seems like a no-brainer to most of us, but it has appeared that the closer our legal battle got, the FASTER FPL seemed to be working..
Also, for those who haven't heard, the PB County Commission is heading towards an incarcerated majority. Our dear friend Mary McCarty is likely about to go down for corruption charges. While I hate to see anyone's house get raided, it's hard to feel much sympathy for the person who has been the single most arrogant, hateful public official towards the PBC Environmental Coalition and towards the planet in general. One can only speculate that Aaronson is not far behind. And I wouldn't be shocked or saddened to see Kanjian behind bars before he even gets elected to his seat…
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpmccarty0927pnsep27,0,7671511.story
Community activists have long been seen as the underdogs, struggling for crumbs at the table. But the tides are turning, and a greed that has seemed so insurmountable is being washed out to sea before our eyes. Now is your chance to join history in the making-- an end to the Energy Empire and its Dictatorship of the Developer. So bust out your calendar and pen (no erasable pencils); etch these crucial events into your schedule!
Let's do this.
For the wild,
panagioti tsolkas, PBCEC co-chair
www.pbcec.blogspot.com
To all who missed the FPL protest last week, check out some photos and
videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Lkom40jkQ
----------------------------------------------------------
CALENDAR of EVENTS and other IMPORTANT UPDATES
*September 29, 9am County Commission Zoning Hearing on a Publix gas station in the Acreage.. This would be the first gas station in this rural suburb of 50,000 people dependent on residential wells. The PBCEC is opposed to all fossil fuel expansion from gas stations to roads to power plants, and we believe communities who depend on their regional resources are always better stewards of the land. Join us in standing with Acreage residents against this atrocity..
http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2008/09/buried-gas-tanks-imperil-floridas.html
*October 1, 6pm Riviera City Council will be voting on the proposed new FPL power plant. Our friends in Riviera asked us to come and ask FPL and the City Commission hard questions regarding the new power plant, for example, why residents are being told that they can't clean up the plant until after building the WCEC and why they are not pursuing available alternatives to fossil fuel power generation.. Please join us, 600 West Blue Heron Blvd. see item #7 on this agenda link:
http://www.rivierabch.com/files/OCTOBER12008.pdf
*October 1, 7:30-9pm, "COFFEE WITH THE COMMISH" Join City Commissioner Cara Jennings, who is running for re-election, for live music, coffee, and conversation about brewing fresh politics in Lake Worth. Hear local acoustic duet "Illumination," at Les Beans Coffeehouse, 410 2nd Ave No. (corner of Federal Hwy) Lake Worth. For more info, call Bonnie Redding at 561-762-8191, Check out the website:
http://www.carajennings.com
*October 1-3, Florida's Wildlife: On the Frontline of Climate Change. FWC conference in Orlando, at Rosen Plaza (re-scheduled from last month, due to hurricane) http://www.ces.fau.edu/floc/agenda.php
*October 4, Greenpeace Project Hot Seat event at Exodus Café in Port St. Lucie, for details contact lauren.thorpe@greenpeace.org
*October 6, BUSY DAY! WCEC hearing, Palin Protest, PBCEC meeting..
-2pm WCEC Injunction Hearing at Fed. Courthouse on Clematis, West Palm
-5:30pm Gov. Palin speaks for McCain campaign at 5:30 p.m. at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, 501 E. Camino Real. We will protest against the Energy Empire from 5 to 7pm, "No Drilling Off-Shore, No Drilling ANWR, No Blood for Oil!"
-7pm PBCEC monthly meeting to be relocated to Boca Raton, immediately following the Palin rally at Auggie's Pizza, on NW 2nd St, between Glades and Yamato . WE WILL NOT MEET IN LAKE WORTH THIS MONTH.
