The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/535530.html

NSP coal-use protesters march on Trenton plant

By MONICA GRAHAM

TRENTON - A horn blaring from an engine shunting coal at the Nova Scotia
Power generating plant Thursday almost drowned out the speeches.

But protesters were able to get their point across: They don't want the
power company to burn coal in its generating plants anymore.

About 50 people marched down Power Plant Road at noon, waving or wearing
signs saying the company must find other ways of generating power.

"We're not going away," said Peter Boyles, spokesman for the
Hillside-Trenton Environmental Watch Association, which is fighting against
pollution from the generating plant that the group says is damaging people's
health and property.

Mr. Boyles said his group has proved its case "time after time," to no
avail.

"It don't matter to them guys who dies or who lives," he said.

About 15 members of Cape Breton Citizens Against Strip Mining drove to
Trenton for the protest and to speak against the proposed open-face coal
mine on Boularderie Island.

They said the project will permanently damage the aquifer and eliminate 19
hectares of wetlands, and they argued there are cleaner ways to produce
energy than burning the site's sulphurous coal.

Strip mine proponent John Chisholm has obtained the necessary permits,
agreed Allan Nicholson.

"He can buy the politicians and he can buy the bureaucrats, but I'm a lawyer
and I'm telling you he can't buy the court," Mr. Nicholson said, to cheers.

Another Cape Breton man, Eskasoni Mi'kmaq elder Albert Marshall, said
halting the use of coal will protect Mother Earth and so sustain future
generations.

Members of the Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network argued that using coal
from Colombia promotes human-rights violations in the South American
country. Because Nova Scotia Power buys Columbian "blood coal," it is
responsible for atrocities ranging from the murder of union leaders to
moving whole villages from their homes without compensation.

The Ecology Action Centre offered a reminder that turning on the lights
sends more pollution out the stacks from coal-burning generators, while
another suggested everyone get politically involved at every level to get
their message across more widely.

New Democrat MLAs Charlie Parker (Pictou West) and Clarrie MacKinnon (Pictou
East) pledged support for clean energy projects and promised to raise the
subject in the legislature.

Mr. MacKinnon said Nova Scotia Power has earmarked $22 million to extend the
life of an old Trenton generator blamed for much of the local pollution.

That amount would go a long way to tap other energy sources like tidal or
wind power, he said.

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/