Activists arrested at Crawford coal plant in Illinois after calling for shutdown

[/caption]Six activists slipped through a gap in the fence at the Crawford Generating Station in Little Village Wednesday morning. They were arrested by Chicago police after unfurling a banner that read “Close Chicago’s Toxic Coal Plants” on top of a coal pile. The protest took place the day before two City Council committees hold hearings on a Clean Power Ordinance that would reduce emissions at Chicago’s Crawford and Fisk coal-powered plants. The activists were arrested on charges of misdemeanor trespassing and are expected to be released in the next few hours, according to Abigail Singer of the environmental group Rising Tide North America. The activist groups – Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Rising Tide North America, Rainforest Action Network and the Backbone Campaign – joined forces to demand the closure of Chicago’s coal-fired power plants if the plants don’t reduce pollution emissions. “We’re trying to expose how deadly these coal power plants are,” said Selene Gonzalez, urban land organizer for Little Village Environmental. “If you can’t clean up, you need to shut down.” Read the rest of the article here.]]>