[Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, USA, Apr-Aug 2008
Andy
ldxar1 at tesco.net
Thu Aug 28 20:20:15 PDT 2008
ON THE BARRICADES: Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/
* Richmond, VA: 12 arrested blocking traffic in power station protest
* Ohio: Power group offices blockaded
* Berkeley, CA: Tree-sit at Berkeley campus continues
* Santa Cruz: Critical Mass "turns ugly" after motorist hits cyclist
* St Louis: Near-naked cyclists protest oil dependency
* Crawford County: Ban on bike ride leads to protest bike ride
* Indiana: Interstate-69 route hit by sabotage, blockades, protests
* Austin: Protest over pollution from factory
* Boulder: Naked bike ride
* Chula Vista: Protest against power station plan
* South Blount: Fluoridation protest
* Tennessee: Environmentalists protest energy technology
* Washington DC: Hospital building project protested
* Zanesville, Ohio: Protest over road death of teen
* Maryland: New nuclear plant protested
* Philadelphia: Protests as museum plan deemed threat to park
* Arizona: Protest over massive building project
* Atlanta: Residents express concern over bypass project
* San Ramon: Oil company Chevron targeted
* San Diego: Protests over threat to glider strip from development project
* Lakeland: Protest over rail building deal
* Washington: Canadian province tour marked by protests
* Washington: Ducks dumped in toxic toys protest
* Oregon: Annual meeting targeted in natural gas protest
* Oregon: Police violence mars rally against chemical spraying
* Alabama: Citizens file petitions against nuclear plant
* Maryland: Protest against road building over health concerns
* California: McCain event draws environmental protesters
* Florida: Protest against new power plant in Palm Beach
* Oregon: City Hall protest over road bridge building
* Tennessee: Greenpeace protest at TVA
* Washington DC: Protests over oil company sponsoring sports team
* Virginia: Residents protest brewery building
* Connecticut: Power plant plan protested
* Seattle: Protest to save trees
* Florida: Protest at power company
* Austin: Protest against building plan
* California: Building on South Central Farms site protested
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-07-01-0061.html
Protest of power plant leads to 12 arrests
Activists, including one dangling from footbridge, block traffic in Richmond
Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 - 12:08 AM Updated: 07:55 AM
A protester rappels from the Belle Island Bridge as police wait for him on
the ground. (MICHAEL MARTZ/RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH)
By MICHAEL MARTZ
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
On the day Dominion Virginia Power began construction of a coal-fired power
plant in Southwest Virginia, 12 people were arrested in Richmond for
protesting the plant.
The protesters yesterday blocked the entrance to the corporate headquarters
of Dominion Virginia Power's parent company, Dominion Resources.
The activists blocked Tredegar Street for more than two hours, with four
college students forming a human chain with their hands encased in
containers of concrete and a fifth dangling by a climber's harness from the
Lee Bridge footbridge that leads to Belle Isle.
The protesters -- all part of a contingent of more than 20 members of Blue
Ridge Earth First! -- were arrested on misdemeanor charges.
Hannah Morgan, a 19-year-old resident of Appalachia, a town in Wise County,
acted as spokeswoman for the group. She said the organization does not have
an official membership roll but has attracted involvement from around the
state.
Last week, the state Air Pollution Control Board approved pollution permits
for the $1.8 billion, 585-megawatt power plant in Wise. That was the last
regulatory hurdle keeping Dominion Virginia Power from beginning
construction.
Blue Ridge Earth First! and a group called Mountain Justice say the plant
will emit too much mercury and carbon dioxide, promote strip mining for coal
in Southwest Virginia and cost consumers too much for electricity.
"We've been through the regulatory process -- it's time to take action on
our own," Morgan said.
"We will not stop until Dominion stops," she said.
Also positioned to fight Dominion is the Southern Environmental Law Center,
which has an office in Charlottesville. Officials at the center said last
week that the organization plans to challenge Virginia Power's project in
court.
Police yesterday charged the protesters with impeding traffic, spokeswoman
Karla Peters said. By 6:30 p.m., Morgan said, all 12 who had been arrested
were released after posting bond -- $2,000 for 11 and $3,500 for the
protester who suspended himself from the bridge.
During the protest, Dominion employees were forced to walk to work after
their vehicles were caught in a traffic jam that extended up North Fifth and
Byrd streets, and the Downtown Expressway to Powhite Parkway.
"Dominion respects peaceful protest," company spokesman Karl Neddenien said
yesterday. "However, we do not condone illegal activities, such as the
blocking of the road and preventing our employees from getting to work."
Dominion employs about 640 people at its corporate headquarters, including
the company's top executives. "It did affect the operability at Tredegar. .
. . It had a significant effect," Neddenien said.
The person with the best view of the traffic jam was Marley Green, a
22-year-old senior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. It was
Green, who grew up in Hamilton in Loudoun County, who climbed to the
footbridge and lowered himself to dangle above Tredegar Street. His rope was
attached to a 55-gallon drum, filled with concrete, in the middle of the
street.
"Certainly, it's a risk," Green said in a cell phone conversation before
lowering himself to the street about 9:25 a.m. "But it's one I'm willing to
take, and one that needs to be taken, to show how reckless Dominion's plans
are."
Morgan said Green descended out of concern for the safety of police officers
who were preparing to climb out and lower him to the street.
James Madison students Bethany Spitzer, Alyssa Barrett and Holly Garrett and
Virginia Tech student Kaitlyn Hart all had their hands anchored in concrete
blocks.
The four used climbing carabiners to latch their wrists to bolts inside the
concrete, and their arms were protected by a plastic and wire sleeve, said
Richmond Fire Department Lt. Michael Oprandy. After firefighters began
cutting into the blocks to reach the bolts, the protesters agreed to remove
their hands voluntarily, Oprandy said.
Among its previous activities, Blue Ridge Earth First! protested Dominion's
plans to build a third nuclear reactor at its North Anna power plant in
Louisa County.
http://stoptarsands.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/
http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-07-07-0020.html
Women Climb Flagpole In Power Plant Protest
Monday, Jul 07, 2008 - 01:43 PM Updated: 04:30 PM
By Denise Yost
E-mail | Biography
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police arrested eight protesters on Monday outside a local
power building.
The group, Earth First!, was protesting American Municipal Power because
they have plans to build a coal-burning power plant in Meigs County, NBC 4
reported.
Nearly 100 protesters were on hand and two of the protesters climbed a
flagpole.
The protesters documented their rally on home video. Those arrested were
charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.
In a statement from AMP Ohio, the business said, "The project has local
support in Meigs County. Coal production is much cleaner than in years past,
and we're looking for more green sources of energy, but this protest group
will not listen to reason."
The protest concluded at about 2:20 p.m.
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/07/07/plant_protest.html?sid=102
Power Plant Protest Ends With Arrests
Monday, July 7, 2008 3:34 PM
Print Story
E-mail Story
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Several people were arrested late Monday morning while
protesting plans for a proposed coal-fired plant in southeast Ohio.
Police were forced to subdue protestors after they entered the headquarters
of American Municipal Power, located on Airport Drive in east Columbus, 10TV
News reported.
SLIDESHOW: Chopper 10 Images Of Protest
Dozens of members with the group, Earth First, were at the headquarters
protesting plans to build a new power plant in Meigs County.
Video from Chopper 10 showed the activities gathering outside the building.
According to police, five demonstrators entered the building and chained
themselves up. Officers used Mace when the demonstrators refused to leave,
10TV News reported.
Eight people were arrested during the demonstration, police said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_9809445
Fourth protester occupies a tree at UC Berkeley
By Kristin Bender
Oakland Tribune
Article Last Updated: 07/07/2008 10:10:30 PM PDT
BERKELEY - A fourth protester was occupying a tree Monday in an oak grove
where three remaining tree sitters were living near UC Berkeley's memorial
stadium.
University spokesman Dan Mogulof said the man - who has not been
identified - climbed into the tree late Sunday afternoon. He told university
officials that he is "not part of the other group," Mogulof said.
Save the Oaks at the Stadium spokesman Doug Buckwald said the man, who goes
by Jeff and is in his 30s, is outside the first chain link fence erected to
keep protesters out, but inside the second fence. The university erected two
fences last year to control protesters at the site.
"He's there to support the cause of the oak trees and why they need to be
protected," Buckwald said. "He's interested in doing what he can to fight
the good fight."
Mogulof said the new protester won't likely be there long. He may not have
many supplies and is isolated from the others, he said.
This isn't the first time a single person has climbed into a university tree
in support of the now 18-month tree-sit to protest the university's plans to
build a $140 million sports training center at the grove. In May, a man
named Michael Schuck, 23, climbed into a tree on Sproul Plaza and sat there
for about three weeks to support the tree-sit and other causes. He
eventually came down.
Meanwhile, the three remaining tree sitters, who are in one redwood, are
receiving water and some food from the university. But the university is
still refusing to allow ground supporters to provide extra food and water.
Sunday afternoon, about 50 supporters of the tree sitters came to the grove
to try and provide supplies, Buckwald said.
Supporters put bags of food in the middle of a circle of people, and the
tree sitters tossed a rope the ground, hoping to lift the bags to their
tree. Police refused to allow this. One person floated a helium balloon with
some light snacks attached to a string to the tree sitters, Buckwald said.
People have routinely floated handfuls of Fruit Loops, cheese puffs and
other stacks on balloon strings to tree sitters.
Mogulof said university officials prevented the supporters from providing
the supplies because they have a court order barring the tree sitters from
being in the tree.
"We're just enforcing the law," Mogulof said.
When food was not allowed up into the tree, there was a skirmish between
protesters and police and one man, David Walton, 56, was arrested for
battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, Mogulof said.
Videographer L A Wood said this was the third Sunday in a row that tree
sitters have been denied food by outside groups.
"The community has seen an increase in UC police violence at the endangered
oak grove," he said in a statement. "This aggression has even been directed
at many of the Grandmothers for the Oaks, a group that has been supplying
the tree-sit each Sunday afternoon since Thanksgiving Day last year. Several
of their elderly members were knocked to the ground during the three-hour
confrontation with the campus police."
Buckwald said he is concerned that the tree sitters won't get enough water
over the next few days, which are forecasted to be hot.
"Water will be the big issue for everyone the next few days," he said.
Building the sports training center is on hold until at least July 17 when
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller will have a hearing on
the lawsuits that were filed and tried in court to stop the training center.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,373327,00.html
University of Berkeley Tree-Sitters Hanging On, 18 Months Into Protest
Saturday, June 28, 2008
June 18: A protester who calls herself 'dumpster muffin' screams at
developers from her perch atop a University of Berkeley tree.
BERKELEY, Calif. - In December 2006, protesters angry about campus
expansion plans clambered into the branches of a threatened oak grove at the
University of California, Berkeley.
Since then, Democrats have chosen their first black presidential candidate,
the housing market has taken a dive and gasoline prices have boomed.
Still, the tree-sitters continue to sit.
There had been signs the protest might be coming to an end as a court case
challenging a planned multimillion-dollar athletic training facility inched
closer to resolution.