*October 7, Stop the Coconut Creek Wildlands Massacre, No-Rezoning, Protect the Wild! Save 42 acres of wetland and rockland hardwood hammock, 10am Broward County Commission meeting… check out a great video about the growing fight, from Everglades Earth First! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbkmPKbGrCs
*October 11, Greenpeace Project Hot Seat event: "we are planning a big aerial art down here…on the Atlantic Coast, that is in conjunction with an aerial that my co-worker is doing on the same day on the Gulf coast in Sarasota. He is spelling out "VOTE FOR A SAFE CLIMATE" and I and doing "CLEAN ENERGY NOW". The beach will most likely be Juno Beach and if you all we're interested in being involved, the image that is created along with the story of hundreds of people gathering on the beach to demand clean energy." For details contact: lauren.thorpe@greenpeace.org
*October 17, 7pm Sierra Club Party for Cara Jennings: The Loxahatchee Sierra Club has endorsed Commissioner Cara Jennings for re-election in Lake Worth! We are having a fund raising party to support her candidacy, Incredible Food, Drink and Fun at Jayne King's House, 3400 Place Valencay, Delray R.S.V.P. by October 15 (561) 637-8896 jaynenote@gmail.com … Jayne says: "Let's keep this proven environmental advocate in office!!!! Florida's land needs all the friends it can get!!!There is no time to lose on this race!!! The environmental stakes are TOO high no matter WHERE you live in Florida!! We need ALL hands on deck!!!!"
*October 18, Volunteer Door-knocking for Cara Jennings' campaign, and for any Cara fans out there who are also Kareoke fans, mark your calendar for that evening: "Kareoke for Cara (ok!)" a fundraiser party in-the-works, details TBA.
*October 27, Public DEP Hearing on FPL's WCEC unit 3, 12pm at Wellington Community Center, 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd. For those who have a loose work schedule, there will be rally out front at 11am to let people know that the hearing is happening.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
STOP THE PLASMA ARC INCINERATOR IN PORT ST. LUCIE!
This project would be as environmentally devastating to air and water quality in South Florida as the coal plant that have been defeated.. PBCEC has signed on in support of the effort to stop this nightmare:
http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2008/09/stop-plasma-arc-in-port-st-lucie.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO AIRPORT EXPANSION AT PALM BEACH IINTERNATIONAL!
Individuals and communities to the east and west of the airport are opposing this expansion and its impact on their lives. We stand with these residents against this unneeded runway expansion and add our own concerns of further dependence on fossil fuel-heavy transportation. There is a whole mess of studies looking at the impacts air traffic on the global climate. Check 'em out:
http://www.google.com/search?q=airplanes%2C+climate+change&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
The Draft EIS is now out and open to public comment. You can share your feelings with Lindy.McDowell@faa.gov
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And FOR ALL YOU EVERGLADES RESTORATION JUNKIES,
This year's GEER conference materials are now all online:
GEER 2008 – Advancing the Science to Achieve Success Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Planning, Policy and Science Meeting For Everglades Restoration 2050
July 28-August 1, 2008, Naples, FL
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/geer2008/
Just a quick note to let you know GEER 2008 speaker PowerPoint files are now posted on the GEER web site as PDFs. If you don't see a file you want to view, you will need to contact the presenter directly.
You will also see a few additional highlights have been posted including a transcript of Lynn Scarlett's keynote address, a link to a PDF of the abstract book and a link to the Everglades Memorial Posters – if you didn't get a chance to view these incredibly moving posters at the conference, you should take a moment to do so now and recognize those who gave their lives working in the Everglades.
Lynn Scarlett Keynote Address:
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/geer2008/pdf/scarlett.pdf
GEER 2008 Abstract Book:
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/geer2008/pdf/Abstract_BOOK.pdf
Speaker PowerPoint Files:
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/geer2008/presentations.htm
Everglades Memorial Posters:
http://sofia.usgs.gov/memorials/geer2008.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
"Buried Gas Tanks Imperil Florida’s Drinking Water" No Publix Gas Station in the Acreage!!
