Chicago Quits Coal!!!!

I am proud to announce that the Beyond Coal movement is winning: as of today, the 100^th coal plant since 2010 -- Portland coal plant in Mt. Bethel, PA -- has announced plans for retirement! Not only that, but our efforts have led to the equivalent of 11 million homes powered throughout the nation by clean energy!   


Yesterday was a big day for clean air. For nearly 100 years, Edison International’s Fisk and Crawford coal plants have loomed over the City of Chicago, fueling climate change, exposing families to dangerous levels of chemicals and polluting the air.

But the people of Chicago fought back-- and won. That’s right, the city of Chicago has quit coal!

For over ten years, community members in Chicago have been standing up to Edison International and demanding their right to clean air and a safe climate. With your help, they achieved an historic victory today - the Fisk coal plant in Pilsen will shut down in 2012 and the Crawford coal plant in Little Village will shut down by 2014.

And as if we didn’t already have enough to be excited about with the victory in Chicago, we had ANOTHER victory for the people of Pennsylvania and Ohio. GenOn announced that they will close seven coal plants including the Portland, PA plant which was responsible for over 500 asthma attacks and 54 heart attacks.

You have a lot to be proud of.

These victories are not only for the people of Chicago, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, but for local activists all over the country who are working to shut down dirty coal plants in their communities.

The Resistance!!!

CHICAGO—The offshoot here of the anti-Wall Street protests in New York ran up against police resistance Wednesday and protesters dismantled their base outside this city's Federal Reserve Bank, but they vowed to maintain their presence on the corner indefinitely.

Occupy Chicago has been one of the largest spinoffs of the 19-day-old "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which stands against "greed and corruption" by the wealthiest 1% of the population.


Around the clock for nearly two weeks, dozens and sometimes hundreds of protesters have occupied a bustling corner here outside the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and the Chicago Board of Trade, building.


"We're here for justice — our sign says it all, and our sign says, 'Stop government crimes,'" said Chris Fogarty, as he stood with his wife, Mary O'Sullivan, on LaSalle Street. "And the other side says, 'Restore our laws.'"