Thursday 3rd April: Today members of Bristol Rising Tide, a group of climate activists [1], are participating in an action that has stopped normal work at Wale’s biggest polluter, Aberthaw Power Station in the Vale of Glamorgan. The power station, also condemned by workers for its poor safety record, last year pumped out more than 7.4million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide), the major contributor to climate change.

It also emitted 28,000 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide and 31,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide – two chemicals that contribute to acid rain. This action comes after the successful closure by activists of Ffos-y-Fran open cast mine in Merthyr Tydfil, on Tuesday 1st April. Ffos-y-Fran is the biggest mine in Europe and has been forced upon the people of Merthyr Tydfil in-order to fuel the dirtiest of all power stations and big business’s greed for profit.

As the world acknowledges the need for a substantial reduction in carbon emissions the government and the Welsh Assembly have given their backing for the mining company Miller-Argent to spend upwards of 17 years extracting 11 million tons of coal from the nearby Ffos-y-Fran open cast mine in Merthyr Tydfil to continue feeding this power station.

As fossil fuels go coal is a serious contender for the dirtiest known. But despite the fact that coal-burning generators produce twice the carbon emissions of gas burners [2], the government intends to build £20 billion worth of new coal-burning generators by 2020. Gordon James, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, described the power station as a “dirty dinosaur” that should not be allowed to stay open in its present form. But RWENPower, the generating company that runs Aberthaw, said, “It is true Aberthaw Power Station is a large emitter of CO2 and that there are other emissions involved in power generation.”

Bristol Rising Tide believes that it is crucial to highlight the concerns and issues surrounding the development of Aberthaw and the proposed new investments into Coal powered generators such as Kingsnorth power station in Kent. The site of the next Camp for Climate Action. Ciara, a member of Bristol Rising Tide states: “The burning of coal at Aberthaw and the new power stations across the UK such as Kingsnorth will only exacerbate the problems of climate chaos. People need to know that the government is hell bent on returning us to the dark age of fossil fuel.”

bristol@risingtide.org.uk

http://risingtide.org.uk/bristol

25 Billionaires for Dirty Energy Blockade Citibank Headquarters; 2 Arrested

In Celebration of Fossil Fools Day – Citi takes heat for coal financing

New York, NY – At 12:30pm today over 25 Billionaires for Dirty Energy blockaded the main entrance of Citibank’s Upper East Side headquarters, 2 were arrested by NYPD after chaining themselves to the front doors. NYPD officers eventually had to cut through their chains.

Dressed in tuxedos and top hats, Billionaires are demanding Citibank shift their large-scale investments in coal-fired power plants due to coal’s increasing investment risk. “Coal has lost its appeal as a predictable investment; it is fraught with uncertainty” said Billionaire, Lauren Valle, prior to being arrested by NYPD. “Bottom-line, CITI is mortgaging our future and compromising their own long-term competitiveness.”

Billionaires held large signs reading: “Coal=Too Risky, Citi We Want our Money Back.”

“Climate change will be a major investment theme of the future” said Scott Parkin of Rainforest Action Network. “You don’t have to care what global warming will do to the climate to make a bucket load of money by preparing.” Other notable billionaires that have turned to clean energy for their investment potential include, CEO of GE Jeffrey R. Immelt, Walmart CEO H. Lee Scott, and maverick oilman Boone Pickens.

By all accounts coal is becoming an increasingly risky investment. In the last three months alone, the federal government indefinitely suspended a loan program for new coal-fired power plants in rural areas because of uncertainty about climate change and soaring construction costs. The decision came shortly after three major Wall Street investment banks, including Citi, announced new rules requiring utilities to show that coal-plant proposals factor in the cost of future carbon regulation. In addition, the federal government yanked funding from their expensive, fantastical FutureGen plant.In conjunction with today’s Citi event, Fossil Fools Day activities are happening from North Dakota to New Zealand. There are over 100 actions planned including Fossil Fool award deliveries to some of the most damaging CEOs and politicians, green job rallies, protests and civil disobedience at power plants, energy companies, and banks. Actions aim to express opposition to dirty energy and show support for climate justice and corporate responsibility. Fossil Fools Day is being organized by the Energy Action Coalition and a number of international allies including the International Rising Tide Network, Rainforest Action Network, and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition.For more information visit, www.dirtymoney.org

CONTACTS:
Nell Greenberg, 510.847.9777
Sam Haswell, 415.659.0519

We’re actively looking for donations to get people out of jail!