The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition opposes the gas station proposed to be built in the Acreage. We will be in attendance of the Palm Beach County Commission hearing on 9/29/08, 9am, to challenge zoning the Publix gas station on Seminole Pratt and Orange Drive. Below is an article from the LA Times in 2002 entitled "Buried Gas Tanks Imperil Florida’s Drinking Water". We have long known the risks that gas stations pose to residential wells. Even with improved storage tanks, they cannot prevent contamination, but only prolong its inevitable impacts. The solution to this problem must be holistic, including: keep all urban infrastructure out of rural communities, reducing fossil fuel dependency, improvement of public transit options, and expanding the treatment of already contaminated areas through bioremediation ( for example: http://www.alabastercorp.com/remediation.htm ) and restored wetlands do reduce the existing contamination of our ground and surface waters.
We stand with the residents of the Acreage who are challenging this bad plan. There is no excuse for this proposed gas station!
Buried Gas Tanks Imperil Florida’s Drinking Water
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jul/08/nation/na-leak8
LA Times, July 08, 2002 in print edition A-12
Buried storage tanks are leaking gasoline into 25,000 sites around the state, causing concern that drinking water may become contaminated, state officials said. Florida’s absorbent, sandy soil and residents’ dependence on ground water supplies contribute to the concerns, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.
Public wells used by 17 million people are within half a mile of leaking tanks.
[There is speculation that this maybe a typo, LA Times may have meant 1.7 million, as there are only around 18 million people in the entire state]
“People don’t realize when they are filling their cars with gas that they are handling a hazardous substance–gasoline is explosive and it can cause cancer,” said Michael Ashey, chief of the Bureau of Petroleum Storage Systems for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Florida ranks third after California and Texas in gasoline use, burning nearly 20 million gallons a day, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. About 22,000 of the leak sites are near gas stations and similar facilities, the department said.
Florida has more leak sites than any other state except California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. State officials are cleaning up more than 3,000 sites, and more than 10,000 sites are awaiting cleanup.
The state will require double-walled petroleum-storage tank systems to replace the older tanks by 2010. The state spent $151 million last year to expedite the cleanups, but officials say they need more money to reduce the backlog.
We stand with the residents of the Acreage who are challenging this bad plan. There is no excuse for this proposed gas station!
Buried Gas Tanks Imperil Florida’s Drinking Water
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jul/08/nation/na-leak8
LA Times, July 08, 2002 in print edition A-12
Buried storage tanks are leaking gasoline into 25,000 sites around the state, causing concern that drinking water may become contaminated, state officials said. Florida’s absorbent, sandy soil and residents’ dependence on ground water supplies contribute to the concerns, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said.
Public wells used by 17 million people are within half a mile of leaking tanks.
[There is speculation that this maybe a typo, LA Times may have meant 1.7 million, as there are only around 18 million people in the entire state]
“People don’t realize when they are filling their cars with gas that they are handling a hazardous substance–gasoline is explosive and it can cause cancer,” said Michael Ashey, chief of the Bureau of Petroleum Storage Systems for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Florida ranks third after California and Texas in gasoline use, burning nearly 20 million gallons a day, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. About 22,000 of the leak sites are near gas stations and similar facilities, the department said.
Florida has more leak sites than any other state except California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. State officials are cleaning up more than 3,000 sites, and more than 10,000 sites are awaiting cleanup.
The state will require double-walled petroleum-storage tank systems to replace the older tanks by 2010. The state spent $151 million last year to expedite the cleanups, but officials say they need more money to reduce the backlog.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fight for Coconut Creek Wildlands!
Participants from the Palm Beach County Environmental Coaltition and Everglades Earth First! joined Concerned Citizens of Coconut Creek at Sept 11 and 25 city commission hearings to oppose the re-zoning of 42 acres of wetlands and rare rockland hardwood hammock.
Coconut Creek City Commission votes 5-0 in favor of developers who want to build a shopping center for Lowes and Kohls on the land. The developer is Regency Centers, represented by Ruden McClosky, and their crooked attorney, Dennis Mele.
an activist with Everglades Earth First! produced a short video about the battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbkmPKbGrCs
The Next hearing is October 7, 2008, 10am at the Broward County Commission, for the final approval of the rezoning. Please join with our neighbors to the south to reject this destruction!
