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Greenpeace Versus Coal [UPDATED]

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 25, 2011 1:10PM

By now most of you may have seen photos from Greenpeace of the demonstration they conducted at the Fisk Generating plant yesterday, where eight activists scaled the smokestack at the coal-fired Pilsen electric plant, started painting "Quit Coal" in canary yellow on it and hanging banners from the catwalks that echoed the sentiment. That was only the beginning of Greenpeace's protests against coal yesterday, which was timed to coincide with an EPA public hearing on increased pollution controls from coal-burning plants.

An e-mail sent out from Greenpeace yesterday urged people to call Mayor Emanuel's office and leave a message asking Emanuel to hold Fisk owner Midwest Generation accountable for pollution from the plant and to do more about getting Chicago off coal than talking about it.

Eight other activists were arrested yesterday after they rappelled from the Pulaski Street bridge in order to obstruct a coal barge from making its way downriver.

As for the activists on the smokestack, they said that they're staying put. Don't worry; they brought rain gear, CLIF bars and creative ways to pee.

UPDATE 8:45 a.m.: The activists on the Fisk smokestack just came down and were promptly arrested. Group spokeswoman Molly Dorozenski said they ended their protest due to a combination of the bad weather and "feeling we've got the message out." (maybe the weather, moreso.)