A few hours ago hundreds of protesters converged on the headquarters of Duke Energy in Charlotte NC to demand a stop to the construction of the Cliffside Coal-fired power plant. This is just the latest in the growing wave of civil disobedience that is building around the country demanding that we get America off coal – the number one cause of global warming pollution in the US. Duke Energy stands out as one of the most hypocritical utilities – on the one hand professing to care about the climate, and on the other, continuing to pursue the construction of two conventional coal-fired power plants. Citi and Bank of America both have outstanding financial relationships with Duke – and this protest, coming on the eve of Citi’s shareholder meeting and just a week before Bank of America’s, underscores the escalating reputational risk associated with their continued support of dirty coal.
Stay tuned for a report and photos from the ground from Scott Parkin.
Posted on 20 April 2009
Tags: arrest, Cliffside, climate change, coal, Duke, Finance, fossil-fuels, Global Finance, global warming, protest
About the Author
Rebecca Tarbotton led RAN as its Executive Director from 2009 to 2012. Under her leadership, RAN achieved tremendous victories in preserving endangered rainforests and the rights of their indigenous inhabitants. In 2012, Rebecca helped to architect the most significant agreement in the history of the organization: a landmark policy by entertainment giant, Disney, that is set to transform everything about the way the company purchases and uses paper. Before becoming Executive Director, Rebecca served as the Global Finance Campaign Director where she was responsible for guiding the team to successfully pressure the biggest banks in the US to adopt groundbreaking policies limiting finance to coal-fired power plants and mountaintop removal mining. Prior to RAN, Rebecca had over ten years of experience in non-profit grassroots campaigning and advocacy.
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The protesters have my support; I’d be there if I could!