You can also send comments to the Army Corps of Engineers on Public Notice saj-2008-661
The Army Corps of Engineers has the sole authority to permit the destruction or preservation of our wetlands nation wide as per Section 404. To date Florida has lost the most acreage cover -- 9.3 million acres. Our committee has formally requested a public hearing regarding the Army Corps of Engineers public notice saj-2008-661. We need your help in contacting them and writing as many letters as possible to bring to their attention our desire not to destroy the last south Coconut Creeks wetland.
write to:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jacksonville District
4400 PGA Boulevard
Suite 500
Palm Beach Gardens,FL 33410-6557
email: Melody White at Melody.J.White@usace.army.mil
fax 561-626-6971,
telephone 561-472-3508
Stop Plasma Arc in Port St. Lucie!
[This letter was signed by PBCEC, along with dozens of other organizations and scientists, and sent to:]
Donato Viggiano, MD
St. Lucie/Okeechobee Medical Society
P.O. Box 13318
Ft. Pierce, FL 34979
The letter below continues to acquire individuals and organizations opposed to the Plasma Arc incinerator in St. Lucie County, FL.
7/1/8/08
We, the undersigned, oppose the proposed plasma arc incinerator for St. Lucie County because of related health, economic and environmental concerns.
Plasma arc incineration is an unsafe and unproven technology for the commercial processing of municipal solid waste. Emissions data (which has not been independently verified) gathered from the plasma-arc incinerator in Utashanai, Japan by the company Shimadzu Techno-Research Inc. shows emissions of dioxin , the most-toxic known man-made substance. In addition, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in their Whitepaper on the Use of Plasma Arc Technology to Treat Municipal Solid Waste says that there is “considerable uncertainty” about the quality of the syngas and slag produced by plasma arc technology, and dioxins and furans can reform at certain temperatures if chlorine is present. .
Studies show higher levels of cancer , and elevated levels of dioxin in the blood of people living near municipal solid waste incinerators when compared to the general population. , , There is no safe level of exposure to dioxin. Known health impacts of dioxin include cancer, IQ deficits, disrupted sexual development, birth defects, immune system damage, behavioral disorders, diabetes and altered sex ratios. As a result, the City of Oakland, California passed a resolution calling for the elimination of dioxin, and listed incinerators as a major source. Claims that the plasma arc facility “will run cleaner than natural-gas based plants” made by the company Geoplasma are not backed by evidence; independently verified emissions data has not been provided to the public for any plasma arc facility commercially processing municipal solid waste.
Given that the facility proposed for St. Lucie County would be more than ten times larger than any other commercial plasma municipal solid waste incinerator in the world, dioxin, furans, mercury and other harmful emissions are of grave concern. If constructed, this facility would be one of the largest incinerators of any kind in the world. We also have serious concerns about the Geoplasma plasma-arc incinerator being sited near the St. Lucie Tropicana orange juice plant. Studies show that high levels of dioxins have been found in food and dairy products produced near incinerators, , demonstrating that the insidious toxic impacts of incinerators are thus as far-reaching as the shipment of that food to other communities. For the safety of residents of St. Lucie and neighboring counties, we ask that, at a minimum, no proposal be considered until independently verified gaseous, solid and liquid emissions data is provided to the public from an operational commercial plasma facility of a comparable size and waste stream.
In addition, there are also economic dangers with the proposed plasma facility. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection in their Whitepaper on the Use of Plasma Arc Technology to Treat Municipal Solid Waste wrote that, “The economics of this technology are not well known”. Geoplasma claims that they will pay for 80% of the facility with energy sales. However, there is no evidence that the facility will be able to sell any electricity to the grid. As one article says, “Geoplasma hopes to do better than the Japanese facility [which it is modeled upon], which generates just enough power for internal consumption.” The cost of the plasma incinerator would be born by St. Lucie residents in the form of high disposal fees and other taxpayer subsidies.
