Not exactly Worldchanging, but should be noted: Last week, six Greenpeace activists were charged with multiple state and federal felonies following a direct action. The activists scaled a Pennsylvania smokestack to hang a banner reading "The Bush Energy Plan Kills – Clean Energy Now!” Charges include burglary, rioting, and interfering with the function of a power plant.

They are very lucky they didnt try that near where I used to live. The plant was in an area where the property owner had the right to shoot tresspassers and DID. All of em would be missing a hinnie right now as well as being in jail.

Posted by: wintermane on June 27, 2004 3:49 PM

The property owner? Not owned by a utility company of some sort?

Posted by: Emily Gertz on June 27, 2004 7:23 PM

Duno how ownership worked out wasnt very old at the time just remember it being in the paper.

Posted by: wintermane on June 27, 2004 11:45 PM

The elements of the bigger picture here (which I didn't hammer home in my post, I realize) are that a) environmental activists engaging in previously protected political speech have been charged with felonies, b) that this comes not too long after the Justice Department's indictment of Greenpeace under the 19th century "sailormongering" law was thrown out in federal court, and c) that the air pollution policy they were protesting really is likely to injure and kill thousands of people, while cutting costs for industry.

Posted by: Emily Gertz on June 28, 2004 6:41 AM

OK, this is not the greatest tactic, but that is one hell of a dirty power plant. Additionally, there are some serious concerns about how they're handling their flyash just upstream of a municipal water intake. Greene County is awash in mental retardation and cancer, but since they can't afford a county health department, statistics are hard to come by.

Hatfield's Ferry needs to scrub up or shut down, and perhaps this attention-grabber will wake people up to that fact.

Oh and, this is Allegheny Energy's plant, btw. They're nearly out of business as it is. And rightly so.

Posted by: praktike on June 28, 2004 8:09 AM