Shortly after activists locked themselves to construction equipment, police arrived on the scene and used pain compliance holds and tazers to force them to unlock themselves.

The act of civil disobedience is one of over 100 protests taking place around the world on what climate activists are calling Fossil Fools Day, a confrontational day of protest targeting companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions. The day of action was organized by the international Rising Tide network and its allies to demand an end to the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and a just, rapid transition to sustainable ways of living. In Nottingham, UK, climate activists blockaded the offices of E-on, a company trying to build a new generation of coal-fired power stations, while another group in Wales halted work at one of the biggest opencast coal mines in Europe.

The new Cliffside plant is currently in legal limbo for being in violation of the Clean Air Act. While Duke CEO Jim Rogers publicly paints Duke as a “green” energy company, he has refused to install the best available pollution controls on the new coal plant, as is required by federal law. The plant would pump 6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually in addition to toxic heavy metals such as mercury.

“The Fossil Fools in government and industry are playing games with our future: the time for lip service and half-measures is over. Direct actions like this one are necessary to stop people like Jim Rogers, who watch the planet burn while counting the money they make from the fire.” said Charlotte resident Jane Calhoun.

Climate change warning signs abound: countless plant and animal species are being pushed to the brink of extinction by warming temperatures; low-lying islands are evacuating due to rising sea levels; droughts, tornados, and floods are on the increase. “Climate change is the greatest threat humans have ever faced. We should be tearing down coal plants, not building new ones,” said Clare Jones of Asheville Rising Tide.

Public opposition to the Cliffside plant, including lawsuits, public protests and acts of civil disobedience, has been growing steadily. “Jim Rogers won’t have to live with the consequences of global warming. Our generation will. We aren’t going anywhere until this plant is canceled!” said Calhoun. A rally this Saturday in Charlotte is expected to draw hundreds of demonstrators.

This action was organized by Asheville Rising Tide and Earth First!

Contact:
On-site: Liz Veazey, Southeast Climate Convergence (919)619-5964
Off-site: Abigail Singer, Asheville Rising Tide (828)280-3462

Update: Four arrests in Boston, some lock boxes were cut, but others were loaded into the police wagon still locked to each other.

Please support legal costs for this action!

The April Fools prank took place as part of the Fossil Fools Day of Action, in coordination with over 100 rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience around the world. These actions are intended to challenge and disrupt the fossil fuels industry, which scientists say is primarily responsible for global warming.

Bank of America has lent over $144 billion to companies like Massey Energy, Arch Coal, and Peabody Energy, who are infamous for their human rights violations, strip mining, and mountaintop removal coal mining. The demonstrators are demanding that Bank of America stop providing funding for coal companies engaged in all forms of surface mining and cancel all loans to new fossil fuel burning power plants.

“Without the financial support of large banks like Bank of America, the fossil fuels industry could not continue destroying the earth and our communities,” said Elise Ansel, who locked her arms to other activists in order to prevent the bank from doing business as usual.

Coal-burning power plants are responsible for 40% of U.S. greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and are a leading cause of asthma and lung cancer, causing over 24,000 premature deaths a year. “It’s not just an environmental issue. The people who are most affected by the coal industry are already disadvantaged by this economic system,” said Laila Murad of Brighton, who also locked down to the bank, “Coal plants are often built in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, and the coal is most often mined in poor areas and on indigenous land. Coal mining is just another chapter in a long and bloody story of colonialism and injustice.”

The Fossil Fools Day of Action was called for by Rising Tide North America, Rainforest Action Network, and the Energy Action Coalition. More information on the actions taking place around the world is available at www.fossilfoolsday.org.

Boston Fossil Fools Day Media Contact:

Colleen Cronin
781-308-2458 / bostonfossilfools@gmail.com

National Fossil Fools Day Media Contact:

Monica Vaughan, Rising Tide North America
541-521-1832 / fossilfools@risingtidenorthamerica.org

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Earth First! UK activists today blockaded the UK’s largest off shore gas terminal at Bacton in Norfolk. 40% of the UK’s domestic gas comes ashore here, is processed and distributed by pipeline. Activists blockaded the main road outside the site at 6.30 am this morning, preventing construction workers and shift workers from arriving.

Environmental activists have today disrupted work at a major North Sea gas installation as part of the Fossil Fools Day international day of action on climate change.

