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By Michael Hawthorne | Tribune reporter December 28, 2009
Apr 222010
Apr 172010
Just off the highway in Little Village, Chicago’s most densely-populated Latino neighborhood, there’s an ever-present burning smell.
It’s the Crawford Generating Station, a coal-fired plant that pumps so much soot into the air that the children who live beneath its chimney call it “the cloud factory.”
Crawford and its sister station, the Fisk Generating Plant in nearby Pilsen — a decidedly Mexican neighborhood — date back to the 1920s, making them the “oldest, dirtiest plants located in any urban neighborhood” in America, according to the Chicago Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The plants are so toxic that the Alivio Medical Center, a non-profit clinic, practically specializes in treating children for asthma. A Harvard School of Public Health study found they cause 41 premature deaths, 550 emergency room visits and 2,800 asthma attacks every year.
The Chicago City Council is finally attempting to force Crawford and Fisk to install scrubbers or shut down. Continue reading »
Apr 172010
FOX Chicago News
Chicago – Some Chicago aldermen are introducing an ordinance aimed at reducing emissions from city power plants.
The Chicago Clean Power Ordinance is designed to reduce the amount of particulate matter and carbon dioxide emitted from the city’s two coal-fired power plants, Crawford and Fisk.
“When this legislation passes, Chicago will do what no other large city in America has had the guts to do: Clean up a dirty power plant within its jurisdiction and thus protect the health and welfare of its residents,” Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said.
Moore says the ordinance will cover power plant emissions that are not addressed by federal regulations.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/20100413-aldermen-coal-ordinance
This is the cost that Little Village Community Residents are paying Every
Year.
Pollution Contributors such as the Crawford Coal Power Plant are unbearable
burdens on the community that affect our health on a daily basis.
Now is the time to act and do something progressive for our city.
Alderman Joe Moore of the 49th ward will soon introduce to city council a
new ordinance that calls for stricter regulations on pollution emissions.
Join us in our struggle and support the new Chicago Clean Power Ordinance
All it takes is:
- a quick visit
- phone call
To your alderman, and demand that he or she supports and vote yes on the new Chicago Clean power Ordinance.
For additional information on Pollution contributors such as the Coal Power
Plants Or additional Information about the new Chicago Clean Power Ordinance
Contact Ian Viteri at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
Ian Viteri
Clean Power Organizer/ LVEJO
(773)-762-6991 / (773)-208-2094
Cleanpower@lvejo.org
2856 S. Millard ave. Chicago, Il 60623-4550
Illinois’ mercury pollution from coal-fired plants increased 7 percent in 2008, U.S. says
Mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants is increasing in Illinois even as it declines nationwide, a troubling trend for the state because emissions of the toxic metal tend to fall back to earth close to the source.
The amount of mercury blown into the air by the state’s coal plants jumped by 7 percent last year, according to a Tribune analysis of newly released federal data on industrial pollution. By contrast, mercury emissions from all U.S. power plants declined by 4 percent.
Only one other state, Michigan, recorded a larger increase in pounds released. Texas tied Illinois for the second largest, but emissions declined in 27 other states, including Indiana, Ohio, Georgia and several others that rely heavily on coal to generate electricity.
The increases in Illinois and several other states can be attributed to power companies’ burning more high-mercury coal in 2008, without equipment to filter out the poisonous byproduct. That type of coal generally contains less sulfur, which helps companies meet federal limits on acid rain pollution. There still are no national restrictions on mercury emissions from power plants, the largest man-made source of the toxic metal.
It takes only a small amount of mercury to pollute lakes and streams. Nearly half of the nation’s lakes contain fish contaminated with harmful levels of mercury, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study released earlier this year. Continue reading »
The Real Cost of Coal
September 28, 29 and 30, 2009
From the “holler to the “hood” coal is devastating lives and the environment upon which we depend. It’s time to blow the lid off the myth of “clean” coal, and make conservation, efficiency, and clean energy solutions a reality! Here’s an overview of the events planned during the week of September 28 not only to talk about the impacts of coal, but also to organize for conservation, efficiency and clean energy.
Featuring:
From the “Hollers”: Lorelei Scarbro, Coal River Mountain Watch
From the “Hood”: Sam Villasenor, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
Dorian Breuer, Pilsen Environmental RIghts and Reform OrganizationWith:
Kat Wallace and Parson Brown, Topless America: Video and Music
Pam and Lan Richart, Eco-Justice Collaborative: If Not Coal, Then What?
Visit our Events Page at www.ecojusticecollaborative.org for more information, to download fliers, and to see who is sponsoring and co-sponsoring this event! Continue reading »
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