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SW: added citizen activism
An October, 2006 issue of ''Harper's'' magazine reported that [[Barack Obama]] had accepted $70,000 in donations from Exelon, "a leading nuclear-plant operator based in Illinois," since 2004. The article said,
<blockquote>At a 2005 hearing at the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, of which Obama is a member, the senator —- echoing the nuclear industry's current campaign to promotes nuclear energy as “green” —- said that since Congress was debating “policies to address air quality and the deleterious effects of carbon emissions on the global ecosystem, it is reasonable—and realistic—for nuclear power to remain on the table for consideration.”<ref>Ken Silverstein [http://www.harpers.org/archive/2006/10/sb-a-little-bit-more-on-obama-1161881683 A Bit More on Barack] Washington Babylon, October 26, 2006</ref></blockquote>
==Citizen activism==
===NAACP Clearing the Air Road Tour - April 2010===
{{#evp:youtube|ypkzycv8hzs|Bridgeport, CT resident Adrienne Farrar on air pollution in Bridgeport, CT.|right|200}}
In April 2010, Jacqui Patterson of the NAACP Climate Justice Initiative interviewed community members in Bridgeport. Jacqui wrote the following account of the impacts of the [[Bridgeport Harbor Station]]:<ref>[http://climatejusticeinitiative.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/day-ix-clearing-the-air-road-tour%E2%80%94bridgeport-ct%E2%80%94bridgeport-harbor-generating-station/ "Day IX Clearing th eAir Road Tour - Bridgeport, CT - Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station,"] NAACP Climate Justice Initiative, April 24, 2010</ref>
:Bridgeport is the second-poorest city in Connecticut after Hartford, with a per capita income just over half of the state average. The plant is wedged between Bridgeport’s Downtown and South End neighborhoods, which are among the city’s poorest. The average income of people who live within one mile of the plant is just $11,400, and over 87% of the plant’s neighbors are people of color. Six schools are within a mile of the plant, as is the University of Bridgeport (the tenth-most racially diverse university in the country, with over 60% students of color).
{{#evp:youtube|4Aum_AoHpEs|Bridgeport, CT resident Audrey Gaines on air pollution in Bridgeport, CT.|left|200}}
:The stories in Bridgeport solidified a pattern that has been consistent throughout the trip including high rates of respiratory illnesses, nuisance coal ash, and disproportionate exposure by low income communities of color.
:I had the pleasure of meeting with Adrienne, who is administering a training program for green jobs, Audrey whose job in the public health department has and her lifelong residency in Bridgeport have shown the impact of the coal plant on the community, and Craig who has spent the majority of his 59 years in Bridgeport and was able to provide a tour of the neighborhood surrounding the plant.
{{#evp:youtube|Yiw5SEsdpVQ|Craig Kelly of the NAACP on air pollution in Bridgeport, CT.|right|200}}
:As we started our tour at the plant, we weren’t able to begin our filming in front of the plant because we were run off by security who stated that filming in front of the plant was a felony offense by order of the department of Homeland Security! During the tour you’ll see on the footage several times where I filmed the plant from afar, including a bit where I filmed the largest mountain of coal I’ve seen yet in all my visits to coal plants. And it is completely uncovered, which is why even now I have coal dust on my car. Craig, who narrated our tour, omitted any indication of filming of the plant when I was doing it, seemingly out of fear that he might be implicated by my lawlessness so watch for the coal mountain because it won’t be mentioned!
:Adrienne shared some history of the South End community, where the plant is located, and talked about concerns that have been expressed by residents bout coal soot covering their cars, not being able to open their windows, and not being able to hang out laundry because of the coal ash.
==Articles and resources==