This month administrators, who won a court order allowing them to evict the
protesters at any time, cut supply lines, yanked a few protesters out of the
trees and drove the rest into a single redwood. For a while, it looked like
campus officials were prepared to starve protesters out.
But after the remaining half-dozen or so tree sitters said they were a) not
moving and b) rationing water, officials relented and offered sustenance to
the protesters aloft.
"This misguided effort to preserve a 1923 landscaping project certainly
doesn't warrant any action that could cause harm or permanent health
consequences for anybody involved," said campus spokesman Dan Mogulof.
Protesters and their supporters say they are prepared to hold out.
"They're very well-trained tree climbers. They're very experienced and I
have trust in them that they're going to keep themselves safe and they're
going to keep defending the grove," a ground supporter who would give her
name only as Citizyn said this week.
UC Berkeley officials say they need the new center to provide safe and
up-to-date facilities for their athletes. Once the center is built, the
second phase of the project involves upgrading Memorial Stadium - old,
dilapidated and sitting right on top of the Hayward fault.
Neighborhood residents, the City of Berkeley and the California Oak
Foundation have sued to stop the project, saying it violates environmental
and earthquake safety regulations.
A judge issued an injunction blocking construction while the suits were
pending and was expected to make a definitive ruling earlier this month. But
that ruling turned out to be a bit mixed, with both sides reading victory
into its 129 pages.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller found the new center is
mostly legal. However, on the stadium upgrade part of the project, she said
the university has to prove some planned work doesn't amount to more than 50
percent of the value of the original building, a state requirement.
On Friday, UC Berkeley filed a response saying it is eliminating the items
the judge questioned. Administrators also asked the judge to modify the
preliminary injunction, saying there are no longer grounds for preventing
construction on the new facility.
Once the judge has issued a final ruling, it can be appealed. But
construction could begin earlier if UC is successful in getting the
injunction lifted.
On the tree issue, campus officials note that most of the trees were planted
by the university in the 1920s. They have promised to plant three trees for
every one felled. But tree-sitters say that is not acceptable.
Over the past 18 months, protesters had been cycling in and out, using
supply lines stretched over a campus-erected barricade. But the stepped-up
campus actions stopped that.
In the past two weeks, the mood has swung wildly.
Protesters howled, flung excrement and shook tree branches as campus-hired
arborists cut supply lines and removed gear.
But by late this week, campus police were conducting delicate negotiations
with tree-sitters, offering to provide food and water if protesters would
lower their waste on a daily basis in the interest of hygiene.
Campus officials ended up giving up the water without concessions;
protesters declined to yield their urine.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/03/BA0V11IR3H.DTL
4 Berkeley tree-sitters end protest
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, July 3, 2008
(07-02) 16:37 PDT BERKELEY -- Four of the Memorial Stadium tree-sitters left
their perches Wednesday and late Tuesday, leaving only three protesters
making a stand against UC's plans to build an athletic training center in
the grove, UC Berkeley officials said.
But the holdouts don't plan to give up just yet, said Eric Eisenberg, who
has been part of the tree-sitters' support crew since the protest began Dec.
1, 2006.
"Those remaining are strong, steadfast and recommitted to protecting this
sacred, beautiful place," Eisenberg said. "Obviously their supplies are
dwindling and they need nutrients, but they're rededicating themselves.
We're strong and we're going to win."
Three of the protesters came down to preserve more food and water for those
who remain, Eisenberg said, while the fourth - Amanda "Dumpster Muffin"
Tierney, 21 - came down because she was suffering from an undisclosed
medical condition, campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said.
The fate of the oak grove hinges on the outcome of lawsuits brought against
UC by the City of Berkeley, the Panoramic Hill Association and oak tree
supporters. A judge is expected to rule in the next few weeks whether the
university can proceed with plans to build a $140 million sports training
center next to the stadium.
Three of the protesters made unannounced descents from the trees late
Tuesday night, Mogulof said. Drew Beres, 19, was arrested by campus police
while the other two - Pamela "Olive" Zigo, 19, and Travis "Bird" Richey,
19 - climbed back up a different tree apparently to evade arrest, he said.
After talking to UC Berkeley Assistant Police Chief Mitch Celaya for about
two hours Wednesday morning, Zigo and Richey came down from their perches.
Tierney descended a few hours later, saying she had a medical condition.
Once on the ground, she collapsed three times and was seen by her doctor and
paramedics, who transported her to Highland Hospital, Mogulof said.
Beres, Zigo and Richey have been charged with trespassing and violating a
court order to abandon the protest in the grove, Mogulof said. Tierney will
be arrested after her condition stabilizes.
"We're getting very close to ending this long and difficult occupation,"
Mogulof said. "We want a safe end. This is a 1923 landscaping project," he
added, referring to the year the stadium was built, "not an ancient forest.
There's nothing here worth getting hurt over."
The university has been giving each tree-sitter two or three energy bars a
day, plus bottled water, since severing the protesters' support lines two
weeks ago.
The tree-sitters and Berkeley City Council are trying to find a local clergy
member to deliver hot meals to the tree-sitters, some of whom have been in
the foliage continuously for more than a year.
"There's plenty of people who want to help," Eisenberg said. "The
tree-sitters are heroes in this town. It's mean-spirited of the university
to try and starve them out."
In October, a judge ordered the tree-sitters to leave the grove, saying the
university's right to protect its property trumps the protesters' right to
free speech. The protest is an ongoing public health and safety problem that
has so far cost about $350,000 in extra security, university officials have
said.
http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/132075/
More protesters leave Berkeley trees
A protester known as Dumpster Muffin collapsed moments after leaving her
place in a tree on the University of California at Berkeley campus,
officials said.
Amanda Tierney, 21, was hospitalized, Dan Mogulof, a university spokesman,
told KTVU in Oakland. Once she is discharged from the hospital she can
expect to be charged with trespassing, the report said.
The protest against cutting down a grove of trees to make space for an
athletic training center began in December 2006. The project has been on
hold because of legal action by the city of Berkeley and environmental
groups.
Four tree-sitters came down this week, including Tierney, a reporter for the
Daily Californian writing for CNN said. That leaves three protesters still
in the tree.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9226333
Bicyclists swarm streets in Santa Cruz; protest turns ugly
By Jennifer Squires
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Article Launched: 05/11/2008 12:47:19 PM PDT
A hundred cyclists who were apparently trying to remind motorists to share
the road caused disturbances downtown and near the Municipal Wharf on Friday
night, marking the first time in recent years the occasional protest rides
have become violent.
Police issued no citations, but one cyclist, a 20-year-old Santa Cruz woman,
suffered minor injuries when her bicycle collided with a Subaru Legacy on
Front Street, police reported. It was that collision, which happened just
after 10 p.m. as the Critical Mass-style ride got under way, that sparked
arguments between motorists and cyclists.
"They've been doing this Friday night laps-around-downtown for probably a
few months now," Lt. Rick Martinez said. "Last night, they just decided to
step up their presence. There were 100 bicyclists basically taking over the
roadway."
The rides are usually well-organized and involve cyclists who follow traffic
laws and use lights and horns, police said. But on Friday, a group of mostly
college-age cyclists impeded traffic downtown, yelled at drivers and put
themselves in harm's way, Martinez said.
The names of cyclists involved in the ride were not available, and none were
cited by police.
Piet Canin, who is organizing this week's unrelated Bike to Work event, said
he hadn't heard about the protest ride and didn't want to pass judgment
without talking to those involved. He acknowledged, however, that the riders
probably lost sight of their intended message.
"On the surface of it, it kind of exasperates the tensions between cyclists
and motorists," he said. "That's not good."
Cyclists' safety has been a hot topic in the community recently; three
cyclists have been killed in collisions with vehicles on Santa Cruz streets
in the past 10 months.
Canin said group rides can be a positive way to draw attention to cycling
issues, especially the importance of sharing the road.
"There's lots of benefits to those group rides and usually cyclists are
respectful and safer in those group rides," he said.
Police received several calls complaining about the cyclists, who were
riding together from about 10-11 p.m. The event reached a tipping point when
the 20-year-old woman popped out from between two parked vehicles on Front
Street near Soquel Avenue and into the path of the Subaru, making the
accident likely her fault, police said.
Other cyclists reportedly yelled at the driver as he got out to check on the
woman. Medics called in to help the woman radioed for police assistance
because cyclists started arguing with a second driver caught in the mass,
police said. Someone smashed out the back window of that driver's Nissan
Pathfinder.
After the altercations, the cyclists continued riding throughout the city,
pounding on vehicles, and as Martinez said, "I guess decided to do their
best to mix it up with motorists, including lying down in front of the
entrance to the wharf."
"We even attempted to talk with the organizer of the bicycle ride explaining
that we totally support their cause and that we're doing our best to find
that common ground," Martinez said. "But it was one of those situations
where they certainly weren't going to garner any support from the community
from the kind of behavior they displayed."
Martinez said police would be on the alert for future rides.
"Honestly if they continue to ride throughout the city in the way they did
last night, we're probably going to see more bicyclists injured," he said.
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/strange/article_212162219.shtml
Naked Cyclists Protest Oil Dependence
by Staff
Hundreds of nearly-nude bikers and curious onlookers have descended on St.
Louis for a 10-mile ride protesting U.S. dependence on oil, participants
said.
The World Naked Bike Ride, which has been held in about 70 cities across the
globe since 2004, came to St. Louis for the first time Saturday night as
nude and nearly-nude cyclists rode their bikes from the city's Tower Grove
Park to the Grove neighborhood, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-odd-mostly-naked-cyclists,0,4557039.story
Spectators gather in St. Louis for "naked" bike ride held to protest oil
dependence
By Associated Press
2:43 PM EDT, August 3, 2008
ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Fewer clothes and lots of skin have made a political point
in a public park in St. Louis.
Hundreds of mostly nude bicyclists joined curious spectators in the city's
Tower Grove Park on Saturday night for a 10-mile "World Naked Bike Ride."
The ride has been staged in 70 cities worldwide since 2004 as a way to
protest society's dependence on oil.
St. Louis police were on hand to ensure the riders wore the bare minimum,
which included thongs, pasties, loin cloths, bathing suits and even body
painting.
However, officers didn't seem to notice one rider wearing nothing but a pink
derby hat.
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/20625984.html
Bicyclists Stage Protest Ride in Crawford County
By Bree'Ann Hildreth
Story Created: Jun 21, 2008 at 5:24 AM CDT
Story Updated: Jun 21, 2008 at 5:24 AM CDT
DES MOINES (AP) - Some bicyclists plan a protest ride in Crawford County
this weekend.
Today, several hundred people are expected to ride about 40 miles in
opposition to the county's decision to ban RAGBRAI, The Register's Great
Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
Organizer Greg Losh, of Council Bluffs, says they were told they can't use
public roads, so they're "doing just the opposite."
County supervisors voted to ban the annual ride last fall after settling a
lawsuit with the family of a rider who died in 2004.
The lawsuit claimed the county was negligent in its road maintenance.