At 6.30am, around 25 activists from Earth First! UK peacefully blockaded the North Sea gas installation at Bacton on the North Norfolk Coast. The Bacton installation, operated primarily by petroleum giants Royal Dutch Shell & ExxonMobil, includes a gas-fired power station, processing plant and distribution point for domestic gas. Shell estimates that over one third of domestic UK gas comes ashore at Bacton. The protest is also in solidarity with protestors at Rossport in Ireland, who have been trying to prevent a similar installation being built in their community.

Catherine Lewis, one of the activists at the Bacton blockade, said: “The fossil fuel industry is the single biggest driver of climate change, and gas is no exception. Switching from one fossil fuel to another is not a solution to climate change – the only real solution is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.” Banners proclaiming “Shrink of Sink” were stretched across the road, giving the message that we need to shrink our economy and consumption to cut carbon emmissions.

norfolk@earthfirst.org.uk

Several groups of protesters have chained themselves to large excavation machinery, while another group has blockaded one of the main entrances to the site. The protest at the Ffos-y-Fran site highlights the hypocrisy of a government that claims to be taking climate change seriously, while approving new coal mines and coal-fired power stations.

Coal has the biggest impact on climate change of any fuel – despite opposition from the world’s leading scientists, the Government is supporting an outdated and dangerous technology that has no future.

Merthyr residents have opposed the scheme for many years. The mine comes within 36 metres of local homes – in England and Scotland, the scheme would have been rejected due to legislation requiring a 500 metre buffer zone between opencast mines and residential areas.

The action coincides with Fossil Fools Day, an international day of climate change protest.

More details and live updates from the site are available on http://www.thecoalhole.org Email: media@thecoalhole.org Tel: 07876753254 or 07775654500

http://www.thecoalhole.org EDITOR’S NOTES Ffos-y-Fran Ffos-y-Fran (pronounced forss-uh-vran) will be one of the largest coal mines in the history of Wales. Objections by local residents to the project have meant a delay of almost two decades from project proposal to the granting of planning permission. Local residents live as close as 36 metres from the mine.No compensation or re-location has been offered to those affected by the scheme.

The mine is operated by Miller Argent Ltd – a joint venture between house builder Miller Group, property developer Argent and landowner Bernard Llewellyn. Over the life of the project, Miller Argent estimates it will mine 10.8 million tonnes of coal at between 750,000 tonnes and 1 million tonnes per year, which when burnt will release over 30 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Much of this will be burnt in Aberthaw Power Station, near Swansea.

Coal is the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels – burning it has the biggest impact on climate change of any fuel.Ffos-y-Fran and mines like it in the UK will help supply a new generation of coal fired power plants. Kingsnorth in Kent is the first of these proposed new plants, and is planned to start production by 2012. It will be followed by at least seven others. Despite much interest in ‘carbon capture and storage’

(CCS) technology, it is at least 20 years from being commercially viable on the scale suggested by the Government. The use of coal in power stations has risen by 10 per cent over the past 10 years, and consequently CO2 emissions in the UK are higher than ever before. Experience shows us that if we dig up coal, we burn it.

By supporting new coal mines like Ffos-y-Fran the Government is sending a clear signal that they are not committed to substantially addressing climate change. UK Government and Welsh Assembly Government Policy The UK Government’

s flagship Climate Change Bill commits the government to reduce UK emissions by 60% by 2050. The newly appointed Climate Change Committee that the bill establishes, chaired by Lord Turner, will report in November on whether this target should be 80%, and are likely to approve the more ambitious target.

The UK Government has committed to keeping global temperature rises below 2 degrees centigrade.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the most authoritative scientific body ever assembled – stated in its Fourth Assessment Report in 2007 that for warming to be between 2 – 2.4C will require a 85% cut in global emissions by 2050. Relying on coal-fired power stations to generate electricity for the UK means we are almost certain to miss these targets –

there is a clear gap between governmental rhetoric and action.

The Welsh Assembly Government will not agree to a buffer zone of any sort around the mine, despite legislation in England and Scotland which imposes 500 metre buffer zones on opencast mines which would have prevented Ffos-y-Fran from being approves, if implementation of the legislation had not been delayed in Wales. No compensation or re-location has been offered to local residents. The Welsh Assembly Government describe climate change as “the greatest threat facing humanity.” They also state: “The local environment matters… communities are blighted by littering, fly-tipping and pollution.”

Their approval of Ffos-y-Fran shows that, again, there is a gap between rhetoric and behaviour.