The plasma system would also destroy valuable materials (more than two-thirds of materials will not come from the neighboring landfill), and obstruct efforts to increase recycling. If the county recycled 50% of its waste stream, based on current market prices for glass, paper, metal, plastic, industrial rubber compounds (including tires) and compost, the materials would be worth $20 million annually. Many cities and counties already have achieved this level of recycling and composting. Further, St Lucie County would save another $12.5 million in avoided disposal costs annually. Finally the economy of the county would improve with an additional 500-750 permanent jobs (and an equivalent number of indirect jobs) and dozens of new and expanded small businesses. All of this activity contributes to the local economy's tax base. When looking at the staggering costs of a plasma arc facility, it is important to count the lost opportunity costs from recycling and economic development.
The city of Honolulu investigated plasma arc technology and concluded, “After thorough evaluations, including intensive meetings with the proposers to review technical components of their plans, we concluded that utilizing plasma arc/torch would significantly increase the cost of waste disposal for Oahu and would not provide any environmental advantages to justify such cost.”
As more than 130 organizations including Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Health Care Without Harm have expressed in the No Incentives for Incinerators statement, incinerators of all types—including plasma, pyrolysis and gasification—are a detriment to the climate, the economy, and the health of U.S. communities. To protect health in Florida, we must strengthen waste prevention, recycling and composting programs, and put an end the harmful practice of incineration.
[Get in touch for the list of groups and also an extensive list of resources on waste incineration.]
Donato Viggiano, MD
St. Lucie/Okeechobee Medical Society
P.O. Box 13318
Ft. Pierce, FL 34979
The letter below continues to acquire individuals and organizations opposed to the Plasma Arc incinerator in St. Lucie County, FL.
7/1/8/08
We, the undersigned, oppose the proposed plasma arc incinerator for St. Lucie County because of related health, economic and environmental concerns.
Plasma arc incineration is an unsafe and unproven technology for the commercial processing of municipal solid waste. Emissions data (which has not been independently verified) gathered from the plasma-arc incinerator in Utashanai, Japan by the company Shimadzu Techno-Research Inc. shows emissions of dioxin , the most-toxic known man-made substance. In addition, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in their Whitepaper on the Use of Plasma Arc Technology to Treat Municipal Solid Waste says that there is “considerable uncertainty” about the quality of the syngas and slag produced by plasma arc technology, and dioxins and furans can reform at certain temperatures if chlorine is present. .
Studies show higher levels of cancer , and elevated levels of dioxin in the blood of people living near municipal solid waste incinerators when compared to the general population. , , There is no safe level of exposure to dioxin. Known health impacts of dioxin include cancer, IQ deficits, disrupted sexual development, birth defects, immune system damage, behavioral disorders, diabetes and altered sex ratios. As a result, the City of Oakland, California passed a resolution calling for the elimination of dioxin, and listed incinerators as a major source. Claims that the plasma arc facility “will run cleaner than natural-gas based plants” made by the company Geoplasma are not backed by evidence; independently verified emissions data has not been provided to the public for any plasma arc facility commercially processing municipal solid waste.
Given that the facility proposed for St. Lucie County would be more than ten times larger than any other commercial plasma municipal solid waste incinerator in the world, dioxin, furans, mercury and other harmful emissions are of grave concern. If constructed, this facility would be one of the largest incinerators of any kind in the world. We also have serious concerns about the Geoplasma plasma-arc incinerator being sited near the St. Lucie Tropicana orange juice plant. Studies show that high levels of dioxins have been found in food and dairy products produced near incinerators, , demonstrating that the insidious toxic impacts of incinerators are thus as far-reaching as the shipment of that food to other communities. For the safety of residents of St. Lucie and neighboring counties, we ask that, at a minimum, no proposal be considered until independently verified gaseous, solid and liquid emissions data is provided to the public from an operational commercial plasma facility of a comparable size and waste stream.