Sheriff Mike Bremser says there's no ordinance preventing anyone from
bicycling through the county, even as a large group.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS02/806120482
Protesters damage I-69 office
Associated Press
Posted: June 12, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- About a dozen bandanna-wearing protesters opposed to
the Interstate 69 extension through southern Indiana smashed a window pane
Wednesday at one of the state Department of Transportation's I-69 project
offices, police said.
Bloomington police were called to the office at Bloomington's One City
Centre just after noon, by which time the protesters had fled.
Witnesses told police the men and women were wearing bandannas over their
faces and carrying a "Stop I-69" sign when they marched into the building.
One protester threw a chunk of concrete, breaking out a glass pane in the
entry door, while others used chalk to mark up the sidewalk, steps and the
inner and outer walls, police said.
Mayor Mark Kruzan, who opposes I-69 himself, released a statement calling
their actions "misdirected energy."
"Violent action is a disservice to our community's reputation and, in fact,
does nothing but hurt the protesters' own cause," according to Kruzan's
statement.
The proposed extension of I-69 between Evansville and Indianapolis has
caused widespread debate in southern Indiana for several years.
Earlier this year, the state Department of Transportation expressed concerns
about veiled threats to the project, including an Internet posting that
stated: "We will never let them build this road."
In March, INDOT crews began clearing land for a nearly 2-mile-long stretch
in Gibson County that will be the first section built of the 142-mile
highway.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/NEWS/806200452
I-69 protestors arrested for trespassing
Associated Press
Posted: June 20, 2008
HAUBSTADT, Ind. - Police arrested five protesters Friday after they declined
to leave a wooded cluster along the planned route of the Interstate 69
extension in southern Indiana.
The protesters, including two tree sitters and three people on the ground,
were arrested about 20 miles north of Evansville after a month of protest.
The protest was on land owned by the state highway department west of
Indiana 57 and Indiana 68 for the stretch of I-69 planned to run between
Evansville and Indianapolis. The protest began May 19 when two men pitched a
tent roughly 30 feet off the ground.
During the arrest, protesters claimed police were reckless with their
safety, cutting safety ropes and intentionally pushing one protester into a
patch of poison ivy.
Dick said conservation officers did not intend to harm or threaten those
protesting.
http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=8672965
Sixteen I-69 protestors arrested
Posted: July 14, 2008 10:03 PM
Updated: July 22, 2008 02:15 PM
Posted by Mike Mardis
Sixteen people were arrested during an early morning I-69 protest in Gibson
County.
The Gibson County Sheriff said the protesters were blocking the entrance to
the Gohmann Asphalt Plant in Haubstadt.
Authorities say five of the protestors were chained together in a device
called a Sleeping Dragon and a state police team was called in to remove the
chains, a process that took about five hours.
The plant has the contract for the first section of the I-69 extension
project.
Andy Dietrick, Indiana Department if Transportation Spokesperson, said the
protests are harming an Indiana business.
"It really didn't have to do with I-69 this time," Dietrick said. "It could
have been asphalt going to your driveway or some school parking lot. So
these folks are keeping an Indiana business from doing their business."
There will be an area for protestors across the street from The Centre
during Wednesday's groundbreaking.
The private events starts at 10:30 a.m.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080715/NEWS02/807150460/1025/rss02
Interstate 69 extension protesters arrested as groundbreaking nears
Ribbon-cutting will be private
By Ryan Lenz . Associated Press . July 15, 2008
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- As crews begin construction on the long-planned
Interstate 69 extension and a prominent lobbying group readies for a private
ribbon-cutting celebrating it, tensions that have surrounded the project for
years show no sign of calming.
Police arrested more than a dozen protesters yesterday as they blocked the
entrance to an asphalt plant that will supply materials to build the
142-mile highway linking Evansville and Indianapolis.
The protesters had chained themselves together, police said.
Such resistance is a concern for those organizing the ceremony tomorrow in
Evansville -- and part of the reason admission to the gathering will be by
invitation only.
The ceremony is sponsored by Hoosier Voices for I-69, which promoted the
highway project to lawmakers and the public. Gov. Mitch Daniels is scheduled
to give the keynote address at The Centre in Evansville.
Steve Schaeffer, executive director of Hoosier Voices, said he respects
differences of opinion, but the potential for problems would be too great
with a public program.
"It's really unfortunate that we have to take these measures because of our
out-of-town opponents causing problems," Schaeffer said.
The decades-long debate over the highway through rural southwestern Indiana
cleared a legal hurdle in December when a federal judge ruled against a
lawsuit seeking to block construction based on the project's environmental
impact.
The suit was filed by members of the Hoosier Environmental Council, Citizens
for Appropriate Rural Roads, the Sassafras Audubon Society and six
residents.
U.S. District Judge David Hamilton ruled that arguments opposing the route
were "reasonable differences of opinion" but did not prove violations of
law.
Still, environmental advocates who oppose the highway continue to campaign
against it.
Thomas Tokarski, of Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads, said the project
will destroy some 5,000 acres of farmland and 2,000 acres of natural forest
when "global climate change is a real concern."
"It was never a good idea to begin with, but it makes no sense right now.
None at all," Tokarski said.
The protesters arrested yesterday in Haubstadt, about 20 miles north of
Evansville, had chained themselves together, and officers called in a
special team to remove the chains.
Each will be charged with trespassing and resisting arrest, police said.
Also yesterday, the state's largest independent environmental group
protested the private ceremony, calling it a "slap in the face to Hoosier
citizens."
"All appeals and objections to the route have been done in an open forum and
subject to public and media scrutiny," the Hoosier Environmental Council
said in a statement. "The course set for groundbreaking on the controversial
public project should be no different."
http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=8687490
Protestors express dislike from a distance
Posted: July 16, 2008 11:17 PM
Updated: July 22, 2008 02:15 PM
By Nicole DiDonato
Posted by Mike Mardis
Just over a dozen protestors showed up right before the start of the I-69
groundbreaking ceremony carrying signs and walking up and down Locust Street
in downtown Evansville.
Protestors were allowed to come voice their concerns, but they had to stay
behind a fenced in area across from the Centre.
Sondra Tokarski, protestor, said the event seems hypocritical.
"They want the homes and land of 400 other families, and yet we're not
invited," Tokarski said.
Bill Boyd with Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads claims I-69 will not
only destroy land, but cause a financial burden on taxpayers.
"We have greater needs in this state than to build a road we cant afford and
maintain," Boyd said.
Tokarski said she thinks the event is celebrating the wrong things.
"The governor's having a celebration of destruction today and we think it's
scandalous," Tokarski said.
Tiga Wertz is also against the I-69 project. She's been arrested in the past
for protesting the project she claims will cause more pollution and destroy
wildlife.
Wertz and a few others defended their reasons for protesting at the Four
Freedoms Monument Wednesday morning.
"Recent acts of civil nonviolent acts have become necessary," Wertz said.
"I-69 would facilitate a global economy that would disconnect local
communities from resources, jobs and production."
For the most part, the demonstration was civil, but police did have to
enforce boundaries.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/NEWS07/806220452/-1/NEWS09
Published: June 22, 2008 6:00 a.m.
I-69 protesters arrested on state land; chase catches 3
Associated Press
Advertisement
HAUBSTADT - Police arrested five protesters Friday after they declined to
leave a wooded cluster along the planned route of the Interstate 69
extension in southern Indiana.
The protesters, including two tree sitters and three people on the ground,
were arrested about 20 miles north of Evansville after a month of protest.
Three others en route to the protest were arrested after police stopped them
for a traffic violation and the driver sped away. A chase followed, and
Indiana State Police stopped the car with spikes.
State Police Sgt. Chad Dick said protesters had come from as far away as
California and that only one was from Indiana.
The protest was on land owned by the state highway department west of
Indiana 57 and Indiana 68 for the stretch of I-69 planned to run between
Evansville and Indianapolis. The protest began May 19 when two men pitched a
tent roughly 30 feet off the ground.
During the arrest, protesters said police were reckless with their safety,
cutting safety ropes and intentionally pushing one protester into a patch of
poison ivy.
Dick said conservation officers did not intend to harm or threaten those
protesting.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=211788
Protesters say neighborhood facility emits hazardous waste
6/18/2008 5:26 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff
The owner of the facility says he wants to work with the concerned
neighbors.
Many concerned citizens want a nearby industrial facility out of their
neighborhood.
Pure Casting on East Fourth Street makes metal objects from molds.
In the process, they emit - what protesters say - is potentially hazardous
wastes.
Protesters are worried about potential health and safety concerns.
"We've done research of what happens when you breathe in those chemicals,"
Erika Gonzales of People Organized in Defense of Earth (PODER) said.
"There's different health effects like cancer, miscarriages, nose bleeds,
infertility and learning disabilities. It's located right across the street
from an elementary school, a rec center and all these houses, and we just
don't think it should be in a residential area."
Andy Edgerton is the owner of Pure Casting.
He said he operates within state standards and has received very few
complaints since they started operating nearly three decades ago.
Edgerton said he is willing to work with concerned neighbors or possibly
move.
"They want us to relocate, and I don't have a problem relocating if they can
afford it," Edgerton said. "Because to be quite truthful, I don't have the
money to pick up and move this business somewhere else."
People at Wednesday's protest want the city to meet with stakeholders and
figure out a way to help move the facility.
City leaders heard from protestors at Wednesday's city council meeting, but
no action was taken.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/15/boulder-bicyclists-riders-bare-all-protest-oil-dep/
Boulder bicyclists riders bare all to protest oil dependency
Vanessa Miller, Daily Camera
Originally published 10:23 p.m., June 15, 2008
Updated 10:23 p.m., June 15, 2008
"Less gas, more a--," was painted on the bare backs of many of the 60-some
nude cyclists who pedaled through Boulder this afternoon for the city's
fifth-annual Naked Bike Ride.
"Watch out for road rash," one mostly naked rider shouted as the group took
off in their scantily decorated -- if at all -- birthday suits.
All the riders, in some way, delivered the message that the United States
and the world should reduce its dependency.
All the riders, in some way, delivered the message that the United States
and the world should reduce its dependency on oil.
One man showed off an American-flag-decorated sign that read, "Liberty from
oil dependence." Another person's back was painted with this note: "Have
some class. Buy less gas."
Juanita Gable, 39, of Denver, participated in the naked ride this year for
the first time."It seemed like a fun time," Gable said. "And I believe in
the cause."
Gable, who wore a bra and underwear, said she opted not to go fully nude
because, "It's my first time. I'm nervous.
"What if I get a flat?" she said. "I might end up in the middle of nowhere
looking for someone to help me fix my tire -- naked."
Some riders bared it all, some painted their unclothed private areas and
others wore tiny coverings -- such as Victor Ferrera's tuxedo-themed thong
underwear.
"Whatever it takes to get the message out," said Ferrera, 36, of Boulder.
Four years ago, Boulder's underground cruisers picked up on an international
tradition and organized the once-a-year ride that leaves little to the
imagination.
It started at 4 p.m. in Boulder's Hawthorn Community Gardens -- near
Hawthorn Avenue and 16th Street -- and headed south toward the Pearl Street
Mall.
Rhiannon Murre, 21, of Wisconsin, was visiting Boulder and was on the mall
when the nude riders zoomed past.