Who are we? This protest has brought people together from across Wales and the UK, in solidarity with local residents opposed to Ffos-y-Fran. We come from many different backgrounds, including business, academia and environmental organisations. For many of us, this is the first time we have taken part in direct action of this kind. We don’t do so lightly, but in this case, given the level of opposition to the mine which has already been ignored, we see peaceful protest as one of the few options left to highlight the urgent and growing threat of unstoppable climate change. Residents Against Ffos-y-Fran As a group, and under various names, Residents Against Ffos-y-Fran (RAFF) have been fighting against opencast mining at Ffos-y-Fran for 4-5 years now, with several members of the group opposing opencast mining in Merthyr Tydfil for decades before.

A 10,000 signature petition against the scheme was collected by the group in a relatively short period of time. With the recent start of mining at Ffos-y-Fran, the group re-formed with a new structure and identity to better meet the challenge presented.

At 7:30 this morning 30 people blockaded the entrances to E-on’s offices on Mount St, Nottingham City Centre. People covered in green paint to represent E-on’s greenwash, locked onto the front entrance to E-on’s office and stood in front of other entrances preventing E-on workers from getting to work.

At E-on’s offices today, Bob Castle said “We are here today because despite E-on publicly claiming green credentials, it is trying to build a new generation of coal fired power stations. It is trying to build the first new coal fired power station in the UK in 50 years, at Kingsnorth in Kent, and wishes to continue its expansion with a new power staion at High Marnham in Nottinghamshire.

We are here to tell E-on that they will not suceed and the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Coal is the dirtiest Fossil Fool and to build new coal power stations in the face of climate change is collective suicide.”

Fossil Fools Day, called by the international Rising Tide network and its allies, has seen over one hundred actions take place around the world. Protests have focused on the companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions, as well as complicit governments and those promoting false solutions.

Groups who have taken action today in the UK include Eastside Climate Action, Rising Tide, the Camp for Climate Action, World Development Movement, People and Planet, the Network for Climate Action and Earth First!

While Eastside Climate Action were visiting E-On in Nottingham, other groups around the UK were in Parliament Square (where People and Planet built a coal power station complete with 12ft cooling towers), Porsche HQ in London (where a public apology was issued on behalf of Porsche), the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform (where WDM held the world’s first laugh-in over plans for new coal at Kingsnorth) and Manchester City Centre (where a parade toured the city’s biggest fossil fools).

“We are taking action to prevent the fossil fuel industry from destroying our future,” said Bob Castle from Eastside Climate Action. “Vested interests in business and government are bent on pursuing economic growth at all costs. We need to shrink, not protect, the fossil fuel economy if we are to survive climate change.”

For interviews and more information about today’s action at E-on contact 07880 937511

** Updates will be available throughout the day at www.fossilfoolsday.org ** Notes to Editors:

1)E-on own Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station the site of protests by 11 people who locked themselves to machinery to prevent coal entering the power station. The judge in the trial agreed that the 11 defendants had acted to prevent death and serious injury from the release of CO2 from Ratcliffe into the atmosphere.

2)Ratcliffe is the largest CO2 emmitter in the East Midlands and 2nd largest in the UK

3)Despite E-on’s green claims they only produce 9% of their energy from renewable sources. http://www.eon.com/en/unternehmen/8559.jsp

4)E-on’s infrastructure investment fund is 95% for non-renewable energy projects. http://www.energyrisk.com/public/showPage.html?page=449443

5)E-on plan to build the UK’s first new coal fired power station, plans that are opposed by groups from Greenpeace to World Devolpment Movement.

6)The Climate camp, (which previously held camps and did actions at Drax and Heathrow) plan to target Kingsnorth this year. www.climatecamp.org.uk 7)E-on also plan to build a new Coal Fired Power Station at High Marnham near Retford in Nottinghamshire. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133965&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133948&contentPK=20117809&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

Pics from http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/395382.htmlALAN LODGE 

Photographer – Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK tash@indymedia.org Member of the National Union of Journalists [No: 014345]  

EV-EON was officially launched on the South Bank today under the London Eye and Big Ben where the public was treated to free bottles of EV-EON water.Photos of the event are attached.Behind this stunt there is a very serious message. E.ON and the Government are presenting CCS as a sort of fossil-fuel Holy Grail. The trouble with CCS is that no-one knows when – if ever – it will be commercially available. At the moment there are only a few small scale demonstration plants.

