FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2008

CCS Not the Answer to Climate Change, According to
Local Citizens Organizations
Environmental Groups Protest Attempt to Encourage Coal Use through Carbon Capture

Pittsburgh, PA- The Mountain Watershed Association, Center for Coalfield Justice and the Jefferson Action Group are denouncing the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS), often referred to as carbon sequestration, as a means to slow global climate change.  In conjunction with Greenpeace, the organizations participated in a protest today to draw attention to the plight of coalfield residents and the false promise of CCS.

“CCS is expensive, risky and unproven,” stated Lisa Marcucci of the Jefferson Action Group.  “And it does nothing to lessen the coalfield citizen’s burden.  As long as we rely on coal as an energy source, residents in the coalfields will be affected by contaminated drinking water, damage to property and homes from active mining and long-term risks to public health.”

According to the organizations, coal burning is the greatest threat to our climate, accounting for over one-third of all CO2 pollution, and CCS is an excuse used by power companies to justify the construction of new coal-fired power plants.  All three groups are calling on the Rendell Administration to halt its pursuit of CCS and of coal as an energy source in order to reduce the impacts of the coal cycle on the environment and communities in the coalfields.

“I’m shocked that Governor Ed Rendell and DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty are supporting CCS on public lands in Pennsylvania,” stated Beverly Braverman of the Mountain Watershed Association.  “Just a few weeks ago, Secretary McGinty was quoted by a local newspaper as saying CCS was reminiscent of the carnival game ‘Whack-a-Mole,’ and now she is supporting it to the extent that she is willing to sacrifice our public lands?  What happened?”

“If Pennsylvania chooses to open up public lands to CCS and the use of coal continues to expand, I fear other residents may experience the kind of damage that my home and family land suffered due to longwall mining,” said Marian Plovic, Washington County citizen and member of the Center for Coalfield Justice. “In order to eliminate the environmental and social consequences of coal use, we must begin to move away from using it entirely rather than developing new ways to encourage coal use.”

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