"Oh my gosh," Murre said to her friends, whipping out her camera. "That is
disgusting."
Being fully nude in public is illegal in Boulder, and although there has
been little police disruption in the past, several people have been ticketed
or arrested in connection with the ride.
There were some reports today of complaints about the naked riders,
including one call after the race had ended about a man who was gardening
naked in the Community Gardens -- where the event began.
It isn't known at this time, however, if anyone was arrested or ticketed.
There have been naked rides in as many as 70 cities in 20 countries,
including Austin, Washington D.C., Toronto and London.
As Boulder's nude riders took off this afternoon, so did cyclists in
London -- where a massive naked ride was planned to start in Hyde Park.
Denver's version of the World Naked Bike Ride is planned for July 12.
An underground group of Boulder's more eccentric residents also organize an
annual Naked Pumpkin Run on Halloween. That event invites people to strip
their clothes, don pumpkins on their heads and run down the Pearl Street
Mall.
http://www.cbs8.com/story.php?id=127890
Chula Vista Residents Protest New Power Plant
Watch Video
Last Updated:
05-13-08 at 7:54AM
Dozens of people came out in force to protest the proposed construction of a
new power plant in Chula Vista Monday night.
The natural gas plant would replace an existing electric plant near Albany
and Main streets.
Opponents of the plant said it would be too close to schools and homes and
would create more pollution.
The City of Chula Vista has yet to take an official position on the project.
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=57621&provider=rss
Protesters continue to oppose flouridation plan
Updated: 5/6/2008 2:15:34 PM Posted: 5/6/2008 12:58:29 PM
Protesters hoping to keep flouride out of their drinking ater took their
message to the South Blount Utility Board Tuesday morning.
Some opponents have filed a lawsuit trying to prevent the utility from
adding the chemical to their water.
Lawyers are advising the utility to go forward with the flouridation plan,
which is expected to begin Wednesday.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/05/environmental-groups-protest-energy-technology-out/
Environmental groups protest energy technology outside TVA
By Larisa Brass (Contact)
Originally published 01:34 p.m., May 5, 2008
Updated 05:35 p.m., May 5, 2008
Calling carbon storage technology too expensive and a hollow answer to the
environmental issues that surround burning coal, two local environmental
groups are opposing federal legislation they say encourages development of
coal-based power production.
Save Our Cumberland Mountains, a state citizens organization, and Students
Promote Environmental Action in Knoxville, a group based at the University
of Tennessee, held a press conference in Market Square, beneath the
Tennessee Valley Authority headquarter towers in downtown Knoxville to
protest what they called a "$424 billion federal boondoggle to promote the
continued use of coal to produce electricity," according to a release.
The groups cited a study, also released today, by the international
environment group Greenpeace criticizing measures that are part of an
climate bill introduced by Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John Warner that would
provide incentives for development of technologies such as carbon
sequestration. This technology, still in development, would pipe carbon
dioxide generated for storage underground to prevent the greenhouse gas from
being released into the air. Carbon dioxide is believed to be one of the
main contributors to global warming.
Carrying banners reading, "Out of sight, out of mind is not always true" and
"Carbon capture and storage does not make coal clean," group leaders said
funds aimed at encouraging clean coal production and electricity generation
should be aimed instead at renewable fuel technologies such as wind and
solar.
"Our position is we need to start phasing out coal as soon as possible,"
said Cathie Bird, chair of the Save Our Cumberland Mountain, or SOCM, strip
mining committee.
"Why be putting money into a fossil fuel that's going to be running its
course anyway?" added Ann League, also with SOCM.
League said in addition to the environmental impacts of mining coal,, the
communities in their shadow do not benefit economically from the operations
and are often left worse off when the mine is closed.
"Sustainable jobs" helping to produce renewable technologies would better
serve these "coalfield communities," she said.
The groups were to have held the press conference at TVA offices on Summit
Hill Drive next to Market Square, but police moved the gathering to Market
Square.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1397982~Loudoun_County_hospital_proposal_draws_protest.html?cid=rss-Washington_DC
Loudoun County hospital proposal draws protest
May 19, 2008 3:00 AM (81 days ago) by Dan Genz, The Examiner
Loudoun County (Map, News) - Critics of a plan to build a major new hospital
along the Dulles Greenway in Loudoun County are gathering today to blast the
plan as poorly designed, horribly located and unworthy of consideration.
"You're literally force-fitting it into the community," said Bruce Biggs, a
Broadlands resident. "After these homes popped up, this for-profit,
industrial mammoth came in and saw dollar signs in their eyes."
Hospital supporters are fighting back, trying to cast the proposed
Broadlands Regional Medical Center as an essential addition to an
underserved, fast-growing market.
"I wish it was already built," said Tim Butka, another Broadlands resident.
"I think there's definitely the need for it in the community and we need the
competition."
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors rejected the proposal in 2005, but
it was revived after voters swept four of those board members out of office.
Inova Lansdowne Hospital, one of the county's economic engines, wants to
build a second facility along the Route 50 Corridor in southeastern Loudoun
County. That plan would be jeopardized if rival HCA Virginia is allowed to
build along the Dulles Greenway.
Critics say the hospital was defeated in 2005 because it is a terrible fit
for the nearby Broadlands neighborhood and is less than five miles, from the
existing hospital.
A national nursing organization that contends HCA does not hire enough
nurses is joining the protest effort.
"If they are going to expand, they should expand in a location where the
community wants it and not just bulldoze the community's wishes," said Kathy
McGregor, a Tennessee nurse and organizer of the National Nurses Organizing
Committee.
Supporters contend the hospital would be an economic boon with a central
location for a growing region without enough hospital beds.
"It's grossly underserved in Loudoun," said Margaret Lewis, president of HCA's
Capital Division. "Fifty percent of the residents who live in Loudoun leave
Loudoun for their health care."
http://www.whiznews.com/article.php?articleId=21476
Protestors Gather on Maple Avenue
Sat, May 03, 2008. 04:50 PM
Protestors gathered Saturday to express their anger over the death of a
Zanesville teenager.
The group gathered at the site of the accident that took the girls life
earlier this year to protest about the traffic situation.
18-year-old Shayla Ervin was struck by a car at the intersection of Maple
Avenue and Brandywine Boulevard on January 26th, she died a few days later
at the hospital.
Saturday, people joined together to protest for more high-tech devices at
pedestrian crossings in the city.
"We're going to bring attention to our council and the mayor that something
needs to be done with these crossings. There's not enough time for me to get
across and they need to for a more high tech signal," says family friend and
protest organizer Kenny VanMeter.
Mayor Butch Zwelling responded to Saturday's demonstration and says that his
heart goes out to the family. He adds that the case has been investigated
and the law director found that the city cannot be held liable for this
tragedy.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1373141~Demonstrators_protest_Maryland_s_new_nuclear_plant.html
Demonstrators protest Maryland's new nuclear plant
May 3, 2008 3:00 AM (97 days ago) by Len Lazarick, The Examiner
(Kristine Buls/Examiner)
Anti-nuclear activists opposed to the construction of a third nuclear
reactor at Calvert Cliffs protest Friday at Redwood and Paca streets in
Baltimore City.
Filed under: BALTIMORE , Len Lazarick , Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Protest
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - About a dozen anti-nuclear demonstrators Friday took
to the streets of downtown Baltimore City to counteract Gov. Martin O'Malley's
endorsement of the construction of a third nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs
in Maryland.
"There are cheaper, safer alternatives," said Stephen Soifer, spokesman for
the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition, which includes the Sierra Club and
seven other environmental and anti-nuclear groups.
Soifer, an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of
Social Work, said, "It's not a moral imperative" as O'Malley said Thursday
when he toured Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, a
major source of Maryland's electricity.
Radioactive waste from the spent nuclear pellets that fuel the Calvert
County plant last 10,000 years, Soifer said.
"It the only power source" that leaves behind such a toxic residue, he said.
Soifer and other demonstrators scoffed at the supposed $4 billion price tag
on the new plant that will take about seven years to build.
He and other demonstrators said it would be at least double that amount - if
not three and four times that amount based on new plants being built in
Europe.
That money could be better spent on wind, solar or ocean sources, Soifer
said.
Constellation has not updated its 2005 estimate of $4 billion to $6 billion
to build the new reactor because "it's considered a sensitive number," said
Maureen Brown, company spokesman.
But the final number will be nowhere near as high as the activists project,
she said.
Even if the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada is finally approved for nuclear
waste disposal, "we need a second and possibly third site," Soifer said
because of the waste accumulated at nuclear plants during the past five
decades.
"There isn't a solution to the nuclear waste issue," said Dr. Gwen Dubois, a
demonstrator and physician at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore City.
In addition to the financial issues, "there's a problem with safety at the
plants," she said.
The growing stockpile of nuclear waste is a potential source of material for
nuclear bombs, Dubois said.
"It's the same technology" used to enrich uranium, she said.
"We're making nuclear material ubiquitous."
