In South Carolina, Protests of Dirty Energy and Recognition for Clean Alternatives

Four people were arrested this morning in Greenville, SC after they tried to stop the movement of a 1.5-million pound generator bound for Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal plant in Rutherford County, NC. They will be charged with disorderly conduct and will be arraigned this afternoon.

An environmental group called Rising Tide North America helped organize the protest and put out a press release that read, in part, “The controversial Cliffside coal plant would emit over 6 million tons of carbon dioxide ever year in addition to toxic levels of heavy metals such as mercury, greatly exacerbating global warming and our abysmal air quality… There are currently 43 coal plants proposed or under construction in the US, though over 100 others have been canceled due to widespread protests.”

Coincidentally, today Greenville is also the destination for Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who is recognizing South Carolina’s clean energy progress. Chu plans to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a biomass generation plant at the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site in Aiken and then continue to Greenville for a tour of General Electric’s turbine plant.

- Suzanne Bopp

Related posts:

1. Dirty Air Act Vote Tests Senate’s Direction on Climate, Clean Energy
2. Eleven North Carolina Coal Plants to Close
3. One More Down; South Dakota Coal Plant Cancelled
4. Dirty Decision Makers Ignoring Clean Solutions, Climate Action Hotline 5.9.11
5. Mountaintop Removal Protests at EPA Offices in D.C. and Several States