From Pam Richart
On Monday, August 16, Faith in Place Action Fund, Eco-Justice Collaborative, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Prairie Group of the Sierra Club organized and held a rally outside Senator Scott Bennett’s Champaign office. The purpose of the rally was to urge Bennett to vote for the Governor’s bill, which closes the Prairie State coal plant in southwestern Illinois. This coal plant is the largest emitter of carbon pollution in Illinois and the 7th largest emitter of CO2 in the country. The sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides it emits are responsible for 76 premature deaths each year. That’s more than one death EVERY WEEK!
About 75 people attended the rally which featured speakers who emphasized the importance of closing this major polluter. Many thanks to Rev. Florence Caplow and all from UUCUC who participated! We taped pink, “While You Were Out” slips on the senator’s door – all marked “urgent” – explaining we had come to ask him to vote for a climate bill that closes Prairie State.
CODE RED
This rally comes on the heels of the IPCC’s CODE RED alert to humanity. We know unprecedented and irreversible impacts to planet earth already are underway. But the IPCC says we can prevent the worst of the impacts from climate change by acting now to slash fossil fuel emissions.
Please Call Senator Bennett
It’s time for Illinois to do its part! The senate reconvenes at the end of the month, and they will be voting on a climate and energy bill. Please take a moment to call Senator Bennett and let him know you want him to support a bill that closes the Prairie State coal plant. Ask him why he thinks keeping the 1,000 jobs at this plant and associated coal mine is more important than preserving our climate. The Governor’s bill includes funding for transitioning fossil fuel workers; creates thousands of green jobs; and breaks down the barriers that have kept Black and Brown people out of energy jobs, and prevented minority contractors from entering the clean energy economy. Senator Bennett can be reached at 217.355.5252.
For more information on how you can get involved, contact Pam Richart at prichart@ecojusticecollaborative.org.