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/philadelphia/20080514_Rally_planned_to_protest_Revolution_museum.htmlRally planned to protest Revolution museumBy Nancy PetersenInquirer Staff WriterA rally protesting plans for the American Revolution Center museum will beheld tomorrow on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse inNorristown.The 11:30 a.m. rally comes at a time when a key member of the center's boardof scholars has stepped down, and the federal government has refused toapprove construction of a bridge across the Schuylkill that would link themuseum to key attractions in Valley Forge National Historical Park.Rally organizer Joyce Cluley, a neighbor and opponent of the proposeddevelopment in Lower Providence Township, said she hoped the rally wouldtrigger a wave of national opposition to the plans.Those plans include the museum, up to 99 rooms of lodging, and a conferencecenter on 78 acres that the center owns on the north side of the Schuylkill.The land, bordered by the park on three sides, is within the park's officialboundaries."This will really harm the national park, and that means a lot to mepersonally," Cluley said. "They should not be able to divide the park in thename of history and then pave over the history."Cluley said she had the support of the Friends of Valley Forge Park, theSierra Club, and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.Historians believe the park's entire north side, known as the Pawlings Farm,was the site of the commissary that Gen. George Washington established whenthe Continental Army camped at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78.The north side was also the staging area for troops on their way to theBattle of Monmouth in New Jersey.Thomas M. Daly, president and chief executive officer of the AmericanRevolution Center, said it should not be a target of opposition."It is a sad irony that this so-called protest is being done againstsomething that is a very positive thing that will give an in-depth historyexperience to the Valley Forge area rather than what people are gettingnow," he said."As I understand it, the label given to the rally is 'Save Valley Forge,'and we are eager to join with anybody who is interested in saving ValleyForge."The museum was originally proposed for a site in the park near the currentWelcome Center as part of a public-private partnership, but Daly'sorganization ended its partnership, saying it could not operate under therestrictions the Park Service imposed.Park officials said the American Revolution Center's failure to comply withthe partnership deal was one reason the U.S. Department of the Interior wasreluctant to approve a proposed jointly constructed pedestrian bridge.Daly said the bridge was not necessary for the success of the museum,although the center has offered to pay $5 million toward its cost. He saidstudies his group commissioned suggested that 725,000 visitors would visitthe museum annually even without the bridge.Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews saidrecently that without a bridge, the county did not consider the museumproject viable."I think visitors will go to the park to feel it with their feet," he said."You won't get that 'wow' sensation and that same sense of place across theriver."The isolation of the museum site and the American Revolution Center's plansfor it were reasons that University of Pennsylvania historian Richard M.Beeman, an original member of the center's board of scholars, withdrew fromthe board.In a brief interview yesterday, Beeman, a former dean of Penn's College ofArts and Sciences and a board member of the National Constitution Center,said it would be difficult for the center to succeed if its museum was notin the park.Beeman said he was also concerned that plans for the museum were focused toomuch on the war itself and not enough on the principals and ideas that ledto the American Revolution.http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/08/20080508neellman0508.htmlNeighbors protest plans for Ellman Cos. project34 comments by Beth Duckett - May. 8, 2008 12:00 AMThe Arizona RepublicA group of Fountain Hills residents are up in arms about extra traffic thatcould spill into their streets from a long-awaited development.But the developer says the outflow of traffic will be less than originallythought when houses crop up in two years in the northeast part of town.Developer Ellman Cos. plans to put 1,450 homes, two parks and a resort onthe 1,276 acres of former state trust land.In already-approved plans, two neighborhood roads would connect on the eastside of the former trust land, serving as passage for drivers in and out ofthe community.But neighbors worry that linking Boulder Drive and Richwood Avenue will openthe door for speeders - and traffic accidents - in their neighborhood.At least a dozen speakers made their case against the plans this week beforethe Planning and Zoning Commission."We cannot tolerate any more traffic," said neighbor Kathryn Jones. "We havea lot of people who walk and bike in our neighborhood."Don Kile, Ellman's president of master-planned communities, said theoutpouring of complaints shows democracy in action."I like it when citizen participation is meaningful and produces a resultthat the neighborhoods find acceptable," Kile said.The commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend to the Town Council torelocate a park, trim the number of homes and rezone land for thedevelopment.In a compromise, commissioners requested that Boulder Drive remain acul-de-sac with only gated emergency access, making Richwood Avenue theconnecting road in the area.The Town Council will consider the matter next Thursday.Some neighbors say barricading Boulder is not enough to keep the streetssafe."They really ignored the neighborhood and paid us some lip service," saidEvelyn Munn, who plans to protest to the Town Council next week.http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/fayette/stories/2008/02/28/bypass_0229.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13Fayette residents express concern over bypass projectBy JOHN HOLLISThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 02/28/08The area's peace and quiet attracted Joe Durden and his wife Marilyn tounincorporated Fayette County nearly 10 years ago.But they say their harmonious surroundings will be a thing of the past ifthe county follows through on its current plan for the West FayettevilleBypass."It's just not what we came here for," Joe Durden said prior to Thursdayevening's meeting of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. "It seemslike somebody's robbing us."The Durdens and others with similar fears over the $50 million project hadhoped for some kind relief Thursday, only to come away disappointed.Board Chairman Jack Smith prefaced things by saying there would be nodiscussion about the project's merits since it was the subject of publichearings a few years back.Instead, Sandy Creek Road residents were left to cite potential traffichazards resulting from the first phase of the project, whose overallintention is to alleviate traffic on busy Ga. 54.Their pleas appeared to fall on deaf ears.The project's first phase will involve the construction of a highway,starting at Huiet and Lester Roads before crossing Ga. 54 near PiedmontFayette Hospital and curving east to connect with Sandy Creek Road.The Durdens, whose home will be close enough to the bypass to throw stonesat the oncoming traffic, and others allege the proposed plan will createmore problems than any it alleviates by disrupting the lives of arearesidents with added traffic and unwanted noise.They contended the road would be best built elsewhere."Don't turn Sandy Creek Road into something it isn't," said the Durdens'neighbor, Lisa Sasser, also citing the rural area's abundant deer and turkeypopulations.County Public Works spokesman Phil Mallon, however, said the number ofproperty owners affected by the Phase I project was "very minimal." Work isto begin this spring and be completed in 18 months.Phase II of the West Fayetteville Bypass project, which would run north fromSandy Creek to Ga. 92, is scheduled to start in the summer of 2009.Construction is expected to take 24 months.No official start date has yet been set for the third and costliest phase ofthe project, Mallon said.Smith insisted there were no plans to make a four-lane highway of eitherSandy Creek Road or the bypass.In other board news, a throng of citizens, including state Rep. Virgil Fludd(D-Fayetteville), spoke passionately in support of district voting. Fluddhas proposed legislation to bring district voting to Fayette. Residentscurrently vote for Fayette County commissioners countywide.http://www.nbc11.com/news/16411703/detail.htmlProtesters Gather Outside Chevron In San RamonPOSTED: 6:17 am PDT May 28, 2008UPDATED: 12:12 pm PDT May 28, 2008SAN RAMON, Calif. -- Activists gathered outside the Chevron headquarters inSan Ramon on the day of their annual shareholders' meeting to protestalleged environmental and human rights abuses.On the eve of the annual shareholder meeting of the San Ramon-based ChevronCorp., human rights activists gathered at San Francisco City Hall to protestalleged human rights and environmental abuses by the oil company.Current and former residents of Nigeria, Ecuador and Burma joined members ofthe group Amazon Watch Tuesday morning, decrying what they claim has been a"deeply rooted" pattern of violations by Chevron and other oil companies,both internationally and locally, in the name of profit.http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080420-9999-1n20gliders.htmlPilots to protest consortium's construction near gliderportBy Jeff McDonaldUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERApril 20, 2008Glider pilots who sail into the breeze from the Torrey Pines bluff top arerounding up all the support they can muster to protect the historic airstripfrom nearby development, including the stem cell center proposed by the SanDiego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine.DETAILSCommunity meetingWhen: 6 p.m. tomorrowWhere: Fishman Auditorium at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research,10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La JollaHost: San Diego Consortium for Regenerative MedicineTopic: Discussion of building a stem cell research lab on UCSD property nearthe gliderport on Torrey Pines Mesa.The four-story laboratory would be within the boundary of the Torrey PinesGliderport property, which is in the National Register of Historic Places.The research facility is planned for the northwest corner of North TorreyPines Road and Torrey Pines Scenic Drive.And to the east, on the other side of Torrey Pines Road, the University ofCalifornia San Diego is building a 14-story dormitory that glider pilots saywill drastically inhibit their ability to land at the popular airport."If they build either of them, we won't be able to fly gliders thereanymore," said Ed Slater, a pilot who has used the Torrey Pines Gliderportfor decades.The research coalition will host a community meeting tomorrow evening at theBurnham Institute for Medical Research.On Wednesday night in Napa, the California State Historical ResourcesCommission will consider whether to expand the borders of the historicallydesignated site.An expansion would increase the size of the historically significantairfield, although it remains uncertain whether it would help preserve theproperty from development.Slater said he expects that glider fans and preservationists can limit theprojects by speaking out at the two meetings, even though the dormitory isalready under construction."San Diego had a long history in aviation," he said. "(UCSD) is a bigcampus; they have lots and lots of land."http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/4/21/hundreds_protest_in_lakeland_against_commuter_rail.htmlHundreds Protest In Lakeland Against Commuter RailMonday, April 21, 2008 9:25:50 PMAnti-Rail RallyLAKELAND -- With just weeks left in Tallahassee's legislative session, alocal fight to derail a deal between the state and CSX Transportationshifted into high gear as hundreds of concerned Central Floridians gatheredin downtown Lakeland's Munn Park with signs waving and megaphones blaring amessage for lesiglators."This is a bad deal. We need to stop and start over, and rethink thisproject," said Julie Townsend, with Downtown Lakeland Partnership.The state planned to purchase 61 miles of track from CSX to bring commuterrail to Orlando.The approximately $650 million deal would relocate a massive rail logisticscenter to Winter Haven, and would reroute freight traffic through downtownLakeland.Some Lakeland leaders and residents worried the deal would come at a highcost to their quality of life."We are taking on Orlando's problems. They're just dumping it all on thewest side, which is Polk County," said Wayne Guest, a protester from PolkCounty resident.Many protesters said they wanted commuter rail to come to Central Florida,but did not like the idea of giving hundreds of millions of dollars to aprivate company during a time of budget cutbacks."This is not the way I would like my tax money to be spent," said WandaRamos, a protester from Orlando.The protesters pushed for an impact study to be completed before the stateseals the deal. They also wanted other alternatives for freight lines to bererouted away from downtown areas.http://www.newscloud.com/read/Protests_dog_Alberta_PR_campaignProtests dog Alberta PR campaignConservationists will be rolling out an advertising campaign and dispatchingpolar-bear-suit-clad protesters this week in an attempt to derail Alberta'smission to Washington that is aimed at propping up the province'senvironmental image south of the border. Ron Stevens, Alberta's deputypremier and Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, saidhe will stress his province's commitment to "environmentally sustainabledevelopment of the oil sands" when he meets with U.S. government officials,industry representatives and policy analysts this week.http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/may/20/saying-yuck-to-toxins-in-toys-protesters-chuck/Saying yuck to toxins in toys, protesters chuck rubber ducksMothers, children cry foul over use of chemicalsBy Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)Tuesday, May 20, 2008Barry Gutierrez / The RockyArman Kian, 4, points at rubber ducks that were being dumped in the trash atthe Washington Park playground Tuesday to protest the use of toxic chemicalsin toys.Mothers and their children told Congress how to vote on "toxic toys" Tuesdayby dumping tainted rubber ducks in the trash at the Washington Parkplayground.The protesters are urging a 15-member congressional conference committee,including Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, to ban toxic chemicals in toys andother child-care products."Toys don't come with a list of ingredients," said Nancy Wilhelm, anEvergreen mother of three. "As a mom, I should be able to depend on thegovernment to ensure that the toys I buy aren't toxic."At issue are phthalates (pronounced THA-lates), a class of toxic chemicalsused to make plastic in baby teethers and bath books soft and flexible.Along with other consumer products such as hand lotion, cosmetics andshampoo, phthalates are used in industrial solvents, insecticides andpaints.Cancer-prevention advocates warn that these chemicals have been linked tothe early onset of puberty in girls, a risk factor for breast cancer.Studies also have linked the toxins to birth defects in baby boys andtesticular cancer, advocates say."We're just saying take these toxic chemicals out of toys - period - becausethere are safe alternatives," said Janet Nudelman, a top official at theBreast Cancer Fund.At least 41 nations have outlawed phthalates in toys and child-care productsthat young kids tend to suck or chew on, starting with a 1999 European Unionban. California and Washington State issued similar bans within the lastyear, and a dozen other states are considering action.The Senate banned the chemicals in children's products in its version of theConsumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act. But, because the House billdidn't address phthalates, the pressure is on DeGette and two other HouseDemocrats on the conference panel to back a national ban."Congresswoman DeGette supports banning phthalates in children's products,"said her spokesman, Kristofer Eisenla.After the recalls of contaminated toys last Christmas, DeGette won toughlead restrictions on toys and independent product testing in the consumersafety bill, he noted.At Tuesday's rally, state Rep. Anne McGihon, D-Denver, said that thechild-safety threat requires a federal solution, not a patchwork of statebans."Colorado legislators expect Congress to do its job, so that Denver kids -and kids everywhere - are protected from toxic chemicals in their bathtoys," she said.gathrighta at RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5486http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/lng_protest_timed_to_nw_natura.htmlLNG protest timed to NW Natural's annual meetingPosted by Ted Sickinger, The Oregonian May 21, 2008 15:25PMOpponents of proposals to site liquefied natural gas terminals in Oregonplan to demonstrate their displeasure at Northwest Natural Gas Co.'s annualmeeting, slated for Thursday afternoon at the company's Portlandheadquarters.Northwest Natural is a big advocate of the terminals. The company saysOregon ratepayers would benefit from having another large supply of naturalgas coming into the region.Its shareholders wouldn't do badly either. An LNG terminal along theColumbia River, where two are proposed, could boost the company's lucrativegas storage business in Mist. NW Natural is also involved in two proposalsto build pipelines to serve the proposed Bradwood Landing terminal, upriverfrom Astoria.-- Ted Sickinger,www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/02/9362/sent by OrpRam since 72 days 18 hours 45 minutes, published about 72 days 16hours 3 minutesTwo University students and a Eugene man were arrested at a downtown rallyFriday afternoon on various charges, including resisting arrest anddisorderly conduct, after police officers' use of a Taser on one provokedangry reactions from the other two. Ornum organized the rally as ademonstration against the Oregon Department of Transportation's use ofpesticide spray on the highways. Ornum was marching with a sign in KeseySquare at the corner of West Broadway and Willamette Street dressed in awhite hazardous materials suit, spraying water from a pesticide can andasking onlookers, "Do you know you're being poisoned?"http://www.wbir.com/news/regional/story.aspx?storyid=59262&provider=rssCitizen groups protest proposed nuclear plant in north Ala.The Associated Press Updated: 6/11/2008 12:12:31 AM Posted:6/11/2008 12:11:33 AMSeveral citizen groups have filed a petition with federal nuclear regulatorsraising concerns over plans to possibly build a nuclear plant in northAlabama.The petition was filed June 6 with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Itsays building a nuclear plant at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Bellfontesite near Scottsboro would cause numerous environmental and safety problems.TVA spokesman Gil Francis said Tuesday he had not seen the petition. He saidTVA is currently applying for a joint construction and operating license fora nuclear plant at Bellefonte but has not decided whether or not to buildthe plant.http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=73202Protestors: ICC Hazardous to Your HealthPosted By: Daniel Guzman 2 months agoSILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) -- Students and parents at Drew Elementary School inSilver Spring are demanding that Maryland halt construction of theintercounty connector until the state studies its potential health effects.About three dozen demonstrators gathered at the school Tuesday.The protesters say the highway between Laurel and Gaithersburg will passabout 100 yards from the school grounds. They say the state needs to do moreto guarantee that children, especially those with breathing problems, willbe safe.A spokeswoman for Gov. Martin O'Malley says the governor has no plans tohalt construction. She says the project "is moving forward in the mostenvironmentally sensitive way possible."The State Highway Administration says a study showed the highway would meetfederal pollution limits.http://www.newscloud.com/read/McCain_event_draws_record_number_of_protesters1.o McCain event draws record number of protestersVia Rawstory at 3:48 pm Jun 6, 2008o A John McCain campaign event in Santa Barbara drew about 100protesters. The protest is considered to be the largest yet against theMcCain campaign. Most of the protesters held signs demonstrating againstMcCain's position on allowing offshore oil drilling. Others demonstratedagainst McCain's stance on abortion.http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/06/about-100-prote.htmlAbout 100 Protest McCain in CaliforniaEmailShareJune 24, 2008 12:55 PMABC News' Bret Hovell and James Gerber Report: The largest assemblage ofprotestors to gather at a McCain event this election cycle greeted theArizona Republican this morning in Santa Barbara, California.The group of about 100, largely assembled to protest McCain's environmentalpolicies, awaited him outside the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum,where McCain is set to deliver remarks and receive a briefing on theenvironment.Watch video of the protest HERE.McCain has received flack in recent days for reversing his position on U.S.off-shore oil drilling. The presumptive Republican nominee has long opposedit but switched positions this month, citing the need for relief from highgas-prices for American families.Santa Barbara residents are particularly sensitive to the issue of off-shoredrilling. An oil spill off the city's coastline in 1969 sparked intenseprotests and landmark legislation.Chants of "no new drilling" could be heard, as well as a guy on a bullhorntalking about how "shortsighted" McCain's plan to drill for more oil is.One sign read: "McCain: Some Nerve. Coming here to try to sellEarth-desecrating policies to us!!!"There were also some protesters holding signs about McCain's anti-abortionposition, and one sign read: "Abstinence vows break more easily thancondoms."Once he got past the throng, McCain spoke about the environment. In hisspeech he talked, among other things, about longer term solutions forgetting the country off of fossil fuels. He acknowledged, as he frequentlydoes, that he believes climate change is real and needs to be addressed."We now know that fossil fuel emissions, by retaining heat within theatmosphere, threaten disastrous changes in climate," McCain said. "Nochallenge of energy is to be taken lightly, and least of all the need toavoid the consequences of global warming."McCain has spent the last several weeks talking about energy and theenvironment, promising that if elected, he would propose a $300 millionprize for the development a car battery that weans America off oil.http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080624/NEWS01/806240328/1006/rss01Palm Beach power plant draws protestsFPL plans to fix local facilityBY JIM ASH . FLORIDA TODAY . June 24, 2008Unleashing a barrage of criticism, a pair of environmental activists urgedthe Public Service Commission on Monday to deny a new power plant near theLoxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.Florida Power & Light Co. says the plant needs to be up and running by 2011to keep enough power in reserve while it replaces two 1960s-era oil andnatural gas plants in Brevard County and Riviera Beach.Brevard officials are banking on the $840 million Cape Canaveral NextGeneration Clean Energy Plant.In addition to $12 million in new tax revenues, the project would bringmuch-needed jobs at a time when NASA is retiring the shuttle and the SpaceCoast will potentially be dealing with thousands of layoffs.The company said the new generating plants will significantly reduce carbondioxide, sulfur dioxide and "particulate" emissions while raking up big fuelsavings for customers at the same time.Combined cycle technology will generate 80 percent more power with 30percent less fuel, FPL says.But Loxahatchee homeowner and environmental activist Sharon Wait called thepower plant swap a false choice.The company should clean up the old plants without adding the new one soclose to the wildlife refuge, she argued."It's your purview to protect us," Wait told commissioners in emotionaltestimony. "They've been rubber-stamped enough."She accused the company of holding regulators "hostage" with the proposal.FPL spokeswoman Patricia Davis said state law requires the new facility nearLoxahatchee, known as the West County Energy Center, because the company hasto maintain a minimum reserve capacity and it won't be able to keep pacewith demand while the two other plants are replaced. The new plants willmeet or exceed all environmental standards, she said."Because of the growth in our state, we are projecting 81,000 new customersper year in our service area for the foreseeable future," she said.One of the biggest concerns for environmentalists is the new plant'sproximity to Palm Beach Aggregates Inc. mining operations.Blasting from the mining operation could damage a natural gas pipeline thatfeeds the facility and put neighbors at risk, warned Alexandria Larson,another Loxahatchee neighbor and environmental activist."Is there any common sense blasting next to a pipeline?" she said.Company experts said the plant will be far enough away not to be disturbedby the mining operations.FPL attorney Bryan Anderson asked commissioners to accept letters fromBrevard County Commission Chairman Truman Scarborough and other localgovernments supporting the project.Anderson predicted the new plant and the conversions would ultimately savecustomers $1.2 billion in lower energy bills, mostly from lower fuel costs.The projects would reduce oil consumption by 1.2 million fewer barrels inthe first year alone, Anderson said.Emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide will be cut by 15.8 millionpounds by the new technology between 2013 and 2040, the company said.The Cape Canaveral plant emits 570 tons of particulates, 3,500 tons ofnitrous oxides and 6,600 tons of sulfur dioxide per year.The new technology will reduce all emissions combined to 400 tons per year,according to company experts.PSC staff members are expected to issue their recommendation tocommissioners by Aug. 7. A final decision could come as soon as Aug. 19. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/city_hall_protesters_target_co.htmlCity Hall protesters target Columbia River CrossingPosted by Mark Larabee, The Oregonian July 09, 2008 16:32PMCategories: Breaking NewsOutside City Hall an hour before an afternoon Portland City Council meeting,the activist group Rising Tide North America staged a bit of politicaltheater in protest of the proposed $4.2 billion Interstate 5 bridge linkingPortland and Vancouver.Protesters wore black T-shirts and ball caps that signified they were fromthe Oil Enforcement Agency, a fictitious law enforcement group. They handedout citations to passers-by that accused the City Council of things like"conspiracy to increase Portland's greenhouse gas emissions."Others dressed as petroleum worshipers prayed to a wooden oil derrick. Awoman dressed scantily in black patent leather, net stockings and thigh-highleather boots called herself "Mistress Lubricity." She said she favored thebridge because it would spur global warming. "We are for the apocalypse,"'she said as she played her role. "The I-5 bridge will melt the polar icecaps, kill salmon and destroy neighborhoods. We are for all of that."Ross William Hamilton / The OregonianProtesters from Rising Tide NorthAmerica act out against the Portland City Council's expected approval of anew bridge over the Columbia River linking Portland and Vancouver, Wash.The woman's real name is Stephanie Boston, a 25-year-old Portlander andRising Tide member who said she opposed the bridge because it goes againstPortland's progressive goal of being a the greenest city in the UnitedStates.Eventually, the fake police arrested the fake oil worshipers for "aiding andabetting urban sprawl" -- all under the watch of City Hall security guards.Brian Sloan, one of the protest organizers, said it's unfortunate thatcouncil members made their support of the bridge project clear before takingpublic testimony and he hoped they would change their mind. He said spendingbillions on a new bridge will only increase the city's dependence on oil andcontribute to foreign wars."We need $4.2 billion for public transit and for urban planning that's goingto reduce our oil consumption," he said. "The people who care about theclimate are not going to sit around when it comes to voting time. There willbe a political reckoning on this issue."For complete coverage of the council's action, read Thursday's edition ofThe Oregonian.http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=62173&provider=rssOut-of-staters arrested in Knoxville environmental protestJake Jost Updated: 8/14/2008 7:45:35 PM Posted: 8/14/2008 6:15:39 PMKnoxville Police and TVA Police have arrested a total of seven Greenpeaceprotesters for trespassing in a Thursday morning demonstration againstmanufacturer Kimberly-Clark. None of the protesters lists his or her addressin the state of Tennessee.Tennessee Valley Authority Police have taken four people into custody fortrespassing in a parking garage considered a federal facility because it isowned by TVA. Police said two of the detainees rappelled down the side ofthe garage to hang a banner. The other two detainees were picked up insidethe garage.Those four could have faced federal charges due to the jurisdiction but willinstead be charged with criminal trespassing in state court. They are28-year-old Erica S. Madrid of Washington, DC; 24-year-old Ashley B. Lauthof Riverwood, IL; 31-year-old Scott Cardiff of Washington, DC; and22-year-old Basil George Tsimoyianis of Burlington, VT.Knoxville Police received the call at 10:45 and arrested three protesters.Police said the trio had used bicycle locks to lock the doors of theKimberly-Clark building shut, then locked themselves to the door withanother bicycle lock around their necks.Each has been charged with one count of criminal trespassing. They are28-year-old Charis Lynn Stone-Racer of Asheville, NC; 23-year-old EmmaCassidy of Northport, NY; and 26-year-old Kellen Dunlap of Roundhill, VA.The Knoxville Fire Department considered filing charges of recklessendangerment or a similar charge, because the protesters had locked an exit.However, other exits were available, and the charge is not expected to bebrought.http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=74600Protestors Unhappy With Nats AdvertisingPosted By: Danielle RoynestadWASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) - Exxon Mobil reported record profits again thisquarter, making their billions from pollutants. That's why so manyenvironmental and civic groups are outraged to see the company's nameflashed around the new National's stadium in Washington, the first "green"Major League Baseball stadium.The company released its profit numbers Thursday showing revenue of $138billion and a profit of $11.68 billion for the last quarter. Both of thesefigures are actually lower than Wall Street had expected.Still, an outraged group of protestors sponsored by the Chesapeake ClimateAction Network (CCAN), lead by Mike Tidwell, are taking action against themoney-making machine during this season's home games at the park.The protestors call their campaign Strike Out Exxon at Nationals Park. Theystand at the gates to hand out literature on global warming and hold signsasking visiting fans to "boo" during the 7th inning stretch, which issponsored by the oil company.Exxon Mobil is both a producer and a refiner of oil. When prices for barrelsgo up, they are actually finding it difficult to make as much of a profit intheir refining business. This is why their profit was less than expected.While prices for barrels of oil nearly doubled these past two years, pricesof the gas they sold "only" went up by a third.At any rate, many fans are finding it very ironic that the LEED-certified(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil) ballpark is being fed money from the largest oil company out there.Alan Jeffers, a spokesman from Exxon Mobil says that the company was askedto advertise at the stadium and took it as an opportunity to show itsattention to environmental issues. A New York Times article quoted Jeffersas saying that "'Its an interesting dilemma. We get criticized for not doingenough for the environment, then get criticized when we do' run anenvironmental campaign."But protestors and other environmentalists suggest Exxon Mobil is merely"greenwashing" their reputation and not actually caring about environmentalissues.Major League Baseball wants people to know that it does care about itthough. There has been a creation of a Team Greening Program by MLBofficials and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). They plan oneducating players, owners and fans on how to live a more green lifestyle.They are also trying to make all 30 clubs more progressive in their effortson the road and at their home stadiums to be eco-friendly.Local bloggers have been commenting on this issue, from both sides of thefence. Some agree with the environmentalists that the irony of a big oilcompany being partnered with something so "green" is just too obvious toignore. Others are simply saying, hey, this is a capitalist country, theNat's just want to make money too. However, on the Nationals website's fanmessage board, it seems most fans only want to talk about how they would fixthe team's losing record.We have contacted the Nationals and they have no comment.Written by Danielle Roynestad9NEWS NOWhttp://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/172860Protest may cork plans for breweryFour neighbors and a pastor have contested the licensing of Shooting CreekFarm Brewery.By Tonia Moxley 381-1676Pour a pint and listen to the story of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery, someconcerned neighbors and the Virginia Department of Alcoholic BeverageControl.Ray Jones and Brett Nichols had hoped this summer to be luring visitors offthe nearby Blue Ridge Parkway to taste and buy their original recipe alesand stouts. But neighborhood and church opposition has put in limbo theplanned opening of Floyd County's first microbrewery.According to ABC records, four neighbors and one pastor have officiallycontested the state licensing of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery. They are DavidElliott, Jean and Paul Lacoste, Gloria Underwood and the Rev. Warren Brownof Faith Baptist Church in Check.Their objections are many. Among them are fears that more traffic willexacerbate blind spots and other problems along Thomas Farm Road, the narrowdirt thoroughfare that winds through bucolic farmland dotted with old homes.According to ABC documents, the opposition contends that the brewery will"adversely affect real property values or substantially interfere with theusual quietude and tranquility" of the area.Religious objections to alcohol also figure in, and Brown and other localBaptist ministers have gotten involved. The group has gone door-to-door totalk to other neighbors about the issue, Brown said.A recent meeting of the parties at the Floyd library brought them no closerto a compromise. They are scheduled to present their arguments again thismorning at a hearing at the ABC's regional office in Roanoke.According to their application, Jones and Nichols want to brew up to 10,000barrels of beer per year at a 1,000-square-foot facility on Nichols' organicvegetable farm off Thomas Farm Road.The company would sell and ship the hand-bottled beer for off-premisesconsumption out of a small tasting room. Under state rules, patrons of thetasting room would be limited to drinking 4 ounces each of beer on thepremises.To operate, the Shooting Creek brewery must be licensed by ABC, whichregulates and oversees production and distribution of all alcoholicbeverages in the commonwealth. The opposition is contesting Shooting Creek'sABC license."Anytime there is an objection, it immediately goes to a hearing," ABCspokeswoman Kathleen Shaw said. "We literally have seven pages of objectionsthat can disqualify a license. Each case is fully investigated."This kind of small-scale production is common practice at small breweriesand wineries across the state and is considered in many communities to be aboon to tourism and economic development. According to a 2007 study by thebrewers' advocacy group Beer Serves America, brewing and sales of maltbeverages employed about 18,000 people and contributed $2.2 billion toVirginia's economy."Wineries and breweries are an important part of Virginia's tourismproduct," Virginia Tourism Corporation spokesman Richard Lewis wrote in ane-mail.Officials in Nelson County point to Blue Mountain Brewery and Hops Farm, amicrobrewery, restaurant and farm that has stoked tourism there. In fact,artisan brewing and wine-making are part of Nelson County's overall economicdevelopment strategy."We feel that these are the type of businesses that attract a higher-endtraveler," said economic development and tourism director Maureen Corum.Microbrewery patrons are typically baby boomers, who are more likely todrink responsibly and to patronize hotels and restaurants, she said. Thesuccess of Blue Mountain brewery has also paved the way for expansion of theindustry. A new microbrewery and a single malt whisky distillery areexpected to open in Nelson Country in the coming months, Corum said.Locally, beer enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the opening of two otherstartup breweries, Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Co. and the Bull & Bones brewpub in Blacksburg. But some neighbors of Shooting Creek say they are wary ofthe concept."People drive like crazy on this road," resident Gloria Underwood said. "Andyou get a bunch that's already toured the wineries [Chateau Morrisette andVilla Appalaccia] and then they come over here, and it's going to be a mess."We don't need no more drunks out there. And they can't tell me they can'tget drunk," she said."It's the kind of traffic they really don't want in their area -- quitepossibly inebriated," said Brown, the pastor."We see the other end of this thing," Brown said. "I see the ... dads injail when they've messed up their life because they were drunk one night.Unfortunately, Shooting Creek is really not interested in what the peoplearound there want."Brown also said he believes the brewery owners failed to follow all thestate's notification rules, including posting notice of the licenseapplication at the brewery and running ads in a local newspaper.Responding to the critics, Jones said: "We completely understand theconcerns of the neighbors. We live in the neighborhood. We don't want drunkdriving."Besides, the brewery's ABC license would prohibit them from serving beer tointoxicated customers, Jones pointed out."We could lose our license if we did that," he said.Jones admitted a small clerical error on some paperwork but said thepartners have followed the state's notification rules.Both parties have engaged legal representation for today's hearing, which isopen to the public.http://www.nbc30.com/news/17167377/detail.html?rss=har&psp=newsProtesters Expected At Waterbury Power Plant HearingLast Requirement To Build Is Air Quality PermitPOSTED: 9:36 am EDT August 12, 2008UPDATED: 1:53 pm EDT August 12, 2008WATERBURY, Conn. -- Protesters of a power plant planned for Waterbury areexpected to attend the final public hearing on the plan Tuesday night.Protesters Expected At Waterbury Power Plant HearingThe city has signed off on the plan. The last step needed before FirstLightcan build the plant in the city's South End is an air quality permit fromthe Department of Environmental Protection.Protestors attended last month's hearing and are expected at this hearingand hope to impact the DEP's decision.Opponents said they are concerned about chemicals at the site, traffic andabout their health.The company said it believes that the record shows the plant will not havean adverse impact on public health.The proposed $120 million plant would be used on peak days, perhaps 200 to300 hours per year and would primarily burn natural gas.The city's mayor supports the plan, while alderman Arthur Denze said he doesnot."I'm not against development. I'd like clean development, smart development;it needs to bring jobs," Denze said. For the last seven years, the city hashad a higher rate of unemployment than other areas of the state, he said.FirstLight officials said they hope to break ground on the plant Sept. 1 andbe up and running by next summer.