Stop All Bailouts of BP Rally in Pgh Tomorrow!

WHERE: Mellon Square (the corner of William Penn Place and 6th St., Downtown) 529 - 540 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Map)

WHEN: Wednesday, June 9th, 12:00 PM

WHAT: "Join MoveOn and PennEnvironment in calling on Congress to stop all bailouts of BP and Big Oil with taxpayer money. That means BP, not taxpayers, need to pay every penny to clean up their disaster in the Gulf. In addition, Congress is considering another gift to Big Oil at the public's expense this week by voting to further delaying action on global warming at Big Oil's request. A new report will show that this will cost Pennsylvanians money at the gas pump and increase our dependence on oil, all for the sake of Big Oil's profit margin. We'll also call on Congress to support strong campaign finance and ethics reforms -- so that Congress starts working for the 98% of us who aren't represented by DC lobbyists."

RSVP: Here

Facebook Page: Here

Battling Polluting Waste Coal Plants In Western Pennsylvania

Politicians at the state and local level in Pennsylvania believe the residents should roll over and play dead when companies push for waste coal power plants. Some politicians take it for granted that we already have. However, waste coal power plants increase the amount of fly ash and other particulates in the air and the amount of mercury and arsenic the water. We, the people, must care about what happens to the environment, to the air we breathe and the water we drink. People living in Pennsylvania need to paraphrase John Paul Jones and need to constantly remind our elected and appointed officials:

We Have Not Begun to Fight:

Battling Polluting Waste Coal Plants In Western Pennsylvania

Many years of mining in Pennsylvania created large areas of waste coal, called gob piles. This is the Beech Hollow gob pile, just outside of McDonald, as seen from the western side (photo taken winter 2008):



Here's what the Beech Hollow gob pile looks like from space, courtesy of Google Earth (photo taken late summer 2005):




The large glob of gray to the west of 980 (Robinson Highway) is the largest gob pile east of the Mississippi. It's in our backyard. Granted, it's an ugly mess, but in its current state, it isn't adding to the particulate problem in Southwestern Pennsylvania. However, if you live in places like North Fayette Towship, Oakdale, Carnegie, and Mount Lebanon, you live downwind of a proposed coal waste power plant for Beech Hollow, that will make electricity from the waste coal in this gob pile while spewing fly ash into the air.

For many years, Pittsburgh has been at or near the top of cities with the most particulate-polluted air. Yet our local politicians are giving permission for a waste coal power plant to be built just west of the area? This type of plant will only make a bad air quality situation worse, as anyone with asthma or other lung problems in our region already knows.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area, especially in the western and southern suburbs, you should be mad as hell and let your local officials know that you aren't going to take it.

To learn more about this proposed waste coal power plant, attend a public meeting in Mount Lebanon on Thursday, August 27, 7:30pm, Mt. Lebanon Library

Earth Hour Today!

This year, the world's first global election is taking place, an election between earth and global warming. It's not about what country you are from, but what planet you are from. Your light switch is your vote. We need one billion votes for earth, because our planet is worth saving. Vote Earth by simply switching off your lights for one hour and join the world for Earth Hour.

Today, March 28th, 8:30-9:30pm

More at http://www.earthhour.org

And, locally from Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto:

Pittsburgh Shuts Off the Lights

Pittsburgh Joins International Effort to Combat Global Warming

PITTSBURGH – Under the leadership of Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto, the City of Pittsburgh will join millions of people around the world tonight in an international effort to combat global warming, “Earth Hour.”

In 2007, the first Earth Hour occurred in Sydney with 2.2 million people turning off their lights in a show of support for efforts to fight global warming. Last year, 50 million people joined the effort and lights were shut off at the Golden Gate Bridge, the Colosseum in Rome, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square.

This year, Councilman Peduto worked with leaders across the community to have Pittsburgh play a key role in this important show of support. A coalition of education, business, labor and community groups have joined together to show Pittsburgh’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. The following organizations have agreed to participate by turning off lights in their buildings, turning off signs atop downtown skyscrapers, and sending letters home to employees, board members, and students.

Chatham University Carlow University University of Pittsburgh Carnegie Mellon University University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Mercy Hospital PNC Bank BNY Mellon

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council United Steelworkers of America The Falk School The Environmental Charter School ePittsburgh Parks Conservancy Group Against Smog and Pollution Carnegie Science Center The City of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s participation in Earth Hour has been a community wide effort,” said Councilman Peduto. “I am proud of the many individuals who have taken a leadership role at the local level in promoting this global initiative.”

What: Earth Hour
When: Saturday, March 28, 2009 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM

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