In addition, there are also economic dangers with the proposed plasma facility. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection in their Whitepaper on the Use of Plasma Arc Technology to Treat Municipal Solid Waste wrote that, “The economics of this technology are not well known”. Geoplasma claims that they will pay for 80% of the facility with energy sales. However, there is no evidence that the facility will be able to sell any electricity to the grid. As one article says, “Geoplasma hopes to do better than the Japanese facility [which it is modeled upon], which generates just enough power for internal consumption.” The cost of the plasma incinerator would be born by St. Lucie residents in the form of high disposal fees and other taxpayer subsidies.
The plasma system would also destroy valuable materials (more than two-thirds of materials will not come from the neighboring landfill), and obstruct efforts to increase recycling. If the county recycled 50% of its waste stream, based on current market prices for glass, paper, metal, plastic, industrial rubber compounds (including tires) and compost, the materials would be worth $20 million annually. Many cities and counties already have achieved this level of recycling and composting. Further, St Lucie County would save another $12.5 million in avoided disposal costs annually. Finally the economy of the county would improve with an additional 500-750 permanent jobs (and an equivalent number of indirect jobs) and dozens of new and expanded small businesses. All of this activity contributes to the local economy's tax base. When looking at the staggering costs of a plasma arc facility, it is important to count the lost opportunity costs from recycling and economic development.
The city of Honolulu investigated plasma arc technology and concluded, “After thorough evaluations, including intensive meetings with the proposers to review technical components of their plans, we concluded that utilizing plasma arc/torch would significantly increase the cost of waste disposal for Oahu and would not provide any environmental advantages to justify such cost.”
As more than 130 organizations including Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Health Care Without Harm have expressed in the No Incentives for Incinerators statement, incinerators of all types—including plasma, pyrolysis and gasification—are a detriment to the climate, the economy, and the health of U.S. communities. To protect health in Florida, we must strengthen waste prevention, recycling and composting programs, and put an end the harmful practice of incineration.
[Get in touch for the list of groups and also an extensive list of resources on waste incineration.]
Monday, September 22, 2008
British Court Rules Direct Action OK Because Global Warming Risks So Bad
Verdict marks a 'tipping point' for climate change movement
September 11, 2008
WASHINGTON — A British Court today acquitted six Greenpeace volunteers for attempting to shut down a coal-fired power plant in Kent on the grounds that they had a "lawful excuse" because the coal plant was causing so much property damage around the world due to global warming that it exceeded the property damage done through shutting operations of the coal plant.The Maidstone Crown Court heard testimony from NASA climate expert James Hansen, an Inuit leader from Greenland and the British Conservative Party’s environment adviser. The jury was told that the Kingsnorth Power Plant emits 20,000 tons of CO2 every day - the same amount as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined – and that the British Government had advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.
The Maidstone Crown Court heard testimony from NASA climate expert James Hansen, an Inuit leader from Greenland and the British Conservative Party’s environment adviser. The jury was told that the Kingsnorth Power Plant emits 20,000 tons of CO2 every day - the same amount as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined – and that the British Government had advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.
The 'not guilty' verdict means the jury believed that shutting down the coal plant was justified in the context of the damage to property caused around the world by CO2 emissions from Kingsnorth.
One of the Kingsnorth 6, Emily Hall, said after her acquittal:
"This is a huge blow for [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown and his plans for new coal-fired power stations," said Emily Hall, one of the acquitted activists. "It wasn't only us in the dock, it was coal-fired power generation as well."
"This verdict marks a tipping point for the climate change movement," added defendant Ben Stewart. "If jurors from the heart of Middle England say it's legitimate for a direct action group to shut down a coal-fired power station because of the harm it does to our planet, then where does that leave government energy policy? We have the clean technologies at hand to power our economy, it's time we turned to them instead of coal."
The defense called as a witness NASA climate expert James Hansen, who told the court that more than a million species would be made extinct because of climate change and calculated that Kingsnorth would proportionally be responsible for 400 of these.
"We are in grave peril," he told the jury. "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power stations."
Asked by defense attorney Michael Wolkind if carbon dioxide damages property, Hansen replied, "Yes, it does." Asked if stopping emissions of any amount of it therefore protects property, he replied, "Yes it does, in proportion to the amount." He added that he thought there was an immediate need to protect property at risk from climate change.