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008100292_webingraham08m.html?syndication=rssFriday, August 8, 2008 - Page updated at 12:52 PME-mail article Print view Share: Digg NewsvineGroup protests school district's plans to cut down trees at IngrahamA dozen people who live near Ingraham in north Seattle gathered outside thefence today to protest plans by the Seattle school district to cut down morethan 90 trees, many of them decades-old.By Susan GilmoreSeattle Times staff reporterVicky Prestrud carefully taped pictures of a dozen birds on the chain-linkfence surrounding a small forest at Ingraham High School.These are the birds, owls, chickadees and woodpeckers that spend time in agrove of trees at the school slated to be cut down, Prestrud said."I live next door to the school," she said. "I've seen all these birds in myyard or the school yard.A dozen people who live near Ingraham in north Seattle gathered outside thefence today to protest plans by the Seattle school district to cut down morethan 90 trees, many of them decades-old.Supporters said the trees are 25-years older than the high school itself.The protesters, part of Save Our Trees, say they may go to court to blockthe school district's plans and, if the trees are cut down, will launch arecall petition of Seattle School Board members who supported the Ingrahamplan.The district wants to cut down the trees as part of a $24 million renovationproject authorized by voters last year.Residents argue the trees provide a welcome buffer between their homes andthe high school. "This is a terrible example for the students of the city,"said Steve Zemke, a spokesman for Save Our Trees. "The school district isplaying the role of a schoolyard bully."The school district plans to cut down nearly 70 trees, primarily evergreens,from a stand of 133. The district also plans to cut down 30 more treesdeemed to be diseased. It wants to remove portable classrooms and replacethem with an addition to the school.The district plans to remove the trees next Friday and Saturday, whilestudents are not at the school.The school district asserts, in a letter to neighbor's of the high school,that it has already passed the environmental hurdles necessary to remove thetrees, including a city examiner's determination that the tree cutting didnot require a full environmental study and the trees could be cut down.But that doesn't satisfy the residents, who question why the addition can'tbe built on a vacant piece of land at the north end of the school withoutcutting down the trees.The district sent letters to the neighbors this week telling them that theyplan to plant three trees for every one removed.The district also withdrew its pending application for a master-use permitfor the school addition which means it can remove the trees now."As long as these applications are not pending, no city permits are requiredfor removal of the trees, as none of those trees constitute "exceptionaltrees" under city codes," wrote school official Fred Stephens this week. Hesaid the permit will be resubmitted this fall.By then, the residents fret, the trees will be gone.Zemke said that the decision by the district to withdraw the permitapplication is a way to get around the tree-removal dispute, but the groupstill plans to appeal. The appeal must be filed by Aug. 14.http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/west/epaper/2008/08/24/0824fplprotest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=73FPL protesters returning to site of clash with deputiesClick-2-ListenBy PAUL QUINLANPalm Beach Post Staff WriterSunday, August 24, 2008They're back.Seven months after protesters formed a human chain that blocked theconstruction entrance of Florida Power & Light Co.'s West County EnergyCenter, triggering a clash with sheriff's deputies and 27 arrests, acoalition of environmental activists has announced its encore: a secondprotest at the same site.But the protest planned for Oct. 20 will be different, organizers promise."Legal and family-friendly," the group pledges in an e-mail announcement.Authorities are skeptical. "That's what they said last time," Sheriff RicBradshaw said Friday.The group - which includes some of same players organized under a new name,the Everglades Environmental Coalition - faces increased scrutiny from lawenforcement at a time when they are stepping up efforts to halt constructionof FPL's new gas-powered plant.Early next week, the group's attorney, Barry Silver said, he plans to filean amended federal lawsuit that alleges the plant underwent a slipshodenvironmental permit review and violates the federal Clean Air and WaterActs. The suit, first filed in May, also asserts that the project shouldhalt because it is being built on land that figured into a corruptionscandal that jailed two former county commissioners.The group will seek an injunction to halt construction until the suit goesto trial, Silver said."We're thoroughly convinced that once the general public knows what's goingon and knows the facts, they will join our efforts to pull the plug," saidSilver.Legal troubles have dogged the group.At a May press conference where Silver and Peter "Panagioti" Tsolkas,co-chairman of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition and aself-described anarchist, announced the suit, U.S. Marshals showed up,warrant in hand and led Tsolkas away in handcuffs. That Martin Countywarrant, a week old at the time, stemmed from a trespassing charge againstTsolkas, who said he had been photographing construction of the gaspipelines meant to feed the plant.FPL says the West County Energy Center now under construction will beenergy-efficient and low on pollution. The company estimates it will provide$273 million in fuel cost savings to customers in the first two years.But the coalition has dubbed the plant a "Molotov Cocktail" of environmentalrisks, noting that it will belch 12.3 million tons of carbon dioxide andconsume 6.5 billion gallons of water each year to feed growth in the ruralwestern areas.That makes the plant unnecessary encroachment on land that was once part ofthe Everglades, the group argues. Although gas is cleaner than coal, whichhas allayed concerns of some environmental groups, the coalition says thehigh-pressure gas pipelines pose a dangerous threat.At the February protest, armored sheriff's deputies arrested 27 protesters,some of whom used tubes and duct tape to link their arms and then lay in aring at the entrance to the rock mining company Palm Beach Aggregates, offSouthern Boulevard near 20-Mile Bend. The protest blocked trucks attemptingto enter the site and stalled traffic through much of Wellington.Sheriff Bradshaw said deputies would be present on Oct. 20 to monitor theprotest and ensure they remain cordoned off from the roadway."We're going to provide them with a safe environment to do their protest andtheir march," Bradshaw said. "Safely do what you're going to do, and don'tdisrupt the public's right to use the roadway."Silver says the group is trying to broaden its base of support and gatherthe largest crowd possible. Thus, there are no plans to break the law. Atleast this time, he said."The intent now is to try and do nothing in violation of the law or anycivil disobedience," said Silver. "There are other events where that mighthappen, but not for this particular event."http://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=8874604Protestors in Oak Hill speak outAUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- Some residents want city council members to rejectthe future land use plan that city staff members have drafted. Residentssaid it will cause environmental harm as it stands now.Neighborhood leaders said the plan would create massive development in theOak Hill area and more specifically in the Barton Springs Watershed. Theyare now asking city council to come up with a new plan that incorporatesprotections for neighborhoods and the environment, such as height limits andother measures."I'm not against development nor are any of us against bringing someammenities in at the major intersections," said Karon Rilling, an Oak HillResident. "What we're asking is that we don't Houstonize or Dallasize theroadways at 290 and 71."Austin City Council will consider this issue at their meeting Thursday.http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/18/11063/Published on Monday, August 18, 2008 by the Los Angeles TimesForever 21 Development on South Central Farm Site Protestedby David ZahniserLOS ANGELES - Two years after it was bulldozed, the 14-acre Los Angelescommunity garden known as the South Central Farm is being developed for aclothing chain with strong ties to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.Forever 21, one of the city's fastest-growing women's apparel businesses,wants to operate a warehouse and distribution center on the site owned byreal estate developer Ralph Horowitz.Supporters of the garden - still angry that Horowitz tore it up despitesupport from such Hollywood luminaries as Daryl Hannah and Danny Glover -have been trying for weeks to kill the proposed project by demanding morerigorous environmental review.Villaraigosa, who championed the farm's preservation two years ago, isstaying out of the latest fight.He has received nearly $1.3 million in contributions and commitments fromForever 21 and its executives over the past two years for initiativesranging from tree plantings to his own reelection campaign.That relationship troubles the activist known as Tezozomoc, who has usednoisy protests and persistent lobbying to try to protect the land fromdevelopment. Tezozomoc called Villaraigosa's relationship with Forever 21"distressing for the community" and voiced doubts about the sincerity of themayor's effort to save the farm two years ago.Villaraigosa spokesman Matt Szabo said that the mayor did "absolutelyeverything he could" to save the farm in 2006, but that Horowitz wasunwilling to make a deal. Szabo said the mayor has no opinion on the levelof environmental review needed for the proposed Forever 21 project."It's being treated like every other proposed project in the city," he said.The proposal for Forever 21 is the latest event in a 22-year political sagaover a site once filled with cactus, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Theeffort to preserve it drew worldwide attention two years ago, attractingcelebrities such as folk singer Joan Baez and serving as the subject of adocumentary film.The development proposal for the farm site could force Villaraigosa tochoose between environmental activists willing to stage protests outside hishome and office, and a business that has a huge effect on the region'seconomy.Forever 21 Senior Vice President Christopher Lee has said the site at 41stand Alameda streets is critical to the expansion of his business, which hasbeen doubling each year.If Forever 21 doesn't find a large expanse of land soon, it could leave LosAngeles - taking important manufacturing jobs with it."That's going to be really detrimental to Los Angeles because we pump inhundreds of millions of dollars here," said Lee, who was recently appointedby the mayor to the city's Industrial Development Authority.Lee and Forever 21 founder Don Chang were two of several business leaderswho accompanied Villaraigosa on his trade mission to Asia in 2006. Sixmonths later, Forever 21 gave $100,000 to Villaraigosa's successful campaignto elect three new school board members. In recent months, the companyagreed to give $1 million to Villaraigosa's Million Trees L.A. initiative,which encourages residents to plant more trees.The company also gave $150,000 to Villaraigosa's staging of the annual U.S.Conference of Mayors meeting in Century City last year, a donation sosignificant that Lee was given a speaking role at the event's closingreception at the Griffith Park Observatory.Tezozomoc said that such contributions make it difficult for Villaraigosa todeal fairly with the former farm site.Szabo, on the other hand, said the mayor has "an absolute obligation" to askbusinesses such as Forever 21 to contribute to such causes as a recentcommunity cleanup on the Westside."I mean, we're talking about planting trees and donating T-shirts for kids,"Szabo said.Supporters of the proposed development say a distribution center wouldcreate much-needed jobs in South Los Angeles. Foes say the neighborhood,which sits near the freight route known as the Alameda Corridor, does notneed more warehouses.A city zoning officer is expected to decide this month whether to require anenvironmental impact report on the proposed distribution center, whichprobably would add a year to the approval process.Opponents have forwarded hundreds of e-mails to the city's planningdepartment, saying the 2,400 daily truck trips expected to be generated bythe project merit a lengthier review."At this point, there is no way any diesel-truck, industrial warehouse isgoing to do any good in that community," said Leslie Radford, spokeswomanfor the South Central Farm support committee.Radford contends the project would add to the neighborhood's air pollutionand create "dead-end jobs."But Faye Washington, executive director of the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles,said she was impressed with the wages the company would pay. Her YWCA's JobCorps program is negotiating with Forever 21 to try to make sure it wouldhire local residents.And City Councilwoman Jan Perry, a longtime supporter of Horowitz's project,argued that Villaraigosa's clean truck program would significantly limit theemissions created by the distribution center, making it less harmful to airquality than it would have been earlier.Perry said most of the trucks driving to the Forever 21 facility would comefrom the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where trucks will be requiredto have cleaner-burning engines - the kind built in 2007 or later - over thenext 3 1/2 years.The fight over the 14-acre site dates back to 1986, when city officials usedthe power of eminent domain to force Horowitz to sell his land so a cityincinerator could be built there. That plan was abandoned amid communityprotests, and in the wake of the 1992 riots, the land was converted into acommunity garden overseen by the Los Angeles Food Bank across the street.Nearby low-income residents, many of them Spanish-speaking immigrants fromMexico and Central America, carved the site into tiny plots filled withvegetables, herbs and flowers. But with the incinerator plan scrapped,Horowitz sued the city, buying back the land in a settlement.By then, the farm had become one of the largest community gardens in theregion - and a symbol of the city's need for more urban farming, saidOccidental College professor Robert Gottlieb, who heads the Urban andEnvironmental Policy Institute, a research and advocacy group dealing withfood and social justice."What made [the farm] so interesting was it was becoming a community space,"he added. "It wasn't just a series of plots of individual gardeners. Ithosted events; it had festivals. It was a place where families came."Despite last-minute efforts by Villaraigosa to have a nonprofit groupacquire the land, Horowitz had the garden demolished and its gardenersremoved in 2006. It was a media spectacle: Protesters and police squared offas helicopters hovered overhead.After two years of relative calm, Horowitz and the farmers are battlingagain. Horowitz took his development plan for the site to a public hearinglast month. Activists, some carrying baskets filled with fresh fruit,testified against it.http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/hike_set_to_protest_proposed_l_1.htmlHike set to protest proposed LNG pipelinePosted by Ted Sickinger, The Oregonian May 23, 2008 15:35PMA group of activists that watchdogs issues in Mount Hood forests isorganizing a 40-mile hike along the route of a proposed liquefied naturalgas pipeline that Northwest Natural Gas Co. and TransCanada Corp. hope tobuild through the forest.The group contends the pipeline route, which crosses over steep slopes andmany streams, will require miles of new road-building and pose a threat tothe region's water supply. A group of "groundtruthers" will be surveying the40-mile section of pipeline route that runs through the Mount Hood forests.Bark, the activist group, also is inviting the public to attend the weekendof June 14-15. Click here for more information.-- Ted Sickinger,
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