The theoretical possibility of CCS is being used by government and industry as a wedge to drive through new coal fired power stations in the UK. Kingsnorth 2, and others like Tilbury, Blyth, Ferrybridge, HighMarnham, Longannet and Cockenzie, would each emit millions of tons ofCO2 and would NOT be CCS plants for decades, if at all.In the coming months John Hutton will decide whether to permit Kingsnorth or hold a public inquiry.

This stunt aims to bring CCS out into the public and prompt a public debate about what it really is; greenwash so good you could bottle it.

Please visit our website <http://www.ev-eon.com> to watch our fantastic animation – you will really laugh.

For more details please contact Ian Duff on 07879880864

Editors notes: * April Fools day is being marked around the world as Fossil Foolsday to raise awareness about the recent renaissance of fossils fools and in particular coal in the UK. * E.on claims that Kingsnorth 2 will be CCS ready and as such theg reenest coal fired power station ever. However in reality we are still decades away from developing CCS and there are no guarantees that itwill be commercially affordable. * The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has admitted that CCS “may never work” and John Hutton, UK Business Minister, has said that “CCSis as yet unproven technology and we have to acknowledge there is some risk that safe and reliable CCS for power generation might not be proven or deployable at scale and at reasonable costs.” ( in Parliament, 10 January 2008_ * Despite these concessions CCS is still being used to justify the expansion of the coal fired power station, as with Kingsnorth and potentially with another 6 stations also awaiting approval. * Who are we? Just a group of concerned individuals, brought together by last summers Climate Camp at Heathrow with a shared belief that we must do more than sit around waiting for the Government to take leadership. website now live www.EV-EON.com

Protests will focus on the companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions, as well as complicit governments and those promoting false solutions. Possible targets in the UK include oil, gas, coal, aviation, agrofuel and carbon offset operations and headquarters.

“We are taking action to prevent the fossil fuel industry from destroying our future,” said Brian Kelly from Rising Tide. “Vested interests in business and government are bent on pursuing economic growth at all costs. We need to shrink, not protect, the fossil fuel economy if we are to survive climate change.”

Groups involved in the UK include Rising Tide, the Camp for Climate Action, World Development Movement, People and Planet, the Network for Climate Action and Earth First!

While most activists are keeping their plans under wraps until the day, public events have been called for Parliament Square (where People and Planet will be building a coal power station complete with 12ft cooling towers), Porsche HQ in London (where a public apology will be issued on behalf of Porsche), the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform (where WDM will be holding the world’s first laugh-in over plans for new coal at Kingsnorth) and Manchester City Centre (for a parade touring the city’s biggest fossil fools) to name but a few.

“Myths like clean coal and agrofuels are a dangerous distraction from the root causes of this crisis,” said Sophie Price. “The only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

For interviews, for more information about the public events listed above, or to find out more about Fossil Fools Day, contact Rising Tide:

0796 191 7535
info@risingtide.org.uk
www.fossilfoolsday.org / www.risingtide.org.uk

** Updates will be available throughout the day on April 1st at www.fossilfoolsday.org **

Contact:

• Monica Vaughan, Rising Tide North America
  541-521-1832 / fossilfools@risingtidenorthamerica.org
• Brianna Cayo Cotter, Energy Action Coalition
  415-305-1943 / brianna@energyaction.net
• Online: www.fossilfoolsday.org & www.fossilfools08.org

APRIL FOOLS DAY ACTIONS TO TARGET FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
Over 100 actions planned to confront Dirty Energy, demand a Just, Green Energy Future

Who: The actions have been called for by the international Rising Tide network, youth and students with the Energy Action Coalition, and Rainforest Action Network.

What: “Fossil Fools Day” is an international day of protest focused on climate change and energy issues. Actions being planned so far include Critical Mass bike rides, green job rallies, protests and civil disobedience at power plants, energy companies, urban sprawl developers, Bank of America mass account closures, car dealer “adoptions,” no coal photo petitions alternative energy expos, and more.

When: April Fools Day, April 1st, 2008

Where: Protests are planned in over 100 locations throughout the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Why: Leading climate scientists warn that dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions must begin immediately to avoid catastrophic climatic shifts, yet most policy proposals consist primarily of goals that are decades off. Fossil Fools Day will bring about creative, and often confrontational, actions reflecting this urgency. Activists will be demanding a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and toward the localization of energy, food, and economic systems for a just, sustainable future.

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