Conservative Party green adviser Zac Goldsmith also gave evidence for the defence.
"By building a coal-power plant in this country, it makes it very much harder in exerting pressure on countries like China and India," Goldsmith said. "I think that's something that is felt in Government circles…Legalities aside, I suppose if a crime is intended to prevent much larger crimes, I think then a lot of people would consider that as justified and a good thing."
Some of the property the court was told was in immediate need of protection included parts of Kent at risk from rising sea levels, the Pacific island state of Tuvalu and areas of Greenland. The defendants also cited the Arctic ice sheet, China's Yellow River region, the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, coastal areas of Bangladesh and the city of New Orleans.
The acquittal is the first case where preventing property damage from climate change has been used as part of a 'lawful excuse' defense in court. The defense has previously been successfully deployed by defendants accused of damaging a military jet bound for Indonesia to be used in the war against East Timor before independence.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/british-court-rules-direct-act
September 11, 2008
WASHINGTON — A British Court today acquitted six Greenpeace volunteers for attempting to shut down a coal-fired power plant in Kent on the grounds that they had a "lawful excuse" because the coal plant was causing so much property damage around the world due to global warming that it exceeded the property damage done through shutting operations of the coal plant.The Maidstone Crown Court heard testimony from NASA climate expert James Hansen, an Inuit leader from Greenland and the British Conservative Party’s environment adviser. The jury was told that the Kingsnorth Power Plant emits 20,000 tons of CO2 every day - the same amount as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined – and that the British Government had advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.
The Maidstone Crown Court heard testimony from NASA climate expert James Hansen, an Inuit leader from Greenland and the British Conservative Party’s environment adviser. The jury was told that the Kingsnorth Power Plant emits 20,000 tons of CO2 every day - the same amount as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined – and that the British Government had advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.
The 'not guilty' verdict means the jury believed that shutting down the coal plant was justified in the context of the damage to property caused around the world by CO2 emissions from Kingsnorth.
One of the Kingsnorth 6, Emily Hall, said after her acquittal:
"This is a huge blow for [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown and his plans for new coal-fired power stations," said Emily Hall, one of the acquitted activists. "It wasn't only us in the dock, it was coal-fired power generation as well."
"This verdict marks a tipping point for the climate change movement," added defendant Ben Stewart. "If jurors from the heart of Middle England say it's legitimate for a direct action group to shut down a coal-fired power station because of the harm it does to our planet, then where does that leave government energy policy? We have the clean technologies at hand to power our economy, it's time we turned to them instead of coal."
The defense called as a witness NASA climate expert James Hansen, who told the court that more than a million species would be made extinct because of climate change and calculated that Kingsnorth would proportionally be responsible for 400 of these.
"We are in grave peril," he told the jury. "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power stations."
Asked by defense attorney Michael Wolkind if carbon dioxide damages property, Hansen replied, "Yes, it does." Asked if stopping emissions of any amount of it therefore protects property, he replied, "Yes it does, in proportion to the amount." He added that he thought there was an immediate need to protect property at risk from climate change.
Conservative Party green adviser Zac Goldsmith also gave evidence for the defence.
"By building a coal-power plant in this country, it makes it very much harder in exerting pressure on countries like China and India," Goldsmith said. "I think that's something that is felt in Government circles…Legalities aside, I suppose if a crime is intended to prevent much larger crimes, I think then a lot of people would consider that as justified and a good thing."
Some of the property the court was told was in immediate need of protection included parts of Kent at risk from rising sea levels, the Pacific island state of Tuvalu and areas of Greenland. The defendants also cited the Arctic ice sheet, China's Yellow River region, the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, coastal areas of Bangladesh and the city of New Orleans.
The acquittal is the first case where preventing property damage from climate change has been used as part of a 'lawful excuse' defense in court. The defense has previously been successfully deployed by defendants accused of damaging a military jet bound for Indonesia to be used in the war against East Timor before independence.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/releases2/british-court-rules-direct-act
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)